Evaluating HRM: Workforce Planning, Employee Relations at WHSmith

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices at WHSmith, a leading UK retailer. It explores the purpose and functions of HRM in workforce planning and resource allocation, examining the strengths and weaknesses of different recruitment and selection approaches, including employee referrals, campus recruitment, and social media. The report details how various HRM practices benefit both management and employees, focusing on talent management, employee retention, efficiency, and succession planning. It also assesses the effectiveness of these practices in raising organizational profit and productivity at WHSmith. Furthermore, the report emphasizes the importance of employee relations in influencing HRM decision-making and highlights key elements of employment legislation and their impact on HRM. Finally, it presents a work-related context application of HRM practices at WHSmith, illustrating the complete recruitment process. This assignment is available on Desklib, where students can find more solved assignments and past papers.

HUMAN RESOURCES
MANAGEMENT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................3
LO1...................................................................................................................................................5
P1 & M1 PURPOSE AND THE FUNCTIONS OF HRM, APPLICABLE TO WORKFORCE PLANNING
AND RESOURCES..........................................................................................................................5
P2 & M2 STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO RECRUITMENT AND
SELECTION....................................................................................................................................8
LO2.................................................................................................................................................11
P3 & M3 EXPLAINATION OF HOW DIFFERENT HRM PRACTICES BENEFIT THE MANAGEMENT
AND EMPLOYEES........................................................................................................................11
P4 EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFERENT HRM PRACTICES IN WHSMITH IN TERMS OF
RAISINGORGANISATIONAL PROFIT AND PRODUCTIVITY..........................................................14
LO3.................................................................................................................................................16
P5 IMPORTANCE OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS WITH RESPECT TO INFLUENCING HRM DECISION
MAKING.....................................................................................................................................16
P6 KEY ELEMENTS OF EMPLOYMENT LEGISLATION AND THE IMPACT IT HAS ON HRM
DECISION MAKING.....................................................................................................................18
M4 IDENTIFY THE KEY ASPECTS OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYMENT
LEGISLATIONS............................................................................................................................20
LO4.................................................................................................................................................21
P7 & M5 APPLICATION OF HRM PRACTICES IN A WORK-RELATED CONTEXT AT WHSMITH....21
CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................................25
REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................26
2

INTRODUCTION
Human resource department in an organisation has the responsibility to recruit and train the
employees and design rewards and bonus policies to improve employee retention. In current
assignment, various functions of human resource department at WHSmith will be studied,
along with methods of recruitment and the strength and weakness of each. In the next part of
the assignment, a study will be made on the effectiveness of different HRM practices and how
these practices improve the profit ratios and productivity of the company. The report also
discussed the benefits of different HRM practices to the employees and to the company. Next,
the assignment will discuss the importance of sound employee relations in a company and the
factors which improve or impair this relationship. The assignment will also highlight different
legislation which is in place to ensure the wellbeing of the employees and equality in the
workplace. In the final part of the assignment, the recruitment and selection practice of
WHSmith is studied in a work-related context. This will include complete recruitment process of
WHSmith from providing job specification to conducting interviews and giving offer letter to the
selected candidates.
3

OVERVIEW OF WHSMITH
WHSmith is one of the UK's leading retailers and is headquartered in Wiltshire, UK. The
company was established in the year 1792 and at present, it is serving in 1300 location all over
the world. The company has opened its stores at railway stations, airports, hotels, and in high
street areas in Europe, Australia, Middle East and Asian countries (WHSmith, 2018). The
company is a household name in selling books, newspaper and stationery in the UK. WHSmith
employs over 14000 staff at its stores. In the current article, a discussion will be made on the
HRM policies of the company and factors that make an impact on the employee relations at
WHSmith.
FIGURE 1: WHSMITH STORE AT LONDON
4

LO1
P1 & M1 PURPOSE AND THE FUNCTIONS OF HRM, APPLICABLE TO
WORKFORCE PLANNING AND RESOURCES
PURPOSE OF HRM IN WHSMITH
WHSmith is a 226 old organisation and employs over 1400 people at its various stores. The
human resource of the company is an important asset which ensures the smooth running of the
company. The purpose of Human resource management at WHSmith is explained below:
 One of the most important purposes of HRM is to recruit the best talent for the
company by following exhaustive recruitment and selection policy of WHSmith which
includes publishing job advertisement. Resume short listing, interview and candidate
selection (Hendry, 2012).
 After the selection of a candidate, HRM communicates work policies of the company
and provisions of leaves and overtime compensation to the employees.
 HRM also does the workforce planning in which employees are designated various tasks
on the basis of their expertise level.
 HRM department at WHSmith evaluates the performance of each employee and designs
the reward and bonus schemes to keep the employees motivated.
 HRM department also handles legal issues related to the recruitment and termination of
the employees at WHSmith.
FUNCTIONS OF HRM
Human resource department designs a formal system to manage the workforce of WHSmith.
Following are the functions of HRM at WHSmith:
Recruiting and staffing
Recruitment of the right candidate is the primary responsibility of HRM managers at WHSmith.
For this purpose, an assessment of the workforce requirements at the various department is
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done and based on the human resource needs of each department, the salary structure of the
employees is also finalised according to the budget of the company. After all these
assessments, job advertisements are published through different mediums.
Training, education and development
Technology is changing the way of operations in the companies and new systems need to adapt
to satisfy the customer needs and improve services. These new systems require an employee to
be trained in operating computers and other sophisticated machines. For this purpose, HRM
conducts a number of training and education programmes for the employees at WHSmith
which help them to learn new skills as well as polish their existing skills. These training and
development programmes are designed according to the individual needs of the employees and
the level of expertise for performing a certain task (Griepentrog, et al. 2012).
Compensation and rewards
Employees at all levels wish to be recognised for their good work. The HRM department has the
responsibility to assess the work of each employee and decide appropriate rewards and benefit
for each employee. These rewards must be provided according to the merit of the employee,
however, some facilities like healthcare and employee insurance can be provided to all the
employees equally. Appropriate reward and bonus policies improve employee retention and
attract new talent to the organisation.
Maintaining good working conditions
Good working conditions at the workplace include factors like safety and security provisions at
the workplace, an arrangement of proper ventilation, light and air. The workplace should be
free from any kind of pollution and unnecessary noises. Good working conditions also include
an environment of equality at the workplace and fair recruitment and promotion policies. All
these efforts by the HRM to improve the work satisfaction of the employees resulting in
improved efficiencies and better work-life balance for employees (Grohmann and Kauffeld,
2013).
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Figure 2: HRM
[Source: https://www.hrpayrollsystems.net/hrm/]
7

P2 & M2 STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO
RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION
The recruitment and selection policy of WHSmith makes sure that right candidate is selected for
the company. Following are the strength and weakness of different methods used by WHSmith
for recruitment and selection.
EMPLOYEE REFERRALS
This method of recruitment uses referrals of existing employees of WHSmith. Employees can
suggest eligible candidates from their friend circle or family. Companies also provide incentives
for such referrals by current employees.
Strengths
 Employee referral is a cost-effective method of recruitment since it saves expenses of
job posting on different platforms.
 Through employee referrals, the process of recruitment speeds up because some of the
initial steps of recruitment are eliminated (Purce, 2014).
 The current employee can help his referred employee to understand the work culture of
the company better.
Weaknesses
 The numbers of options for the company are limited to the employee referral programs.
 When companies rely completely on employee referrals, it lacks in diversity in
employees, because the current staff refers candidates mostly from similar
backgrounds.
CAMPUS RECRUITMENT
In campus recruitment method, candidates are selected from the university campuses. The
process includes taking general aptitude test and interview. The selected candidates are taken
as an intern for some time and then they are inducted as a permanent employee after
completion of probation period.
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Strengths
 The candidates recruited through campus recruitment are young graduates and
often come up with new innovative solutions to a problem.
 Small firms may get an opportunity of hiring highly talented employees with the
means of campus recruitments.
 As compared to traditional methods the campus recruitment method reduces the
recruitment cost to almost half (Bratton and Gold, 2012).
 Campus recruitment increases the brand awareness of the company.
Weaknesses
 This recruitment method is not effective when a company needs recruitment urgently.
 The candidates recruited through this medium do not have any experience for a certain
job which increases the cost of the company in arranging training programmes.
RECRUITMENT THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA
Millions of people use different social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Posting the job on these platforms can easily connect the HR recruiters at WHSmith with
millions of people.
Strengths
 A large number of people use these social media platforms and HR managers can get a
wide pool of candidates to select from
 The candidates respond to these job postings by using the emailing facility in their
smartphones which makes the recruitment process quick
 These recruitment methods are cost-effective and the job posting can be shared with a
wide audience in minimum time.
Weaknesses
9

 The chances of forging the documents and fraud are high in recruiting through digital
mediums; therefore HR managers should follow the policy of cross-checking all the
documents before final recruitment (Böhmová andMalinová, 2013).
10

LO2
P3 & M3 EXPLAINATION OF HOW DIFFERENT HRM PRACTICES BENEFIT THE
MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES
The human resource department at WHSmith applies the principle of HRM and design such
policies which can improve the working condition of the employees and motivate them to
improve their efficiency. The benefits of implementing these policies are discussed below:
BENEFITS OF THE HRM PRACTICES FOR WHSmith
Better talent management
HRM practices at WHSmith focus on retaining the top talent in the company with the help of
reward and appraisal policies. Talented employees are like an asset for the company and help
the company to device better customer services by providing innovative ideas (Perrons, 2017).
To keep these employees motivated, regular bonus and rewards schemes are designed by the
HR managers.
Employee retention
HR managers design different programmes to improve communication with the employees and
improve the safety and security systems. Regular bonus and promotions, promoting equality
and diversity in the workplace, all the programs increase the employee satisfaction which
results in employee retention. High employee retention develops a positive work environment
and also saves expenses of the company in recruitment and selection process.
Increase in efficiency
Regular training programmes organised by HRM department ensure that the employees are
learning new skills and improving their existing skills. These training programmes are helpful in
increasing the efficiency level of the employees and keep them abreast of the current
technological changes in the industry.
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Succession planning
Succession planning is a function of HRM which aims in pro-active planning to prepare a reserve
workforce for the company, in case the existing key employee of the company leaves or get
retired. Succession planning benefits WHSmith because employees at a lower level get a fair
opportunity to move to the higher levels and it develops a feeling of competitiveness in the
employees to move up in their carrier.
BENEFITS OF THE HRM PRACTICES FOR THE EMPLOYEES
Equal employment opportunities
The HRM policies at WHSmith ensure that employees are treated in an equal manner and there
is no discrimination in the workplace on the basis of age, gender, religion or ethnicity of the
employee. The recruitment policy of the company also ensures that employees are selected in a
fair way and all eligible candidates are getting equal opportunities for getting recruited (Awadh,
and Alyahya, 2013).
Better work environment
Applying the basic principles of human resource management helps in creating a positive work
environment and different activities organised by HRM department, such as going for a picnic
or a movie, improves the interaction between employees and creates a better work
environment at the company.
Rewards and benefits
Rewards and bonuses are given to the employees when they achieve a particular milestone.
During festivals, bonuses are also paid to the employees as a goodwill gesture which boosts the
morale of the employee and improves retention.
Health and safety
12

Better safety arrangements at the workplace decrease the number of accidents and improve
the morale of the employee. The health programs of the company provide monetary
compensation in case of serious ailment or accidents at the workplace which provides a
financial support to the employee at the time of difficulties (Jianget al.2012).
Retirement planning
In retirement planning schemes, employees provide some portions of their salaries in the
retirement fund and equal contributions are given by WHSmith. The accumulated funds are
provided at the time of retirement of the employee, which helps the employee to live a
dignified life after retirement.
13

P4 EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFERENT HRM PRACTICES IN WHSMITH IN TERMS OF
RAISINGORGANISATIONAL PROFIT AND PRODUCTIVITY
The effectiveness of Proper Hiring strategy
The hiring strategy at WHSmith includes in-depth analysis of the candidate profile and the
previous companies in which he has worked. This analysis gives an idea to the employees
regarding the tendency of the employee to switch the jobs frequently. Eliminating such
candidates saves the probable expenses of the company in recruiting new employees. In-depth
interviews give the managers an idea regarding proficiency and skill level of the employee
which can be useful to design job-roles of the employees on the basis of their capability and
skill set (Patterson and Patterson, 2012). All these processes of recruitment and selection are
done according to the policies of the company where every person is given equal opportunity
to be selected without any discrimination on the basis of colour, gender, age or religion of the
candidate
The effectiveness of better labour relations
The human resource management also includes maintaining better labour relations. These
relationships are improved by effective communication between employees and the
management and promoting equality in different functions of the company. Addressing the
employee grievances in a timely manner promotes positive labour relations. If these grievances
are neglected, they can escalate and can lead to strikes and demonstration by employees
(Jackson, et al. 2014).
The effectiveness of rewards and bonuses
WHSmith shares the annual profit the company with its employees in the form of bonuses.
Bonuses provide financial support to the employee and motivate the employees to give his
positive contribution towards goal achieving process of the company. The rewards are provided
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to the workers when they are successful in achieving a certain task. Recognising the good work
of the employee boosts his morale and improves the relationship between employee and
employer (Brewster and Hegewisch, 2017).
The effectiveness of Training and development programs
New technologies related to computers have increased the need for upgrading the skills of the
employees. The training and development programs at WHSmith are aimed to reduce this gap
in the knowledge of the employees and get them acquainted with the latest practices in the
industry. The training programs at WHSmith helps the employees to provide better customer
care, establishing better relations with the co-workers. By the help of training programs, the
quality improvement methodology such as Total quality management and quality circles is also
applied in the company (Alfes, et al. 2013).
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LO3
P5 IMPORTANCE OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS WITH RESPECT TO INFLUENCING
HRM DECISION MAKING
WHSmith has more than 1300 stores worldwide and has employee strength of more than
14000. Maintaining a good relationship with the workers helps in making a stimulating and
healthy work environment which provides equality in the workplace. To improve the
relationship with the employees, they should be provided with a safe working environment
which motivates them to contribute positively towards organisational goals of WHSmith. The
productivity of employees can be increased when there is cooperation between labours and the
management. Management should include employees in the decision-making process which
helps in expressing their opinions and discuss the matters where there is a conflict of interest.
HR managers have an important role in strengthening the bond with the employees by
organising group activities so that they can get an opportunity to interact with their co-workers.
The job roles and salary structure must be designed according to the talent, skills and
competence of the employees, it has been seen that when employees are satisfied with their
job roles, they develop a loyalty towards the organisation and avoid a situation of conflicts
(Persson and Wasieleski, 2015).
INFLUENCE OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS IN HRM DECISION MAKING
 With strong relationships with the employees, the change process to modernize systems
or adopting a new technology becomes easy and the employees become accepting for
the need of change.
 To improve employee relationships the HR managers conduct a variety of group
engagement activities which improve the understanding of employees with the co-
workers and stimulate a positive work environment (Millán, et al.2013).
 Good working environment at the company increases the retention rate of employees
and saves expenses of the company in recruitment selection process.
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 HR managers should carefully design the job roles according to the competence and skill
of the employees which results in improving the efficiency of the employees as he does
not waste his energy in doing an unproductive task and develops a feeling of trust
towards the company.
 Positive relationships with employees improve relations with the employee trade unions
which ensure smooth functioning of the company and avoid the situations of strikes and
agitations.
Figure 3: Work life balance
[Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/bluesky/hub/ct-bc-strategies-for-work-life-
balance-bsi-hub-20151203-story.html]
17

P6 KEY ELEMENTS OF EMPLOYMENT LEGISLATION AND THE IMPACT IT HAS
ON HRM DECISION MAKING
Employment legislation in the UK is the laws which are formed by the parliament of the UK and
cover the minimum standard which needs to be followed by companies. Employment
legislation covers topics such as minimum wages, termination, maternity leaves, vacations, and
deductions. HR managers at WHSmith must have detailed information regarding these
legislations so that they can ensure that all the provisions of these laws are being followed by
the company. Below given is some important legislation in the UK:
NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE ACT 1998
This legislation has the provision regarding minimum wage which must be provided to an
employee. In the UK, every adult employee must be provided with a minimum wage of £7.83
per hour (Kehoe and Wright, 2013). The provisions of this act need to be followed by all the
organisations in the UK, whether it is a big organisation or small.
WORKING TIME REGULATIONS ACT 1998
This act limits the work hours to 8 hours per day, and the total hours in a week should not be
more than 48 hours. Regular brakes should also be provided in between working hours, as well
as regular week offs.
PENSIONS ACT 2008
This law makes it mandatory for the companies to provide pension to all the regular employees
working in the company. Employees regularly contribute some percentage of their salaries in
the pension fund, and the same amount of fund is provided by the company. This consolidated
fund is provided with a lump sum amount to the employees so that they can carry their
expenses in the old age. The contributions provided by the companies in this fund are tax-free.
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EQUALITY ACT 2010
This law prohibits any kind of discrimination at the workplace. The company should follow the
rules of equality and diversity which focuses on providing a discrimination-free environment to
the employees where they are not differentiated on the basis of their colour, religious beliefs,
gender or age. Following these laws at the workplace creates a positive work environment
(Wilson, 2012).
WHSmith ensures that all these legislations of the UK government are being followed at the
workplace. WHSmith has started a special employee grievance handling programme ‘Speak up',
in which employees can speak up regarding matters which include conflict of interest. They can
inform directly with the HR department of WHSmith or they may also contact the confidential
phone helpline. These steps ensure that employees are being listened and they are able to
share their concerns with the management.
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M4 IDENTIFY THE KEY ASPECTS OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS MANAGEMENT
AND EMPLOYMENT LEGISLATIONS
The HR managers have designed a number of policies to ensure good relationships with the
employees at WHSmith. These policies are aimed at fostering a better communication between
employees and the management so that grievances of the employees can be resolved quickly. If
these grievances are not resolved quickly, it grows a feeling of dissatisfaction in the employees
which results in unnecessary conflicts and a decrease in the efficiency of the employee.
WHSmith has initiated a special communication programme called ‘Speak up’ in which
employees can share their concerns directly with the top official and helpline numbers are also
provided for the following purpose. These steps help in improving the communication between
the employer and the employee.
Employment legislation in the UK provides rights to get equal pay for equal work and regulative
criteria regarding working hours. These legislations also provide rights for compulsory leaves in
week or month and leaves for maternity or other health-related reasons. These different
legislations ensure that employees are working in a safe work environment and are able to
maintain a healthy work-life balance.
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LO4
P7 & M5 APPLICATION OF HRM PRACTICES IN A WORK-RELATED CONTEXT AT
WHSMITH
To study the application of HRM practices in a work-related context, the recruitment and
selection process of WHSmith is highlighted. The samples of job specifications for the job of
Store manager at one of its store at Doncaster is shown in the report. The requirement for the
candidate includes a large experience in the retail store operations and well acquaintance with
the latest technology uses in the retail management. There is a sample CV for a candidate who
applied for the above-mentioned post. All the received CVs are examined and then most
suitable resumes according to the job specifications are selected.
The next step is the interviewing which is performed by the top management at WHSmith. The
candidates selected in the final interview are given offer letters. A sample of offer letter given to
one of the selected candidates as a store manager is shown in the following report.
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JOB ADVERTISEMENT
STORE MANAGER-DONCASTER
WHSmith operates at high streets, hospital, universities, airports, and railway stations. We have
been around in the business since 1792 and have more than 14,000 employees all over the
world. We believe in innovation and hard work and there is no limit where your career can go
at WHSmith.
Job responsibilities
 Providing excellent services to the customers visiting at WHSmith stores and resolve their
queries at the earliest.
 Manage a team of 12 members at the store and motivate them to provide better customer
services.
 Apply innovative ideas to increase the sales at the WHSmith stores and enhancing the brand
image of the company at the local level.
 Carry routine operations at the stores efficiently and maintain a positive working
environment at the workplace.
Closing date: 5th April 2018
Submit your resume at:
[e-mail]
22

RESUME
NAME: Robin Bright
ADDRESS: 779, GREATER LANE, SOUTH YORKSHIRE, UK
CONTACT : +00252528
EMAIL: [e-mail]
OBJECTIVE
To work an organisation where I can get an opportunity to utilize my knowledge and gain some
new experience and at the same time can provide some value to the organisation.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
 Successfully completed 9 years as a store manager for Tesco and improved the overall sales
of the store by 40% during the tenure.
 Worked for 5 years as a franchise manager at the xxx bakery and motivated the team to
improve their performance.
STRENGTHS
 Good leadership skills and an experience to handle a team and motivated to achieve their
targets before time.
 An ability to make long-lasting relationships with the customers as well as with the
subordinates
 EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION
 Degree in Human resource management from London University.
ADDITIONAL SKILLS
 Working knowledge of MS Office.
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OFFER LETTER
25/04/2018
To,
Robin bright
779, GREATER LANE, SOUTH YORKSHIRE, UK
Dear Mr Robin,
It feels great to offer you an appointment at WHSmith as a store manager with effect from
25/04/2018
Job duties:
 Job responsibility of a store manager at WHSmith includes driving sales, managing cost and
inspiring the team members to provide a brilliant experience for each customer.
 Treating the business as your own and maintain a positive rapport with the customers
visiting WHSmith stores.
 To provide result driven, goal oriented and customer eccentric service to the customers.
For any further queries, you can contact at:
0000-454545-8578
Sincerely,
Aleksandra Hill
HR Manager
WHSmith
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CONCLUSION
HRM is a function of an organisation which provides a direction to the people working in an
organisation and manages the administrative, coaching and legal services and talent
management services for the organisation. The current assignment studied different functions
of HRM at WHSmith, which is one of the largest retail chains in the UK. The functions of HRM at
WHSmith include recruitment and selection, training and education, providing reward and
bonuses, succession planning and talent management. The assignment discussed different
methods of recruitment used by the HR managers at WHSmith to recruit the best talent for the
company. In the next part of the assignment, the value of maintaining a good relationship with
the employees is discussed along with its impact on the decision making of the company. The
assignment also discussed a number of legislation which needs to be followed by the HR
managers in order to ensure the safety and security of the employees and create a positive
work environment.
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