Human Resource Management Report: Company HR Analysis and Strategies

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Human Resource Management (HRM) principles and practices. The report begins with an overview of the purpose and importance of HR functions, including recruitment, selection, and training and development, within the context of Chocolate Presence. It examines the strengths and weaknesses of current selection methods, proposing potential improvements to enhance the recruitment process. Furthermore, the report delves into the creation of a person specification for a receptionist role and evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of different job advertising methods. The report then shifts its focus to Microsoft, evaluating the benefits of graduate training schemes and flexible working arrangements. It explores how Microsoft motivates its workers through job role design. Lastly, it discusses employee engagement, its impact on effective employee relations, and the key elements of UK employment legislation influencing HR decision-making. The report provides a detailed exploration of HRM strategies and their practical application within these two companies.

Human resource
management

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
a) Purpose of HR function and its importance to the organization and problems and future
plans for further growth of company..........................................................................................3
b) Strengths and weaknesses of the current selection methods used by the organization .........5
c) Potential improvements that could be made by Chocolate Presence to enhance its selection
process.........................................................................................................................................5
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................6
a)Person specification for the role...............................................................................................6
b)Advantages and disadvantages of the current methods of advertising jobs in the
organization.................................................................................................................................6
c)Explanation about where you would recommend the job advert for the Receptionist vacancy
to be placed and why...................................................................................................................8
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................8
a)Microsoft offer graduate training schemes and internships, evaluation of the benefits to both
the organisation and employees of such scheme.........................................................................8
b) Identify and evaluate flexible working arrangements to Microsoft and its employees..........9
c) How Microsoft motivates their workers through designing of job roles..............................10
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................11
a)Employee engagement and its importance in achieving effective employee relations in
Microsoft...................................................................................................................................11
b)Key approaches to engaging workers discussed in the Summit and how these approaches
improve communication in the workplace................................................................................12
c)Key elements of UK employment legislation, explaining how they influence HR decision
making such as recruitment, training and development and reward.........................................12
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................15

INTRODUCTION
Human resource department are considered as the essential aspect of every organisation
in order to carry out different operational activities smoothly without ant hurdle. As its the
department who manage human resource of an organisation effectively and efficiently so that
they can accomplish the different task on time (Anheier, 2014). In this assignment four task are
being covered under which in task 2 and 3 chocolate presence organisation is being taken into
consideration so as to evaluate the purpose of HR function and its importance to the organization
and problems and future plans for further growth of company as well as advantages and
disadvantages of the current methods of advertising jobs in the organization. Whereas in task 3
and 4 Microsoft company is being taken into consideration in order to explain about flexible
working arrangements to Microsoft and its employee. Lastly, employee engagement and its
importance in achieving effective employee relations in Microsoft as well as ktey elements of
UK employment legislation and how they influence HR decision making such as recruitment,
training and development and reward is explained in this report.
TASK 1
a) Purpose of HR function and its importance to the organization and problems and future plans
for further growth of company.
Purpose of HR function
There are various purposes of HR function. These includes staffing, training and
development, recruitment and selection etc. Some of these purposes are discussed below
(Armstrong and Taylor, 2014):
Recruitment and selection: It is a major function of HR department to recruit talented and
skilled candidate for the firm. The managers needs to ensure that they recruit right candidate for
the vacant position. Chocolate Presence also needs to ensure that right candidates are hired by
the HR department who can perform their activities in a proper manner. It is helpful for the firm
in increasing the quality of their provided products and services.
Training and development: The HR managers of Chocolate Presence should monitor the
performance of their employees. When the performance of employees decrease, then the HR
managers needs to motivate them by providing them training and development sessions. Through
this, the employees can work for improving their skills and working which will also improve the
organisational performance and productivity.

Importance
The HR function is very important for an organisation. The HR function provides
salaries, strategic management, implementing strategies etc. which are necessary for smooth
functioning of the firm. Some of these are discussed below:
Strategic management: The HR department is responsible for strategic management.
When any issue associated with product development arise in the firm, then HR managers needs
to ensure that the cost and resources are used properly or not. They needs to modify their
strategies according to the situation (Beare, Caldwell and Millikan, 2018). Chocolate Presence is
facing the issue of reduced quality of their chocolate. The HR managers needs to take
precautions so that such issues can be resolved in less amount of time.
Salaries and wages: The HR department is responsible for providing salaries and wages
to the employees. The issues of employees associated with salary and pay are resolved by the HR
function. The company Chocolate Presence is facing the issue of Labour turnover as the
employees are leaving the firm due to their personal and professional reasons. HR manager
needs to communicate with workers for determining their issues and concerns. The manager
should provide the suitable salary and other monetary benefits to employees so that the firm can
retain them for a longer period of time.
Problems
The taken firm Chocolate Presence is facing many issues which are associated mainly
with their employees. These problems are issues in selection process of firm, labour turnover,
communication issues among workers etc. which needs to be resolved in less possible time. The
problems of employee turnover is arising mainly due to the salary expectations of employees
which needs to be resolved soon (Bratton and Gold, 2017). The selection process of the firm has
also many drawbacks which are impacting the firm in hiring right candidates for the job. The
problem of communication issue is arising mainly due to less interaction among the workforce
which also impact the team performance and productivity.
Future plans
The firm is focusing on eliminating the labour turnover by resolving the issues of
employees. When right candidates are recruited in the organisation, then it can positively impact
the firm and its employees. The HR managers needs to ensure that their selection process must
be modified. The firm can use aptitude and situation based tests for determining the skills and

capabilities of workers (Budhwar and Debrah, 2013). These candidates can communicate with
other employees effectively which will resolve the issue of communication. When employees
will communicate with each other, then they will support each other and the firm can retain them
for a long time period.
Purpose of HRM
Main purpose of HRM of Chocolate Presence firm is to coordinate all the individual of
an organisation towards achievement of specific business objectives by fulfilling the staffing
and by maintaining employee satisfaction. In addition to other important purpose of HRM is to
maximise the productivity level of an organisation by optimizing the effectiveness of its
employees.
b) Strengths and weaknesses of the current selection methods used by the organization
The firm Chocolate Presence is using interview and aptitude test for selecting their
employees. There are several strengths and weakness in the selection process adopted by the
Chocolate Presence as discussed below (Buller and McEvoy, 2012):
Strengths Weakness
 Through the interview, interviewer can
judge the skills and capabilities of the
interviewee based on a face to face
interview.
 Also another strength is that the
interview assist the Interviewer to
change the questions according to the
job position. Through this, the firm can
determine whether the candidate is
suitable or not for the position.
 The weakness of interview is that there
are chances when the interviewer may
forget some important questions to ask.
When such questions are not asked,
then misinformation can be grasped by
the candidates.
 Another weakness is that it is not good
to judge a person in 15 minutes. The
firm needs to ensure that they are
judging the person based on the skills
and knowledge of the candidates.
c) Potential improvements that could be made by Chocolate Presence to enhance its selection
process.
There are some improvements which needs to be implemented in the selection process of
the Chocolate Presence. These improvements are discussed below (Deresky, 2017):

 It can be recommended to the HR managers that they can replace the informal chat
process with formal chat process through which the HR manager can determine the skills
and knowledge of the candidates in different situations. Also the managers can check for
the educational qualifications and background of the candidates.
 The HR managers can also add situation and technology based test in the selection
process. Through this, the managers can hire the excellent and efficient staff which can
perform their daily operations without any issues and problems associated with
technology.
 The HR managers can also use the mock tests for determining the creative and innovative
thinking of the candidates. Through this, the managers can find out whether the
candidates are innovative and creative or not. When innovative staff is recruited in the
organisation, then issues of employees can be easily resolved due to the mutual support
from these employees.
TASK 2
a)Person specification for the role.
Person specification of a Receptionist for the Chocolate Presence organisation
Person specification refers to the personal attributes of the applicants which consist of
person skills, qualification and other aspects (DuBrin, 2011).
Person specification of a Receptionist
Name: ABC
Job Title applying for: Receptionist
Department/Section applying for:Administration
Particulars Essential criteria Desirable criteria
Qualification Graduate and post graduate in
any stream as well as should
be experienced of at least 1
years.
Minimum of 2 years
experience as a receptionist in
any sector.
Experience Experience of answering
incoming telephonic calls
To answer telephonic call and
to meet and greet clients as

efficiently. well as to keep reception area
tidy.
Skills Communicative skills, basic
knowledge about computer.
To be good in communication
and should have knowledge
about working on computer.
b)Advantages and disadvantages of the current methods of advertising jobs in the organization.
There are basically two types of current methods of advertising used by chocolate
presence organisation so as to advertise about the vacant job of receptionist and each method
posses certain advantage and disadvantages which are are mentioned below (Education.Hill,
Jones and Schilling, 2014):
Internally within the organisation:
It is the method of advertising through word of mouth among families and friends. This
current method of advertising is used by chocolate presence and it posses certain advantages and
disadvantage which are mentioned below:
Advantage:
The main advantage of this method is that it is a cost effective method and doesn't
consume much time. Additionally it is term to be the fast method of recruitment as is also termed
to be useful for hiring applicant in a time efficient manner.
Other main advantage of this method is that it helps in increasing the morale of the
workforce and in improving the relations in the organisation. Additionally, industry training cost
will also get minimized because the candidate already knows about the working environment of
an organisation.
Disadvantage:
On the other hand its disadvantage is that this process of recruitment is limited to
audience because of which company fails to make aware talented applicant about the vacant
post. This may result in recruitment of low skilled employees.
Other main disadvantage of this method is that it the employees those who will not get
promoted will be dissatisfied. Moreover it restrict new blood from entering into an organisation
which is one of the disadvantage as new blood comes up with innovative ideas, fresh thinking
etc.

Noticeboard outside the main entrance:
This is the another current method of advertising used by chocolate presence by placing a
notice board outside the main entrance specifying about vacant position and about the salary that
will be rendered for the post. Thus, this method posses certain advantages and disadvantages
which are mentioned below:
Advantage:
The main advantage of this method of advertising is that it is term to be very much
helpful in promoting the company as well in marketplace which will be helpful in achieving long
term sustainability as well. Additionally it will be beneficial for the firm as they will get the
opportunities to select talented workers for the organisation from different cultural background
so that it became easy to understand the cultural background of different individuals.
Other main advantage of this method is that the chances of partiality and bias get reduced
and encourage new blood to come up with innovative ideas. In addition to this there is no need to
maintain conditional records too as it offer wide scope of selection and this is because large
number of talented applicant will come up for selection process.
Disadvantage:
On the other hand this current method of advertising posses certain disadvantage too that
is it is a costly process as recruitment from different cultural nation will require most cost to
incure. Additionally it is a time consuming process and long term process which is term to be
disadvantage of this method for Chocolate presence.
Other main disadvantage of this method is that it may not develop loyalty among existing
workforce and even may leave the organisation if outsiders are given higher post.
c)Explanation about where you would recommend the job advert for the Receptionist vacancy to
be placed and why.
Management of chocolate presence takes into consideration many methods of advertising
about the job vacancy of receptionist. First is internally within the organisation and second is
through Noticeboard outside the main entrance (Elsbach, 2014). It has been analysed that both
the method possess certain advantages and disadvantage and taking this aspect into consideration
it can be recommended that chocolate presence must adopt external source of recruitment that is
through noticeboard outside the main entrance. The main reason for selecting this method of job
advertisement process is that it positively helps in communicating the recruitment messages and

brand as well as reinforce the corporate message and helps in creating brand awareness.
Additionally this method of advertisement will also help in encouraging people to apply who
were not considering moving as well as it is term to be the good way of reaching the connected
generations and to access wide generation.
Other method which the management of chocolate presence takes into consideration is
social media, newspaper, banners, magazines etc. As in today world most of the population are
connected with one another via social media like Facebook, Instagram etc. so this is the best
method of job advertising which will help may applicant to known and apply for the vacant post.
Moreover newspaper method can also be best suitable as it is efficient over a large area and is
equally efficient in local area too whereas the main advantage of this method is that it is cost
effective.
TASK 3
a)Microsoft offer graduate training schemes and internships, evaluation of the benefits to both
the organisation and employees of such scheme.
Training is considered as the process in which the skills and abilities are polished in the
new employees to help them in performing with great efficiency in their work. Internship is
defined as the process in which freshers can apply and embrace their knowledge in a practical
manner. The aim of the Microsoft is to motivate each employee in the organisation to achieve
more growth in the market (Guest, 2011). The company has a believe that shared goals of the
individuals and the firms in a collective manner will result in the usage of technology and
innovation of the Microsoft. Microsoft provides the graduate training schemes and internships to
the people and employees for improving their skills. The mission of Microsoft is to motivate the
people to accomplish more milestones in their career. The company thinks that the shared goals
of individuals and company can help the world in terms of technology and innovation. Through
these training and internship provided by the Microsoft, employees can accomplish their goals in
an effective manner as well as can improve their skills. The company is providing Phd
internships, university internship, apprenticeship etc. to the people for improving their efficiency
and performance. Also the firm can retain their employees through the training. The schemes
provide benefit to employees as well as the organisation in following manners:
Benefits to the employees-

This scheme is beneficial for the employees as it gives them the chance by providing
internships in the big organisation like Microsoft which will definitely boos t up their career and
will lead the individual in developing rich working styles and proper skills at the start of their
career. This will give them advantage in their professional life.
If the fresher is capable enough and if the performance level is good at the time of
internship then the company will hire the individual for the full time job. And, the scheme also
helps in providing stipend to the freshers as it helps them in their basic requirements.
Benefits to Microsoft-
This scheme helps the company to examine the interns and to plan for the future
employees for the organisation from them (Keupp, Palmié and Gassmann, 2012). With these
schemes the organisation are able to analyse the potential of the individuals according to the
requirements.
By hiring a intern saves a lot of money of the organisation as the paid amount in the form
of stipend is very minimal in the value. And, if the intern is hired by the company in future then
it leads to he higher retention rate for the organisation.
b) Identify and evaluate flexible working arrangements to Microsoft and its employees
Employees are considered as the assets to the organisation as they perform for the
organisational goals and objectives in effective manner and are deserved to receive the special
arrangements by the company to keep them motivated and loyal to their organisation. Microsoft
is providing flexible working arrangements such as time away and care for family. Through
these arrangement, the employees of the firm can maintain the balance between their personal
and professional life. Also the employees can spent the time with their family which will help
them in improving the confidence and performance due to the increased job satisfaction. There
are various arrangements made by the Microsoft which are as follows (Kim, Kumar and Kumar,
2012)-
Future plans for the employees-
These arrangements involve various schemes which are formulated by Microsoft to keep
the future secure of their employees. These schemes include (Liu and Liu, 2011):
shareholders- Microsoft allows 10% discount to its employees to buy the stocks of the company.
This is beneficial for the organisation as well, as it increases the profitability by increasing

the sell of the shares of the company. It helps the employees in making their financial
conditions better as it is giving them opportunities to buy the highly valuable shares.
Education loans- Microsoft assist the employees by providing them education loans for their
children at lower rates and easy instalments to secure the future of their kids. This help the
company to earn money n the form of interest rates.
Additional perks-
These perks consist of various benefits which employees can use for their leisure time.
These perks can be on campus to motivate the employees and helping them with proper
assistance with facilities like shops of grocery, cafes and related to entertainment in the premise
to motivate the employees. These all benefits will lead the employee to perform well for the
organisation and will lead the company to profitability.
To offer extra perks Microsoft has introduced social clubs for the employees as it is
important for the individual to spend relaxation time with their family and friends to keep them
fresh and energetic. Social clubs provide various services to the employees to party in the free
time at minimal cost. This increases the efficiency of the employees and creates a positive impact
for the organisation among them and develops a good working environment which is beneficial
for the Microsoft.
c) How Microsoft motivates their workers through designing of job roles
The job roles are basically concerned with the motivation of the employees and the abilities they
posses for the required job. The various ways by which Microsoft is maintaining the motivation
among the employees is through the various ways which keep the employees enthusiastic to
perform their job effectively. These methods are (López-Nicolás and Meroño-Cerdán, 2011)-
Training and development-
The proper training and development programmes are initiated by the Microsoft to help
the employees to grow continuously. The organisation is using a various methods to train the
employees and to increase the abilities of the employees. These programmes include wide range
of learning potentials to the individual related to their job duties.
Rewards-
The organisation also provide with rewards to the employees on the basis of their
performances and skills. Microsoft takes help of dynamic and strategical programs to develop he

trust in the employees to perform well for the organisation to achieve the desired goals. It helps
in improving the culture and values of the workers and the organisation.
Safety:
Microsoft insure that the employees should work in a healthy environment for rising the
productivity of the organisation. Microsoft is serving the workers by attracting them in actions
which assist their financial and social well-being. The organisation has also enforced safety
programs by which the employees of Microsoft can work for daily betterment in their health and
safety. The organisation directs the employees to acquire appropriate knowledge of the
machineries before working on them.
All these factors are designed in a way that these job roles is directly linked with the
performances of the employees. Microsoft have to design the job roles according to these
elements to motivate the employees and to increase the abilities to work harder for the
organisation to achieve the desired objectives.
TASK 4
a)Employee engagement and its importance in achieving effective employee relations in
Microsoft.
Employee engagement refers to the degree to which workers seems to be passionate and
full of enthusiasm about their work and devote themselves to their work. Whereas employee
relations refers to the relationship which exist among the employees within an organisation and
each workers must be comfortable to each other in order to create healthy work environment at
work (Palgrave.Bratton and Gold, 2017). Therefore, in context to Microsoft employees
engagement has its own importance in achieving effective employee relations in an organisation
which is explained below:
 Enhance positive attitudes among employees: The very first importance of employee
engagement is that employee engagement is term to be an innovative thought which
indirectly helps in enhancing positive attitude among employee towards their job. If the
employees of Microsoft company will perform their task effectively and efficiently by
effectively co-operating with each other will helps in creating positive attitude among
employees towards there work and will like to perform their best so as to come up with
positive outcome.