Human Resource Management in Ryanair: A Case Study

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HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN SERVICE INDUSTRY

Table of Contents
2.1 THE CURRENT STATE OF EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS IN THE RYANAIR...........................1
3.1 A DISCUSSION OF THE JOB DESCRIPTION AND PERSON SPECIFICATION FOR PILOT
ROLE IN RYANAIR................................................................................................................. 2
REFERENCES............................................................................................................................. 4
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2.1 THE CURRENT STATE OF EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS IN THE RYANAIR
Ryanair is the number one airline company in Europe that operates with low fares and the
low-cost approach. The company has planned a new service between Dublin and Toulouse
that will initially operate 4 flights per week and then extends its operation to daily from
summer 2020. While working as an assistant HR manager at Ryanair, it is my responsibility
to ensure effective employee relations within the company during the implementation of its
service extension planning. I must have a proper idea of what employee relation is and the
current state of employee relations within Ryanair.
The term employee relations refer to the relationship between the company and its
employees (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014). In order to maintain effective employee relations,
Ryanair makes efforts to manage a positive relationship with its employees. Managing
employee relations is very important in Ryanair as the employees are the one who connects
customers with the company. A good employee relations support in delivering quality
services and the basis for good employee relations are fair and consistent treatment with all
the employees.
The organizational structure and culture play a great role in managing employee relations in
Ryanair. Due to complex structures and high density of trade unions, Ryanair faces an
increased chance of industrial strikes and conflicts. Over the past two decades, the airline
companies have confronted with numerous industrial conflicts due to high volume
restructuring and continuous changes. Ryanair has faced accusations of employees and
unions for breaching labour laws. During last year hundreds of flights have been cancelled in
August due to strike of pilots and cabin crew of Ryanair (Davies and Farrell, 2018). The main
reason for the strike is to seek better employment terms and conditions. The cost reduction
strategy of the company is also affecting the employee relations within Ryanair. In an
attempt to control the costs related to HR management, the company uses a productivity-
based incentive system. These incidents have shown poor employee relations within
Ryanair.
After such incidences, the company is emphasizing on improvising its HR policies and
practices by giving value to the employees. The HR policies of the company are designed in
compliance with the regulations of IAA (Irish Aviation Authority) and other aviation industry
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regulation on HR. The competition, trade unions and increasing cost of operations are the
key issues that affect the management of employee relations in Ryanair.
In order to develop effective employee relations within Ryanair, it is important to develop a
positive working environment in the company by considering the requirements of the
employees. This would enable collaborative working between the employees and the
organization (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014). The company can develop and effective conflict
management and grievance management procedure to promote good employee
relationship. The company should be focused on getting a collective agreement with the
unions to avoid strikes and ensure good employee relations. The company should focus on
the individualistic style of employee relationship by focusing on employee productivity
rather than focusing on reducing personnel cost. This would support in developing better
employee relations within the company.
3.1 A DISCUSSION OF THE JOB DESCRIPTION AND PERSON SPECIFICATION
FOR PILOT ROLE IN RYANAIR
Recruitment ad selection is one of the core functions of HR in any business. A company
should develop an appropriate job description and person specification to on-board
qualified and skilled employee effectively. So, the job description and person specification
for the role of a pilot in Ryanair is reviewed and discussed here.
JOB DESCRIPTION REVIEW
a general and broad description of a particular job in writing that includes responsibilities,
scope, duties, purpose and working conditions of a particular job position within a company
is known as the job description. It also involves a job title and a responsible person to whom
the applicant needs to report (Noe et al., 2017).
The presented job description for the role of a pilot in Ryanair has clearly shown the
responsibilities and duties of the pilot for the Boeing 737 aeroplane. It would enable
potential applicants to have a proper understanding of responsibilities and duties as a pilot
in the company. Here, the job title is shown for the position of the pilot for Boeing 737. This
would enable the applicant to analyse whether he/she is qualified and compliable to fly
Boing737 or not. However, the attached job description for Pilot role only contains the
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information about the job title, responsibilities and duties of the pilot and do not state
anything about the compensation, working conditions, and responsible person to whom the
applicant needs to report. Thus, the company needs to develop a more thorough job
description that contains all the essential elements of an effective job description.
PERSON SPECIFICATION REVIEW
A person specification is used to describe the desired personal attributes in a potential
candidate for a specific job position in a company. In other words, a person specification is
used to outline the educational requirements, personal qualifications and training
experience that an individual must possess to be eligible for a specific job role (Briscoe et al.,
2012). Here, the person specification for the job role of a pilot in Ryanair is presented. The
presented person specification has discussed the age limit (Below 67 yrs.), residential status,
qualification requirements, and license requirements, medical requirements, required
experience as a pilot for flying Boeing 737, minimum total flying time. Thus, the above
person specification has clearly specified the personal attributes and requirements for the
position of pilot.
The job description and person specification serve as a foundation for the recruitment and
selection process. It enables the company to inform the potential candidate about what is
expected from them and supports in saving time and efforts of the company.
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REFERENCES
Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2014. Armstrong's handbook of human resource management
practice. Kogan Page Publishers.
Briscoe, D., Tarique, I. and Schuler, R., 2012. International human resource management:
Policies and practices for multinational enterprises. Routledge.
Davies, R., and Farrell, S., 2018. Ryanair strike: unions accuse airline of breaching labour
laws. [Online] Available at https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/aug/09/unions-
accuse-ryanair-of-breaching-labour-law-after-crews-go-on-strike Last accessed on 11th
September 2019.
Noe, R.A., Hollenbeck, J.R., Gerhart, B. and Wright, P.M., 2017. Human resource
management: Gaining a competitive advantage. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
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