Detailed Analysis of Resource and Talent Planning at Argos Ltd

This report examines resource and talent planning within Argos Ltd, a UK-based retailer. It begins by analyzing current labor market trends influencing talent management and workforce planning, including demographic and economic factors. The report then details the legal requirements, such as the Equality Act and Employment Rights Act, which Argos Ltd must consider. It also explores current and anticipated skills requirements through job analysis methods and data collection. Furthermore, it provides examples of job descriptions and person specifications for effective recruitment and selection, along with discussing various recruitment and selection methods. Finally, the report covers the stages of the HR lifecycle and its integration within the organizational HR strategy. The report aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the talent management practices at Argos Ltd.

RESOURCE AND
TALENT PLANNING

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1 ...........................................................................................................................................1
P1 Current labour market trends influencing talent management and workforce planning. .1
P2 Analysis of legal requirements considered by the organisation for workforce planning..2
TASK 2 .......................................................................................................................................4
P3 Current and anticipated skills requirement for range of organisational example.............4
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................5
P4 Job description example and person specification example for effective recruitment and
selection. ................................................................................................................................5
P5 Recruitment and selection method for effective talent resourcing and planning..............7
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................7
P6 Stages of HR life cycle for specific HR context...............................................................7
P7 HR life cycle integrated within organisational HR strategy.............................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Resource and talent planning is a critical function which involves ensuring that the
organisation identifies and attract key people with the capability to create competitive advantage.
It also helps in actively managing the balance between the resources available and the changing
needs. Resourcing and talent planning is not only concerned with recruiting people but it also
involves succession planning, induction and redundancy execution. Company taken in this
project report is Argos Ltd. Argos Ltd is one of the leading catalogue retailer in UK. It is a
subsidiary company of sainsbury(Alfes and et. al., 2013).
The company operates through physical shops as well as through online market. The
topics covered in this project are current market trends influencing workforce planning, types of
legal requirements in the organisation, various recruitment and selection methods for effective
talent planning and resourcing.
TASK 1
P1 Current labour market trends influencing talent management and workforce planning.
Resource and talent planning is the function which includes coordination from the
recruitment team and from other business aspects such as selection of proper hiring channel,
delivery of resources, etc. This means resource planning ensures that the company is able to
identify and attract talented candidates from the market. Labour market is the physical market
where the employees and the workers communicate with each other. In labour market the
company always try to hire best suitable candidates. So that they help in the growth of the
company. The market trend of United Kingdom can be upward or downward depending upon the
scenario. This is because fluctuations takes place in this type of market as the wage rate keeps on
changing which directly impact on the change of the wage rate(Armstrong and Taylor,2014).
Talent management is hiring, retaining and developing the talented and skilled candidates
from the job market. The current market trend influences the talent management in any
organisation. For example if the payroll is increased than Argos Ltd must hire talented and
skilled people from the market which is a difficult task for the managers.
Workforce planning is making strategies to hire best employees for the organisation. It is
considered as one of the major task because hiring right people for right job will help in the
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growth and profitability of Argos Ltd. Skilled and talented employees will be able to provide
new and innovative ideas at the workplace.
Linking systematic approach of talent resourcing with strategies of HRM-
Systematic approach is the combination of various function which simplify the
complexity faced in managing the human resources (Delgadová, Gullerová and Ivanová,2017). It
provides benefit to Argos Ltd in transforming the labour into skilled and productive resource for
the organisation. According to this approach a sequential system is being followed at the time of
talent resourcing which involves developmental opportunities, adequate job description and the
proper selection process. As it will help in finding the right person for the right job. It consist of
training and development,recruitment , payroll, etc. With the help of this employees of Argos Ltd
will be able to perform better and this will directly help the company in achieving the goals in
the proper manner.
Demographic affecting the HR process- Demographics is the study of population on
the basis of sex, age and race. Demographical trends affects the labour market directly which
will result in change in the productivity, change in labour supply, demand, etc. Due to reduction
in population rate the labour market of UK is negatively impacted as the output will be reduced.
Due to this Argos Ltd will face difficulties in hiring talented and skilled employees and the
productivity will be affected (Guerci and Solari,2012). The major reason behind this is the
increased in the number of retirements of the old workforce.
Economic composition affecting the HR processes- Organisations running in the
market come across various economical problems which arise due to increase in the transition
period. Due to this the there has been a adverse impact on the HR practices. If the company is
economically stable than it can hire more skilled workforce. On the other hand if the company is
facing economic unsuitability than new employees will not be hired by the company. So the
productivity will be affected. If Argos Ltd wants to increase its revenue than HR must focus on
motivating and training its employees efficiently.
P2 Analysis of legal requirements considered by the organisation for workforce planning
Argos Ltd must analyse the market trend for gathering relevant information which can
affect the growth of the company. It will help the manager of Argos Ltd in knowing the recent
trends going on in the market. With the help of this analysis the needs and demands of the
organisation can be fulfilled. The analysis in this is done keeping in mind the present and past
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situation. So that plans for the future course of action can be made easily. The various legal
requirements which must be followed by Argos Ltd foe workforce planning are discussed below-
Equality Act, 2010 – Equality law was replaced with the anti-discrimination law.
Equality act states that equal rights and opportunities must be given to the employees working in
the organisation. According to this law Argos Ltd must treat its employees equally and also
equal salary must be provided to them. Doing this a positive environment can be created in the
organisation.
Occupational health and safety act, 2000- occupational health and safety act is used to
secure the heath of the employees of Argos Ltd from the hazardous work. The manager of Argos
Ltd must use this legislation to safeguard its employees from the threats and risk at the
workplace. If this act is not taken into consideration than the company will have to pay penalties
to the government (Khasawneh, 2011). If the safety measures for the employees are not taken
care off than the image of the company may go down which will directly result in reduction of
revenue of the company. Implementing this act will help in achievement of individual and
organisational goal.
Employment rights Act, 1996- The act was passed by the government of UK to promote
and protect the rights of the employees from unfair dismissal , termination without prior notice,
etc. Argos Ltd must follow this act so that there is no unethical activity done and it will help in
safeguarding the interest of its employees. This act also ensures that the company is loyal with its
employees. This is because it will help in creating a sense of belongingness among the
employees towards the organisation.
Analysis of labour demand and supply forecasting- It is related with the labour supply
and meeting the present and future needs of the organisation. The major main of this analysis is
to keep a right balance between the supply of labour and demand by placing the right person at
the right job (Lamberts and et. al., 2011). Demand forecasting for labour is very much necessary
for Argos Ltd because it will increase the profitability, performance and productivity of the
employees.
HR issues- The HR of any organisation came across many issues related with the
workforce planning. Some of the major issues faced by Argos Ltd are prolonged heath issues,
Green HRM, career management etc. due to these issues the growth of the company was not at
the proper stage. So the issues and problems must be solved properly.
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Human and social capital- It is concerned with the skills and knowledge of the
employees. Argos invested in human capital which resulted in high economic return,
employment rate, etc. social capital is related with the values, norms and better understanding
among the employees. This will help Argos in managing and coordinating work environment.
TASK 2
P3 Current and anticipated skills requirement for range of organisational example
Job analysis means the process of determining and identifying the duties of job in detail.
This process helps in providing final decisions or judgements for the organisation. There are
various methods through which job analysis can be done. Those methods are discussed below-
 Observation method- Under this method the performance of the employee is being
observed. The Argos Ltd must do this analysis in a proper manner, this can be done by
using three ways which are work method analysis, direct observation and critical
incident technique.
 Questionnaire method- In this the employees of Argos Ltd are asked to fill the
questionnaire. So that their views can be gathered. But there are chances that in this
method personal bias can be done.
 Interview method- under this method Argos Ltd can take interview of their employees.
So that the problems faced by the employees can be known and it can be solved in the
effective and efficient manner.
All these methods must be performed properly by the by the HR of Argos. If this is not done than
it would result in wastage of time and efforts(Meaney and et. al., 2010).
Data collection methods- There are two types of data collection method which are
discussed below:
 Primary method- Under this method first hand data will be collected by the HR manager
of Argos Ltd. It will involve direct interview, personal investigation, etc.
 Secondary method- In this method the HR manager of Argos Ltd can gather relevant
information from some other sources. The information can be gathered from files or from
data in computer.
Job design - This function is associated with human resource management. It will help
Argos Ltd in reducing the problem of dissatisfaction among the employees in the organisation.
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Succession planning for identifying skills and abilities of employees- It help in
analysing and developing skills of employees. So that work can be done in a desirable manner.
Some employees in Argos Ltd are not able to work properly and are not adding value to the
company. So they can be replaced with efficient employees. The major skills required by HR
manager of Argos are discussed below-
Current skills:
Project management- It is the most important skill which the HR manager of Argos
must have. This is because it will help in completing the task in appropriate manner. If the HR
manager is not able to do proper planning for the project than. Then project will not be
completed in a effective and efficient manner which will result loss to the company (Nasser-Abu
Alhija and Fresko,2014)
Interaction and communication- Another major skill which HR manager of Argos Ltd
must have is good and strong communication skills. If the manager is not having these skills than
the problems of the employees Argos will not be solved which will lead to miscommunication
and dis balance in the work.
Anticipated skills-
Future planning- With the use of this skill the HR of Argos can use right strategy. If the
HR has this skill than the work will be done in a planned manner with less errors and in the
efficient way.
Change management- if the HR manager of Argos have this skill than any change or
new trend in the market can be easily adopted. If the manger is flexible in adapting new changes
than problems can be faced in the best possible manner.
TASK 3
P4 Job description example and person specification example for effective recruitment and
selection.
Person specification- This document include qualification, skills and knowledge with
duties of available job.
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PERSON SPECIFICATION
Organisation: Argos pvt Limited
Job title: HR executive
Qualification: MBA\PGDM in Human Resource
Necessary Criteria:
 good knowledge of management
 good communication skills
 coordinating ability with other department
 handle stressful situation at the workplace.
Desired criteria:
 0- 1 year experience in management
 good interacting skills
 good speaking skills and personality.
Job description: This involves roles related to the job position. The information for
vacant job are mentioned below-
Job description
Organisation: Argos Ltd.
Division : HR department
Job title: HR executive
Location: UK
Summary of job
Argos is recruiting HR executive which can assist the HR assistant manager in conducting
routine activities. The candidates must have in-depth knowledge about the management.
Role of job:
 Must have the knowledge about the HR polices, law and regulations
 must know how to organise training programmes.
 Efficient in helping HR assistant manger in recruitment.
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P5 Recruitment and selection method for effective talent resourcing and planning.
The various recruitment approaches used by Argos HR manager are discussed below-
 Internal recruitment: Under this process the present employees of Argos Ltd are given
chance to apply for the vacant job. This can be done by using written test method, group
discussion, direct promotion, etc. As the job is given to the present employee if Argos
Ltd so the work of the company will not be hampered because the employee is already
familiar with the work.
 External recruitment- In this method new candidates are given chance to apply for the
job available. Using this process Argos Ltd can hire new talented and skilled employees
for increasing the growth of the company (Noe and et. al., 2017).
With the use of some approaches Argos can select suitable candidates. Some among them are
mentioned below:
Skill test- In this method the special skills of the employee is tested. This test will help
Argos Ltd in knowing the skills and talent of the individual who can perform the assigned task
efficiently.
Panel interview- In this method a group of senior managers takes the interview of the
individual. This is done to place the right candidate at the right job in Argos Ltd.
The legal and financial aspects and implication of recruitment and selection: According to
the legal aspects Argos Ltd must hire its employees keeping in mind the legal rules and norms
and must not discriminate the candidates fro the purpose of selecting the individual for the job.
The financial aspect involves that the employer must give all necessary details about the salary
structure of the individuals. So that conflicts may not arise in future.
TASK 4
P6 Stages of HR life cycle for specific HR context.
HR life cycle explains the various phase of employee's time in the company. It also describes the
major role of HR department at each and every stage in the organisation. There are five stages
which are mentioned below:
 Recruitment and Selection- In this stage the employee's of Argos Ltd are recruited. It
involves collecting resume, conducting interview and group discussion and selecting the
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appropriate candidate. The candidates are selected in the basis of skills and knowledge
they have.
 On- boarding and orientation- In this stage information about the work is given to the
employee. Individual tries to learn new things at the workplace for increasing the skills.
The HR manager of Argos must help the new employee's fro creating good relationship
with other employee's and also with the superior. So that they become familiar with
organisation and can perform the task in the best possible manner.
 Career planning and performance management- Career planning is learning new
skills and gaining new experience by the employee's of Argos Ltd for the improvement
of career. Performance management is evaluation of the performance of employee's by
the Argos HR manager (Pilbeam and Corbridge, 2010). The manager must do these tasks
in the proper manner. So that the goals can be attained easily.
 Succession planning- In this the skills are improved and new opportunities are given to
the new employee's of Argos Ltd. This is done to improve the productivity of employees
of Argos.
 Exit and transition- The employee's who are working for longer period of time might
want to leave Argos for better opportunities. And some new employee's might wish to
enter the organisation. These steps are performed by the HR manager of Argos Ltd.
P7 HR life cycle integrated within organisational HR strategy.
HR manager can use some organisational strategies to implement the HR life cycle in the
appropriate manner. So that maximum benefit can be drawn from these strategies. The HR life
cycle of Argos with the organisational strategies are discussed below-
First stage- In this stage HR manager must hire such employee's who can help the
organisation in achieving goals. Proper strategies and plans will help in attracting new and
talented candidates for the job. Marketing strategy will help in increasing the profitability of the
organisation by hiring new talented people (Vaiman and Vance,2010).
Second stage- In this stage the HR manger can arrange orientation programmes for the
new joiners to make them familiar with the organisation. The manager can discuss the objectives
and mission so that the employee's are motivated.
Third stage- In this stage the performance of the employee's in Argos Ltd is evaluated
and some suggestions are given to them to increase it. For evaluating the performance the roles
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and responsibilities of the individual must be explained properly. Evaluation can be done by
using timely evaluation technique.
Fourth stage- The HR manager of Argos Ltd can overcome the problem of employee
turnover using proper plans and strategies. For solving this the encouragement and engagement
of employee's can be done. Doing this will help maintaining healthy relation among the
employer and employee in the organisation (Thite, 2011)
Last stage- In this stage the HR manager of Argos Ltd must prepare data of every
employee. So that conflict does not arise at the time of leaving the job by the employee. As this
will also help in searching the right person for the right job. This needs to be done in a proper
sequential manner. So that chances of error is reduced.
CONCLUSION
From the above mentioned report it has been concluded that resource and talent planning
is the most important part of the organisational activities. If this function is not done properly
than the other function might get affected. The HR manager must ensure that skilled, talented
and knowledgeable candidates are hired for the job available. As they will help in increasing the
productivity and growth of the company. Training can also be given to the new employee's if
they lack in any skill. Resourcing and talent planning must be done by the HR manager after
analysing the present and future needs.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Alfes, K., and et. al., 2013. The link between perceived human resource management practices,
engagement and employee behaviour: a moderated mediation model. The international
journal of human resource management. 24(2). pp.330-351.
Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2014. Armstrong's handbook of human resource management
practice. Kogan Page Publishers.
Delgadová, E., Gullerová, M. and Ivanová, E., 2017. Recruitment and selection processes in
Slovak enterprises and multinational corporations. International Journal of
Organizational Leadership. 6(2).
Guerci, M. and Solari, L., 2012. Talent management practices in Italy–implications for human
resource development. Human Resource Development International. 15(1). pp.25-41.
Khasawneh, S., 2011. Human capital planning in higher education institutions: A strategic
human resource development initiative in Jordan. International Journal of Educational
Management. 25(6). pp.534-544.
Lamberts, R.P., and et. al., 2011. A novel submaximal cycle test to monitor fatigue and predict
cycling performance. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 45(10). pp.797-804.
Meaney, P.A., and et. al., 2010. Rhythms and outcomes of adult in-hospital cardiac arrest.
Critical care medicine. 38(1). pp.101-108.
Nasser-Abu Alhija, F. and Fresko, B., 2014. An exploration of the relationships between mentor
recruitment, the implementation of mentoring, and mentors’ attitudes. Mentoring &
Tutoring: Partnership in Learning. 22(2). pp.162-180.
Noe, R.A., and et. al., 2017. Human resource management: Gaining a competitive advantage.
New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Pilbeam, S. and Corbridge, M., 2010. People resourcing and talent planning: HRM in practice.
Prentice Hall.
Thite, M., 2011. Smart cities: implications of urban planning for human resource development.
Human Resource Development International. 14(5). pp.623-631.
Vaiman, V. and Vance, C. eds., 2010. Smart talent management: building knowledge assets for
competitive advantage. Edward Elgar Publishing.
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