Human Resource Management Report: HRM Practices at Mark & Spencer

This report provides a detailed analysis of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices at Mark & Spencer, a retail company. It begins with an introduction to HRM, defining its functions and purposes within an organization, and then focuses on Mark & Spencer's specific HRM strategies. The report examines workforce planning, succession planning, and the company's objectives in terms of resource utilization, employee development, and fostering a positive company culture. It explores the functions of HRM, including recruitment, selection, orientation, training, and development, and evaluates different recruitment approaches, such as internal and external recruitment, discussing their strengths and weaknesses. The report also covers selection processes, including systematic and unsystematic approaches, and analyzes the benefits of HRM practices for both employers and employees, such as improved employee relations, motivation, and development. Overall, the report offers insights into the key elements of employment legislation influencing HRM decision-making and the application of HRM practices in a work-related context within Mark & Spencer.

Human Resource
Management

Table of Contents
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................3
P1............................................................................................................................................3
P2............................................................................................................................................5
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................7
P3............................................................................................................................................7
P4..........................................................................................................................................11
Task 3.............................................................................................................................................12
P5..........................................................................................................................................12
P6..........................................................................................................................................14
Task 4.............................................................................................................................................16
P7..........................................................................................................................................16
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................20
References......................................................................................................................................22

Introduction
HRM is a strategy of recruiting, selecting, grooming and evolution of workforce within
the organization. It is a plan of action in order to make effective management of individual in
the organisation so as to make a competitive advantage. It is primarily focus on the
administration system and policy. In this presented report organisation chosen is Mark &
Spencer which is specialized in retail sector and was founded by Michael Marks in 1884. Its
headquarter located in United Kingdom. In this study mainly focus is on function and purpose of
Human Resource Management. In addition to this strengths and weaknesses of different
approaches of recruitment and selection is also explained over here. It also consist of benefits of
HRM practices for both the employer and employee in order to raise organisational productivity.
This report gives the brief about the key elements of employment legislation in terms of
influencing HRM decision making. Lastly, it involves, the application of HRM practices in
work-related context.
Task 1
P1
HRM
It is the technique of recruiting and selecting the best appropriate candidate for the
organization.( Bulgurcu 2010) In ever organization there should be the department of human
resource management so as to achieve increase in the productivity level of the organization. In
Mark and Spencer there is the department of human resource management who manage and
control the human resources and all over business activities which are carried out within the
organization including recruiting and selecting of faculty.
Work force planning
It is the strategy which is used by the HR manger so as to identify labour needs and
preferences effectively and efficiently in order to influence them to work for accomplishing
organizational aims and objectives. There are certain purpose and functions of human resource
management of Mark and Spencer company which are stated below:
Succession planning

It is the process of distinguishing and developing the leaders so as to replace the old
leader in case when the old leader retires or dies. In addition to this it is the strategy used by the
company in order to develop new leader when the key leader leaves the company.
HRM Purposes
Some of the HRM purposes of Mark and Spencer company is as follows(Brewster 2017):
Effective use of resource:
Main purpose of HRM of M&S company is to ensure that employees are used rightly at
the right time so as to increase the productivity and profitability level of an organization.
Develop resource:
HRM of M&S company should make make sure that employees are ready for the next
challenge. It is main purpose of HRM to develop the skills of workforce so as to achieve the
organizational target on specified period.
Promote company culture:
Another important purpose of HRM of M&S company is to make sure that workforce
are happy to be there in the organization by providing them better working environment. This
will help in reducing employees turnover ration and will be beneficial for the company in order
to accomplish organizational objectives.
Build coordination:
To build up the coordination level among different department of employees and the
employers is also the purpose of Human resource management of Mark and Spencer company.
This will help in creating friendly and better working environment within the organization.
HRM Functions
Some of the important function of HRM of Mark and Spencer company are stated below(Briscoe
and Schuler2012):
Recruitment and Selection:
Recruitment is the technique of selecting and screening appropriate candidate on the basis
of objective criteria for a particular job profile. Recruitment and selection is the important
process for Mark and Spencer company as it helps in reducing the cost of mistakes like under -
qualified employees and engaging incompetent employees.
Orientation:

It is the important function which need to be performed by the HR manger of Mark and
Spencer company as it helps the new workforce to adjust themselves with the employers and
with his new job. (Decker and Siemer 2012)Orientation program mainly include introduction of
employees with the goals and objectives of an organization and how they can help the company
in accomplishing aims of the company.
Better working environment:
Its the responsibility of HRM of Mark and Spencer company to provide good working
environment to their workforce so that employees get motivated to works toward achieving
organizational goals.
Training and development:
Training and development are the critical functions of HRM of Mark and Spencer
company. (Farndale 2010)It is being conducted by the HR manger so as to improve and develop
the skills and knowledge ability of workers in their respective field. This helps in achieving goals
on specified time period.
All over it can be conclude that it s the prime responsibility of HR manger of Mark and Spencer
company to monitor and control the workforce of the company so as to achieve the competitive
advantage in the market place.
P2
Recruitment
Recruitment is the technique of attracting and shortlisting the best appropriate candidate
for the job within the business concern. There are two different approaches of recruitment which
are used by the Mark and Spencer company and they are explained below:
Internal approach of recruitment:
Internal approach of recruitment refers to the process when the business looks to fill up
the vacancy from within the existing workforce available in the business concern.(Fulton 2011)
Such as transfer and promotions are the best ways of recruiting workers from within the
organization. There are some advantages and disadvantages of internal recruitment for Mark and
Spencer company which are explained below:
Strength: If the HR manager of Mark and Spencer company recruit the workforce internally
just because it has some advantage to it like it helps in boosting up employees morale to work for

the organization. In addition to this it helps in increasing the level of retention of workforce.
Moreover internal recruitment process also helps in reducing recruitment cost of an organization.
Weakness If the HR manager of Human resource management promote one person over other
within the organization it will create discord within the workplace which will effect everyone
working in the organization. Thus, it is the major weakness for the company as it may lead to
increase in the labour turnover.
External approach of recruitment:
It is the process of hiring people from outside except the existing staff. Such as recruiting
through campus recruitment and company websites are the ways of recruiting candidate
externally.(Gomez-Mejia and Cardy 2007) Some advantages and disadvantages of external
approach of recruitment for Mark and Spencer company are mentioned below:
Strength When the HR manager of Mark and Spencer company recruit the candidate externally
then it lead to increase in chances of getting the right person for the right job. In addition to this
it provides the opportunity for fresh outlook in order to stay competitive in the marketplace.
Weakness It is the costly procedure as compared to hiring workforce within the organization.
Moreover if the HR manager of Mark and Spencer company hire candidate from outside source
it will require more time to train and develop them for their job profile so it can be said that it is a
time consuming and long procedure.
In addition to this other approach of recruitment are online recruitment, websites and
newspapers. If the Mark and Spencer company uses such approaches then it will helps in
getting qualified and talented workforce for the organization which will turn into major
strength for the company. On the other hand such approaches will prove to be costly and
time consuming process for the company which is the major weakness for Mark and
Spencer company.
Selection:
It is the technique of selecting suitable candidate on the right time so that the particular
individual can lead the organization towards the successful future growt. Mark and Spencer
company uses two different approaches if selection which are stated below:
Systematic approach of selection:

Systematic selection process refers to the process of selecting the candidate by adopting
the well organized procedure such as preliminary interview, employment test, screening test etc.
If the Mark and Spencer company adopts this approach then there are some strength and
weakness of this approach which are mentioned below:
Strength systematic selection approach is relatively easy as compared to the unsystematic
sampling as it gives the degree of control to the interviewer. Thus, it is the major strength for the
Mark and Spencer company.
Weakness: It is the complex and time consuming process which is the major weakness if the
Mark and Spencer company uses systematic selection approach.
Unsystematic approach of selection:
It is the process of selecting the candidate directly without following any procedure. For
example the Mark and Spencer company select the candidate directly through phone call it Si
refers to as unsystematic selection approach. If the company follows this procedure then there
are some strength and weakness of this procedure which are explained below:
Strength Its major strength ids that it is a cost effective procedure for the Mark and Spencer
company.
Weakness If the M&S company uses this procedure then there may be the possibility of
selecting the candidate who is inefficient and unskilled and this is the weakness for the company.
In addition to this other this other important approaches of selection is One to one Interviews,
Panel interviews, assessment centres and ability test. If the mark and Spencer company conduct
interview through panel then in that case the company might lose skilled and talented candidate
as the candidate will hesitate in front of too many interviewer which will turn into weakness for
the company. Whereas on the other hand it is cost effective and time saving process as the
company does nit have to invest much which conducting such types of interviews, which is the
strength for the Mark and Spencer company.
Task 2
P3
HRM:
It is the process of recruiting , selecting, training and developing if workforce in order to
get work accomplished from them. There are different employer and employees who are working

together in Mark and Spencer company so as to achieve the organizational target. Some of the
benefits of HRM practices for both the employer and employee are explained below:
Benefits of HRM practice for employer:
Some of the benefits of HRM practices for employer of Mark and Spencer company are
stated below:
Develop good relations:If the Mark and Spencer company adopt better HRM practice then it will
be beneficial for the employers as it helps in developing and building up of good relation within
the organization.
Promote positive behaviour: Second benefits of HRM practice for the employer of the Mark and
Spencer company is that it helps in promoting and developing positive behaviour among the
workforce . Thus it will result in increasing the productivity level of the company.
Retain qualified employees: Mark and Spencer company uses better HRM practices like by
rendering different motivational techniques to employee's such as salary increment, promotions
etc. This is beneficial for the employers as the employees will get retained in their company and
will like to accomplish organizational aims and objectives.
Benefits of HRM practice for employee's:
Some of the benefits of HRM practices for employee's of Mark and Spencer company are
stated below:
Motivating worker: Better HRM practices helps in motivating the workforce of Mark and
Spencer company so as to get work doe from them. Motivational techniques used by the Mark
and Spencer company is by rendering promotion, transfer and salary increment.
Development of employees:Mark and Spencer company gives training and development classes
to their workforce which is the best HRM practice used by the company. Thus, it helps in overall
development of the employees.
Improve performance management method:Human Resource Management of Mark&Spencer
company assist in motivating the workforce so as to increase their productivity and
performance level. Thus, it helps in improving the performance management of the employee's.
In addition to this there are other important HRM practices which the Mark and Spencer
company can use like flexible workplace, performance and reward, approaches to performance
appraisals. If the company adopts such practices like by giving them flexible workplace then it
will help in building up of motivation level of the workforce of an organization and as result it

will help in accomplishing organizational aims on specified time period. The company can
render flexible workplace by providing training and development session so that the workforce
get developed in their respective job profile. The manager of the Mark and Spencer company
motivates employees to perform best so that on the basis of performance they will be rewarded
with better incentives, bonus, promotion etc. This helps in building motivation level of the
workers so that they work for accomplishing company aims and objectives. Thus, it can be said
that there is the link between reward and motivation with training and development and it is the
best HRM practice which is used by the manager of Mark and Spencer company.
Moreover, it can be said that performance and reward system are interrelated to each
other. For example Mark and Spencer company strategy is that if the worker performance will
result in better outcome then they will be rewarded for their good performance level. Thus it can
be said that reward and performance of the workforce are interrelated to one another. In order to
monitor employee performance Mark and Spencer company uses different performance
management and methods like management by objective method through which manger of the
company identifies the contribution of each employees of an organization in achieving
objectives. Second most method used is Behavioural Anchored rating scale as through this
method employees behaviour and performance is being analysed so as to evaluate the overall
performance of the workforce. In addition to all this there are other methods too like critical
incident method, 360 degree feedback method and forced choice method. Moreover the Mark
and Spencer company basically uses two types of reward system extrinsic and intrinsic method.
The satisfaction which the employees get from the job itself is refer to as intrinsic method.
Whereas extrinsic method is the one which get through money, promotions and fringe benefits.
Thus overall it can be said that both the reward system and the performance appraisal of the
management helps in boosting up of the organization brand image and helps in developing
employees specialization in their job profile.
In addition to this other HRM practices which benefits the employees ans employer are
mentioned below:
HRM practices Benefits to employees Benefits to employer
Training and learning If the M&S company will
render training and learning
session to its new applicants
Similarly if the employees
skills and knowledge will get
enhanced with the help of

and to existing workforce then
it will be beneficial for
employees as their skills and
knowledge level will get
enhanced.
training and learning session
then it will help employees to
remain update about the
working environment , rules,
procedures. Thus, it will
indirectly benefit the
employers as better training
session will help employer to
achieve the objectives on time
period.
Reward and motivation If the M&S company practices
to render reward system to its
workforce on the basis of
performance then it will
motivate employees to give
their best to the company.
Reward in the form of
monetary benefits like money
and non-monetary like
appreciation etc. Thus, it will
help in boosting up of
employees morale.
If the m&s company will adopt
the practice of rendering
reward to its employees on the
basis of performance and
outcome, then it will indirectly
benefit the employers as they
will get positive outcome from
employees for the organisation
in the form of growth in the
marketplace.
Flexibility at workplace If the M&S company will
render flexibility in workplace
as per the demand of
employees , as by rendering
employees with the authority
to take decision by their own
and by rendering flexibility in
their working hours will help
If the M&S company will
render flexible working
environment by adopting
democratic leadership style
then it will be beneficial for
the employers as well as
employees will gives their best
to the organisation in the form

employees to increase their
efficiency level.
of positive outcome which
indirectly terms to be
beneficial for employers as it
will lead in increase in overall
productivity of an
organisation.
P4
Human resource management plays the important role for Mark and Spencer company as
it helps in raising profitability and productivity level of an organization. When an organization
apply HRM practices in their business firm then it helps in earning huge profit. Effectiveness of
HRM practices for Mark and Spencer company are evaluated below with following points:-
Innovative employees-
If the Mark and Spencer company uses better HRM practices then it helps in creating
and promoting innovative environment and motivate there workforce to accomplish goal in
efficient manner Thus, it helps in increasing productivity for the organization.
Effective Communication-
Effective Human Resource Management of M&S render their workers a effective mode
of communication. Thus, it helps to make employees aware about business activities and
policies. Moreover it also helps in enhancing performance of workers which results to increasing
profitability of an organisation.
Develop employees skills-
In order to sustain in marketplace Mark and Spencer company adopts the practice of
training and development so as to develop and update knowledge and skills of their workers.
Thus, it helps in accomplishing organizational goal in an effective and efficient manner.
Employee retention-
Mark and Spencer company uses different motivational techniques like providing
promotion, transfer, salary increment in order to retain employees. Thus employee retention is
very much crucial for the organization in order to achieve successful growth in the market place.
For example: Mark and Spencer company adopts the HRM practice like by rendering
training and development session to the workforce which helps in building productivity and

profitability level of an organization. If the employees are very well trained in their respective
job profile then they can become capable of taking there decision by their own about what is
right and what is wrong for the company. Moreover training and development helps in the
overall development of skills and knowledge of workforce so that they can sort out the critical
issues that may take place within the organization without the help of superiors. Thus, adoption
of such practices helps in boosting up of profitability and productivity level of Mark and Spencer
organization.
In addition to all this other common HRM practices adopted by M&S company is
training and learning, reward and motivation. Thus, indirectly these practices leads in the raising
the organisational profit and productivity, this is so because if the organisation will render
training and learning session to employees on daily basis then it will help them to be remain
update about the current working environment of an organisation as well as it will helps in
increasing the skills and knowledge power of the workforce. Therefore if the employees will
remain update then they will not require the supervision from supervisors from time to time they
can easily take decision by themselves and it will also help in saving of time of management as
well which will also result in increasing the organisation profitability ratio and the productivity.
On the other hand reward and motivation is also one of the HRM practice adopted by M&S
company so as to motivate workforce to give their best for the organisation. Reward in the form
of appreciation, money value salary increment, bonus etc. all this will help employees to work
for achieving organisation objectives as well as it will help organisation to retain talented
workforce within the organisation which will result in raising organisation overall profit and
productivity. Whereas, flexibility in workplace is also another HRM practice which is adopted
by M&S company because of which employees feel free to work for organisation and result in
rendering better outcome by accomplishing the task on time period which result in increase in
profit and productivity of an organisation.
Task 3
P5
Employee relations:-
Maintaining effective employee and employer relations is the central to supreme success
of an organisation. It has beneficial results. It as a fact that having strong relations among