HRM: Workforce Planning, Employee Relations & Decision-Making Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive explanation of various concepts within Human Resource Management (HRM), focusing on its application and scope in workforce planning and recruitment. It delves into the effectiveness of key HRM elements, exploring internal and external factors that influence decision-making, and examines employment legislation in the UK. The report discusses strategic HRM, contrasting hard and soft HRM approaches, and evaluates different recruitment and selection methods, including internal and external strategies, competency-based approaches, and contingency approaches. It analyzes the benefits of HRM practices such as training and development, rewards and incentives, performance evaluation, and feedback for both employers and employees, and assesses their impact on organizational profit and productivity. Furthermore, the report emphasizes the importance of employee relations in HRM decision-making and identifies key elements of employment legislation, illustrating the application of HRM practices in a work-related context, using BT as a case study.

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
LO1..................................................................................................................................................5
P1: Explain the purpose and the functions of HRM, applicable to workforce planning and
resourcing an organisation...........................................................................................................5
P2 Explain the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and selection.
.....................................................................................................................................................6
M1 Assess how the functions of HRM can provide talent and skills appropriate to fulfil
business objectives.......................................................................................................................8
M2 Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and
selection.......................................................................................................................................9
D1 Critically evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment
and selection, supported by specific examples..........................................................................11
LO2................................................................................................................................................12
P3 Explain the benefits of different HRM practices within an organisation for both the
employer and employee.............................................................................................................12
P4 Evaluate the effectiveness of the different HRM practices in terms of raising organisational
profit and productivity...............................................................................................................14
M3 Explore the different methods used in HRM practices, providing specific examples to
support evaluation within an organisational context.................................................................15
D2 Critically evaluates HRM practices and application within an organisational context using
a range of specific examples......................................................................................................16
LO3................................................................................................................................................17
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P5: Analyse the importance of employee relations with respect to influencing HRM decision-
making.......................................................................................................................................17
P6: Identify the key elements of employment legislation and the impact it has on HRM
decision-making.........................................................................................................................19
M4: Evaluate the key aspects of employee relations management and employment legislation
that affect HRM decision-making in an organisational context................................................21
D3: Critically evaluate employee relations and the application of HRM practices that inform
and influence decision-making in the organisation...................................................................22
LO4................................................................................................................................................23
P7: Illustrate the application of HRM practices in a work-related context, using specific
examples....................................................................................................................................23
M5: Provide a rationale for the application of specific HRM practices in a work-related
context........................................................................................................................................25
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................26
References......................................................................................................................................27
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Introduction
The report provides with an explanation of the various concepts of human resource management.
The report has discussed on various aspects of human resource management and has initiated to
identify the concept of this type of management. The report will profess on the application and
scope of human resource management in the planning and recruit the workforce. The report will
converse on the effectiveness of key elements of HRM. The report will also depict an
understanding of the internal and external factors which influence decision making and
employment legislation in the UK. Lastly, the report will communicate and apply the human
resource practice in an organisation. The report has considered BT a telecommunication in the
United Kingdom.
(Source: France-Presse, 2013.
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LO1
P1: Explain the purpose and the functions of HRM, applicable to workforce planning and
resourcing an organisation.
Human Resource Management is a contemporary concept of business and management which
engages in activities of procuring and managing human resources of the organisation. The
concept of human resource management includes various functions and scope of this concept is
vast. Strategic human resource management involves the activities of developing effective
human resources for the benefits of the organisation and rewarding the resources effectively to
provide with individual benefits to the employees.
Hard and soft HRM are amongst the different approaches applied by the human resources
manager to workforce planning and resourcing in global organisations like the BT. In the hard
HRM approach the manager treats and employees the human resources on the basis of workforce
requirements and planning. The resources are treated as any other assets or resource of the
employer and thus are foreseen according to the corporate business planning (Kepion, 2018). In
this approach of workforce planning and resourcing, the resources are not much engaged with
the top level management and minimal communication within the different levels of the
organisation is observed. The employees are not provided with a delegation of authority and
responsibility and thus have little or no command over the business processes and procedures.
In the soft HRM approach, the employees are treated as the most effective and valued assets of
business. The employees are considered as a source of achieving competitive advantage in
comparison to peer organisations. The approach considers in the practice of strong and two-way
communication indulging both the employees and the employers. The approach provides with
competitive rewards and payment structure to the employees in order to achieve the best of
organisational goals and objectives.
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P2 Explain the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and
selection.
The two popularly used approaches to employee selection and recruitment are internal and
external recruitment. Internal recruitment includes approaches like recommendations from
existing employees, promotion, transfers etc. Whereas external recruitment includes approaches
direct interviews, walk-in interview, consultancy etc. There are various strengths and weaknesses
of these approaches to recruitment which are discussed as below:
Internal Recruitment and Selection
Strengths
 Less time consuming and easier
selection process.
 Requires less sorting and selection of
candidates.
 Provides with high calibre and
required candidates for specific job roles
and positions (Kang and Shen, 2013).
 Provides with motivation and
increased dedication to the employees.
Weaknesses
 Restricts the flow of new energy and
thinking into the organisation.
 Promotion bars the thinking of
growth and development as per the business
specifications and requirements.
 Creates the atmosphere of
resentment and de-motivation for the
employees not being promoted at higher
levels.
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External Recruitment and Selection
Strengths
 External recruitment provides with
an inflow of new talent and ideas in the
organisation.
 The process of this selection enables
interview and screen as many candidates as
possible.
 The process of selection provides
with greater and enhanced sets of skills and
abilities to the organisations.
Weaknesses
 The process is a more expensive
procedure and is time-consuming.
 It requires evaluating and analysing
various candidates.
 The results of selection and
recruiting are not also as desired (Kang and
Shen, 2013).
 It involves various activities such as
conducting interviews and providing with
advertisements in various forms of media.
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M1 Assess how the functions of HRM can provide talent and skills appropriate to fulfil
business objectives.
There are numerous purposes of HRM such as Training and Development of the employees,
Recruitment and Selection of the employees, Orientation, Performance Analysis and Evaluation,
feedback and Identifying areas of improvements. These functions of HRM provide with
increased abilities and opportunities to fulfil the organisational goals and objectives. The
function of training and development provides with increased sets of skills and knowledge to the
employees in order to attain the goals and objectives effectively.
The function of performance evaluation and analysis enables to indemnity the loopholes and
drawbacks of the employee performance (De Bruecker, et. al., 2015). This analysis aids in
improvising the employee's performance and enables to achieve the desired results. The function
of feedbacks and identifying the areas of improvements also helps the employees to focus on
their drawbacks and demerits of performance. Feedback is an essential function of the HRM; this
will elevate the performance of the employees and deploys the application of resources and
assets in an effective manner.
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M2 Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and
selection.
The approach of competency and competency are two approaches to recruitment and selection
adopted in various global environments. The strengths and weakness of these approaches are
discussed as follow:
Competency Approach
Strengths
 A standardised form of interview and questionnaire are followed and is dependent on the
nature of the job and the profile of the duties and responsibilities to be executed.
 The selection of candidates is performed according to their actual abilities to perform the
required tasks and jobs (Kang and Shen, 2013).
 The approach provides with an advantage to select the most appropriate and skilled
candidate.
Weakness
 The approach involves a time-consuming process and results in a lengthy process of
interviews and selection procedure.
 Other diverse abilities and attributes of the candidates are not considered that may prove
as an advantage to the candidate in various other fields.
Competency Approach
Strengths
 The approach is dynamic in nature and accommodates the changing nature and aspects of
the recruitment and selection procedure in the HRM.
 The approach also focuses on diverse sets of skills and abilities of the candidates and
encourages the individual to increase their skills and abilities.
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Weakness
 There is a difference between the skills and abilities of the individual and the skills that
are required by the job profile and the job position (Kang and Shen, 2013).
 No specific standard and sets of regulation are followed in the approach. The approach
creates ambiguity and confusion in the managers and the candidates.
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D1 Critically evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to
recruitment and selection, supported by specific examples.
The competency approach develops tests and knowledge assessment of the candidates according
to the job position and specifications. For example, if the position the candidate is to be
interviewed is for the position of a business manager, the texts and interview questions will be
developed according to the aspects of the job role and duties to be performed. The candidate will
be evaluated on the basis of decision making approaches, problem-solving techniques and tool
adopted etc. (Ulrich, et. al., 2013). A contingency approach is a dynamic approach that
improvises the ability of candidate and the organisation to sustain and develop according to the
changes in the business and the environment. For example, the approach will assess the skills
and abilities of the candidate outside the area of job profile and responsibilities. An interview for
the job profile of a human resource manager will be assessed according to the communication
skills, decision-making techniques and tools, integration of the individual, team building and
dynamics etc.
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LO2
P3 Explain the benefits of different HRM practices within an organisation for both the
employer and employee.
Benefits Employees BT (Employer)
Training and
Development
The function of training and
development provides with
increased sets of skills and abilities
to the employees.
The purpose of training and
development provides with increased
employee efficiency and effective
performance of the tasks and work
allocated.
Rewards and
Incentives
The function of rewards and
incentives provides with benefits
monetary and non-monetary to the
employees (Rai Technology
University, 2017). It enables to
accomplish the desired goals and
objectives.
The function of rewards and
incentives provides with more
motivated and dedicated workforce,
this enables to accomplish the desired
goals and purposes of the organisation
in an effective manner.
Performance
Evaluation
The function of performance
evaluation enables the employees to
identify their drawbacks and areas
of a loophole. The identification
these loopholes enable to improvise
the performance and the efficiency
of the employees.
The function of performance
evaluation aids the organisation or the
human resource manager to focus on
the gaps in performance (Ozcan, Y.A.,
2014). The identification of these gaps
emphasises on the allocation and
application of resources according to
the performance of the employees.
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