Human Resource Management Report: M&S Resourcing and Practices

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices within Marks & Spencer (M&S). It begins with an introduction to HRM, its functions, and its purpose within an organization. The report then delves into the specifics of M&S, examining its operations and financial performance. Key areas covered include the functions and purpose of HRM, with a focus on workforce planning and recruitment strategies, including the strengths and weaknesses of internal and external recruitment methods. The report also explores the benefits of various HRM practices for both employers and employees, such as security, selective hiring, efficient teams, performance evaluation, and training and development. Furthermore, it investigates the effectiveness of HRM practices in raising profits and productivity through techniques like job enrichment and simplification. The report also highlights the importance of employee relations in facilitating decision-making and the impact of employee legislation on HR. Finally, it illustrates how HRM practices are applied in a work-related context, providing a detailed overview of the subject matter.

HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................3
P1 Functions and purpose of human resource management..................................................3
P2 Strength and weakness of various approaches to selection and recruitment.....................5
LO 2.................................................................................................................................................7
P3 Benefits of HRM practices for employer and employee...................................................7
P4 HRM practices and their effectiveness in raising profits and productivity.......................8
LO 3.................................................................................................................................................9
P5 Importance of employee relation in facilitating decision-making....................................9
P6 Key elements of Employee Legislation and their impact on HR....................................11
LO 4...............................................................................................................................................12
P7 Illustration of HRM practices and its application in a work related context...................12
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................16
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................17

INTRODUCTION
Human resource management is responsible for hiring, selecting and recruiting new
candidates within business. HRM is very essential within organization as help to achieve goals
and increase productivity and profitability. HR manager within management deals with many
problems related to organization development, compensation, safety, performance management,
wellness and benefits (Budhwar, 2015). The present report is based on M&S, it is one of the
leading retailers in UK and successful company. It explains functions and purpose of HRM
applicable to resourcing and workforce planning in company and weaknesses and strength of
various approaches to selection and recruitment. This study justifies benefits of several Human
resource management practices within the company for both workers and employer and
effectiveness of various HRM practices in terms of productivity and raising organizational profit.
Furthermore, importance of workers relations in respect of effecting HRM decision making and
key components of employment legislation and their effect upon Human Resource Management
decision taking. At last, it clarifies HRM practices in work related context.
MAIN BODY
Overview of company-
M&S is the major British international retailer in London, company is specializes in
marketing or selling good quality food products, high quality clothing and home products. Marks
& Spencer is founded by Thomas Spencer and Michael Marks in Leeds in 1884. They have
currently 960 stores across UK and 615 stores of firm only sell food products to customers. In
2018, M&S confirmed that they are closing over 100 stores by 2022 in radical plan, whether
many other stores will close is yet to be confirmed. All these things happen due to some major
reasons that effect whole business as well as their financial performance.
LO 1
P1 Functions and purpose of human resource management
HRM- Human resource management is defined as the procedure of managing work and
performance of workers in company and it can include training, development, hiring and
motivating staff (DuBois and Dubois, 2016). It is a strategic approach to effective management
of employees in firm such that they support business to gain the competitive advantages and
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reach at specific goals. Human resource manager help in way in which they hire new applicants
and make plans for their training.
HRM functions-
Planning- It is the main function of HR manager where type & number of workers
needed to complete organizational goals are resolute. They make workforce planning to align
priorities and needs of M&S. With the help of this planning and research manager can be able to
collect, identify and analyse future and current requirements within company which is beneficial
for them. Workforce planning is very essential, it assures management that business will meet
legislative, service and production needs and regulatory.
Hiring or Recruitment- Recruitment is one of the another most essential function of
Human resource manager as they hire new candidates within firm who can support M&S to
achieve their business goals and objectives as well as organizational desired aim (Hsu and Leat,
2014). HR manager review applicants, testing candidates skills, select right applicants to
interview and finally chose correct one between number of peoples to make hiring decision and
performed different pre-employment checks and tests. HRM managed hiring procedure and bring
talented and most appropriate workers within organization.
Training & Development- Development and training is one of the main function of
HRM manager and department. They make plans to provide training to their new and existing
staff. It allows workers to acquire new knowledge and abilities to perform their job and
accomplish goals effectively. In training program all the worker has been instructed by HRM and
its team members and taught about matters of technical knowledge connected to their jobs which
is essential and beneficial for them as well as entire business. In simple words training is the
system that support employees learn particular skills and gain more knowledge which help to
improve their current practices.
Job design & Analysis- it is one of the another HRM function in which they determined
important characteristics that is required to perform specific job effectively. Human resource
management play vital role in job designing procedure next to job analysis, it systematic
attempts to organize duties, tasks and responsibilities into the team of work to achieve certain
goals and business objectives.
Human resource management purpose-
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Goals of HR manager is to assure that M&S has the right abilities, knowledge and skills
to implement their strategy (Nankervis, Compton and Savery, 2018). Their purpose is to raise the
performance of business as well as their employees which is important for business growth and
longer term success within marketplace.
P2 Strength and weakness of various approaches to selection and recruitment
Recruitment is the activity of enlisting new applicants in existing armed forces, it
increases number of workers and arrive new members. In simple words recruitment is positive
procedure of searching for expected employees and stimulating them to apply for jobs in M&S.
Internal and external recruitment is one of the best approaches or methods to recruit a person in
firm.
Strength of internal recruitment-
Internal recruitment is the best procedure of filing vacancies within organization from
their exiting workforce. HRM handle this process and used this approach for filling roles in
M&S that is best suited to have an insider's knowledge or view as well as encourage worker
loyalty and sense of success growth of all the staff members (Sanayei and Mirzaei, 2017). It
helps to increase morale of employees and cheaper in cost than doing external recruitment.
Weakness-
Internal recruitment such as promotion create discord in workplace that effects everyone.
If HRM and higher management promote one person over the another one it decreases morale of
their team member. Lack of diversity is defined the weakness of internal recruitment and it
consumes a lot of time to bring new and chose existing applicants to business.
External recruitment is assessment of the accessible pool of job applicants other than
recent staff, to see of there any qualified or sufficiently skilled to perform and fill current job
positions.
Strength of external recruitment-
Advertisement in newspaper, telecasting and market is the procedure included in external
recruitment which help to garb the attention of peoples and provide talented people. External
recruitment brings fresh talent from outside are that can contribute to achieve organizational
objectives and desired goals.
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Weakness-
It is very expensive process and need more investment for marketing job vacancies in
market place.
Selection approaches-
Selection is fact or action of carefully choosing someone as being the most or best
suitable (Wheeler, Halbesleben and Harris, 2016). It is the process of choosing or picking right
and most appropriate candidates, who is suitable for vacant job position in M&S.
In simple words, selection is the process of interviewing new applicants and evaluating
their abilities and qualities which is essential for HRM and required for the particular job.
Interview-
Strength-
Interview is the process of selecting peoples within business, HRM start conversation to
person and asked some questions based on their qualifications. With the help of interview M&S
get the best peoples with them.
Weakness-
Interview procedure consumer a lot of time of management and need more investments to
do so.
Online screening-
Strength-
Online screening test is the part of selecting or hiring procedure for new candidates,
online screening reduce cost of hiring peoples considerably.
Weakness-
Online screening in extent is not appropriate for business in which risks of hiring or
selecting unqualified applicants is higher than offline selection.
In short Human resource function is to hire new peoples in M&S, trained them and help
to improve their current skills and knowledge in order to fulfil business objectives and achieve
goals.
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LO 2
P3 Benefits of HRM practices for employer and employee.
There are various HRM practices which are applicable in an organisation having
operations at a vast scale like Marks and Spencer's. These are important for maintaining good
relations at the work place and build a better bond with the employees and staff employed by
them. This helps the company in achieving the targets set by them.
Security of Employees :- Providing a secured job to their employees is a primary task in creating
a satisfied employee base and HR at M&S are very careful about it. HR managers try to give
formal as well as informal support to their employees that includes monetary rewards and other
benefits. Collectively, this helps in maintaining better relations at the workplace which is
beneficial for both employees and employers as employees are more satisfied and the employers
are able to develop a loyal workforce (Cascio, 2015).
Selective Hiring :- This aspect is related to selecting the right candidates who would sufficiently
meet the required job duties and responsibilities i.e. selecting those candidates who have the
skills required to complete the job which HR is assigning to them. This helps the employers at
M&S in creating a skilled employee base thus improving their performance and the employees
are happy with their position as they are assigned tasks according to their capabilities. This
collectively helps HR in better evaluation of the employee performance and productivity.
Efficient Teams and Self Management :- Every employee has a different thinking process it is
duty of HR management to integrate the personal objectives of the employee with the
organizational aims (Stewart and Brown, 2019). At M&S, the managers try to achieve this by
formation of teams which include similar and like minded employees and this helps the manager
in improving productivity and maintaining a peaceful work environment. Employees at M&S
gets benefited as they are able to achieve personal as well as professional goals and the
employers are able to accomplish their goals quicker and in a cordial manner thus improving the
working environment.
Performance evaluation and Rewards :- The HR managers regularly evaluate the performance
of their employees. Managers at M&S, on the basis of the results of the performance evaluation
of their employees, give them the rewards and benefits that they deserve. These rewards and
compensations act as a motivating factor given in return of the efforts put in by the employees.
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Employees are able to lead a better and motivated life and employers can identify and segregate
the efficient and inefficient employees, thus working on them separately.
Training and Development :- When there is a gap in the knowledge possessed by an employee
and the knowledge that he actually requires to complete the job, training gap occurs. Here, the
need for giving training to the employee occurs (Wilton, 2016). M&S regularly conducts training
need analysis which helps them in identification and rectification of such training gaps that are
occurring in the company. Induction, Skill Upgrading and multi skilling are such techniques that
constitute training methods and are used by HRM at M&S. Induction means familiarizing new
joinings with the present employees of organisations and acquainting them. Skills are upgraded
when the acquired skill set of employee becomes redundant and change in work structure
requires change in the skill set. Multi Skilling trains employee in performing multiple tasks
efficiently.
P4 HRM practices and their effectiveness in raising profits and productivity.
There are variety of HRM practices and their impact on raising productivity and profits is
crucial. Job enrichment, Job simplification and Job enlargement are three tools or techniques
which would effectively enhance the productivity (7 Human Resource Best Practices, 2019). Job
simplification involves breaking the task or job into smaller and easier parts and then completing
the task assigned to them. Job enrichment involves enhancing the challenges or responsibilities
of an employee and Job enlargement is expanding of the tasks to be performed by an employee.
All these techniques are effectively used by the managers at M&S so that the productivity of
employees can be increased.
Organisational Flexibility :- An organisation basically supports three kinds of flexibility in its
operations namely :- Structural, Numerical and Functional Flexibility. Structural flexibility refers
to changes made in the structure of a company and how easily it can be implemented according
tot he changing requirements. Numerical flexibility is adjusting the number of employees that are
employed in the company i.e. how faster and the extent to which they can be removed or
employed (Reiche, And et.al., 2016). Lastly, functional flexibility is related to the spontaneity
with which the management can change their practices and functions according to the changing
market trends. At M&S. introducing flexibility in the organisation has made it easier for
employees to fulfil their social obligations and giving more productivity as the flexi working
hours allow them to work when they are free from any other responsibilities.
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Performance and Rewards :- HRM, through regular monitoring is able to monitor their
employee's performance and working capability so that they can determine the output level and
quality (Noe and et.al., 2017). The primary responsibility if HRM is to identify the key
performance skills of the employees and then assigning them tasks which utilize these key skills
that they possess. The various rewards given by management of M&S involves extrinsic and
intrinsic rewards. They use different methods for assessing the performance of their employees
like 360 degree appraisal system etc. the rewards given to the employees increases their
motivation level and also influences their peers i.e. colleagues to work harder for achieving such
rewards.
Training and development, Learning practices :- Training is a learning process and
development is an enhancement process. Training involves development of or inculcating of a
new set of skills and is usually short term in duration. Development on the other hand is a long
term process which is automatic and helps the individuals in creating expertise (Morgeson,
Brannick and Levine, 2019). Together both these techniques helps in improving the knowledge
of employees working at M&S and improving their performance levels.
Workplace and Job Design :- Workplace design at M&S includes a proper system that
acknowledges and includes the work done by the employees i.e. their input and also the output
that they receive i.e. the rewards and benefits. These should be at par with each other i.e. the
benefits given to employees should be as per their performance. This increases the motivational
level of employees of M&S. Job designing basically involves trying different things with the job
role of employees i.e. Job Simplification, Job Enlargement, Enrichment etc. which provides
variety and challenge to the employees in performing their jobs (John and Taylor, 2016).
LO 3
P5 Importance of employee relation in facilitating decision-making.
Employee Relation can be defined as the the relationship and bonds that the employees
of a company have with their colleagues and superiors. When two individuals interact with each
other on a regular basis they are bound to form a bond with each other and when taken in
professional context, they can be defined as employee relations. These are key players in forming
a healthy environment at work place and at M&S, the HRM understands it importance and
encourage employee relationship which facilitates in following manner :-
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Shared Work Culture :- At M&S, there is strong presence of relationships between employees
and they support each other when they face problem. The reduced conflict level at the workplace
of M&S stores has fostered the growth of a healthy and friendly environment (Brewster and
et.al., 2016). This has encouraged a work environment where employees share the excess work
load with each other and cover up in case of any emergency and hence ensure the completion of
task in a much better and efficient manner thus ensuring that everyone t the company grow
together and company itself also benefits hugely.
Communication :- There are healthy communication channels in M&S which encourage
employees to put their grievances before the management and also give their feedbacks and
suggestions. HRM at M&S knows and understands the importance of a satisfied employee base
and hence the managers also avoid any unjust treatment on their behalf. It has also helped the
managers in understanding the mindset of their employees and their behaviour so that better
decisions can be taken. The effective grievance solving policy has helped the employees in
communicating in a better way and consult them regarding any problems that they might face
(Bratton and Gold, 2017).
Conflict Resolution :- Reducing or eliminating conflict is a primary target of any HR manager as
effective achievement of the goals set by the management is possible only when there is
minimum level of conflicts. Although, conflicts are an inescapable part in any company yet at
M&S, the strong relationships and bonds that exist between employees and employers has helped
them in reducing such conflicts. The employees respect and trust each other and this has created
the habit of employees collectively trying to find a solution to the problem rather than blaming
each other. Therefore, at M&S managers can concentrate more on the crucial decisions to be
taken rather than wasting their time on employee management.
Employee Loyalty :- Employees are the most important asset of any organisation and the longer
an employee is attached to the company, higher is the goodwill of any company. At M&S, the
retention level of employees is very high as the HRM ensures that they are kept happy and
satisfied and the added benefits that they receive here (Albrecht and et.al., 2015). They are
tasked according to their key skills and abilities and this motivates the employees to work harder.
Clarity of Mind :- The higher amount of knowledge that an HR has about the employees and
their behaviour, more capable and efficient he is perceived to be in his duties. When the HR is
well versed and knows or identifies the different habits of their employees, they can take better
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decision regarding employees and manage them well. In M&S also, HR are very efficient and
know very well all the quirks of the employees which has helped them in becoming a successful
company today.
P6 Key elements of Employee Legislation and their impact on HR.
There are many laws protecting the rights of employees and ensuring their safety and rights. At
Marks and Spencer Company, the implementation of these laws affect the company and the
decision making criteria of the HR. The major laws that are implemented are :-
Equality Act, 2010 :- This Act is implemented so that it can be ensured that there is no
discrimination between employees at the workplace on the basis of gender, age, caste, colour etc.
(Stewart and Brown, 2019). This act ensures that no differentiation is made between employees
on these basis and the working efficiency or experience is used as a basis for grading employees.
M&S pays the same salary to employees working at the same position in a company and any
bonus or increment is based on their output only. This helps in initiating a healthy competition
between employees motivating them.
National Minimum Wage Act, 1998 :- This law specifies the minimum amount that the
employees would receive on the basis of number of hours worked. This was amended in 2018,
stating that from 1 April, 2018, workers over the the age of 25 years would get £7.83 per hour
and from the age group of 21 to 20 years, they would get £7.38 per hour and finally for workers
between the age group of 18 to 20 years, the employees would get 5.90 per hour. Marks and
Spencer adopts the minimum wage rate policy and pays enough to their employees that they can
meet their daily requirements and utilize basic luxuries of life. The HRM at M&S ensures that
all the employees are paid sufficiently as per their working duties and labour.
Health and Safety Act,1974 :- This regulation is implemented to ensure that the workplace in
which the employees are working is safe and secure protecting the employees from any potential
hazards (The Health and Safety at Work Act Explained, 2016). The HRM at M&S maintains a
list which details all the safety equipments that an employee should have while dealing with any
hazardous machinery or technology. They also have proper signboards ensuring that employees
are well aware of the warnings and caution before they proceed. This has helped in reducing the
number of accidents at the workplace.
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LO 4
P7 Illustration of HRM practices and its application in a work related context.
Job Specification
Job Title Human resource manager
Reports to CEO of Marks and Spencer
Roles & Responsibilities Attracting efficient candidates
Involvement in training and development activities
Planning career assistance program
Resolving conflicts and issues between employees
Recruiting and hiring employees initiating growth
Maintaining the work culture
Qualification Bachelor’s Degree
MBA having a major in Human resource management
CIPD Qualification
Person specification
Title of the job Human resource assistant
Date: 6/07/2019
Qualification required Essential Desirable Met
Bachelor’s Degree
MBA having major in
Human resource
management
CIPD Qualified
Yes
Yes
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