Human Resource Management Report: Marks and Spencer Case Study

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices within Marks and Spencer (M&S). It begins with an introduction to HRM and its importance, followed by an examination of the purposes and functions of HRM within M&S, including employee relations and staffing. The report then delves into recruitment and selection methods, comparing internal and external recruitment approaches, and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of different selection processes like interviews. Furthermore, the report explores various HRM practices such as conflict resolution, employee relations, and performance management, highlighting their impact on employee motivation and organizational performance. The report also discusses the significance of employee relations in reducing conflicts and increasing motivation within M&S. Additionally, the report examines the importance of training and development, and flexibility in the workplace. Overall, the report provides valuable insights into the strategic approaches and practical applications of HRM within a real-world business context, emphasizing how these practices contribute to achieving organizational goals.

Human Resource
Management

INTRODUCTION
In a business organization, HRM is consider as a process through which manager can
easily manage all the employees and its activities or tasks at workplace. Mainly, it includes
various activities like hiring, selection, training and development, compensation and benefits and
many more. All these are are important for workers to making them enable to perform
organizational activities within in workplace. Along with this, administrator play a vital role and
responsibility in managing employees activities and making them productive for organisation so
that set goals and objectives can be easily accomplished (Bratton and Gold, 2017). Present report
is based on Marks and Spencer which is a British multinational retailer company in London.
Company famous for its high quality clothing, home products and food products to its customers
as per their needs. Project is going to describing purpose and function of HRM along with
workforce planning. Strength and weaknesses of different recruitment and selection is also
mentioned in this project. Furthermore, different HRM practices are here that help in improving
workers performance at workplace. At last, employment legislation and the impact it has upon
HRM decision making is also discussed here.
TASK 1
P1
HRM refer to the strategic approaches to effectively managing people within the
organization with the aim of attaining competitive advantage. It also help in maximising
employees performance at workplace that directly contribute in attaining set strategic objectives.
Along with this, it is also related with hiring and developing employees so that they become
more productive and valuable for company. In context of Marks and Spencer there are some
purpose and the function of HRM are as follows:
Purpose of HRM:
HRM is a process of coordinating workers within the organization to attain its particular
objectives. In Marks and Spencer, the main purpose of HRM is to prevent all the issues take
place within the company to improve the productivity level of the company (Brewster, 2017). In
this company focus on recruiting right people for the right job role. This will help in making
employees productive about allotted task and its activities. As there are some important purpose
of HRM in Marks and Spencer:
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 Employee relations: Under this, manager of company is play a vital role in making
better relation with employer and employees through which all the working activities can
be completed effectively and at the same time also reduce the chances of arising issues at
workplace. This will positively impact on the overall performance of the company.
 Staffing: It is important purpose of HRM is to hiring and retaining the best workers at
workplace to accomplishes defined strategic goals and targeting (Albrecht and et.al.,
2015). In this manager of Marks and Spencer is responsible for assigning right candidate
at right people so that set target can be effectively attained.
Function of HRM:
In simple word, HRM play a vital role in hiring, motivating and maintaining workers
within the organization. By this employees can easily accomplish defined targets and objectives
in stipulate time frame. For better understanding there are some major function of HRM in
selected organization:
 Recruitment and selection: It is one of the important function of HRM through which
company can easily recruit capable employees. In this context, the main aim of
recruitment process is to attract capable candidates and at the same time also encourage
them to perform well. Along with this, recruitment and selection is an important as it help
in reducing cost of the company and also engaging workers towards the job activities.
This can be beneficial for enhancing the overall performance of the company and its
workers as well.
 Maintaining good working condition: It is one of the important responsibility of HRM
is to provide a positive working condition to their workers so that they perform their task
with higher motivation and efficiency as well. Along with this, it is important duty of HR
manager of Marks and Spencer is to motivate its workers to perform their best (Cascio,
2015). This is possible when company provide them stress free working environment.
P2
In business organization, hiring skilled and talented workers is important for attaining its
target and goals in stipulate time frame. This process can be challenging for manager in
competitive world. Thus, it is important for manager to find capable candidates at right place so
that they can easily perform allotted task and activities. For enhancing profitability level, Marks
and Spencer use different approaches of recruitment and selection. It may aid in improving
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strong workforce that help in attaining set target in systematic manner (Pollock, Jefferson and
Wick, 2015). All the approaches along with its strength and weakness can be understood by
following points:
Recruitment:
It is an important process of finding skilled workers for performing the specific job
responsibilities. It includes different approaches to recruit capable personnel’s within the
organization:
 Internal recruitment: This type of recruitment is when the company looks to recruit
people within the business and existing workforce. Along with this, it includes internal
job posting and career leaders. This type of recruitment done through promotion, transfer
and employee referral. By this company easily motivate their workers at workplace. In
context of Marks and Spencer, company use promotion approach to recruit employees. It
is cost effective and less time consuming. By this company can easily recruit capable
workers and at the same time also motivate them to perform well. On the other side, it
also reduce innovation within the company and also reduce workers morale who are not
promoted.
 External recruitment: It is also an effective approach of recruiting people in which
company looking for external talent for filling vacant position within the company. This
can be done from employment agencies, campus placement, Walk- ins and many more.
For recruiting skilled candidates, Marks and Spencer use campus placement as it help in
increasing innovation within the company to make overall performance productive. On
the other side, this approach of external recruitment is time consuming and lengthy
process that required huge amount to complete the process.
Selection:
It is a process by which organization select candidates from the pool of applicants a
person. By using this process, company can easily select the best individual with requisite
qualification (Lu, Zhu, and Bao, 2015). In context of this, Marks and Spencer use interview
method of selecting people. In this manager undertake face to face meeting for hiring capable
workers along with its specific qualities. This will aid in improving the strong workforce within
the organization that support in attaining set target. The main benefits of using this method is that
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it provide detailed information about the candidates and company as well. On the other side,
some time manager fail in finding right candidates due to judgement decision.
TASK 2
P3
HRM practices refers to the predicting employees performance as it is related with the
enhancing workforce ability, motivation and also define opportunities that lead in improving
organizational performance (Marchington and et. al., 2016). In addition of this, HRM practices is
also beneficial for both workers and its manager as well. This may support in enhancing
productive level of the company at market place. In this context, there are some HRM practice
that is effective for employer and employee in Marks and Spencer:
Conflict resolution: This HRM practice is focus on managing conflicts that arise between
manager and its workers as well. In Marks and Spencer, manager tries to motivating workers and
also communicating with them to understand their issues. It is beneficial for employees by
enhancing their morale at workplace. It also increase employees interest towards the working
activities. In context of employer, they perform their task in set time frame and also make
friendly relation at working place. By this, they can easily attain set target in appropriate manner.
Employee relation: HR practices are support in establishing better relation among all the
employees and employer as well which may improve the productivity of the company and at the
same time also may reduce hat chances of arising issues and obstacles. This is beneficial for
employees to make their productive performance and at the same time employer can easily make
positive work environment in which workers can perform their best.
Performance management: In Marks and Spencer, it is important practice that help in
managing overall performance of the company and its workers as well. In this manager is
responsible for making employee able to improve their working performance at workplace. With
the help of this, employees get rewards and incentives that may help in them motivating towards
the task activities at workplace. On the other side, employer also get benefits because, it help in
increasing profitability within the organization.
All these HRM practices help workers and manager in building positive relation at
workplace this may support in enhancing the overall performance of company and at the same
time also make workers enable in attaining their set target in stipulate time frame.
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P4
Human resource management practices is important and essential part for success and
development of an organisation. There are different HRM practices which will help an enterprise
by improving its productivity and performance within an organisation.
Training and development: It is also important in which company organized various
training and development programs to their workforce with the aim of making them productive.
So that they can easily enhance their new skills and knowledge that directly contribute in making
them productive to handle allotted task and activities. With the assistance of this, Marks and
Spencer can easily accomplished their predetermined target and also enhance their profitability
level as well.
Flexibility: HRM practice is more effective in proving flexibility at workplace in which
workers are easily adopt changes that occur within the organization. Flexibilities in working
environment may consider as a motivator factor that contribute in making employees more
productive towards the job activities. As it reduce the negative working environment work load
at workplace. By this employees of Marks and Spencer can easily perform their best and attain
their set target. This will positive contribute in enhancing overall profitability level of the
company.
Thus, it has been stated that HRM practices are more effective for Marks and Spencer in
raising its profitability and productivity level (Moutinho and Vargas-Sanchez, 2018). This will
improve the chances of attaining higher success at market place.
TASK 3
P5
Employee relation is play a vital role in making whole working environment positive and
healthy as well in which workers can easily improve their productivity level. Along with this,
employee relation is crucial because it help in managing better relation among workers and its
manager as well that can contribute in accomplishing all the set goals and objectives in
systematic manner (Alfes and et. al., 2013). As per competitive business world, managing
relation with employees is challenging task for Marks and Spencer which also affect its decision
making process. Thus, manager of company play a vital role in motivating workers and at the
same time also make productive towards the working activities which may lead in increase in
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sales level. In this context, there are some importance of employee relation within the Marks and
Spencer are as follows:
Reduce conflicts: Effective employee relation is play a vital role in business organization
as it support in reducing the issues arise at workplace among manager and its employees as well.
In context of Marks and Spencer, both manager and employees tend to adjust more and also tries
to finding the best way to resolve issues without wasting the time. This will may increase the
motivation of employees towards the working activities and at the same time also make friendly
relation at workplace. It may increase the employee retention within the company for longer
period of time.
Increase motivation: Employee relation is also contribute in making the working
environment more positive and healthy as well which may help them in motivating towards the
allotted task activities at workplace. Motivated employees are always ready to do their best with
the aim of attaining their set target in allotted time frame. With the assistance of this, Marks and
Spencer can easily accomplished their target and also improve the positive performance at
workplace.
Such importance of people relation is also influence perfect decision power in positive
manner because through which managerial people of this business firm to give best training &
development opportunities for its workers, in such a way that they would do their work based
roles to gathers defined target in sufficient time basis (Budhwar and Debrah, 2013). This would
purely effects the level of the performance of the business firms.
P6
Employment legislation is consider as an important aspect that set by government with
the aim of enhancing the workers performance at workplace. One of the main aim of using all the
laws is to protect employees rights and interest as well towards the assigned activities. This will
improve the overall performance of the workers at workplace (Chelladurai and Kerwin, 2017).
Thus, it is important for Marks and Spencer to follow all the laws and legislation so that entire
activities of the company can be done effectively. All these can be understood by following
points:
Health & Safety Act 1974: It is important act that ensure about workers health and
safety at workplace while performing task activities. According to this act, it is important for
manager of Marks and Spencer to provide safe and positive working environment so that
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workers can easily work within the organisation with higher motivation. With the help of this,
manager focus on establishing healthy environment that does not harm to workers at workplace.
Along with this, decision-making process of manager is also affected because all the decision are
taken as per the health and safety act that may in making them productive at workplace.
Anti-Discrimination Act 2010: This act is related with the workers as manager ensure
that all the employees treated equally at workplace and does not discriminated as per their
colour, status, religion and nationality as well. This will make workers more productive so that
they have to be conveniently work on their goals or activities at workplace. This will assists for
building the pure relation within the worker and also its manager as well. Thus, it is important
for HR manager of Marks and Spencer to is take decision that is favour with all the workers if
they discriminate workers then they has to pay a penalty. This will badly impact on an entire
performance of the business firm.
TASK 4
P7
Job Specification
Job title: HR manager
Department: Human resource department
Standard Working Hours: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Division: Marks and Spencer
Job summary:
Currently, business is looking for HR manager who has knowledge about managing employees
activities at workplace. To become a successful this post help individual to enhance their skills
and knowledge.
Roles and responsibilities:
 Knowledge about all the function of human resource management.
 Able in implementing regulations related with HR practices.
 Enable in developing employee relation.
 Providing training and development programs.
Required qualification:
 2 Years experience in human resource management department
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 Aware about all the employment laws and legislations.
Required tools:
 Basic computer skills
 MS office
Person Specification
Category Essential Job
Requirements
Desirable Job
Requirements
Method of Testing
Job Related Skills
and Knowledge:
 Able in
managing
employees
activities.
 Effective
communication
skills.
 Enable in
motivating
workers
 Proper
knowledge
about
employment
legislation and
laws.
 Knowledge
about training
and
development
activities.
Interview and
application form.
Experience  At-least 2 years
experience in
human
resource
management
field as a HR.
 Experience in
implementing
new and
innovative HR
practices.
Interview
Education /
Qualifications:
 Minimum
working
experience as a
HR manager.
 Qualification
in Human
resource
management
and
Application form and
interview.
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 2 year
experience in
organization as
a human
recourse
manager
administration.
Interview question:
Q1) Tell me about your self?
Q2) Why human resource is important for company?
Q3) Are you aware about to employment legislation and laws?
Q4) Do you know how to manage employees activities at workplace?
Q5) How do you achieve goals and objectives of organisation?
CONCLUSION
This report identified the importance of HRM for success and growth of an organisation.
In this manager also help in regulating own task based activities at the place to aim for attaining
all the desired targets and objectives. Along with this, HRM function and its purpose is also
benefited for the company to accomplishing their set target. Different recruitment and selection
method is also help in hiring best candidate at workplace so that they perform their best to
enhance the positive performance. Furthermore, employee relation is also important for company
to build positive work environment in which organization make their performance more
competitive. All these are directly contribute in making workers and company productive at
market place.
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