Purple Mail Company: Working with and Leading People Report

This report examines leadership and management practices within the Purple Mail Company, a UK-based courier firm. It delves into the essential documentation required for staff recruitment, the impact of legal and ethical considerations on the hiring process, and the selection process itself. The report also explores the attributes and skills needed for effective leadership, differentiating between leadership and management styles, and analyzing various leadership approaches applicable in different situations. Furthermore, it discusses strategies for motivating staff members to achieve objectives, the benefits of teamwork, and the leader's role within a team. Finally, the report addresses factors involved in planning and monitoring work performance, individual development needs, and the assessment process's success.

Working with and
leading people

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Documentation for to select and recruit a new staff member...........................................1
1.2 Impact of legal and ethical considerations on the recruitment and selection process......2
1.3 Selection process..............................................................................................................3
1.4 Own contribution in the selection process........................................................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................4
2.1 Attributes and skills needed for leadership......................................................................4
2.2 Difference between leadership and management.............................................................4
2.3 Leadership styles in various situations.............................................................................5
2.4 Ways to motivate staff members for achieving objectives...............................................5
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................6
3.1 Benefits of working in a team..........................................................................................6
3.2 Working in a team as a leader..........................................................................................7
3.3 Effectiveness of team in achieving set goals....................................................................8
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................8
4.1 Factors involved in planning and monitoring of work performance................................8
4.2 Plan the development needs of individuals......................................................................8
4.3 Success of the assessment process...................................................................................9
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Leaders play an important and effective role in the overall success of the firm as they
influence a large number of employees towards common direction for completing the set
objectives. It is necessary and essential for the leaders to change their styles and approaches of
working as the situations change. Purple Mail Company is one of the biggest courier firms in UK
that is selected in this report. Currently, firm is facing various problems and so, effective
solutions to those problems are described here. Various important documents required during the
process of recruitment and section process are mentioned here as well. Along with that, the way
in which various legal and ethical considerations affect the process of recruitment and skills
required for playing a role of leader are detailed. Further, various benefits of working in team
and ways in which one can motivate the staff members for achieving set results are also
explained.
TASK 1
1.1 Documentation to select and recruit a new staff member
Recruitment and selection is one of the essential and important activities of every
enterprise. Large number of resources and funds are required for this process and it is necessary
for the firm to recruit skilled candidates. For recruiting a skilled candidate, following are the
main documentation required:
Job description
Organization name Purple Mail company
Job designation Human resource officer
Location UK
Reporting Human resource manager
Roles and responsibilities Perform all training activities.
Ensuring that safety measures are met by all
workers.
Managing all the actions of workers.
Woking hours 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Salary 9800£ per month
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Working facilities Flexible working hours, work from home.
Person specification of Human resource officer
Qualification Graduation with HR specialisation
Experience Minimum 6 years experience in the same field.
Area of expertise Communication skills

Knowledge
Other qualities Leadership qualities
1.2 Impact of legal and ethical considerations on the recruitment and selection process
Inviting a pool of potential candidates and choosing the best or skilled one is one of the
important tasks of every enterprise. Success of firm depends in this process as skilled employees
contribute a lot in achieving better results. If firm recruits wrong candidates for performing the
job then enterprise will not achieve its objectives. So, giving consideration on this process is one
of the important responsibilities of human resource manager of the firm.
For achieving better results, it is necessary for the firm to first comply with all legal rules
and regulations set by the government of country. Ethical process should be used by the firm to
recruit skilled candidates for the job. If manager uses unethical standards and process of hiring
individuals then it will not produce effective results for the firm. Whole process of recruitment
should be free from the biasness and ethical or fair standards should be set by the managers
 Equal opportunity act: As per this act it is the responsibility of every employer to provide
proper growth opportunities to all his workers. He should not discriminate workers on the
basis of their colour, gender etc.
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 Minimum wage act: According to this act, every employer is liable to give minimum
wage to its workers so that they can fulfil all their needs of routine life.
1.3 Selection process
After inviting a large number of potential individual. Evaluate their skills and choose the
best one is called the process of selection. For getting effective results, it is necessary for the
manager to give consideration on each aspect related with communication process. Following are
the main steps included in the process of selection: Preliminary interview: This is the basic step of selection process. Under this, all potential
candidates are interviewed by the managers for knowing more about the candidate and to
evaluate his knowledge and skills. This is done with the candidates who pass the
minimum criteria, this is also known as screening of individuals. Application form: A form is filled by the candidate which includes all the basic
information about the candidate like his age, qualification and others. Written test: This test is done by the managers in order to evaluate writing skills of
individuals. Employment interviews: This type of interview is more formal than the preliminary
interview. Interviewer and candidate takes part in this.
 Appointment letter: Candidate who passes all the set criteria and have qualities to perform
the job get appointment letter from the firm.
For selecting skilled candidates as a HR manager of Purple Mail company it is my responsibility
to give consideration on all the factors so that firm can recruit better employees and can achieve
the desired results.
1.4 Own contribution in the selection process
Human resource manager play an important role in the process of recruitment and
selection. Manager decide all the steps included in the process and set minimum criteria for each
step. It helps in recruiting the best candidate from a large number of applicants. Absence of
human resource manager in the process of recruitment will not produce effective results for the
firm. As manager has more knowledge about the specification and description of job, that's why
it help in recruiting best candidate. Manager is the only person who can better evaluate the
potential and skills of a candidate and can study whether the candidate is capable for performing
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the job or not. Human resource manager helps in executing various activities in a better way. As
human resource manager play and effective and important role in the whole process of
recruitment so it is very necessary for the human resource manager to take part in the process of
recruitment.
2.1 Attributes and skills needed for leadership
Leaders plays an effective role in executing all the tasks of enterprise and contribute a lot
in the success of firm. Following are the main skills and qualities which should be there in a
leader: Communication: Effective communication skill is one of the important qualities which
should be there in an individual to become an effective leader. It helps the leader in better
communicate all tasks and objectives well with employees so that set goals and target can
be achieved by the firm in a better way (Mendenhall, 2012). Effective communication
clears all roles and responsibilities of employees and eliminates confusion from their
minds. Motivation: Motivating employees for performing in an effective way is one of the main
roles of a leader in enterprise (Lev, 2013). Leader of Purple Mail Company should have
this skill to influence workers and motivate them to perform well. Responsibility: A leader should be responsible enough for completing the tasks assigned
to him. A leader should responsible for the results arise from the task assigned to him.
 Positivity: Positivity is one of the important skills which should be there in a leader. It not
only increases the productivity of workers abut at the same time, helps in creating
positive working environment in the enterprise.
2.2 Difference between leadership and management
Both leader and manager plays an important role in the enterprise. Main difference
between leadership and management can be understood by the following points:
Leadership Management
 Leadership is a process of using various
concepts, tools and techniques to
 Managing all activities of an enterprise
is one of the main aims of management
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influence employees and provide them
a direction to work for achieving set
objectives and targets.
 Leadership is a narrow concept if
compared with the management.
 Concept of leadership is a part of
management concept (Offstein,
Morwick and Koskinen, 2010).
 Employees and their needs are the main
focus of leadership concept.
concept.
 Management is a broad concept.
 Management is not a part of leadership
concept.
 Concept of management focuses more
on the structure of enterprise rather than
on employees.
2.3 Leadership styles in various situations
Large number of leadership styles are there which can be used by different leaders
according to the situation. . Culture of organisation plays an important role in influencing the
approach of leadership. Leaders can change their style of leadership and work to achieve better
results. Following are the main types of leadership:
 Autocratic leadership: Under this type of leadership, leader take decision without any
involvement of subordinate and give command to employees. Workers get punished if
they fail to achieve the set objectives. Free-rein leadership: This type of leadership is opposite from the autocratic style of
leadership. Under this, subordinates take the decision and leader has very little part in the
decision making process.
 Participatory leadership: As the name implies, under this type of leadership, both leaders
and employees take part in the decision making process.
Various leaders of Purple Mail Company can use these approaches according to the
situations for getting effective results.
2.4 Ways to motivate staff members for achieving objectives
Motivating various in an effective way is one of the main responsibilities of a leader. A
motivated individual performs the best and contributes a lot in the success of enterprise than an
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unmotivated employee. Following are the ways by which leaders of Purple Mail Company can
motivate a large number of employees. Clear vision: Vision of the firm should be interesting and competitive and it should be
communicated with the employees so they can be motivated and give their best to the
enterprise.
 Effective communication: Communication should be clear among all the employees and
top management (Goetsch and Davis, 2014). It helps in eliminating confusion from the
minds of employees regarding their various roles and responsibilities. All queries arising
in the mind of workers should be better resolved by the managers.
 Timely training and development programmes should be conducted by the leaders for
enhancing the knowledge and skills of individuals.
 Timely appraisal of employee performance should be done.
 Upward communication should also be there in the enterprise so that employees can
discuss their queries and issues with the top management.
 Involvement and participation of all employees in the decision making process should be
encouraged.
 Clear communication should be there among employees and top managers so that
workers can know about where the enterprise wants to go and what ] firm, want to
achieve so that workers can give shape to their activities.
 All workers should be treated with respect and dignity.
 Empowerment of employees should be encouraged.
For motivate the staff members managers of Purple Mail Company a theory of motivation called
Maslow need hierarchy theory. As per this theory needs and wants of individuals are divided into
five level called physiological, safety, belonging, esteem and self actualisation.
TASK 3
3.1 Benefits of working in a team
Large number of employees work in the enterprise for fulfilling their own purpose. When
large number of individuals come together for achieving the end results then it is known as a
team (Savikko and et.al., 2010). One of the main advantages of working in a team is that it
increases the productivity of workers and enhance their knowledge as different individuals share
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their knowledge with each other. Main benefits of working in a team can be understood by the
following points: Foster creativity: When large number of individuals start working together then they
exchange their thoughts and ideas with each other. Increasing knowledge give rise to
creativity in executing various operations in the business enterprise. Build trust: When large number of individuals come together for achieving the mutual
objective then it builds trust for each other. When a team is formed then members
become dependent on each other that gives rise to trust. Encourage risk taking ability of employees: Working in a team increases the risk taking
ability of workers and increases final output. Increase innovation: When large number of individuals start working together then it
creates synergy, everyone exchange thoughts with each other which create innovation.
 Provide effective and better solutions to the problem: When large number of individuals
come together to solve a problem than everyone gives different solution to the same
problem (Stubbs and et.al., 2014). All this helps in providing better solution to the critical
problem.
3.2 Working in a team as a leader
Develop effective teams and motivate various individuals for achiev the set results is one
of the important task of every leader (Czabanowska and et.al., 2014). Working in a team
increases the productivity of various employees. From the point of view of a leader, it is
important for an enterprise to work in various teams. Along with this, importance of working in a
team can be better understood by the following points: Ideas: One of the main advantages of working in a team gives rise to various creative
ideas for solving a problem. Support: Working in a team provides support to individuals for facing complex
situations. Every team member helps each other in performing better which helps in the
personal development of employees.
 Efficiency: When large number of workers work in a team then it not only increases the
productivity but at the same time, saves a lot of cost of the firm. All this helps the
enterprise in achieving efficiency in operations.
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3.3 Effectiveness of team in achieving set goals
Lots of efforts are required to develop an effective team. Leader plays an important role
to build or develop a team. It is the responsibility of a leader to set interesting and achievable
goals for all members of the team in order to increase their skills and capabilities. Building
effective teams is one of the important tasks of every leader as team contributes a lot in the
success of firm. One of the main advantages of working in a team is that it helps in completing
all critical tasks (Kuroda, Yuki and Kang, 2010). Proper training should be provided to all
members of the team so that they can find better solutions to problem and at the same time, grow
more in the enterprise. Working in team helps in achieving optimum utilisation of resources and
at the same time, reduces cost of operations. Team contributes more and produces effective
results for the whole enterprise. So, manager of Purple Mail Company should try to develop
effective teams so that better results and output can be generated by the firm.
TASK 4
4.1 Factors involved in planning and monitoring of work performance
In today's business environment changes are taking place at a fast speed and that's why it
become very necessary for the organisations to plan its future activities in better so that set
results can be achieved by the firm. It is very essential for the enterprise to deliver quality
products and services to its customers and for this, it is very necessary for firm to have skilled
labour. Fro this training can be provided by firms to its employees. For satisfy the employees and
to get their commitment it is very necessary for a firm to first identify their needs and satisfy the
same (Gwyer, 2010). Along with this performance evaluation can also done by the managers to
improve the performance of employees. Performance evaluation helps in identifying the loop
holes in the performance of employees and improve the same.
Following are the main and important methods of assessing the work performance of employees:
 Setting up methods and process: Effective methods can be developed for better executing
all the activities.
 Feedback form clients and customers: Feedback can be collected from clients in order to
know about what are the problems and issues they are facing.
 Reports: Report collected on daily or annual basis guide the manager and help him in
identifying the training needs of workers.
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 Performance appraisal: Follow a sequence of steps in order to identify the various
improvement in employee performance is known as performance evaluation.
4.2 Plan the development needs of individuals
HR manager has to devise the development plan as per the changes takes place or occur.
It is very necessary to keep the manpower of organisation up to date so that they can contribute
their best. As at present the Purple Mail Company is going through tough times and firm need a
plan to keep in the track of development needs of the workers.
 Initially it is the responsibility of manager to increase the interaction level so that they
can know about the how do employees feel during the work and about how well they are
performing.
 A programme is needed here, to increase the interaction.
 Assessment of needs should be done on a quarterly basis so that both employee and
manger can interact together and can fund the best ways to increase the performance and
efficiency.
 Effective handling of grievance should be there as it also affect the activities of
employees.
 Before introducing any new technology it is very necessary to provide proper training to
the workers.
4.3 Success of the assessment process
In order to evaluate the success of assessment process, following questions should be
answered by the manager of firm. Were the purpose of assessment is clear: For achieving better results main purpose of
the assessment programme should be clear and communicated with all employees
(Success of assessment process, 2017). Valid method should be used: Effective and valid methods should be used during the
assessment programmes for getting reliable results. Assessment should be free from any bias: For getting effective and reliable results,
assessment should be free from any biasness (Morgan, Paucar-Caceres and Wright,
2014). Feedback: Feedback of assessment programmes should be communicated with all
employees.
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 Objectives of assessment should be well clear and transparent with all workers: Main
reason behind the purpose of assessment should be well cleared and communicated with
all workers.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be summarised that leaders play an effective role in the
success of enterprise like Purple Mail Company. Various problems being faced by the firm can
be solved if manager of firm follows effective process of recruitment and selection. Firm can
recruit better candidates by considering the legal and ethical impact on selection process.
Complex situations and problems can be better handled by the organisation if enterprise starts
working in a team. Along with this, for improving the performance, skills and performance of
employees firm can make an assessment plan.
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