Human Resource Management Report: HRM Practices at Harrod

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices within the context of the Harrod company. It begins with an introduction to HRM, outlining its core functions such as planning, organizing, staffing, and controlling. The report then delves into the purpose and scope of HRM, emphasizing its role in workforce planning, resourcing, and achieving organizational objectives. It evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of various recruitment and selection approaches, including website notifications, recruitment agencies, campus recruitment, and employee referrals, and examines their impact on the organization. Furthermore, the report explores the importance of employee relations in influencing HRM decision-making, including the impact of employment legislation. The report also examines the application of HRM practices in the workplace, analyzing factors like employee loyalty, effective communication, and the importance of creating a positive work environment. The report concludes with a critical evaluation of employee relations and the implementation of HRM practices, drawing on the case study of Harrod to illustrate key concepts and provide practical insights into the field of HRM.

Human Resource
Management

Table of Contents
INTORDUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
ACTIVITY 1....................................................................................................................................4
P1: Function and purpose of HRM, applicable to workforce planning and resourcing an
organisation............................................................................................................................5
P2: Explain strengths and weaknesses of different approaches of recruitment and selection 6
M1: Evaluate how functions of HRM help the organization to fulfil their objectives...........8
M2: Evaluate the strength as well as weakness of the different recruitment approaches......9
D1: Critically evaluate strength and weakness of recruitment and selection.........................9
ACTIVITY 2....................................................................................................................................9
Covered by booklet.................................................................................................................9
ACTIVITY 3....................................................................................................................................9
P5: Analyse importance of employee relation to influence HRM decision making..............9
P6: Employment legislation that can impact the HRM decision..........................................10
M4: Evaluate the key aspect of employee relation and employment legislation.................11
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................11
P7: Application of human resource management in context of workplace..........................11
M5: Application of HRM practices in work context............................................................14
D3: Critically evaluate employee relation and implementation of HRM practices.............14
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................14
REFRENCES.................................................................................................................................16

INTORDUCTION
Human resource management include various process of management activities such as
planning, organising, staffing as well as controlling which help to manage the internal
functioning for smooth operations of business. It basically involve effective utilisation of human
resource by selecting most suitable manpower for the right place (Banfield, Kay and Royles,
2018). For the better understanding of report Harrod company has been selected whose
headquarter is in United Kingdom. It is one of the well known departmental store which deals in
premium quality or luxury good like designer dresser, accessories, food and wine. This report
consist of various concept such as purpose and scope of human resource management to fulfil
the objective of business. Evaluate effectiveness of human resource management in an
organisation. Analyse internal and external factor that can affect the decision making of Human
Resource Management including employment legislation. Further, apply human resource
management practices in work context are covered in this report.

ACTIVITY 1

P1: Function and purpose of HRM, applicable to workforce planning and resourcing an
organisation.
Human resource management or HRM is the strategic function to recruit, select, train, develop,
motivate, appraise, welfare, maintain cordial relations and manage work force in an
organisation who are regarded as human resources (Brewster, Brookes and Gollan, 2015). It is
an integral arm to the Harrod pvt. Ltd. working as a function in the form of department. HRM at
Harrod consists of wide range of activities in its purview which includes Staffing, Job analysis,
Job designing, compensation management, payroll management, redressing labour grievances,
ensuring implementation of existing labour laws, safety and occupation standards, change
management and other broad activities which are incidental to human resource function.
Purpose of HRM
HRM as a function has evolved gradually as the industrialisation era shifted into various
phases. From being an auxiliary function in comparison with other major functions of
management, it has carved a niche in modern period. The purpose of Hrm subjectively and at
Harrod is to :
 To recruit the work force required for various roles at Harrod like Finance, Marketing &
sales, production, legal. Secretarial, accounts, customer service etc. , and to draft
recruitment notification, release it and ensure candidate engagement.
 To select suitable candidates after screening them through the methods of interviews,
personality tests, aptitude tests, technical skills, competency etc.
 To conduct orientation and induction programmes for the employees on timely basis to
ensure the organisational learning curve increases gradually.
 To evaluate the performance of employees and conducting performance appraisal
through quantitative as well as qualitative methods designed.
 Motivating employees through conducting efficiency enhancing seminars, ensuring
timely training to increase learning of the employees.
 Ensuring change processes are implemented without much resistance to the change,
further resolving employee grievances.
 Ensuring legal compliances related to the prevalent labour laws of which Harrod attracts
the provisions to.

Functions of HRM
Human resource management has broad range of functions to under its sphere as a
system. But at Harrod HRM department is mainly driven by few basic functions to more
complex processes which are the part of HRM systems. However the core category of functions
that are carried out Harrod are as follows :
Recruitment: Like any other organisation, the most important function of HR
department at Harrod is to recruit the efficient, eligible, dedicated and self driven work force to
align with the organisational objectives. Linking HR strategies to business strategies comes
handy here because that is the sole purpose to create HR as a function (Bratton and Gold, 2017).
Job analysis & design : It is the function of designing a job on the basis of man work
hours, nature of job, required skills to carry out job, technical expertise, designing pay structure
based on the importance of the job, study work patterns and conducting behavioural studies on
the emotional angle of employees.
Performance appraisal : At Harrod, great emphasis is given on evaluating performance
of the employees so that they can be motivated more to perform better with consistency.
Training & development : HR department is engaged in providing quality training , and
providing educational facilities to employees to keep learning something new.
Salary administration : At Harrod, HR department is constantly designing new ways to
compensate employees with monetary as well as non monetary benefits and ensuring their well
being at all adversities.
P2: Explain strengths and weaknesses of different approaches of recruitment and selection
In the competitive sphere of today's time, the most challenging task in front of the HR
department is to recruit best talent with relevant skills required. And ensuring his contribution
for a long time by reducing attrition rate. To secure best people on board a mix of various
recruitment strategies are used by HR department at Harrod. Some of the prominent approaches
are discussed here :
Recruitment notification on website and other platforms
Harrod's HR department recruits employees mainly through putting vacancy notification
on its official website under careers section with brief job description. It also publishes the
same recruitment notification on leading daily newspapers to catch the eye of masses an attract
maximum candidates (Brewster, 2017). Other platforms include notification in employment

newspapers, business magazines, job portals etc.
Strengths :
 Most cost effective method of recruitment. Has global reach and secures instant applications.
Weaknesses :
 Huge chunk of inappropriate and spam applications.
 Discriminatory to people who don't have access to computers.
Recruitment Agencies
They are specialised entities in the field of recruitment and selection since they focus
only of this area. They collect a data set of huge number of job seekers , compile them into
different sections based on their qualification, interest, work experience etc. Organisations hire
their services for hiring potential employees.
Strengths :
 Speedy response from dedicated staff. Pre screened and pre interviewed candidates which saves time and cost.
Weaknesses :
 Some professional firms tend to cheat the employer by suggesting deserving candidates.
 Can come as costly because these firms charge hefty fees.
Campus recruitment
This is an interactive method where HR managers of Harrod recruit fresh graduates
from premier institutes directly. This brings fresh out of the college talent to the organisation
along with creativity and energy.
Strengths:
 Brings creativity and freshness to the organisation. Brings new ideas, dedication and zeal to work through modern ways.
Weaknesses:
 Lacks experience and business knowledge.
 Takes time to adapt ; attrition rate is high.
Employee referrals
Employees who are already working in the organisation are requested to refer a known
and qualified candidate for the vacancy (Harrison and Lock, 2017). Harrod uses this method to

gain competitive talent pool from trusted employees. Employees are paid incentives for every
successful conversion.
Strengths:
 Referred candidates are known to the employees which ensures trust and reliability. Employees know the capabilities and suitability of the candidate in advance.
Weaknesses:
 Employees may get bias to refer their close one's who are not qualified.
 Employees have some personal agendas which may not coincide with organisational
objectives.
Interview round
Interview is an essential part of selection method where the manager conduct one to one
interview round. As all the evaluation process differ from one organisation to another but
Interview is one which is opted by all organisation. In relation to Harrod company majorly
focuses on interview as interviewer get the opportunity to know the candidate closely. This
strength the whole purpose of selection
Strength:
 Helps the manager to reach out to the valid conclusion by presenting unbiased result. Company comes to the capability of a candidate which they can use to attain the
desirable position.
Weakness:
 It is time and money consuming process for both interviewer and interviewee.
 In case HR does not select the desirable candidate then the company fails to get the
positive result out of the investment they made in whole process.
M1: Evaluate how functions of HRM help the organization to fulfil their objectives
Functions of HRM help the organization to fulfil their need and other requirement which
required to achieve their business goals & objectives. Because it further helps the manager of
Harrod company to enhance their employees performance which increase the productivity as
well as profitability. Effective implementation of HRM functions enhance the organizational
structure or increase the potential of individuals (Friedman, 2017). With the help of training &
development function, business increase capability of an individual and it further helps in
achieving business goals & objectives. Other functions such as, recruitment & selection,

compensation, conflict resolution and other benefits.
M2: Evaluate the strength as well as weakness of the different recruitment approaches
In the Harrod company, manager use the external method of recruitment which help the
business to find new people who have those skills which required for the specific job. For
example: manager recruit people through website or other job portal sited because they want
highly skilled people who help them to achieve their goals & objectives. In context of the
selection process, manager choose the candidates as per the requirement of specific job role. So
company required those individual who have good communication, negotiation and people
handling skills.
D1: Critically evaluate strength and weakness of recruitment and selection
There are various recruitment and selection technique and each type has its certain
strength and weakness like recruitment agency has wide data of candidate on the basis of their
skill set due to which most of the employee gets employment opportunity. On contrary, this
process can mislead the company by referring unsuitable candidate as there commission is
associated with the selection of employee (Budhwar and Debrah, 2013). Moreover, interview is
an effective selection process that helps to select the most suitable manpower on the basis of
vacancy but the interviewer can produce biased result like by preferring the employee referral
over others.
ACTIVITY 2
Covered by booklet
ACTIVITY 3
P5: Analyse importance of employee relation to influence HRM decision making
Employee relation is the effort made by company to coordinate the efforts of an
employee and manager (Lu and Bao, 2015). Most of the successful organisation pays attention in
binding long term employee relation for which they develop fair, transparent and consistent
treatment with all the internal staff. In relation to the manager of Harrod company can promote
safe working condition, desirable pay and other benefit which leads in establishing effective
employee relation. The importance associated with employee relation is defined below:

Maintain employee loyalty: It is essential to maintain the effective employee relation as
it enhances the productivity and retain the existing employee to be the valuable part of an
organisation. In relation to Harrod company maintain intra personal relation as it encourages the
presence of employee to participate in decision making process and reaching out to a suitable
conclusion.
Effective communication: Communication is an essential part of company by which all
the vital details and idea is shared among the employee and employer. This helps the employer to
understand the goal of an organisation and how they can achieving their target. Further, in
relation to Harrod company employee can indulge into detail interaction during the time of
brainstorming method and group discussion process where both of them come up with an
innovative idea.
Proper delegation of authority: The duties are assigned by higher authority manager to
the staff on the basis of their skill set and capability (Chelladurai and Kerwin, 2017). It leads to
the contribution made by employee by understanding and performing their duties sensibly.
Herein, Harrod company can provided equal opportunity to their staff where on the basis of self
experiences employee can put their thoughts forward. This method helps the organisation to
bring alteration by taking care of the needs of each other.
P6: Employment legislation that can impact the HRM decision
An organisation is liable to formulate the policies and adhere the employment legislation
within the organisation by performing the day to day business operation effectively. In relation to
Harrod company human resource department consider all the regulation and laws which are
defined below:
Anti discrimination law, 1995: As per this law the worker are not discriminated on the
basis of their gender, caste, religion, age as well as ability. Equal laws and strategy are made
which needs to be followed by the workforce effectively and help in reaching out effective
decision with include the effort of employee and employer. The manager of Harrod company
hire the workforce and promote the workforce on the basis of their capability without being
biased. Hence, in case of breach or negligence of such law can hamper the image of company.
Health and safety law 1974: The purpose of this law is to provide safe working hour and
ensure welfare of an employee in order to maintain the smooth environment for the employee to
function (Ganopoulos and et. al., 2013). In relation to Harrod company can motivate their staff

and provide them secure environment where they can develop, make appropriate decision and
participate in effective decision making. Therefore, application of such law promote the existing
staff to retain as well as attract the potential recruiter.
Employment right act, 1996: It include all the aspect such as training, termination,
leaves, employment and so on that include the involvement of both employee and employer.
Moreover, this law also protect the right of employee in case of under payment or not offer
unfair remuneration for which legal actions can be taken against company. The manager of
Harrod company takes all the necessary decision and plan out the policies for the appraisal of an
employee.
M4: Evaluate the key aspect of employee relation and employment legislation
In the current business environment, employees are more important for the organization.
For healthy relation in the workplace, manager have to develop effective relation with their
workers. In the Harrod company, employees provide innovative ideas which can be beneficial
for business in the future and provide market growth. By followings all the employment
legislation will enhance the performance as well as effectiveness. Such as anti discrimination and
health & safety in the workplace build effective relation (Kehoe and Wright, 2013).
TASK 4
P7: Application of human resource management in context of workplace
Job specification refer to the skill, qualities as well as qualification possessed by an
employee in order to perform the assigned job effectively. The main purpose of developing job
specification is to inform the candidate regarding the task they need to perform for the vacant
place. The job specification for HR Executive within Harrod company is defined below:
Job Specification
Job Details
Post : HR Executive
Company : Harrod
Job Purpose: Candidate will be responsible to perform all the internal activity and deal with
the situation effectively. They are responsible to bind the relation between employee and
employee for smooth operations.

Roles & Responsibilities
 The candidate are responsible to manage and motivate the team in order to attain the
task.
 The candidate needs to record all the detail associated with employee and update it
accordingly.
 The candidate must conduct meeting and coordinate the effort of internal member.
 Proficient communication skill and deep understanding of human resource
management.
 HR Executive should be responsible to conduct the interview for different field for
which they should have understanding of various role.
 Handle the queries of new recruiter as well as update the database.
The company offer attractive salary packages for the post of HR Executive along with that
there is a scope for attainable target.
Candidate can forward their resume or CV on [e-mail] and can contact at
0111-8765342.