Human Resource Management in Service Industry: British Airways Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices within British Airways (BA), a major player in the aviation industry. It begins by exploring the role and purpose of HRM, including planning, recruitment, training and development, and performance management, highlighting both hard and soft HRM approaches. The report then delves into the creation of a human resource plan, examining supply and demand dynamics, and the steps involved in the planning process. Employee relations are examined, discussing the current state of employee relations in the aviation business, the role of unionization, and grievance procedures. Furthermore, the report investigates the impact of employment legislation on HRM. The analysis includes a discussion of job descriptions and person specifications, along with a comparison of selection processes across different service industries. Finally, the report assesses the contribution of training and development activities to effective operations within BA, concluding with an overview of the key findings and implications for HRM in the service industry.

Human Resource Management For
Service Industry

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Role and purpose of HRM in British Airways......................................................................3
1.2 Creation of Human resource plan by analysing supply and demand....................................5
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................6
2.1 Employee relation's present state in aviation business..........................................................6
2.2 Effect of employment legislation in human resource management......................................7
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................9
3.1 Discuss Job Description and Person Specification for British Airways................................9
3.2 Comparison of selection process of different service industries.........................................11
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................11
4.1 Contribution of training and development activities for effective operations.....................11
CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES...............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
There are various resources are used by business enterprises so as to achieving their goals
or objectives. Service industry can be defined as the business whose main aim is to earn revenue
by providing intangible products or services to the customers. Apart from that, Human resource
management is a technique in which managers maintain better relations with employees so as to
gaining effective contributions by them. This process is started with hiring of employees and
includes all functions which are related with life of employees like training and development,
rewards and compensation, motivation etc. Chosen organisation for this assignment is British
Airways which is a part of aviation industry along with headquarters in UK. Present assignment
will discuss about the Purpose and role of HRM along with employee relations and impact of
employment laws on HR management. Job description and person specification along with
comparison of two different job profile in service industry will also covered in this report.
TASK 1
1.1 Role and purpose of HRM in British Airways
According to M. J. Jucious, “Human resource management includes planning, organising,
directing and controlling of functions so as to maintaining good relations with them.” In addition,
it is getting popular because each organisation understand that they can't achieve their targets
without proper support of employees. As managers of BA have take decisions of starting flights
between Heathow and Maderia than they have to take better support from their employees
because these decisions can be implemented successfully when HR division will understand their
responsibilities (Alfes, 2013).
Role and purpose of HRM in British Airways are given as below:
Planning and forecasting – At the time of starting new operations, British Airways have
to recruit or transfer people for managing functions in better manner. It is the prior responsibility
of HR of BA to make proper planning for selecting candidates in which they have to plan total
number of applicants that will be selected by them in upcoming time. Before hiring or recruiting
employees it is very important to make strategies and predict needs of human resources in
upcoming time so that functions in future would be managed in good manner. Purpose of this
role is to formulate effective strategies for determining the future needs of human resources and
other component of organisation.

Recruitment process – If an organisation have to hire employees at their workplace, they
have to follow a lengthy process which is started from identification of eligible applicants and
ended when applicants are selected/Rejected for the chosen post. At British Airways, this process
is managed by heads of several departments because they examines technical skills and
efficiencies of applicants. Apart from that, all these functions are performed by HR managers
because they have to coordinating interviews, screening of candidates and checking of
backgrounds so that best candidates are selected for the organisation. Whereas, purpose of this
role is to hire eligible candidates for the organisation so that preset goals would be achieved in
the given time-frame.
Training and development – It is very important for the organisation to provide training
programmes to the employees on regular basis so that effective contributions can be taken from
them. HR managers not only finding and fulfilling employee requirements of firm but also they
arrange training and development programmes for them so that they can understand their roles
and responsibilities in easy manner (Hadar, 2013). At BA, HR managers also provide training
programmes for their employees on specific interval so that required efficiency would be
maintained in better manner. Main purpose of this function is to implement required skills into
workforce of organisation so that better contributions would be gained from them in upcoming
period of time.
Performance management system- This is a method of monitoring the employee's
performance during the year and deciding where they stands as far their goals. In it, HR
managers of Morrisons have duties to provide motivation to their employees and develop
innovative environment at workplace so that profitability or productivity of Morrisons would be
enhanced. For enhancing the motivation level of employees Managers of Morrisons also organise
target activities so that Best performer can be identified and prizes and rewards would be given
to them. Main purpose behind this role is to increasing efficiency of employees so that
productivity of firm would be enhanced.
Hard and Soft HRM
Hard HRM is defined as the approach which is made for the employees in which they are
treated as an important resources of organisation like assets, land etc. Whereas, soft HRM
approach these employees not only considered as important resources but also considered as the
source of competitive advantage. In BA, they provide more value to their staff members because

they understand that without their contribution and support they can't survive in competitive
market.
1.2 Creation of Human resource plan by analysing supply and demand
Human resource planning- It is a process that is related with identification of current
and future needs of human resources within the organisation so that goals or objectives would be
achieved in an easy manner. It includes estimation of number of employees which are required
for performing specific activities and functions and determining that how these persons can be
recruited. It is very important because it assists the manager in facing challenges by estimating
future personnel requirements (López-Nicolás, 2011). In addition, it is a link between functions
and development of human resource through linking them with strategies of organisation.
Sometimes, formulation of this kind of plan is possessed difficulty for the management because
candidates who comes for interview are not eligible and have no skills for satisfying the
requirements of firm so in this situation formulation of plan is quite difficult for the management.
As British Airways is starting 4 new flights for Madiera then they have predicted that 20 flight
attendants and 4 cabin crew members are required so as to maintaining balance between demand
and supply. Time duration is decided for these new employees of 9 hours. Demand and supply
of human resources with in the firm is very essential because it guides the managers in
formulating effective strategies so that availability and procurement of human resources can be
done in an effective manner. For this, Human resource plan is made by British airways in which
they have followed several steps these are given as below:
 Identifying organisational objectives – This is an important aspect in which HR
manager of BA have to analyse goals of firm along with several aspects like production,
finance, marketing etc. so that better contributions can be taken from them.
 Availability of existing human resources – In it, HR managers of BA have to identify
the potential and abilities of existing human resources within their firm so that expected
requirements can be formulated by them for recruiting new candidates.
 Forecasting demand and supply – according to requirements of employees, needs of
human resources are calculated by HR managers of British Airways. In it, they have to
identified which sources like internal or external would be applied for fulfilling job
requirements.

 Develop human resource action plan – It is the last step of human resource plan in
which they have to design suitable action plans and according to this plan they have to
recruit, transfer and train new recruited candidates within the firm. Some of the main
responsibilities are decided by HR managers of BA for flight attendants and
administrative support support which are given as below:
Responsibilities of flight attendants are to provide comfort to passengers during the travel
like distributing blankets to them when they are sleeping. Keep proper record of money which is
earned by them through selling beverages or headsets. Apart from that, duties of cabin crew
members is to answering the queries of customer before starting of flight, resolving the issues of
attendants etc. For peak season, Management of BA can use the interview method for hiring
eligible candidate in less amount of time whereas, in off peak season they can use several method
like aptitude test, examining efficiency, GD etc. so that staff turnover can be maintained in an
effective manner (Mwalongo, 2011).
TASK 2
2.1 Employee relation's present state in aviation business
Employee relations - These relations can be defined as the interrelationship between
employer and employee. As the time is changing therefore, managers mainly focuses on
developing positive relations with their employees. For this, they also taking suggestions of
employees in decision making process so that improved business outcomes would be received in
future period. It is very important to make better relations with employees so that chances of
conflicts and issues can be resolved in easy manner. Like each sector, aviation industry have also
faced various issues which are related with ignoring demand of workers. This problem was not
too serious but regulating authorities and government of UK have also made some legislations so
as to keeping balance between distribution of power. For determining issues and maintaining
good relations with employees role of trade unionisation and some other aspects are taken for
support which is given as below:
Role of Unionisation- Union is a group of members in which a leader works as the voice
of all members. These leaders have duty to communicate all needs and issues of workers to
management. It makes strong position of employees within an organisation with the help of
taking support of union leader. At BA, role of unionisation is very crucial because if

management ignores the demand of workers then it can leads the firm towards high employee
turnover issues, conflicts among the employees and management etc. As the managers of BA is
planning for adopting new culture then management have responsibilities to consider the views
of workers so that any conflicts regarding adoption of new culture wouldn't be faced by them. In
order to resolving the issues of employees, management should discuss with the trade union
leaders and take corrective actions so that good employment relations would be maintained at
workplace.
Grievance procedures- This is a method or procedure which is used for resolving
conflicts of employees, suppliers, competitors etc. In aviation industry, there are various rules
and regulations which should be followed by each firm of this sector. As the airline industry is
dynamic in nature and keep on changing in terms of global competition, growth of low cost
airlines, changes in technology and nature of jobs etc. which must be considered by company for
resolving the conflicts effectively. Conflicts like salary issues, working time issues, co-worker
issues etc. that occurs at workplace at anytime therefore, management of BA should provide
facility of complaint box to their employees so that actual requirements or issues can be
identified and resolved in easy manner. Through resolving issues of employees in quickly
manner, employees of BA would perform their duties in well manner which leads the firm
towards growth and success (Tracey, 2015).
Importance of employment legislation for employers and employees - Employment
legislations provides protection to workers from their employer. For this, various laws are made
by government of nation like workplace safety, discrimination, minimum wages, Health and
safety of workers and so on. Significance of these laws are important for the employers because
it guides them to maintain effective relations with the employees so that better contributions can
be taken from them in future period. Whereas, these laws are important for the employees
because it provides safety to them from the employers.
2.2 Effect of employment legislation in human resource management
Employment legislations can be defined as set of laws or acts which are formed so as to
protecting employees at workplace from the employer. In addition to this, legislations are the
most important instrument of government which is formulated by them for protecting citizens or
employees from unfair practices at workplace or within the society. Changes in legislation also
influences on the management decisions because they have to make changes in their policies so

as to meeting with requirements of legislation. Therefore, it is an obligation upon the HR
managers of British Airways to identify the working environment of firm in effective manner so
that actual problems or issues of employees can be determined and resolved in easy manner.
Employment relations act, 2004: This act is mainly formulated for protecting the
relationship of employee, unions and employer. According to this act, it is very important for
employers to make fair judgements towards employees as well unions so that effective
environment would be build at workplace. At BA, Implication of this act is beneficial because
with the help of this act trust of employees will be increased towards management which leads
the firm towards high productivity and provide job security at workplace to employees.
Employment right act, 1996: All basic rights of employees are protected in this act, it
includes fair treatment, redundancy, time off for parenting etc. effect of implication of this act in
BA provide facilities of leave provisions, wages and working hours. This act provide
responsibility to HR managers of BA in which they have to communicate all important
informations regarding wages, working hours to their employees clearly so that they get ensure
about their job safety during leave (Nelson, 2018).
As per the above legislations it is very important for the employers to provide equal
opportunities to each employee so that better outcomes would be received within the
organisation. It also contributes in maintaining equality at workplace and positive relationship
between employer and employee which is beneficial for firm in achieving its organisational
objectives.
Contract of employment: This is a legal contract which is made between employer and
employees of the firm. It includes description about date of joining, type of training, employee
rights, appraisal process and so on. Contract provide safety to both employer and employees
from several issues which can take place within the workplace in future. At BA, this contract also
includes several reasons of termination such as resignation, ill health retirement, dismissal,
parental leaves etc. some of them are discussed as below:
Redundancy: It is considered as form of discharge which can occur in the firm when
employers wants to reduce its workforce. Contract which is made between employees and
owners of firm includes some major rights which are provided to the employees and protects
them from unfair dismissals. It comprises of redundancy pay, notice period, relieving letter etc.

As BA is the second largest airline in UK then they have duty to make job employment contract
carefully so that any difficulty wouldn't be faced by them in future.
Maternity and paternity rights: It is essential for each organisation which is operating
in UK to provide maternity or parental leaves to workers. According to this right, male workers
can take two weeks of paid leave for caring their child. Whereas, female employees are allowed
for taking paid leaves of 12 weeks after delivery. At BA, management should provide parental
leaves to their employees as per their needs.
According to the above discussed legislations, it has been observed that all these
legislation impacts on the functioning of HR managers because they have to consider each aspect
of legislation before any kind of planning. In addition, it also guides the HR managers of BA to
consider these laws carefully while dealing with existing staff. These acts also provide support
the managers of BA in creating better environment at workplace in which they can provide equal
opportunities to their employees so that they feel motivated at workplace. They can also provide
equal wages to their employees on the basis of designation and performance so as to gaining
better contributions from them (McCarthy, 2016).
TASK 3
3.1 Discuss Job Description and Person Specification for British Airways
Recruitment and Selection – Main purpose of these functions is to identifying
requirements and fulfils accordingly. Process of recruitment and selection is very important for
the firm because it helps in determining organisational performance so that management can take
decisions for recruiting able candidates for the organisation. Stages which are involved in this
process are planning of recruitment, strategy development, searching for candidates, screening of
right candidates, short listing of eligible candidates. The main aim of this process is to attract and
retain highly eligible candidates for the organisation so that competitive advantage could be
taken by the firm over its rivals (Kerwin, 2017).
Job description and person Specification – Job description defined the primary job
related data which is used by companies to attract a large number of candidates. This describes
about the job title, location, job summary, objectives of job, working conditions, tasks, duties etc.
Whereas, person specifications includes skills, abilities, knowledge which are required by
individuals for performing duties on the given tasks. As the British Airways is the second largest

airline in UK then it is very essential for their HR managers to formulate effective job and
person's specifications so as to fulfilling their vacant positions of cabin crew members. Job
Description is given as below:
Job Description
Organisation: British Airways
Division: Cabin crew
Job Title: Cabin Crew member
Working conditions : 9-10 hours
Job Summary
British Airways is the second largest aviation firm in UK and having a large number of fleet of
airlines. Firm is recruiting applicants so as to fulfilling the position of cabin crew members who
have ability to solve the queries of passengers during flight.
Roles and Responsibilities
 Welcoming passengers during the flight and assist them in finding their seats.
 Checking all seat belts in plane before flight taking off.
 Solving each query of passenger during the flight in polite manner.
 Serving Meals and refreshments and maintain proper record of money which is earned
through serving it.
Person Specification for Cabin Crew Member
Attributes Relevant Criteria Essential/Desirable
Skills and Abilities Having good communication skills so that roles
and responsibilities can be convey to other
members clearly. Other skills which are
essential such as leadership, stress management,
adaptive, quick response on the queries.
Essential
General and Specialist
knowledge
Having good knowledge about the airport
information software so that all works should be
managed in systematic manner.
Essential

Education and
Training
Having training certifications of airport
operations from recognised institution of
aviation.
Essential
Relevant experience Minimum 6 months of experience is required
for managing cabin crew responsibilities.
Desirable
3.2 Comparison of selection process of different service industries
BRITISH AIRWAYS TRANSPORT FOR LONDON
Company posts its job requirements on its own
website.
While, TFL hire candidates through
advertisements or recruitment agencies.
At BA, candidates have to fill questionnaire
and complete online aptitude tests.
Whereas, TFL selected candidates on the basis
of situational judgement tests.
Selection process is lengthy because various
provisions are made of additional agreements
and personal informations.
Whereas, selection method of TFL is very
short and don't consists too much official
agreements.
TASK 4
4.1 Contribution of training and development activities for effective operations
Training and development – Training refers to techniques for improving the efficiencies and
performance of employees. Whereas, development refers to improvement in their future career.
There are two kinds of training which are given by BA to their employees i.e. on the job, off the
job, soft skills training etc. which are discussed as below:
On the job – This training is provided to employees from the first day of their joining. It
is provided to employees by managers of BA so as to improving their efficiency and
performance so that better contributions can be taken from them in order to achieving
organisational goals or objectives.
Off the job – These kind of training are given to workers after office hours. TFL
provides appropriate training to their employees so that their awareness regarding traffic rules
can be increased in effective manner (Brody, 2013).
Soft skills training – These kind of development is related with increment in specific
abilities of employees so that they can perform their duties in well manner. Soft skills includes

communication, decision-making skills, problem solving skills etc. This kind of training is more
important for the employees of BA because through it they will be able in dealing with the
several problems or changes that can occur at anytime at workplace.
Training Development
It is given for improving performance of
individual.
Whereas, it is related with overall development
of individual.
This is for short term. This is for long-term.
Benefits and effectiveness of training
Through training sufficient work efficiency and skills are implemented in new employees
so that they can perform given tasks in a limited time-frame. Such as, TFL provides training to
their employees so that better outcomes would be received in future period. In addition to this,
through providing this kind of training employees of company will become efficient and
confident which will leads the organisation towards growth and sustainability.
Furthermore, providing training or development programmes employees of organisation
feel motivated at workplace this will beneficial for firm in gaining competitive edge in
marketplace.
CONCLUSION
It has been concluded from the above report that human resources are very essential for
overall growth and success of organisation. Therefore, management of organisation have duty to
make balance between demand and supply of human resources within the organisation so that
effective contribution can be taken for achievement of organisational goals. Employment
relations are also essential because it supports the managers in identifying basic requirements and
issues of employees. Training and Development are very much important within the workplace
because it improves efficiencies and performance of employees which leads the firm towards
gaining competitive advantage over its rivals.