HRM Practices, Workforce Planning and Employee Relations at Hilton UK

This report explores Human Resource Management (HRM) practices at Hilton Hotel, UK, focusing on workforce planning, recruitment, selection, training, and employee relations. It examines the purpose and functions of HRM, strengths and weaknesses of recruitment approaches, and the benefits of HRM practices for both employers and employees. The report evaluates the effectiveness of HRM practices in raising organizational profit and productivity, analyzes the importance of employee relations in HRM decision-making, and identifies the key elements of employment legislation and their impact on HRM decisions. The analysis includes the role of training and development, performance management, reward systems, and trade unions in shaping a positive work environment and driving organizational success.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Main body...................................................................................................................................................4
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................18
Reference List............................................................................................................................................19
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Introduction
There is no doubt that the functions and practices of HRM hold very high relevance in any organisation.
The HR managers are the ones who are tasked with the responsibility of hiring new employees to fill up
vacancies, thereby resourcing the organisation. Not only that, but the HR is also responsible for many
other crucial functions that determine the success of an enterprise. This study shall explore the HRM
practices and their relevance with respect to the Hilton Hotel, UK. The practices and approaches of the
HRM executives shall be analysed and shall be applied in a practical work scenario.
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Main body
1. Explain the purpose and the functions of HRM, applicable to workforce planning and resourcing
an organisation.
Hilton Hotels and Resorts founded in 1919 operates within the hospitality industry and is headquartered
at McLean, USA. The brand operates in 118 countries, including the UK where there are around 76 hotels
(hilton.com, 2020). The mission statement of the brand is to become the most hospitable firm in the
world by creating earnest experiences for guests, profitable opportunities for the workers and high value
for stakeholders and owners. The purpose is to create a lasting and positive impact in the communities.
The business objectives of Hilton Hotel, UK is to make profits by selling premium quality services such
as room service, meals and even expanding the business to target potential markets.
As said by Michael (2019), the core meaning of HRM is to manage the human resources – employees –
extracting the best of their potentialities while meeting their needs and expectations. The scope is vast as
HRM is responsible for hiring and training new recruits, managing their performance and looking after
their needs and concerns (Bratton and Gold, 2017). It generally has a pervasive nature, as it is present in
every organisation. The purpose of HRM is to ensure that the right employee is selected for the right job.
Therefore, in order to achieve the same, they perform the following functions:
 People Resourcing – The HRM is entrusted with the task of hiring the right people for the firm.
Hilton Hotel makes ensures that the right individuals are employed who can aid the brand to
fulfil its business objectives.
 Managing Performance – The HRM has to ensure that the performance of the employees is up
to the mark and they are able to meet their daily targets and goals. At Hilton Hotel, the HR
managers conduct regular appraisals to ensure that the performance of the hotel staff is of the
highest quality.
 Managing reward – The HR managers provide rewards and incentives to the best performing
employees in order to keep them motivated (Antoni et al., 2017). Hilton Hotel staffs are also
provided with attractive rewards such as bonuses, salary hikes, and paid vacations to encourage
them to continue putting their best efforts.
 HR development – The HRM has the responsibility to make sure that the employees are
adequately trained in order to handle the pressures and demands of their jobs. At Hilton Hotel,
both new and existing employees are provided with training workshops and seminars so that they
are up-to-date with the skills and knowledge required for performing their job.
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 Employment Relations – The HRM performs the function of ensuring that the employees share
positive work relationships with each other as well as with their managers. Hilton Hotel’s HR
uses various tactics for promoting healthy employment relations in the workplace.
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2. Explain the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and selection.
The process of recruitment refers to the overall process of attracting and short listing the candidates for a
specific job role. This is one of the prime responsibilities of the HR mangers to recruit candidates based
on their resume and skill sets. They scan the applications and short list candidates after holding personal
interviews with them.
 External method: This is the usual process of recruiting and selecting candidates for their
recruitment to a vacant job role. In this, the HR managers advertise the job role and invite
applications and resumes for the same from the external candidates (Bolelli, 2019). They then
short list them and use the interview process for selecting the best candidate. This process is
usually beneficial as the HR managers have a wide choice for the candidates. They are able to
acquire the appropriate talents. However, the process is a limitation since it consumes much time
and energy of the HR managers.
 Internal method: In this approach, the HR managers try to recruit the already existing employees
for a new vacant job role. This mainly takes place when the authorities are recruiting for high
management positions, and try to use employees from within the present workforce (Williams et
al., 2019). This is beneficial since they are able to make recruitments from within the workforce.
These people are adjusted to the workflow and can increase productivity. However, it limits the
choices for candidates and fails to boost the morale of the external candidates.
The process of selection is also of growing significance in the recent times. The HR managers are
responsible for selecting the most appropriate candidates for their vacant job roles. In this process, they
use several approaches for finding the best talents and acquiring them for their company.
 Personality test: In the recent times, this has been a popular method of selection in companies. It
allows the HR managers understand the details of the personality and characteristics of the
candidates, and make sure that they are suitable for the company and their workflow (Saksvik-
Lehouillier et al., 2020). This process is beneficial as it allows understanding the details of the
personality of the candidates for their long-term survival. However, the process might be a
limitation as candidates often use fake personality in interviews.
 Skill test: This is again important for the recruitment of the candidates. It allows the HR
managers to examine the skills and competences of the employees based on their resume. They
are then able to select the best talent for the vacant job role (Arai et al., 2017). This is an
advantage as it helps to understand the details of the skills and abilities of the candidates.
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However, it is a drawback since the process might be time consuming and confidence issues
might restrict their abilities to perform.
 Panel interview: Most recruitments and selections are made using the panel interview. The panel
consists of the HR managers and other officials of the company (Pau et al., 2016). They examine
the candidate by asking relevant questions and checking their communication skills and
confidence. This is an advantage as it allows the select the right candidate. However, instances
are not rare whereby candidates are not able to give their best because of confidence issues.
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3. Explain the benefits of different HRM practices within an organisation for both the employer
and employee
HRM Practices Benefits to Employers Benefits to Employees
Training and development  The employers at Hilton
Hotel is benefitted
significantly by training
their employees as the
latter become more
confident in their
performance owing to
learning new skills and
knowledge, thereby
generating greater quality
output.
 Training employees
undoubtedly generate
higher customer
satisfaction and minimises
the possibilities for errors
or blunders by the staff
(Noe and Kodwani, 2018).
 Being provided with
training opportunities
helps employees to
become more skilled in
their approach to their
tasks. They have the
excellent opportunity to
become experts in their
fields as they can enrol
themselves in classroom
and e-learning courses
for developing new
skills.
 Effective training also
enables employees to
have realistic goals for
their career and work
towards them actively.
Managing performance and
rewards
 This practice helps
employers to differentiate
between high-performing
and low-performing
employees, which is
important for managing
skill gaps to increase
overall organisational
productivity.
 Employers at Hilton
Hotel are able to identify
employees who are
 Through performance
management and
rewards, employees of
Hilton Hotel become
aware of their own
strengths and weak
points and are able to
work on the same for
raising the quality of
their performance.
 Being rewarded for their
hard work helps them to
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eligible for promotions,
rewards, and incentives
and those who require
further training to be able
to perform their tasks
efficiently.
stay motivated and
inspired to continue
delivering excellent
quality performance.
Table 1: Benefits
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4. Evaluate the effectiveness of different HRM practices in terms of raising organisational profit
and productivity
HR training and development
As stated above, this practice benefits both the employers and the employees at the Hilton Hotel, UK in
numerous ways. Effective training programs have contributed significantly towards the company being
able to provide highest quality customer service to the guests and generating high satisfaction from them
for years now. Moreover, in comparison to other competitors such as Marriott and Hyatt, it can be
observed that Hilton enjoys more number of guests each year, which can be attributed to the well trained
staff who are able to satisfy the needs and wants of their guests successfully. However, at the same time,
it must also be noted that the training and development programs offered at the Hotel are time-consuming
while also increasing the burden of work pressure on the staffs, which is a major drawback.
Managing performance and rewards
Effective performance and reward management are beneficial for both employers and their employees at
Hilton Hotel, as explained above. Motivated employees are the most important reason behind the success
of the hotel brand ever since its inception. They indeed contribute towards increasing productivity and
profits as the staffs display a proactive attitude and willingness to work overtime to cater to the needs of
the guests (Cappelli and Tavis, 2016). However, this practice also has a drawback as some staff members
at times feel resentful of those who enjoy rewards and benefits while they themselves do not. This sense
of entitlement often hampers organisational productivity and most importantly, the working atmosphere
and employee relations.
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5. Analyse the importance of employee relations in respect to influencing HRM decision making
Employee relations happen to be one of the most important aspects of the internal decision-making of
the HRM. It denotes the attempts and efforts made by firms to maintain positive relationships among the
employees (Ali et al., 2018). Therefore, with the help of good employee relations, a firm can successfully
bring out the best in their workforce. In other words, the concept focuses on maintaining a supportive
working environment. Discipline is maintained by ensuring positive departmental interactions and
professional relations. Other strategies of good employee relations include effective communication
among employees.
The role played by trade unions in building employee relations cannot be undermined. They possess the
ability to put pressure on a firm to follow the employees’ requirements. It must be noted that the trade
unions have high level of discipline due to the presence of many members coming from different
locations. They take in the demands and grievances of the workers and determine whether they are
justified before taking action. They are focused on collective agreements of all the employees. They also
ensure correct redundancy management practices are followed by an organisation in order to prevent
any employee from being laid off unfairly.
The HRM of Hilton Hotel, UK undertakes various strategies in order to maintain positive employee
relations. They communicate with the staff in order to encourage their involvement in the key activities
and decision-making. They also attempt to resolve disputes that may arise among them (Hann and Nash,
2019). The process of decision-making becomes more enhanced with the active participation of the staff
members.
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6. Identify the key elements of employment legislation and the impact it has upon HRM decision
making.
The use of key employment legislation elements has become essential for businesses, as it is their
responsibility to provide the necessary security to their workers. In case they fail to provide the same, the
employees have the right to sue the company that can damage its reputation. Some of the most common
employment legislations are explained below:
Equality Act, 2010
The aim of this Act is to ensure protection of employees against any kind of discrimination on any
grounds at the workplace (Fell and Dyban, 2017). The Act requires the HR team of all companies to
prevent the practice of discriminatory behaviour and practices while hiring and retaining an employee.
This law has aided Hilton Hotel, UK to avoid unfair treatment of any employee in the workplace.
Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974
This Act decrees that the health and wellbeing of the employees should be taken into serious
consideration in the workplace (legislation.gov.uk, 2020). It is the responsibility of the firm to advice to
employees to use safety measures while performing extraneous tasks. The HR department is responsible
for supervising any dangerous emissions that may pose a threat to the health of the employees. The HR
team at Hilton Hotel, UK takes special care to make sure that the health conditions of the employees are
not affected by the daily work routines.
Employment Rights Act, 1996
This Act encompasses key employment relations aspects including leaves, training, and dismissal. It also
provides protection of the employee payments and wages (O’Brien, 2020). Moreover, this Act also
requires the HR to ensure that no employee can be unfairly dismissed. The HR department at Hilton
Hotel, UK adheres by this Act in order to ensure legal certainty and fairness in the workplace.
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