Human Resource Management Report for Chocola Fantastica Expansion

This report examines human resource management (HRM) practices within the context of Chocola Fantastica, a company expanding its business. The report begins with an introduction to the purpose and functions of HRM, including recruitment and selection, training and development, employee relations, and the distinction between hard and soft HRM. It then analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of current selection methods, specifically assessment tests and interviews, and suggests improvements like personality tests and group discussions. The report also includes a job specification for a Receptionist role, and evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of internal and external recruitment methods. The author recommends social media as the best platform for advertising the Receptionist vacancy. Furthermore, the report evaluates the benefits of graduate training schemes and flexible working arrangements, and discusses how Microsoft motivates its workers. It concludes by examining the importance of employee engagement, key approaches to engaging workers, and the influence of UK employment legislation on HR decision-making. The report provides a comprehensive overview of HRM principles and practices, offering insights into how Chocola Fantastica can optimize its HR strategies.

Human Resource
Management

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
SECTION 1......................................................................................................................................1
(a) Purpose of the HR function and its importance to the company...........................................1
(b) Strengths and weakness of current selection methods which used by the organisation........2
(c) Two potential improvement that can be made by the company to enhance its selection
process.........................................................................................................................................3
SECTION 2......................................................................................................................................3
(a) A job specification for a Receptionist job role......................................................................3
(b) Advantages and disadvantages of internal and external recruitment methods of job
advertising...................................................................................................................................4
(c) Recommended the job advert for the Receptionist vacancy to be placed and why...............5
SECTION 3......................................................................................................................................5
(a) Evaluate the benefits of graduate training scheme and internships to both the organisation
and employees.............................................................................................................................5
(b) Benefits of flexible working arrangements to both company and employees.......................6
(c) Evaluate how Microsoft motivates its workers through the way its designs its job roles.....7
SECTION 4......................................................................................................................................7
(a) Employee engagement and why it is important part in effective employee relations...........7
(b) Evaluation of key approaches to engaging workers and how these approaches improve
communication in the workplace................................................................................................8
(c) Key elements of UK employment legislation and its influence on HR decision making.....8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Human resource management refers to the process and activity of hiring, choosing,
selecting and training the employees for the vacant positions of the company. It is an effective
action which is also help in managing the company appropriately by providing qualified
candidates, designing strategies, plans and polices for its effective running and offering needed
resources to perform the activities with the purpose of attaining set organisational goals and
objectives (Zoogah, Peng and Woldu, 2015). This written document is based on Chocola
Fantastica which is expanding its business in South Wales. It offers tailor-made chocolate based
greeting cards and create more specialist gift orders. This assignment will discuss about the
purpose and function of HRM and evaluate the effectiveness of the key elements. Further, will
explain internal and external factors that affect HRM decision making. Human resource practices
will also explain in a work related context.
SECTION 1
(a) Purpose of the HR function and its importance to the company
Purpose of HR function and its importance
In an organisation, there are various function of a HR and HR department is also
responsible to handles various functions such as recruitment and selection, training and
development, employee relation, compensation, health and safety etc. Some of HR functions are
defined as below with their purpose which can be used by HR manager in Chocola Fantastica:
Recruitment and selection- It is an action and activity of captivating, screening and
monitoring potential and well qualified applicant based on objective criteria for a specific job
(Bennett, 2017). Whereas selection is the process of choosing and selecting employees on the
basis of selection methods which are utilised by the company. These process are efficient for the
company to minimise the costs of mistakes like unmotivated, under-qualified and engaging
incompetent candidates. The purpose of this HR function is to hire and select skilled and
knowledgable applicants who make their participation in the growth of the firm.
Training and development- it is another HR function which is more effective to
maximize the profit and productivity of the firm. In Chocola Fantastica, it can be used by HR
manager to make improvement in the skills and knowledge of employees. So that they can gain
knowledge and information about new technologies and others which they can use in the
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production of chocolate etc. The major purpose and objective of this HR function is to make
increment and improvement in the competencies and skills of employees of the company. So that
they can help in making enhancement in the gross sales of organisation's products.
Employee relation- Employees are the base and pillars of a company. It is one of the
essential function of HRM which is beneficial to foster effective employees relation (Lai,
Saridakis, G. and Johnstone, 2017). In context of respective company, the manager can also
manage this function by providing chance to its employees in decision making process son that
they can make interaction with each other and their senior and build effective relation or make
open commination with them to share their issues and problem and getting effective solution.
The purpose of this HR function is to providing a healthy and friendly working environment
where employee can work appropriately and develop good relation.
Hard HRM- In it, the employees are treated by the management as the most essential and
important resources in the business and a source of competitive advantage. In Chocola
Fantastica, the administration treat them like so that feel motivated and help in increasing the
productivity of the company.
Soft HRM- In this, the employees are treated as a resource of the business such as machinery
and instruments. In Chocola Fantastica, if the administration treat them like this way then it
demotivate employees and they do not perform effectively.
Workforce planning- It is a process of analysing, forecasting and planning human
resource supply and demand, determining gaps and monitoring target talent management
interventions to make sure that a company has the right workforce with right competencies. In
respective company, the administration can analyse the skills of employees that they are effective
for the company or not.
Resourcing- It indicates to the process of offering or providing required things to the
employees and team members when they are working towards attaining organisational
objectives. In Chocola Fantastica, the administration can provide raw material, instruments,
human resource and others needed origins to attain the business goals.
(b) Strengths and weakness of current selection methods which used by the organisation
Selection refers to the process of choosing and selecting a skilled. Knowledgable and
well qualified employees There are two selection methods own assessment test of the company
and interview methods which is followed by the HR department of Chocola Fantastica.
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Assessment test- It is a type of test and examination which is intended to monitor the
knowledge, skills, aptitude, physical fitness and others things of a candidates according to the job
position and its requirements (Arnaboldi, Lapsley and Steccolini,2015).
Strengths Weaknesses
It is cost saving because in this process, there
is similar test so the management does not
provide different question papers to each
candidates.
It create biasses because it is not sure that the
candidates have knowledge about Maths and
English. Due to technical issues, it can generate
problems to candidates.
Interview- It refers to a formal meeting in which there are one or more than one people
and they asked questions to the interviewer as per the job role etc.
Strengths Weaknesses
With the help of this method, the interviewee
can gather supplementary information about
interviewer and this method is more personal
in nature. The applicants feel more confident in
answering through this process.
It is time consuming process and it is hard to
handling of the personal data of the applicants
so the information of them are kept safe.
Selection is the process and activities of choosing and selecting employees by analysing
their skills, knowledge, abilities, competencies and by suing different selection methods. So that
the administration of the company can chose skilled and well qualified employees who make
their contribution in the growth and success of the company. Chocola Fantastica currently use
assessment test and interview which are beneficial to the company as well as employees. With
the help of these selection methods, the management can select employees according to the job
requirement. With the help of maths and English assessment test, they can monitor the
knowledge and ability of individuals. It is beneficial for the employees because with the help of
it they can feel comfort and show their ability and knowledge through these selection methods.
(c) Two potential improvement that can be made by the company to enhance its selection process
To make improvement and development in selection process of Chococla Fantastica, the
management of this company can utilised and followed effective and efficient selection methods
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such as personality test and group discussion. With help of personality test they can monitor the
personality, ability and competencies of the candidates .(Donate and de Pablo, 2015) . Because it
is not compulsory that all of the candidates have effective knowledge about it. So the
administration of respective firm can use this method to select skilled employees. With the help
of group discussion the management of the firm can monitor the knowledge of the candidates
about chocolates and those things which are required for its production and designing and
removing biasses etc. these both efficient methods of selection help in making improvement in
the selection procedure of the company (Barnes, Bonalle and Saunders, 2015 ).
SECTION 2
(a) A person specification for a Receptionist job role
Person Specification
Basis Essential Desirable
Education  Good working knowledge of
using MS Office to a
competent level within an
office environment,
especially MS word, Excel
and Outlook.
 Knowledge about GCSEs in
English and Mathematics.
 Certificate in W4W,
Outlook and Excel.
 NVQ in customer service.
Skills  Effective communication and
time management skill.
 Good problem solving and
interpersonal skills.
 European Computer
Driving Licence.
 Computer training
certificate.
Experience  Practical experience of
working with others.
 Experience of working
within a General Practice
Reception environment.
 Practical experience of
computerised recording
systems
 Experience of customer
service.
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Personal Attributes  Ability work well under
pressure.
 Patience and caring manner
 Positive attitude towards
personal development.
 Reliable and good
timekeeper.
(b) Advantages and disadvantages of internal and external recruitment methods of job
advertising
In Chococla Fantastica, currently the company use internal and external both method of
recruitment. With the help of internal method, the management hire employees through their
employees and in external method, they used notice board promotion outside the main entrance
of the company.
Internal recruitment- It is the process in which vacant positions are filling with the help
of existing employees to hire their family, friends and others (Smith, 2016) . In Chocola
Fantastica, the HR department of the company recruit employees with this method.
Advantages Disadvantages
It is time and cost saving process because there
are not any kind of job advertisement develop
and design. It help in increasing morale and
employees retention.
If the company use this method then it is hard
to find a skilled an qualified person. It also
create a barrier to enter new or fresh talent
within the company.
External recruitment- It is another method of recruitment, under which applicants can
be recruit by the HR to provide job notification through radio, TV, social media, pamphleteers
and others etc.
Advantages Disadvantages
It provide chance and way to enter fresh and
new talent to enter within the organisation.
From which the management of the company
can get qualified candidates, creative ideas and
competitive spirit.
It is time and cost consuming procedure and
activity. This process can take longer time
which can also damage the morale of
applicants.
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(c) Recommended the job advert for the Receptionist vacancy to be placed and why
To provide information about vacant positions and posts of the company, organisations
use different type of advertisement so that they can aware applicants about them. In Chocola
Fantastica, HR department of the company can also monitor different sources and ways such as
social media, web advertisement, radio, TV, Newspaper and others of advertisement through
which they can provide notification and information regarding vacancy. In all of them social
media is an effective and appropriate source through which respective firm can provide
information about Receptionist vacancy. This advertisement method is effective because now
these days higher number of population use social media for their different purpose (Webb,
2017). So if the company use this tool then they can easily and within less time share notification
regarding Receptionist position. To advertise this job role, HR department can use job
description and job specification so that candidate can have clear information about skills,
qualification and other things which are needed to it.
Job Advertisement
Job Title: Receptionist
Position summery: As a receptionist, the individual will be the ambassador of the company's
first impressions on the tourists and visitors. To compassionately greet all incoming guests,
visitors and members will be the foremost responsibility of the person. To help them with
directions or any appropriate information which they require while maintaining a high level of
confidentiality.
Company: Chocola Fantastica
Department: Administration
Salary: $20/hr
Location: 234, Oxford Street, London
Education:
 Bachelor's degree in any stream form a well recognised university.
 High school diploma accepted with some college or equivalent experience.
Experience:
 2 years experience as a Receptionist of Administration Assistant.
 Experience with BillQuick and Vorex or willingness to learn.
 Knowledge about spreadsheets and word processing documents.
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Skills & Abilities:
 Good written and verbal communication skill.
 Ability to create organised filling system.
 Effective time management and problem solving skill.
SECTION 3
(a) Evaluate the benefits of graduate training scheme and internships to both the organisation and
employees
Training and internship refers to a program which is offered and provided by an employer
and organisation to potential candidates and employees (Piehler, Hanisch and Burmann, 2015) .
It is organised by the management of any company so that they can provide practical information
and knowledge about their specialization or their interesting area. In Microsoft, with the help of
it employees can make improvement in their skills and knowledge and make their contribution in
organisation development and growth. The benefits of these schemes are explained as beneath:
Benefits of graduate training schemes and internships to employees
Graduate training and internships are beneficial to employees because it provide
opportunity to apply acquired knowledge to real work education (Domínguez-Falcón, Martín-
Santana and De Saá-Pérez, 2016). With the help of it they can work in their desired field where
they can improve their competencies and gain deep and practical knowledge about their
interested field. These schemes are also beneficial to employees because they assist in gaining
and increasing the level of confidence. Training help in increasing job satisfaction, employee
motivation and morale among employees. It is beneficial to employees because with the help of
it employees of the company easily adopt new technologies and method which are effective and
essential for the growth and development of the company. It increased innovation in strategies
and products so that employees can do their work effectively with out facing any issues.
Internship is also beneficial to employees because it provide valuable work experience to them
and enhance their skills and knowledge. With the help of it employees build connections and
network with professionals in the field. It help in gaining confidence and exp[lore a career path
to them.
Benefits of graduate training schemes and internships to organisation
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Training and internship both schemes and programs are also important and beneficial to
company because during the time of internship, the firm can find future employees (Klingner,
Llorens, and Nalbandian, 2015). If during the time of internship the management of the company
find qualified and skilled employees then they can make improvement in the profit and
productivity of the company. By providing training to its potential employees of the company,
the management can make improvement in their skills and knowledge which can be used by
them for the growth and development of the firm. Training and internship both schemes are
beneficial to the organisation because most of internship programs are unpaid. So the
administration of the company can take advantages of low cost labour. It help in securing
organisation's fund.
(b) Benefits of flexible working arrangements to both company and employees
Advantages of flexible working arrangements to employees
There are various benefits of flexible working option which can be provided by the
management of Microsoft to its employees. If the administration of this company provide this
option to its employees then it can be beneficial to them because they can make better work life
balance and can give time to family and themselves. The company can provide work from home,
part time work and other arrangement which can help employees in completing their work when
they are absent and unable to come to office. It is also beneficial for better health because if they
have this option then they can also focus on their health which most important to the well being
(Van Woerkom, Bakker and Nishii, 2016).
Advantages of flexible working arrangements to company
Flexible working arrangement is also beneficial to the company because it help in reducing and
minimising cost because when the employees will use these kind of options then they can use
communal seats and computers on the days they come into work. It also assist in increasing
productivity because due to utilisation of this option, the workers can do their work in that
situation when they are absent. They can complete their work by work from home or part time
work. It help in maximizing productivity and creativity of the firm. The management of
Microsoft can use this option to attract talent and staff retention. If the company offer flexibility
in work related context then employees can easily complete their work and they can take leave as
per requirement. It help in increasing employee retention or getting attention of job seekers.
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(c) Evaluate how Microsoft motivates its workers through the way its designs its job roles
Microsoft can motivates its employees by designing its job and job role by analysing the
skills and knowledge of the its workforce. If the administration of the company assigned and
allotted work as per the interest, skills, competencies and knowledge of the employees then it
will motivate the workers. Because if the task and work provided by administration according to
their knowledge, they can complete it in set time period or attain their target easily. It encourages
them because if they complete their work on time, the management of the firm will provide
reward them for their performance.
During the time of allotting work, if the manager will communicate about the outcomes
of the task and work such as inform of bonus, incentive, compensation and others. Then
encourage workers to do work. If the administration allotting new work and task to its workers
then it can also communicate about training programs regarding new task. It also help in
motivation employees and they can bind up in limited time period.
SECTION 4
(a) Employee engagement and why it is important part in effective employee relations
Employee engagement- It refers to the property of relationship between the employees and
organisation. It can be a workplace approach which is designed to ensure that employees are
committed their organisation's aims, objectives and goals, encouraged to contribute to growth of
the company (Nwachukwu and Chladková, 2017). In context of Microsoft, the successful
implementation of strategy of employee engagement provides success to the company and grows
the inner strengths of the workers.
Importance of Employee engagement in effective employee relations in Microsoft is
given as under:-
HRM makes appropriate decisions regarding engaging the employees whenever the need
is felt by the company. When all the workers are distributed the work according to their skills
and capabilities with effective team leader, a sense of satisfaction flows among them. The
workers do not get the time to fight with each other and therefore shares a bond of friendship.
The employee works with dedication and provides successful results through joint attempt.
It assists in taking proper decisions by engaging the employees. Involvement of the
employees in the decision making of the company strengthens the sense of belongingness
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towards the company. Interaction of management with the workers makes the bond of firm and
the employees strong. It encourages the focus and creativity in the members.
Employee engagement helps in maintaining good relations with the staff (Salas and et.
al., 2015). Hence, the rate of employee absenteeism decreases and the workers performs their
operations without interruptions and visit the workplace regularly. This results in increase in the
productivity of the workforce as well as company. With the help of open communication, the
management of the company can build good employee relation. If there are lack of interaction
then employees will not share their problems with their seniors and suffer with the issue during
performing their duties in context of achieving organisational objectives. For example, if the
employees are working in a team and face issues then they can make open communication with
the team leader and team members so that they can share and provide information about their
problem to the team leader. So that they can get appropriate solution on time. This positively
affect the decision making of the firm because if the employees inform timely then they can get
solution on time and resolve issues. It will not be affect the organisations operation and the
mangemnt can take effective decision regarding organisations development.
(b) Evaluation of key approaches to engaging workers and how these approaches improve
communication in the workplace
The benefit of the important approaches of Microsoft company in improving the communication
in the work environment and employee engagement is provided as follows:-
Yammer- It was developed to improve connectivity and engage the members of the
company. It assists in improving the engagement with all in the workplace. The main aim was to
enhance the communication and make a culture of clarity. Every one in the firm from leaders to
first-line employees linked with each other.
Microsoft teams- It was created to enhance the workings of team. Through persistent
chat, group chat and sharing all the employees were engaged and connected with each other in
the company.
Sharepoint- It is also termed as mobile and intelligent intranet. It was initiated to keep
the employees informed about the latest news, sites, changing pages so as to integrate
conversation and matter through office 365.
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