HRM Report: Evaluating Practices and Employee Relations at John Lewis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices at John Lewis & Partners, a UK-based retail company. The report begins with an introduction to HRM, outlining its purpose and functions, and then focuses on the specific context of John Lewis. It examines recruitment and selection methods, comparing internal and external sources, and discusses the benefits of various HRM practices for both employers and employees. The report evaluates the effectiveness of different HRM practices, emphasizing training and development, and the importance of employee relations in decision-making. Furthermore, it explores key elements of employee legislation and their impact on HRM processes. The report concludes with an overview of HRM applications and a summary of the key findings. The content covers topics such as recruitment, training, employee benefits, organizational culture, and legal compliance within the context of John Lewis & Partners.

HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT

INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1 Purpose and function of HRM applicable to organisation.....................................................1
P2 Strength and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and selections...................2
P3 Explain the benefits of different HRM practises within an organisation for both the
employer and employee...............................................................................................................4
P4 Evaluation on effectiveness of different HRM practises........................................................5
P5 Importance of employee relations in influencing decision making........................................7
P6 Key element of employee's legislation and its impact on decision making process of HRM8
P7 Application of HRM practices................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Human Resource Management is a function which includes activities related to hiring,
maintaining and motivating organisational workforce. It is a primary function in every business
organisation which helps them to fulfil their staffing needs (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014). In this
report, company which is chosen here is John Lewis & Partners which is an UK based employee-
owned company. It is an retain industry which deals in clothing, watches, direct, financial
services, cosmetics etc. In this project purpose, functions and benefits of HRM have been
discussed. Effectiveness of HRM practices in terms of raising organisational productivity has
been evaluated in this report. Importance of employee relations and application of HRM
practices in work related context is also been included in this project
TASK 1
P1 Purpose and function of HRM applicable to organisation
Human resource management is essential function of management which fulfils
organisational staffing needs. It also helps to create employee satisfaction. This function plays an
important strategic role in recruiting effective candidates for company. HRM manager of John
Lewis, need to develop successful plan to recruit fruitful candidate for their organisations. There
are some purposes and functions of HRM mentioned below that have to take care by HR
manager of company to recruit best potential candidates in their workforce.
Functions of HRM
Recruitment and Selection: It is a process in which best candidates are selected from
large pool of applicants. This process helps to increase efficiency of hiring process in
company. HRM managers must organise proper recruitment planning and strategies
before conducting this process. In context with John Lewis, their HR managers are using
online procedure in order to recruit candidates who have effective knowledge of retail
industry.
Training and Development: It is important function of HRM which aim to improve
additional competency and skills of employee within organisation (Bratton and Gold, 2017). It is
an essential process in order to increase performance and productivity of workers. John Lewis
Company is known for their prosperity in marketplace, so these types of training activities
benefit them to enhance morale of their employees and create job satisfaction among them. This
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method helps to increase company capacity to adopt various technologies and serve their
customers at their best.
Compensation and Benefits: These are non monetary benefits that are given by
companies to their employees to enhance their job performance. These benefits are apart from
salary which helps to maintain workforce motivation. John Lewis Company provide flexible
working hours, life-term insurance and casual leaves to their employees with helps them to work
with great enthusiasm.
Ensuring Legal compliances: Company management must ensure that they are applying
required laws and policies within there working environment (Briscoe, Tarique and Schuler,
2012). There are some legal compliance that are following by John Lewis, human right
standards, retirement benefits, labour standards, health and safety and pay equity. Apart from
this, HR manager of this company provide adequate information to recruiters regarding to their
working rights and terms and conditions of organisation.
Performance Appraisals: This method helps John Lewis company to make their
employees happy by providing them various modes of job appraisals. Some of those methods
include holiday trips, extra bonus, and incentives. With help of this company can increase job
performance and productivity of their employees.
Purpose of HRM
Human resource management is an approach to hire and maintain effective workforce in
an organisation. This function helps business their goals and objectives. Main function of HRM
is to fulfil staffing need in an organisation. Human resource manager in John Lewis perform
different functions to recruit effective candidates within their company. This helps to maximise
company profitability and productivity.
P2 Strength and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and selections
It is a responsibility of Human resource management department to conduct various
activities in order to recruit skilled and effective candidates in John Lewis. A skilled worker
helps company to produce high standard of products and services. This results in faster economic
growth for a company (Brewster and Hegewisch, 2017). There are two types of recruitment
methods and their advantages and disadvantages are mentioned below:
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External source: This recruitment method includes hiring of individuals from outside of the
organisation. This method benefits company to extract new and fresh talented candidates (Jiang
and et. al., 2012). External source of recruitment attract potential candidates through employment
exchanges, field trips, labour contractors, employee referrals and by giving advertisement in
newspapers and televisions and on other various sources.
Strength Weaknesses
 This method provides company to
extract best and potential workers from
larger pool of candidates.
 It is a long and expensive process and
may cause dissatisfaction among those
candidates who are not appointed.
 Through this process company can
have new employees who bring fresh
perspectives which can be applied in
business challenges.
 This recruitment process take more
resources and also new employees may
take long period of time to adjust and
orientate their efforts.
Internal sources: It is a recruitment process in which company fill their vacant vacancy from
their existing workforce (Berman and et. al., 2012). In this process top management of a
company provide job promotions to their employees.
Strength Weaknesses
 This process helps to increase morale of
existing employees and motivates them
towards better job performance.
 This method limits the number of
potential and skilled candidates in
organisation. Also company cannot
able to bring new and fresh ideas from
outside.
 This is cheaper and quicker method. It
also helps to provide opportunities of
promotions within organisation.
 This recruitment method can bring gap
in existing workforce. Also it can
generate competition among employees
which can develop negative working
relationships among them.
Sources of recruitment method in John Lewis & partners: Top management implement both
internal and external process of recruitments in their organisation as per requirements. They are
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using online modes to post job requirements on various websites and portals. But this process
needs more time in further selection.
P3 Explain the benefits of different HRM practises within an organisation for both the employer
and employee
Human resource management is a strategic approach that is used to maximise employees
performance in an organisation and also to hire and manage effective workforce for an
organisation (Buller and McEvoy, 2012). In this context, it is essential for human resource
system of John Lewis & Partners to modify its human resource systems and organisational
culture to gain competitive advantage in a business environment. There are benefits of HRM
practises for both employer and employee, which are discussed as below:
Employee’s benefits
(a) Training and Development
The vital benefit of HRM practises for an organisation is training and development, which helps
the chosen organisation John Lewis & Partners to improve job performance of their workforce in
an dynamic business environment. It will help employees of an organisation in increasing their
job satisfaction and in adopting new technologies and methods in their assigned task. The HRM
department of John Lewis & Partners organises training and development sessions for their
employees to improve skills and knowledge of their new employees and also helps in improving
overall development of their existing employees. This HRM practises also helps an organisation
in improving their productivity for a longer run in a competitive business environment (Renwick
Redman and Maguire, 2013). It also helps an organisation in identifying strength and weaknesses
of their employees, which leads in organising training sessions for their staff members in
accordance with their needs.
(b) Resource of Information
In this context, HRM department of the chosen organisation John Lewis &
Partners organises various conferences and sessions to make its staff members aware of the
recent changes, that are required to adopt for overall development of a business entity. It act as
supportive department for their employees that guides and motivates them in order to
achieve their specific goals and objectives in a competitive business market. The business
environment is continuously changing in terms of technology, so it will helps the employees of
chosen organisation to adopt new techniques in their business operations.
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Employer’s benefits
(a) Enhance benefits of organisation
The HRM practises in an organisation also provide benefits to its employers, as it helps in
creating healthy and positive work environment (Renwick, Redman and Maguire, 2013). In this
regard, it helps John Lewis & Partners in building effective and efficient workforce in their
organisation. It also helps top-level managers of chosen organisation to organise meetings with
their subordinates in order to make them aware about new management strategies. This will
helps them in building positive employer’s and employee’s relation, which leads in generating
high revenues in competitive market. The benefits of HRM practises helps an organisation in
improving its overall performance and also in retaining its employees for longer duration. It also
helps John Lewis & Partners in encouraging its employer’s to company’s intellectual assets and
to provide appropriate resources to them, which leads in achieving their specific aims and
objectives. The HRM department helps an organisation in managing and controlling
administrative functions of an organisation.
(b) Organisational culture
Organisational culture plays an important role in making workforce of an organisation
efficient and effective. It is a process that concerns how peoples should behave in a business
entity. The personality of an organisation in operating its business activities and its workforce is
referred as organisational culture. In this context, this benefit will help the chosen organisation
John Lewis & Partners in preparing guidelines for its employees, which leads in proper
utilisation of resources and also in creating new and innovative products. It helps employees in
behaving in a good way with people within an organisation as well as with people outside the
organisation.
P4 Evaluation on effectiveness of different HRM practises
An effective HRM practises mainly focuses on employee’s improvement, compensation
and rewarding employees and also in retaining employees for a longer duration (Brewster,
Chung and Sparrow, 2016). In addition to this, it is also essential to make effective strategies that
will help employees of an organisation in achieving their specific goals and objectives. In this
context, the human resource department of John Lewis & Partners organises various training and
development sessions for its employees in order to identify their strength and weaknesses. It will
help an organisation in making their workforce effective and efficient in a competitive market.
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The HRM practises helps employees in giving their best services and also in improving their
skills and competence, which leads in improving their performances. The talent management is
also done by HRM department, which will helps the John Lewis & Partners in retaining their
best employees for a longer duration. It will help an organisation in improving its overall
performance. These HRM practises help an organisation in analysing their internal and external
environment, which leads in sustaining growth of an organisation in a business environment.
There are some major effective practises of HRM in John Lewis & Partner, which can be
described as:
(a) Improvement in abilities and skills of employees
The HRM department of every organisation gives emphasis on organising training and
development session for their employees, in order to make them effective towards achieving
organisational goals as well as their individual goals (Storey, J., 2014). In this context, HRM
department of John Lewis & Partners organises training sessions and also many types of
activities like, picnic, yoga, music and cultural events in order to reduce stress level of its
employees. They also giver rewards to their employees in accordance with the outcomes arises
from assigned task. It helps an organisation in creating a healthy competitive environment within
an organisation. The HRM department of an organisation always try to solve their job related
issue, which indirectly helps an organisation in gaining loyalty from their employees. It also
helps employees of an organisation in gaining job satisfaction. The HRM department also helps
in implementing and designing various strategies that helps employees and organisation in
achieving their objectives.
(b) Work-life Balance
In this present report, HRM department of the chosen organisation John Lewis & Partners
makes flexible working schedules for their employees, in order to helps employees of an
organisation in achieving work-life balance. They also provide telecommunication options and
training supervisors to reduce stress arising due to workload. These HRM practises help an
organisation in creating an result oriented work environment, which leads in overall development
of an business entity.
(c) Recruitment and Selection
The major task of human resource department of every organisation is to appoint right
person for a right job, in order to improve organisations efficiency. In this context, HRM
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department of John Lewis & Partners organises various career fairs at colleges and also
advertises job vacancies to reach audiences at a broader level. This practise helps an
organissation making their staff members effective and efficient.
(d) In terms of return on investment
In this practise, HRM department of John Lewis & Partners organises various training
programmes like on the job training for their employees, which helps them to learn while
working in a company. It will help both new and existing employees in improving their skills
and knowledge towards their specific objectives. It will also help an organisation in making
productive workforce and also in improving overall growth of an organisation in a dynamic
business environment(Jackson, Schuler, and Jiang, 2014). It also helps John Lewis & Partners in
creating effective working guidelines for employees, which helps an organisation in making their
workforce competitive in a continuously changing business environment.
P5 Importance of employee relations in influencing decision making.
Maintaining healthy relationship is a vital responsibility of every individual in an
organisation. It acts as a pre-requisite for success and growth of any and every organisation.
Healthy employee relations increases brand value of a business concern. It acts as a major factor
for increasing overall productivity and also satisfaction between employees of John Lewis.
Therefore it is a very necessary for managers to strengthen employee relations in following
ways.
 Effective decision making: In multinational business concerns , taking actions in change
management is not possible by an individual. So, HR managers need to discuss about
changes with employees and communicate it to them in an effective way. This would
help in getting reviews and opinions on implementation of alterations and also develop a
sense of belongingness in them.
 Involvement of employees: Involve solutions and ideas of workers in decision-making
procedure helps John Lewis management to boost morale of employees as well as
motivate them to work hard.
 Harmony in relationships: Good relations among workers and employees with
management assist companies by eliminating chances of conflicts.
 Developing a sense of understandability: Along with this, HR manager should be
capable of understanding needs and requirements of workers for accomplishing a task.
This will aid them in formulating policies for employee welfare.
 Interest creation in employees: HR manager of John Lewis aims at maintaining interest
levels of its employees by maintaining continuous interaction with them.
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Managers should be capable of building a good rapport with employees by making him
feel secure and comfortable rather than being scared.
Therefore, managers of John Lewis has used many methods to maintain relationship
balance of employees. HR managers now take opinion and views of workers on a certain point
and according to their feedback they formulate important strategies for growth and development.
P6 Key element of employee's legislation and its impact on decision making process of HRM
In order to maintain balance of equality in workers and safeguarding them from
humiliation and harassment of superiors and managers, Government of UK has made employee
legislations and laws for benefit of employees’rights (Anderson, V., 2013). It includes providing
a structural guidelines for organisations which states rights and benefits for welfare of
employees. For eliminating discriminations occurring on account of sex, age, gender, caste,
colour and nationality etc. from workplace, regulatory bodies has made mandatory for
organisations to comply their business with employment legislations passed by government..
These regulations normally affect decision-making process of human resource management of
John Lewis. Therefore, HR managers are required to be aware of existing and new employees at
the time of recruitment and selection about their rights in company including appraisals,
dismissals and lay-offs procedure. These legislation impacts on decision-making process in
following ways:-
 Employee legislations has made compulsory for companies to provide healthy and safe
working environment to workers. They mandatorily have to use equipments and
precautions to secure people who are working in their workplaces. If they didn't do so
then government can take necessary actions against owners of a business concern.
 HR managers have to provide essential training and development programs to existing
and new workers in order to make them able to work in a desired manner. At the time
of recruitment, they should entails new workers about terms and conditions of
enterprise, pay scales, appraisal period as well as provide them inductive training for at
least three month. These programs help recruiters to become familiar with new working
conditions and environment of that organisation. Also they become more skilled and
are able to work effectively and with greater efficiency.
 Such regulations impact on CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) of firms.
Employee laws and regulations comprises of various rules and safety measures that create
a sense of safety and well being among workers as well as protect them from all types of
discriminations and harassment. Employment Rights, Minimum Wage Act, Sex Discrimination
Act, Equal Pay Act etc are major rules and laws passed under this act.. All acts has different
meaning but have same purpose i.e. to generate equality among people in industries
Sex Discrimination Act 1984: This act was initiated in order to protect workers from
biasness which occurs on the basis of their gender, marital status, sexual orientation and personal
identifications. It also preserves employees from harassment and humiliations which includes
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inappropriate behaviour with them by another person. If any such activity has done in office that
make persons uneasy and insecure while working then its responsibility of HR management to
take action against these. Along with this, if harassed persons think that no action has been taken
then they can lodge complaint in regulatory bodies. Currently, John Lewis has various outlets in
various countries Apart from large working organisation, its management always try to provide
equality among workers.
The Employment Right Act: This law defend employees from unfair dismissals, heavy
workload and redundancy. It strengthens the right of workers to get flexible working hours and
parental leave in workplace (Aswathappa, 2013). As stated in Section 86 of this Act, it is
amendable for all enterprises to give notice period to employees with proper reason before
termination. Any firm cannot terminate a worker without specific reason if they do then will be
legally penalised by government. Section 135 Act include redundancy payment that provides the
right to compensation for an employee. An employee can demand compensation if his job
becomes obsolete. This redundancy payment can be calculated on basis of employees experience
in a company as well as his age also matters in the same.
Equality Act 2010: This is the most powerful act established in 2010 which replaces all
previous laws of employment legislations. Through this law, UK government gets much success
in eliminating illegal discrimination, harassment and humiliations from workplace of
organisations Equality Act provides various rights to employees like equal opportunities for all
people to get jobs according to their skills and qualifications..
These are some major impacts of employees’ laws and legislations on management of John
Lewis and how HR managers further deal with and maintain efficiency level in decision making.
P7 Application of HRM practices
In order to enhance performance of business and maintain workplace, HR managers of a
company used to give employment to high skilled employees (Pieper, 2012). In context with
John Lewis, currently this company has faced issues related to low marketing performance.
Therefore, its HR managers have suggested owners to give employment to new marketing
manager who is perfect in promoting its business in perfect manner. In this regard, they have
prepared some documentations related to recruitment process. It includes job description,
personal specification, interview questions and more.
Job Description
JOB DESCRIPTION
Organisation Name: John Lewis Partnership
Job Details:
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