Human Resource Management Report: Woodhill College HRM Strategies

This report provides a comprehensive overview of Human Resource Management (HRM) principles and practices, focusing on key areas such as workforce planning, recruitment, selection, training, and employee relations. It begins by exploring the purpose of workforce planning and the role of an HR manager, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of different recruitment and selection approaches. The report then assesses how HRM functions can provide talent and skills to meet business objectives, including an evaluation of internal versus external recruitment strategies. Task 2 presents a job advertisement for a Head of Economics department, identifying suitable platforms for placement, along with a detailed job and person specification. The report also provides a rationale for applying specific HRM practices. Task 3 delves into the differences between training and development, analyzes the impact of changing customer expectations on Tesco and its staff, and examines various training methods. It identifies training needs, evaluates the benefits of structured training programs, and assesses the return on investment. The report concludes with an analysis of different flexibility approaches. Task 4 focuses on the importance of employee relations, exploring the influence of employment legislation on HRM decisions, and evaluating the key aspects of employee relations management. Finally, the report critically evaluates employee relations and the application of HRM practices, influencing decision-making within an organization, using ITV as a case study.

Human Resource
Management

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
a) Purpose of workforce planning and the role of HR manager.................................................1
b) Strength and Weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and selection....................2
c) Assess how the functions of the HRM can provide talent and skills appropriate to fulfil the
business objectives. ....................................................................................................................2
d) Evaluation of strength and weaknesses of approaches of recruitment and selection.............3
e) Critical evaluation of strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and
selection.......................................................................................................................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................4
a) A job advertisement for the Head of Economics department ................................................4
b) Identify suitable platforms to place the advertisement...........................................................4
c) Job specification and person specification for the above specified role.................................5
Head of Economics department..................................................................................................5
d) Rationale for application of specific HRM practices..............................................................5
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................6
a) Difference between training and development.......................................................................6
b) Effects of change in customer expectations on Tesco and it's staff........................................7
c) Methods of training carried out by Tesco...............................................................................7
d) Identify the training needs......................................................................................................8
e) Evaluate the benefits of Tesco and employees in providing a structured training programme
.....................................................................................................................................................8
f) The extent to which the training has achieved a return on investment...................................9
g) Types of approaches to flexibility to be adopted by Tesco to aid it's expansion....................9
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................10
a) Analysis of importance of ITV to maintain good employee relations and it's influence on
HR decisions.............................................................................................................................10
b) Identify and explain the key elements in the employment legislation and it's influence on
ITV's HR decisions...................................................................................................................10

c) Evaluate the key aspects of employee relations management and employment legislation
affecting HRM decision-making...............................................................................................11
d) Critically evaluate employee relations and application of HRM practices in ITV that
influnce decision making in the organisation............................................................................11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
The process of identifying, recruiting, providing training and development, maintaining
the health and safety of the employees is called as human resource management. It involves
maximising efficiency of the employees in the organisation by using the limited resources
available through managing them to achieve company objectives (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014).
The report focuses on recruitment and selection of right candidates as and the best media options
for placing the advertisements to attract the desired candidates. .
Tesco PLC is the third largest British retailer and fifty largest retailers in the world. It
operates in grocery and general merchandise and it is operating in 12 countries. Tesco started as
a group of market stalls by Jack Cohen in 1919.. Since then it has expanded globally across
many continents and diversified in market of other products including furniture, toys, books and
clothing, etc. To attract new customers and to maintain former customers, Tesco offered
products such as Tesco Value and Tesco Finest. It is a public limited company and hence listed
in the London stock exchange for trading of its shares in the public (Boxall and Purcell, 2011).
TASK 1
a) Purpose of workforce planning and the role of HR manager
Workforce planning is a part of human resource management function in an organisation.
Even though, it is the most important part in starting the process of staffing, most organisations
are reluctant in implementing this process due to it's high cost. .
As given in the case it is stated that Woodhill college is expanding, and therefore it needs
a proper workforce planning to decrease staff turnover (Bratton and Gold, 2012). The HR
manager needs to identify the staffing levels for all departments and form the strategy according
to the need for workforce in combination with the objectives of the institute. Workforce planning
process includes from identifying staffing needs to recruiting and training the employees for the
job along with maintaining the relations. Hence, the HR department should consider this process
as the main function. Human resource department needs to focus on planning the workforce
needs of the institute to select the right candidates for the job. This will result in decrease in staff
turnover of the college making a stable environment for the students.
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b) Strength and Weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and selection
Recruitment is the process of identifying appropriate candidates for the job from the pool
of qualified applicants and selecting the right person for job (Daley, 2012). As the process is
being from a long time it also has its flaws and advantages.
Quality Recruitment- The companies are required to have proper recruitment procedure
which should be designed through the process of workforce planning. As it is a human process
and if lacks proper tools and planning the process can present less satisfactory results. To reach
a wider range of candidates, the company has to use latest tools and techniques.
Expensive- The approach usually practised by the companies is external recruitment. The
advantages of this method are appointing new employees which brings new perspective and
ideas in the organisation (Guest, 2011). whereas the negative point is that the process is lengthy
and costly one as compared to others. When the company needs immediate hiring or has a low
budget then this method is not preferred.
Crowding- While using the latest technology and tools for searching the right candidate,
the company might attract undesired crowd. If the online media is not used with precision then
under qualified candidates might also apply for the job.. This will make the process complex and
lengthy instead of simplifying. While it has a few flaws but it is considered as the best way to
search desired candidates with limited investment and cost and time if used in the right way.
c) Assess how the functions of the HRM can provide talent and skills appropriate to fulfil the
business objectives.
The functions of human resource management involve many processes, such as
recruitment, selection, orientation and training, development of skills, employee relations, etc.
These functions help in acquiring appropriate candidates with appropriate talent and skills to
reach the company objectives as planned (Jiang and et.al, 2012).
Planning and analysis- The human resource department has to design a strategy to attain
required skills and knowledge to complete the organisational goals. This process includes
identifying former as well as future needs in every department by collecting information from
them.
Recruiting and staffing- The next step in the process is searching candidates by using
different sources for recruitment and appointing right person for the jobs.. Recruiting involves
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attracting qualified candidates whereas selection is the process of selecting and analysing the
applicants to recruit the right person..
Appraisals and Relations- After the appointment of the employee, proper training and
guidance are provided to them for the job. The appraisals and benefits are offered to them during
the course to motivate and encourage them to perform better.
d) Evaluation of strength and weaknesses of approaches of recruitment and selection
The process of recruitment is the practice of overall management of human resources in
the organisation. The approaches used in the process impacts the function of department and the
company as well (Wright and McMahan, 2011).
Strengths- The approaches used are internal resourcing, external recruitment and
placement agencies. Internal recruitment is the approach of selecting employee from within the
organisation and promoting him to a higher position and this provides motivation and
encouragement in psychological as well as financial aspect. External recruitment attracts the best
candidate’s available from the pool of applicants with new ideas. The placement agency is the
source of recruitment for small companies and it is an option to outsource the recruitment
process to save time and cost.
Weaknesses- The approaches weather traditional or modern, have some flaws as well. The
internal sourcing can induce the feeling of jealously and competition between the employees.
Whereas, external recruitment is considered expensive and time consuming process by many and
the placement agency might not be able to provide the best candidates available and requires
regular refunding (Wright and McMahan, 2011).
e) Critical evaluation of strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and
selection
Internal- The internal recruitment process is considered as cost effective and time saving.
The functions of the organisation does not get hampered by the vacant position for a long time.
The promotion to a higher position also results in appraisals and incentives. In Woodhill College
this approach can be used when a sudden vacancy is created by resignation of an employee
through promoting a qualified and trained staff member to the position.
External- The external approach requires time and cost to find the right candidate. The
employee so appointed will require training as well adding to the cost for the company
(Lengnick-Hall, Beck and Lengnick-Hall, 2011). The HR manager of Woodhill college can
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benefit form this approach if more than a couple of employees are required and needs specific
qualifications for the job.
TASK 2
a) A job advertisement for the Head of Economics department
b) Identify suitable platforms to place the advertisement
For the Woodhill College to place their advertisement as designed above, various
platforms are available (CHUANG and Liao, 2010). The HR manager of the institute can use the
traditional methods such as newspapers, radios, television, hoardings, etc. or modern methods of
latest technology such as social media and internet. The institute can design it's own website as
well to have a greater access to the information regarding the college. The HR department has to
plan the various ways to showcase the advertisement to reach a wider audience.
The best option available for the institute is internet to place the advertisement. The
extensive use of social media and emails have increased the prospects of reaching the desired
candidates for the job. As everyone uses emails and social media now, videos and internet radio
can be used for social media advertising. Videos on channel like YouTube can be used as
innovative and creative way to showcase the advertisements (Bloom and Van Reenen, 2011).
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Head of the Economics department, Woodhill College, UK
An economics lecturer is required for our institute to join immediately. The candidate should
be acquainted with the environment of a college and teaching a class with large number of
students. Excellent knowledge of the subject and curriculum is a must. Should be familiar with
managing and coordinating the staff.
Qualifications: PhD in Economics is a must and other degrees will be an additional advantage
Experience: 5-8 years of experience in similar institute.
Salary: 50000 pound - 80000 pound
Candidates interested can submit their resume along with a photo on the email of the college.
Email: [e-mail]
For further queries contact HR on 0099 000 990

c) Job specification and person specification for the above specified role
Head of Economics department
Organisation Woodhill College
Designation Head of Economics department
Working hours 9.00 – 14.00 Monday to Friday
Salary 50000 pound – 80000 pound
Contact 0099 000 990 - HR department
Roles and responsibilities Main purpose of the role:
To provide proper system and curriculum for
the department.
To manage working of the staff and leaves.
Taking up the role of any staff member when
required
Coordinating with the other departments as
well.
Encouraging extra curricular activities.
Job description Maintaining records of all the staff and the
teaching syllabus.
Taking up classes for the subject when
required.
Organising meetings to have latest updates
regarding syllabus and other related topics.
Skills Time management
Discipline and punctual
Hard working
Effective communication skill
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d) Rationale for application of specific HRM practices
Practice of human resource management is crucial for every organisation as it enables the
company to employee the candidates which are suitable for the job profile. The approaches used
in this practice depends on the working of an organisation and it's staffing needs. The company
does workforce planning before the process of recruitment (Jabbour and et.al, 2013). It plans out
the methods to be used by the company to fulfil the workforce need in present and future
scenarios. The methods such as internal sourcing and external resourcing are the main
approaches used by any firm. These help to attain the maximum applicants for the job to choose
from.
Woodhill college should use these approaches by evaluating the pros and cons of the
methods and the need of the department. The method used should not hamper the working of the
institute as it may disrupt the efficiency level of the staff as well as students. The internal
recruitment method can be used to fulfil the vacancy when there is an immediate need for the
staff in the department whereas, external recruitment method can be used to fulfil the position of
the new staff or person with different qualifications (Kehoe and Wright, 2013).
TASK 3
a) Difference between training and development
 Training is the programme organised by all the entities to develop knowledge and skills
in a employees as per the job requirement. While development is a self-assessment act
and it is organised activity in which manpower of the organisation learn and grow.
 Training process provides an opportunity to the employees to develop skills, competency
and knowledge (Chiang, Chow and Birtch, 2010). And development programme provides
overall growth to the employees.
 Development programme is prepared for future and for the long term period. But the
training process prepared for present and for the short term period.
 Development motivates to the trainer but training motivates to self.
 Training is the job oriented process while development is the career oriented process.
 The main objective of training programme is to improve the work performance of the
employees and the main objective of the development programme is to prepare
employees for future challenges.
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 In the training process many number of individuals consist but in development process
only one individual consists.
 Training programme are based on the business targets and development programme is
based on the shared responsibilities in which each trainee is responsible for his/her
development.
 Aim of training is specific job related and aim of development is conceptual and general
knowledge related.
b) Effects of change in customer expectations on Tesco and it's staff
The process of learning, acquiring knowledge and skills in order to improve the
performance of a person for a specific task and requirements, is called training. Development
increases the efficiency and capabilities of a person to do a job effectively (Vörösmarty and et.al,
2010). It is a continuous process which shows effect during the period of time and not
immediately.
This process helps the organisation to improve the productivity of the company. As the
main focus of the company is customer satisfaction. Tesco, a multinational retail chain has an
excellent record of providing services to the customers which is considered as the main factor for
the exceptional growth of the company. By improving the services provided, Tesco can gain a
competitive edge over its competitors and can expand it's customer base in the market. This can
only be done by training and development of the employees in the organisation. This process and
also improve the corporate image of the business which will help to achieve the long as well as
short term organisational goals. Being the third largest retail chain in the world, Tesco has a wide
range of customers with diverse backgrounds and cultures (Ployhart and Moliterno, 2011). To
satify the customers in every region the company needs to have a trained staff by providing them
proper services. The company needs specialised managers and leaders to train and guide them in
order to reach potential customers and satisfy the demands.
c) Methods of training carried out by Tesco
Tesco being a multinational organisation offers training to all the employees to improve
the production level and efficiency. The employees trained from time to time are able to
effectively a\provide the services to the customers. The company provides 2 types of trainings
namely, on the job training and off the job training.
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On the Job training- This form of training includes training of the employees on the
place of work by practical techniques and methods. It has approaches such as shadowing,
coaching, mentoring, job rotation, etc. It consists of guiding the employees by mentoring and
performing tasks under supervision of seniors.
◦ Shadowing : In this, employees are trained or guided by those persons who are
already engaged in the same job
◦ Coaching: Any member of staff or the manager itself gives them training to develop
them for identifying new solutions .
◦ Mentoring: Any employee or staff member experienced enough in performing those
tasks, acts as a mentor and advice them in completion of their task.
Off the Job training- This training approach requires the trainee to gain knowledge
regarding the working and operations of the organisation through books and journals. It does not
involve any practical form of training and learning. It has methods such as case studies and role
reversal. Case studies provide an in depth knowledge of the process and situations.
◦ Case studies: case studies give theoretical knowledge of the practical situations. It
demonstrates the actual situations which an employee can face during the course o0f
business.
◦ Role reversal: It can be described as a dramatical presentation of actual situations.
These dramas justify actual situations.
d) Identify the training needs
The basic and important reasons to provide training to employees is to improves their
skills and knowledge to perform their job in an efficient manner. If the training has not provided
to the employees it would lead to decrease the rate of growth. Training is compulsory to be
provided to the employees for the motivation. Motivation gives the extra power to the employees
to perform various operations of an entity (Daley, 2012). TESCO needs to provides training to its
employees for improves their skill, confidence and knowledge. Training builds confidence in the
employees towards their job. It reduce the conflicts and confusion which is arise during the
employment. SWOT analysis assist TESCO to identify internal strength and weaknesses as well
as they can analysis external opportunity and threat which is necessary to be identified be
company. In the case of external opportunity training will help the worker to exploit them and in
the case of threat employees identify and try to reduce as if its possible. And training helps to
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make right decision and strategies against the market threats. So training will increase the
efficiency of employees of any organisation.
e) Evaluate the benefits of Tesco and employees in providing a structured training programme
Structured training programme means it is a combine use of techniques, devices,materials
and methods tested by the professionals to achieve maximum productivity and efficiency. It has
a detailed frame and outlines for the responsibility and accountability. It effects the working and
operations in the organisation in a more defined and accurate manner. It gives a sense of
common direction and ability to provide a consistent performance and equal opportunities for all.
Tesco can benefit form the structured training programme in achieving the objectives of
the company in the limited time (Fee, 2014). To provide customer satisfaction, the company
needs a well defined plan of action and to attract the potential customers as well. It gives the
company a new customer to explore and acquire.
f) The extent to which the training has achieved a return on investment
As described the importance of the structured training above, Tesco on implementing the
same can ensure the future business growth. This training also enables high rate of growth and
return in the company along with increased productivity. Return on investment is the benefit
attained by the investor form any source (Harzing and Pinnington, 2010). It is a measure of the
profit earned on the investment made by the firm. It also indicates the efficiency level of an
investment.
Tesco has a net profit of 3 billion pounds in the current financial year and has more than
2000 stores in UK which shows the level of investment made by the company. The detailed
evaluation of the financial statements of the company shows a huge return on investment.
g) Types of approaches to flexibility to be adopted by Tesco to aid it's expansion
The ability of an organisation to adapt to the changing environment and market according
to the demands of the customers if termed as flexibility for that company. As the company
operates in a dynamic environment it has to evolve and rise up to the level of other firms in order
to maintain the competition.
Structural approach- This approach involves altering the strategies of the company
according to the changes in the environment (Huselid and Becker, 2010). It helps the business to
operate without any obstruction.
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