HRM Practices at Jaguar Land Rover: A Case Study Review

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HRM Case Study Review
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................4
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................9
Task 3.............................................................................................................................................11
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................14
Bibliography..................................................................................................................................15
Appendix........................................................................................................................................16
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Introduction
Human resources of an organisation are identified as the major source of strength for the
organisation as their workforce ensures the success of the company in the market economy.
Managing the workforce within the company is an elaborate process that requires proper
planning and effective managerial skills. Satisfied, efficient and loyal employees of a company
play a significant role in the efficient operations of a company in the competitive market
economy.
The following report will provide an extensive understanding of various aspects of Human
Resource Management (HRM) and strategies that improve the functional operations of a
business organisation. A case study of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) would be studied to
understand the various attributes of HRM necessary for an organisation to follow in the business
context.
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Task 1
Introduction
Human Resource Management (HRM) practices within an organisation improve the work
environment of the company by enhancing the efficiency of the employees within the
organisation. The HR department of an organisation performs strategies that allow the executive
management to conduct appropriate operations through the effective employment of labour and
training them.
1.Define HRM and explain the purpose of HRM in an organisation
Human resource management (HRM) within an organisation can be identified as the process of
recruiting, managing, selecting and training employees within a business organisation to improve
the efficiency of the company in the competitive market economy (Bratton and Gold, 2017). The
purposes of having HRM strategies and functions within an organisation are to ensure
appropriate management of staffs and inculcate necessary skills within the business context. The
effectiveness of the skilled labour group within the organisation is recognised through the
performance of HRM attributes in the organisational context (Olson et al., 2018). HRM within
an organisation performs various functions in order to enhance the efficiency of the available
staffs within the company that would enable the company to gain a competitive advantage in the
market economy.
2. Various functions of HRM in an organisation
The HRM department of a business organisation performs several functions in order to enhance
the business operations of the company in the market economy. The functions of the HRM
department can be stated as follows:
 The HR department conducts the process and function of recruiting and selecting
employees who would be beneficial for fulfilling the business objectives of the company.
The HR department within the company implements Best Fit approach or Best Practice
approaches in their operations to create a better workforce in the business environment.
 Providing training and development schemes to the employees of the organisation in
order to improve the skill level of the workforce in the organisation.
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 The HR department of business organisations perform the duties of managing employee
relations within the organisation to improve the efficiency of the employees at the
workplace.The HR department using the hard and soft models of HRM for ensuring
effective workforce management within the organisation performs this (Armstrong and
Taylor, 2014).
 It is the function of the HR department within the business organisation to ensure the
company maintains a high-performance work environment through the implementation
of performance reviews and reward systems within the work environment to ensure
employee engagement and motivation is optimum in the company.
3. Explanation of two HRM functions
It is essential for a business organisation to recruit and train employees whose presence would be
beneficial for the organisation’s business development in the market economy. The role of the
HR department in the company is to ensure the management is able to recruit and select
employees with necessary skills that would facilitate the company’s success in achieving
business objectives.
 The process of selecting and recruiting employees form a pool of potential candidates is
the task of the HR department within the organisation (Noe et al., 2017). HRM
departments use internal and external recruitment procedures to identify potential
candidates.
 The HR department of an organisation ensures the employees receive appropriate training
that would improve the skill level within the organisation. Development of new skills
within the workforce is possible after the management identifies the skill gap in the
existing labour pool of the company.
4. Various approaches to the recruitment and selection process
The human resources department in different organisations employs individuals using several
methods of recruitment and selection procedures. The recruitment process for an organisation is
performed using two major methods- external recruitment and internal recruitment (Ekwoaba et
al., 2015). Employees are recruited from outside or promoted within the business to fill job
positions according to their skills and the type of job performance that the role requires of the
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employees. Employees are selected after interviews are conducted. The HR department also
selects employees according to the experience and CV, which provide an idea about the type of
skills the potential candidate may possess.
5. Strengths and weaknesses of each recruitment and selection process
The strengths of external and internal recruitment procedures are as follows:
External recruitment Internal recruitment
 This allows the organisation to explore
the availability of labour from the
external business environment.
 Experienced employees within the
organisation fill the post and reduce
the expenditure on training fresh
candidates for the job role.
Table 1: Strengths of the recruitment procedure
(Source: Created by the learner)
The weaknesses of the different recruitment procedures within an organisation are as follows:
External recruitment Internal recruitment
 This process is time-consuming and
elaborate for the HR department of an
organisation.
 This process limits the productivity of
the company as external members
increase the variety within the work
environment.
Table 2: Weaknesses of recruitment processes
(Source: Created by the learner)
6. Various HRM practices within Jaguar Land Rover (JLR)
The JLR company implements appropriate training and development for their employees to
improve the skill set within the organisation. The employees are allowed to form a union that
seeks to increase employee awareness and communicates with the management of the
companyregarding the issues that affect the employees within the organisation. The employees
are provided with pension schemes, they are also allowed to work only day shifts, unlike the
other automobile manufacturing industry. The company maintains appropriate employee
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relations within the organisation through appropriate reward systems and promotional schemes
based on performance review.
7. Benefits of HRM practices to employer and employees in the organisational context of
JLR
The benefits of effective HRM practices to the employers at JLR can be stated as follows:
 It allows the JLR management to understand the needs and specific requirements of the
employees at various factories. The managers are also able to communicate with the trade
union members to understand the type of rewards the employees seek from the
organisation.
The appropriate HRM practices are also beneficial for the employees at JLR in the following
ways:
 The employees gain benefits from the training and development schemes JLR follows to
motivate their employees. Proper work timings allow the employees to enjoy their work
environment.
 Pension plans and communication channel allow them to state their issues to the
management (Jaguarlandrover.com, 2019).
8. Impact of HRM practices to JLR’s profit and productivity
HRM practice facilitates the efficiency of the employees within a manufacturing organisation
such as JLR. The strategy of engaging employees within the organisation by creating the
employees union allowed the JLR management to understand the needs and requirements of the
employees effectively. This created an HPW environment within the organisation enhancing the
efficiency of the employees. Motivated workers perform better in the organisational context that
led JLR to increase their production in the competitive market economy. Flexible work timings
allowed JLR employees to be satisfied with their workload at JLR. The company’s decision to
shift staffs from one factory location to another factory location allowed the movement of labour
from one region to another region without any external cost. Productivity and profitability of
JLR increased due to the increased efficiency of the employees within the organisation
(Jaguarlandrover.com, 2019). The employee satisfaction rate and engagement rate within the
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organisation affected their performance at job roles, which in turn enhanced their productivity to
fulfil the business objectives of the company in the competitive market economy.
Conclusion
The study of the HRM practices of JLR can thus be concluded as being effective in increasing
the success of the company in the market economy. Hence, it is essential for organisations to
follow appropriate HRM strategies within their internal operations to improve their competitive
advantage in the competitive market economy.
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Task 2
1. What are employee relations?
The term comprises of the relationship that the employer maintains with the employees within an
organisation. It allows employees to form an understanding of the needs and requirements of the
employees that function within the organisational context. In an organisation, the different
communication channels between employees and the employer that help to improve the
relationship between the employees and the management are as follows:
 Training the employees on a regular basis allows the employees to communicate with the
management appropriately and discuss the type of skills that need to be developed for
the organisation to succeed and the employees to fulfil their personal goals in the
organisational context.
 Trade unions allow the flow of information from the employees to the executive
management effectively without causing any disruption of work in the organisation.
 Employee engagement activities within the organisation include the performance
evaluation techniques, reward system and other benefits that employees of an
organisation receive through appropriate development schemes and promotions.
2. In detail, explain with examples of its importance in HRM decision making
The employee relations activities are all essential in the HRM decision-making procedures as
these aspects are in direct relation to the employees of the organisation. HR takes considerable
action in the field of maintaining appropriate employee relations to fulfil the need of the
employees and create high rates of employee satisfaction within the organisation. The trade
unions help the employees to function in the organisation safely and provides protection to the
employees during unforeseen incidents. The training activities allow the HR department to
develop a concept of the type of skills that exist within the organisation and the type of skill set
has to be developed by the employees. The various employee engagement activities allow the
management of the organisation to identify the notions of the employees. It promotes an
understanding between the HR department and the operational elements within the organisation.
3. You are to identify and list various employment legislation that is key for an
organisation.
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Organisations have to adhere to some basic employment legislation. These are necessary in order
to function in the competitive economy and to maintain a workforce that is satisfied in their job
roles and loyal to the organisation.
 Employment Act ensures the employer provides employees with appropriate working
hours along with the Minimum Wage Act that ensures the employees receive appropriate
wages for work they put in the organisation.
 The Contract Law and the Fair Dismissal Law provides employees with a certainty that
their job is secure and legal steps can be taken against the employers in case of unlawful
dismissal or breach of contract is noticed against them.
 Health and Safety measures at Workplace are primary for every employer to follow in
order to ensure the employees are able to work in a safe environment.
4. Explain how these will have an impact on HRM decision making. Discuss the pros and
cons of each of the above-discussed legislations
The HRM decision-making procedure is influenced by these legislations as they play a
considerable role in the internal operations for the organisation. The success of the employers in
maintaining an efficient workforce is due to the adherence of the legislative in their operations.
Following these legislative measures, allow the employees within an organisation to feel
motivated and enthusiastic.
The benefits of the employment actionare that it allows the employees to perform their job roles
without worrying about working overtime. This law ensures employee burnout does not occur
within the organisation. However, the law does not provide a clear demarcation between the
types of jobs that require employees to work for more than 24 hours at a stretch.
The benefits that the contract and fair dismissal law provide to the employees is that it protects
the employees from being dismissed at the employers wish without any fair reason. The negative
aspect of these laws is that the procedures are elaborate and time-consuming. The Health and
safety laws provide the employees with safety and security at workplace and ensure the
employers are held responsible for any accident that may cause harm to the employees.
Refer to Appendix for Poster
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Task 3
1. Select a business organisation and give an introduction.
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is a popular business organisation that creates automobiles and
generates car parts. The automobile manufacturing organisation provides employment
opportunity to a large section of workforce within the UK market economy. The company owned
by Tata Motors, ensures the automobile manufacturing industry of the UK economy functions
efficiently by the type of HR management strategies that improve the working conditions for the
employees as well as the organisation. Due to the increased demand of labour within the
company, several new job positions have been created within the organisation.
2. Identify two vacancies in your selected organisation
The need for experienced labour in different plants of JLR has influenced the HR department of
the company to identify specific requirements of the organisation. The two major job positions
that have been recognised for the effective functioning of the plants are the Operations Manager
post and the Technical Manager post in the plants of JLR.
3. Create job specification and person specification for your selected job vacancies
Job and Person Specification
Job Title: Operations Manager Reporting to: Director
Location: Halewood Nature of job role: To ensure the operations
within the plant
Main Duties: To overlook the functions of the
Plant
To ensure the operations within the plant re
performed efficiently
Hours of work:
7:30am – 8:30pm
Salary: £45,000
Qualification:
Must have a bachelors degree, trained in
different fields of work, must have knowledge
of project management
Desirable
Experience of two years at least, MBA in
project management, proper knowledge in
project management
Knowledge and Skill
· Handling pressure during
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working hours
· Making proper resource
allocation
· Ensuring deadline of every
project
· Managing resources
· Proper analytical skills
· Employee management
efficiency
· Having knowledge of
contemporary project management
tools
Job and person Specification
Job Title: Technical Manager Reporting to: Director
Location: Halewood Nature of job role: To ensure the technical
aspects within the plant are performed
effectively
Main Duties: To overlook the technical
aspects of the plant
To ensure the technical attributes and functions
within the plant are performed efficiently
Hours of work:
7:00am – 8:00pm
Salary: £40,000
Qualification:
 SCQF level 8 and above
 Basic technical knowledge about
machine parts
 Expertise in machinery operations
 Identifying issues related to machine
parts and mechanical parts
Desirable:
The individual must have basic knowledge
regarding the machineries that are available in
the factories.
Knowledge and skills:
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