HRM Practices, Workforce Planning, and Employee Relations at M&S

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices at Marks & Spencer Group plc, a multinational retailer. It explores the purpose and functions of HRM in workforce planning and resourcing, comparing hard and soft HRM models. The report evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of different recruitment and selection approaches, including internal and external sources, job analysis, and competency-based methods. It also examines the benefits of various HRM practices for both employers and employees, focusing on recruitment, retention, and employee relations, and assesses their effectiveness in increasing organizational productivity and profit. Furthermore, the report analyzes the importance of employee relations in HRM decision-making and identifies key elements of employment legislation and their impact. Finally, it illustrates the application of HRM practices in a work-related context within Marks & Spencer.

Human Resource
Management

Contents
Contents................................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................3
P1 Purpose and functions of HRM applicable to workforce planning and resourcing..............4
M1. Explain the significance of purpose and functions to workforce planning and resources...6
P2. Strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and selection..................6
M2. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and
selection.......................................................................................................................................8
P3. Explain the benefits of different HRM practices within an organisation for both the
employer and employee...............................................................................................................8
P4. Evaluate the effectiveness of various HRM practices in terms of increasing organisational
productivity and profit...............................................................................................................10
M3. Benefits of different HRM practices for increasing organisational productivity and profit
...................................................................................................................................................11
P5. Analyse importance of employee relations in respect to influencing a HRM decision-
making.......................................................................................................................................11
P6. Identify the key elements of employment legislation and impact on HRM decision making
...................................................................................................................................................12
P7. Illustrate the application of HRM practices in a work-related context................................12
CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................................16
REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................18

INTRODUCTION
Human Resource Management refers to the process that is associated with effective
management of people within an organisation. It is an strategic approach which involves
recruitment, selection, orientation, performance management, training and development of
individuals who are working within the firm. This report is based on Marks & Spencer Group plc
which is a multinational retailer of Britain. The firm was established in year 1884 and is
headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
The Report covers different functions of HRM and its purpose, merits and demerits of
recruitment and selection approaches, benefits of distinct human resource practices for
employees and employer and its effectiveness in improving profits and productivity of company.
Apart from this, report covers significance of employee relations and different employment
legislations that impacts on HRM decision making. At last, application of different practices of
human resource management in work related context is mentioned in report.

P1 Purpose and functions of HRM applicable to workforce planning and resourcing
Human Resource Management is defined as the term used to manage and develop
employees within an organisation. It involves human capital management by emphasizing on
various areas including compensation and benefits, training and development, staffing,
recruitment, orientation, induction, employee relations etc. HRM plays crucial role in an
organisation. It is responsible for overseeing activities and policies that are associated with
human resources as per the executives level direction.
Hard and Soft model of HRM:
Hard HRM: In this approach, organisations are treated its employees as resource. It
mainly emphasize on identifying the needs of workforce and recruit and hire them accordingly.
Organisations follow this approach provides less empowerment to employees and delegate them
little responsibilities.
Soft HRM: As per this approach, employees are crucial asset of business and are the
major source of competitive advantage for business. Organisations follow this approach mainly
focus on employee's needs, their roles, motivation, rewards etc. Marks & Spencer follow this
approach as it helps in motivating employees by empowering and encouraging them to seek
deputation and take responsibility.
Workforce planning and resourcing: It is the process of analysing, anticipating and
planning manpower supply and demand by assessing gaps and filling them with right number of
candidates with appropriate skills and knowledge. This process is used within organisation to
align priorities and needs of company with those of employees to ensure accomplishment of
organisational objectives. In Marks & Spencer, HR manager anticipates manpower needs of
organisation and fulfil those by hiring skilled candidates.
Purpose of HRM: The main purpose of human resource management is to ensure hiring
of right candidate to appropriate position at right time. It also aims to develop skills and
competencies of employees so that they enable to perform their duties well and accomplish set
goals and objectives of company.

Main functions of HRM:
Human resource Management is a wide concept which has number of functions for the
management of people working in the organisation. The main focus is on the workforce and to
manage their activities in an effective and efficient manner. Some of the functions are
management of human resource, payroll, recruitment, training, performance, formulation of
policies, organisation survey management, employee suggestion, self-service for employees and
manager and many more.
Recruitment and Selection: It is the process in which human resource manager recruit
best suitable candidate within firm. It is the process of attracting, screening, selecting and hiring
right candidate so that objectives of firm can be achieved. Selection is the process of selecting
individual who possess adequate knowledge and capabilities to attain goals of firm. In Marks &
Spencer, it is the responsibility of HR manager to recruit and select best candidate within firm so
that goals and objectives of firm can be achieved effectively.
Training and Development: It is the another function of human resource administration
in which training and development is provided to employees so that their skills and knowledge
can be improved. Its main purpose is to provide development to employees so that their
individual and organisational goals can be fulfilled. In Marks & Spencer, human resource

manager provide training to employees so that their potential can be increased and they are able
to attain objectives of company efficiently.
M1. Explain the significance of purpose and functions to workforce planning and resources
Workforce planning is a process by which organisation determine the requirement of
number of people for the vacancies within the organisation in order to meet the target. It is about
choosing the right people for the right job with the right skills in the right place and at the right
time.
On the other hand, workforce resources mean having the adequate number of people who
can carry the activities. Human resource is an important asset for an organisation by which goals
and objectives are achieved. HRM has different functions which starts from recruiting and ends
at fulfilling the expectations of people. Also, there are different models of HRM which can help
in workforce planning and resources and are categorised into hard HRM and soft HRM.
P2. Strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and selection
Recruitment is a process by which best qualified candidates are found and hired for job
vacancies in an organisation. It includes different types of activities which starts from analysing
the requirements of a job, attracting employees to that job which is followed by screening and
selection. It can be done through two different sources which are internal and external.
Internal sources of recruitment are used to hire people from within the organisation. It
includes promotions, transfers, temporary to permanent and employee referrals. No outside
agencies are contacted for finding the right candidates for vacant positions. Furthermore, the pros
are training costs get reduced, boost employee morale, mitigation of screening costs and decrease
in employee turnover. However there are certain disadvantages such as lack of fresh
perspectives, workplace jealousy etc.
On the contrary external sources of recruitment has the meaning totally opposite internal
sources of recruitment. In this people outside the organisation are hired. Several methods of
external recruiting are media advertisement, employment exchange, walk-ins and so on. The
possible advantages are fresh talents can be chosen from large number of applicants, there is a

competition of the existing employees with outside candidates leading to increase productivity
and better performance. The merits dissatisfaction and frustration among current employees and
time consuming process.
Job analysis- it is defined as the process which helps in gathering information regarding a
job. It is exclusively limited to the ongoing jobs by explaining the the minimum knowledge,
skills and abilities that should be there in in a candidate to perform the concern job.
Job description- it is a document that describes scope, tasks, duties, working conditions
and responsibilities connected to the job listing in the organisation. It is done after job analysis
which provides skills and qualifications that an individual applying for the job needs to possess.
It helps in maintaining the requirements of the company in front of the applicants.
Personal specification- it defines the qualifications, knowledge, experience, skills and
qualities of the ideal job holder. there are certain requirements are mentioned which should be
fulfilled by the job applicant which can range from physical attributes to interests.
Apart from the above mentioned things, there are two approaches followed in recruitment and
selection process which have been discussed below along with their strength and weakness:
Competency approaches- the term competency means an underlying characteristic of a
person which helps in performing above the standard. This approach helps an organisation in
determining the psychology of its employees in order to produce useful evidence. In addition to
this, interview questions can be e established in an structured by keeping the focus on particular
competency areas. On the other hand, the questions are limited which fails to cover all
competencies a person needs and there is lack of chronological order in the whole interview
process.
Contingency approach to recruitment and selection- this approach is used on a
continuous basis and in which applicants are contacted as in when the new job comes in. It has
benefits such as simplification of the whole process by buy projector the candidates were not
suitable, quick appointments can be made with the help of contingency approach. It is dynamic
in nature and helps the manager to enhance their leadership and decision making skills. The
downsides of this approach are level of complexity and chances of issues arising in the whole
process are higher.

M2. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and selection
Recruitment and selection is one of the functions of HRM which involves interviewing the
candidates and selecting them on the different criteria of the organisation. There are different
kinds of approaches which has their own set of weaknesses and strengths. Competency approach
is used to determine psychology of individuals working in the organisation so that their skills and
competencies can be increased. The benefit is that, it is solely connected to the mental health,
therefore, HR manager can trick the employees to know about their background and other
questions which can help the company negotiate in a better form. But, it is not have any
chronological order of the question in the interview which often leads the applicant to lose the
interest in the interview.
Another approach being contingency which is to fulfil the vacancies as and when they a
occur in the organisation. It is beneficial when there is an urgent requirement of appointing
candidates however, the level of complexities can be higher in this which may increased the cost
as well as the time.
P3. Explain the benefits of different HRM practices within an organisation for both the employer
and employee
HRM practices are the policies and practices formulated with an intention to implement
within the organisation for enhancing the contribution of employees in the achievement of a
business objectives. With the use of these, Marks and Spencer can encourage the workforce to
use their competencies for helping the company gain competitive advantage. The main motive of
HRM practices is to attract, develop, motivate and retain employees who ensure the effective
functioning and survival of the entity. Marks and Spencer is a large company which employs
huge number of of members as its workforce therefore, effective management of all the
employees become imperative in order to to minimise conflicts and emphasize on smooth
functioning. HRM practices can benefit to both the parties viz. Employer and employee and the
advantages for the same have been provided below:
Benefits for employer-
 Recruitment and retention- the function of human resource department is about making
all policies and systems which can help the organisation in managing the staff effectively.
Helps in acquiring qualified employees and retaining them in the company for a long

time by providing right training and motivating them to use their skills. Also, rewards are
given according to the performance and contribution to the organisational goals.
 Development of good relations- an organisation should focus on having good relations
with its employees which can lead to enhanced productivity. It is possible by conducting
seminars, meetings and official gatherings for exchanging views, opinions and ideas.
With the help of these, good marketing and business plans can be prepared.
 Learning- HRM practices provide for new information which should be given to the
employees for including them to enhance their skills. With the application of skills and
competencies, company can be benefited in many ways. It helps the employees turn on
new things and adjusted walking pattern according to the changes taking place inside as
well as outside to the organization.
 Development and training- These two things are important for the growth of an
employee. There should be proper training for all people walking in the organization.
Procedures and policies should be designed no way to convey family to all employees
about their individual responsibility.
Benefits for employees-
 Employee satisfaction- HRM practices help the company in drawing policies according
to the expectations and needs of the employees with an intention to fulfil them. Also,
reasons for dissatisfaction of the workforce is identified in order to mitigate them for
retaining the employees in organisation.
 Improve employee performance- every employee complete the tasks and carries
functions in order to achieve the objectives. Their performance is evaluated on an annual
basis for deciding weather to promote or not. This helps the workforce to perform in a
better way and compete against each other.
 Training and development- businesses go through number of changes as per the
transformation taking place within and outside the organisation. This makes it necessary
for the organisation to provide adequate training to its employees. With the improvement
and additional qualification, better performance can be given by the staff resulting in
higher profit.
 Conflict resolutions- there is diverse work culture in every organisation which have
different personalities, lifestyles and work ethic. Since there is no common base, the

chances of conflicts increase. HRM practices can help resolving the issues so that
efficiency of the organisation do not get hampered.
P4. Evaluate the effectiveness of various HRM practices in terms of increasing organisational
productivity and profit
The basic HRM practices in any organization are performance appraisal, career
management, training, reward system and recruitment. These should be evaluated by the
manager of Marks and Spencer in order to make any changes. These have been discussed below
in detail:
Performance appraisal- did an examination of the performance and contribution of each
employee in the organizational goals. Marks and Spencer has its own criteria for judging the
efforts put by the workforce. Is effective in the dining the critical behavior all employees for
achieving the goals successful. With the use of this, Marks and Spencer can categorized its
employees into different categories both of you to keep the best performing member.
Career management- this HRM practice is about planning the activities which are
required to be perform for the fulfilment of objectives the organization. It is useful in developing
the growth opportunities for the employees. It helps in motivating them to perform best for
achieving the goals and objectives.
Training- it is required to keep the employees updated with all the changes taking place
that may affect the business activities of the company. With the help of training, skills and
knowledge get better. It's effectiveness is that employees can work with enhanced innovation and
new ideas.
Reward system- it is the practice by which workforce is given compensation, bonus or
incentives for their good performance. It can be monetary as well as no monetary. The aim is to
encourage workforce in contributing to the organizational goals by giving their full efficiency. it
is effective and retaining be best performing employees with Indian ization for a long time.
Recruitment- this activity of HR department is related with choosing be best candidates
who are eligible to meet the requirements of vacant jobs in the organization. It is effective in
selecting those people who have cleared the interviews and other rounds by showing their
capabilities and competencies.

M3. Benefits of different HRM practices for increasing organisational productivity and profit
HRM practices are useful in in hiring the best candidates who can perform well and
retained in the organisation for a long time. Also, good relations with the workforce can be
created through training sessions and development opportunities and making them learn things
on regular basis. Apart from this, it can also help the employees in providing greater satisfaction
from the job which ultimately leads to better performance. For this purpose training and
development sessions can be conducted. the ultimate result can be seen in organisational
performance and productivity as employees are highly satisfied with their job. When the
workforce is happy about the work, the tend to give their extra efforts to accomplishing the goals
and objectives of the organisation.
P5. Analyse importance of employee relations in respect to influencing a HRM decision-making
Employee relations refers to a company's efforts to manage relationships between
employees and employers. A company like Marks and Spencer operating at this huge level is
required to manage all the employees effectively and fulfill their requirements. This helps in
keeping the relationship healthy and good. Some of these strategies are as follows:
Involve your team members: HR manager should give significant importance to the
employees and encourage them to share their ideas in the decision making.
Sharing of work: every employee should be motivated to share the work with each other
and make decisions on their own.
Equal contribution: every team member should be assigned task and motivation should be
given to work in groups and help the fellow workers by focusing on achieving the common
goals.
Effective communication: it is very important to have communication with each other in
order to understand and remove any confusion. The HR manager should be direct and clear to his
employees.
The stages of HRM decision making are as follows:
1. The goal should be identified primarily for making the strategies and other
decisions.
2. Relevant information should be gathered by evaluating the alternatives.

3. The possible consequences should also be determined on the basis of past records
and examination.
4. Finally the decision has to be made after following all the above mentioned steps.
The decision making of HRM is very important in connecting the employers with
their employees. For this, the ideas and consideration of every member should be
included so as to bring the feeling of belongingness. It has been seen that an
employee can sustain in the organisation for a long time if the company value their
participation.
P6. Identify the key elements of employment legislation and impact on HRM decision making
Sex discrimination- this act is about protecting the employees against any discrimination
on the basis of male and female. Every candidate should be given equal opportunity irrespective
of the sex.
Equal pay- the pay grade should be equal for all the employees working in the
organisation as per their performance. There are legislations governing the equal payment for the
employees working in entities.
Employment act- this act provides for the right of every person working in an
organisation. The rights can be related to salary, holidays, leaves, etc. They should be included in
the employment contract in order to avoid any disputes in future.
Work and families act- the motive of this act is to encourage the organisations to provide
enough support for the families of its employees. There are amenities like medical facility, which
should be for all the members of the workforce family.
National minimum wage- the provision of this act provides minimum wage that should be
given to every employee working in organisations. No case, the payment can fall below that
level. It protects the employees against any fluctuations in this salary is provided to them.
P7. Illustrate the application of HRM practices in a work-related context
Recruitment and selection- this process starts with interviewing the applicants who have
applied for the vacant jobs. After this, selection is made on the basis of different criteria. For
example, if there arise any need in the manufacturing section of Marks and Spencer, then HR
department of the company will look for candidates suitable for the job position.