Effective HRM Policy: Contributing To Organizational Success

HR Policies and Practices

Human resource management is one of the core pillars of any organization it is one of the department which plays a key role in establishing any company or an organization (Bratton, J. and Gold, 2017). The role of Human resource management is vast and complex. It caters the current as well as future needs of the organization and fulfills it with hiring suitable resource on time which can help the companies to achieve their goals effectively. Human resource Management works according to the need of the organization and its policies and rules are designed in such a manner that everyone involved in the company has transparency and all employees are aware of their right and duties which helps them to work better in an organization (Bailey et al., 2018). Human resource helps the companies to bridge the gap between individual goals and organizational goals. Human resource helps the employees to get motivated due to which they perform better within the organization which in turn inverse their efficiency and dedication towards work (Marchington et al., 2016). The role of Human resource starts from hiring of an individual, performance management catering the needs of the individual, motivating them communicating all the necessary information to them timely, helps them to train in specific skill set which in turns helps employees to upskill themselves and they are more focused towards day to day operations (Albrecht et al., 2015).

In this assignment there would be detailed discussion on the roles and responsibility of human resource management as well as how effective is Human resource management policies and process are which help organizations deliver strategic effect, by contributing to competitive gain.

Human resource policies and procedure are one of the prime factors which are designed in such a manner that everyone is aware of them and everyone has the right to know it. It is planned in such a manner that all the employees are benefited out of it, in turn, helps the organization to achieve their goals, mission, and vision effectively (Ostroff and Bowen, 2016). It is created in taking the consideration of present as well as future needs of the organizations and all the policies and procedures are managed or alerted time to time as per the need of the hour or business requirement it is an ongoing process which Human resource have to do it in order to have competitive advantage over other and organization could be one of the best working places locally or globally (Trullen et al., 2016). As organization involves lot humans to work in particular time hence it becomes essential that all the needs and requirement of those individuals are fulfilled so that they can focus of the work which they have been allocated to and performance can be derived (Van Gunsteren, 2018).

Sainsbury is one of the leading retail supermarket company which holds close to 17% market share in the United Kingdom. It is based out of United Kingdom. Sainsbury provides good services to its clients which competitors are not able to deliver it hence making them one of the largest retail market stores of the United Kingdom (Gruissem, 2015). The services which Sainsbury provides to its customers are of groceries and in a couple of stores, they have the electrical products, for instance, DVD player, television, washing machines etc. It was founded by John James Sainsbury in 1869 and it became the largest retail store in groceries in the year 1922. The main reason for picking up this organization is the hard work and dedication which their employees have showcased and helped the organization to become one of the largest retail store markets in groceries in a couple of years. Therefore, Sainsbury is one of the examples which help us in understanding the effectiveness of the Human resources management policies helps the organization to achieve or gain the success and become one of the largest supermarket (Argent et al., 2016). Huge changes have been done in 15 years within the company related to the selection process of the company.

Sainsbury

It is one of the primary jobs of Human resource management which ensure that the right individuals are hired for a particular post so that organization can achieve its goals effectively.  Sainsbury focuses on bringing the best individuals on board which cater to the job description very well (Anwaar, Nadeem and Hassan, 2016). The process involves defining the correct requirement which the company is seeking in an employee and attracting the potential employees towards the job scrutinizing their application thoroughly interviewing them and selecting the appropriate candidate for a particular profile.

To achieve the best results out of the individual employees are made clear of the objective of the organization which helps them to work better and know the company. Sainsbury has the priority to put the clients first, know their needs and cater their needs in such a manner that clients are pleased every time when he walks into the store. It seeks the integrity of an individual as they have to deal with the clients directly hence integrity for Sainsbury is very important. Sainsbury always believes in hiring the right candidate for any profile as hiring involves cost and time which is spent every time when an organization is about to hire hence selecting the right individual is what Sainsbury looking for. Sainsbury tries to fill the required vacancies through both channels Internal and external. For internal post, the work which an individual is doing is seen and what all extra efforts he is putting into to achieve the desired results. If there is any employee who fits the profile Sainsbury tries to fulfill it internally (Liu, Gibson and Walton, 2017). Just in case if a suitable candidate is not available then Sainsbury hires from the external sources. Like any other companies Sunbury also tries to hire from internal sources as hiring involves cost and time which Human resource has to do it and if we have a suitable candidate within the company itself it gives the opportunities to grow within the organization to its employees and they are self-motivated by these vacancies.

Sainsbury focuses on the one to one or face to face interview with the candidate so that they can gauge the candidate more effectively by observing them in different situations (Woo and Lee, 2018).  

It is one of the next process or steps which an individual has to go through once he has been selected for any profile. In this Learning and development, an employee gets the learning of the work which is going to be assigned to him/her. All the task, roles, responsibilities are defined and explained in these trainings which helps the employee to gain knowledge and expertise on this so that when an individual is working in day to day operation he/she is not facing any challenges in doing the work. Training and development programs are designed in such a manner that it caters the needs and requirement of the organization in current scenarios and in the future as well. Learning and development are not only defined with the new employees but also caters the need of the current employees or old employees as well (Eccles, Krzus and Ribot, 2015). Companies work in a very dynamic environment which is changing rapidly as the current needs and requirements of the companies may differ from time to time or it could be the need of an hour. The training program at Sainsbury helps the employees to upskill themselves in certain skill set which helps the Sainsbury to have more skilled labors and their productivity can be increased by providing them proper training and motivating them towards the organizational goals. Sainsbury focuses on increasing the knowledge of their employees on current legislation so that everyone is aware of it and all are on the same page. It helps the employees in increasing their skill set and qualifications so that better workforce could be there with the company. Sainsbury motivates the employees, increase their confidence and competencies. It also focuses on the health and safety of their employees as health is wealth and every employee is provided medical aids time to time to keep a track on their health (AF and Najeeb, 2018).

Recruitment

Sainsbury due to its dynamic nature of work it becomes of the toughest place to work on to as all the employees have been on their toes to fulfill the need and requirement of the clients. Hence the role of Human resource management becomes critical in motivating to their employees in such a manner that all the task and responsibilities are fulfilled in such a manner that everyone is benefited out of it. Sainsbury is a difficult workplace to work but still, Sainsbury is one of the companies which have lowest attrition rate as compared to its competitors as they have Strong Human resource management which is working day in and out to cater the needs of their employees and fulfilling them timely. Providing them good remunerations, benefits, and perks so that all employees are motivated to work with the organization goals. Sainsbury Human resource ensures that each employee is motivated, guided and corrected if required at every level so that improvements can be seen towards the betterment of the organization. Sainsbury doesn’t discriminate their employees on caste, creed or culture. It gives equal opportunities to all employees and genders. It gives them the chance to improve their skill set, performance, and behavior so that they can become the asset for the company, not a liability. It also caters the need for health and safety of its employees by providing them proper medical aids on regular basis so that all employees can perform better and productivity can be increased which in turn helps the companies to perform better in a bigger picture and it gives added advantage from the competitors (Goodman and Goodman, 2016).

Human resource management works in a very volatile environment which is influenced by many factors in organizations. It could be internal factors or external.  Internal factors can be controlled and monitored these are the factors within the organization which Human resource management has to deal with it. There are few factors on which organizations have no control over it. At times companies are driven by external factors which influence them in taking certain decisions. In the last 25 years, external and internal factors has affected the companies at huge level which are explained in below points:

The political factors play a major role that is mainly responsible for the mission of the company as well as in their strategy. The policies of the government in any country also pose some threats as well as hurdles for HR professionals. The HR department has required handling as well as managing the working environment of the company according to the lows of the country within which the company does their business. There are certain administrative and legal environments that provide a framework within which the company needs to operate their business (Albrecht et al., 2015).

The economic factor is one of the essential factors that have altered the HRM practices directly as well as indirectly. The economic condition of the economy is directly related to the labor market and labor supply that affect the recruitment as well as selection patterns of the companies.

Learning and Development

These are the factors in which an organization has a direct impact on their work and performance as at times when legislative rules are changed or amended. It embeds the companies to follow it through the core else there would be implications to it. There are certain HR related laws that are practicing at the global level such as equal employment, safety, and health management, disability accommodations and sexual harassment prevention which are important for the companies to take care of that (Gatewood, Field and Barrick, 2015).

The quality of the product is cover under internal factors that affected the performance of the companies at a greater level. The quality of the product plays an essential role in the success of the business. The consumers are attracted towards the product with great quality at affordable price. Therefore, the companies need to concentrate on the quality of the product at a greater level. These internal factors affected the demand of the product in the market. The companies need to concentrate on such factors for leading in the competitive market (Brewster, 2017).

There are certain workplaces that have a tough place to work but still, employees are willing to work in those companies for a longer period as the environment or facilities or conditions under which employees are great. It is one of the factors which decide the success of any organization as if employees are not happy to work in the present conditions they will not think to switch to competitors.

Technology is one of the key differentiators for any organization in this competitive world. It gives significant growth opportunities in the world of internet. The HR department would able to work in an effective manner with the help of internet. The HR department makes the better use of certain tools to communicate with the employees in an effective manner (Stone et al., 2015).

• Case of Asda

With the help of internet Asda has been able to reach out to its customers widely while they are sitting at their home. Asda has started selling their products online. They have their own food delivery service system which is increasing their sales and revenue. Asda has seen the growth rate of 25% year by year. Almost 90% of England has been covered by a network of Asda. The company has successfully attained the automated activities which help them to deliver good quality of products. They are able to deliver the quality of products due to the constant improvement in the system which they are bringing time to time. They have a strong network which helps them to achieve the desired results. Asda has highly skilled labor which helps to produce more goods which in turn reduces the cost per product (Akanji, 2017).

• The case of British Airlines

There are several HRM practices that linked with the relative economic prosperity of the country. The instability in the economy of UK affects the performance as well as HR practices at a greater level. The instability in the economy of the company generates the issue of retaining and providing the training to their employees. British Airlines has cut the job due to the downward slope of the economy of UK. It creates dissatisfaction among the employees of the company that has generated the issue of strike by their employees. It greatly affected the goodwill of the company as well as also faced the loss of millions of pounds by the company (BBC News, 2011).

• A case of Marks and Spencer

Internal and External Environment Factors Influencing HRM Policy and Practice in the UK

Political factors in England have a tremendous influence on the performance of the Marks and Spencer. Currently, England government is in debts so as to clients debts are at peak. This impacts the overall purchasing power of an individual, which in turn becomes difficult for companies to generate profits and a great amount of pressure is felt by Marks and Spencer. Marks and Spencer not only have to deal or work in this market but eventually increase its wealth and strength which helps to create a market hold. Political factors are not so favorable for Marks and Spencer, these days it has managed to gain or sustain in this market due to presence for a long time. Due to their vintage, they are able to deliver the quality and great amount of products to the consumers (Díaz et al., 2015).    

Equality act 2010, icglc

British American Tobacco is one of the leading multinational companies that are handling different subsidiaries in different countries. The company is providing the facility of paternity leave and maternity leave as well as. The company obeying and follow the legal requirements that are imposed by the government through Essential National Industries (Employment) Decree ERP (2007). The company also needs to take care of the things according to the Equality Act 2010 of UK; this act was introduced to protect the interest of employees.

 The company provides the maternity and paternity leave according to the requirement of UK standards of managing employees (Evans-Reeves, Hatchard and Gilmore, 2015). It helps the company to lead in a market in an effective manner. Other than that the government of UK has enhanced the retirement age for the employees from 65 to 70.  It has affected the company in positive as well as negative manner. The companies would now able to retain experienced skills for a longer period but at the same time, the companies also restricted to hire fresh employees that limit them to new ideas in their organization (Barrett and Sargeant, 2015).  

Conclusion

The conclusion can be done from the above analysis that, the management of human resource plays a vital role in the success of the business. The company would able to retain the employees in an effective manner with the help of human resource management. The HR department recruits the employees according to the requirement of the company that would lead the business in a competitive environment. One of the leading companies Sainsbury also set up a human resource department in an organization to compete in the market in an effective manner. The HR handles the process of recruitment, retaining as well as handle the conflict of employees to satisfy them. The company has high retention ratio of employees that make the company more successful. Other than that there are certain internal as well as external factors that affected the performance of the companies at a greater level. The economic environment of UK is unstable that created issues for companies such as British Airlines have faced the issue of strike by their employees due to the instability of the economy in the UK. There are certainly other factors such as political, cultural, legal as well as technological factors that affected the performance of the companies at a greater level. The HR department needs to concentrate on such factors to succeed in a competitive market.

References

AF, D.D. and Najeeb, A.Z. (2018) The Impact of Training and Information and Communication Technology on Employees Performance: An Empirical Study on Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Companies in Amman. GSL J Busin Manag Admin Affair, 1, p.110.

Akanji, B. (2017) A Case Analysis on the Adequacy of Work-Life Balance Practices in UK Small-and Medium-Sized Enterprises. Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, 5(3), pp.199-213.

Albrecht, S.L., Bakker, A.B., Gruman, J.A., Macey, W.H. and Saks, A.M. (2015) Employee engagement, human resource management practices and competitive advantage: An integrated approach. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 2(1), pp.7-35.

Albrecht, S.L., Bakker, A.B., Gruman, J.A., Macey, W.H. and Saks, A.M. (2015) Employee engagement, human resource management practices and competitive advantage: An integrated approach. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 2(1), pp.7-35.

Anwaar, S., Nadeem, A.B. and Hassan, M. (2016) Critical assessment of the impact of HR strategies on employees’ performance. Cogent Business & Management, 3(1), p.1245939.

Argent, R.M., Sojda, R.S., Giupponi, C., McIntosh, B., Voinov, A.A. and Maier, H.R. (2016) Best practices for conceptual modelling in environmental planning and management. Environmental modelling & software, 80, pp.113-121.

Bailey, C., Mankin, D., Kelliher, C. and Garavan, T. (2018) Strategic human resource management. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Barrett, B. and Sargeant, M. (2015) Working in the UK without a default retirement age: health, safety, and the oldest workers. Industrial law journal, 44(1), pp.75-100.

BBC News. (2011) BA strike: Airline and union agree to end dispute [Online]. Available from: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-13373638 [Accessed on 24/12/18]

Bratton, J. and Gold, J. (2017) Human resource management: theory and practice. Basingstoke: Palgrave.

Brewster, C. (2017) The integration of human resource management and corporate strategy. In Policy and practice in European human resource management (pp. 22-35). London: Routledge.

Díaz, S., Demissew, S., Carabias, J., Joly, C., Lonsdale, M., Ash, N., Larigauderie, A., Adhikari, J.R., Arico, S., Báldi, A. and Bartuska, A. (2015) The IPBES Conceptual Framework—connecting nature and people. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 14, pp.1-16.

Eccles, R.G., Krzus, M.P. and Ribot, S. (2015) Models of best practice in integrated reporting 2015. Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, 27(2), pp.103-115.

Evans-Reeves, K.A., Hatchard, J.L. and Gilmore, A.B. (2015) ‘It will harm business and increase illicit trade’: an evaluation of the relevance, quality and transparency of evidence submitted by transnational tobacco companies to the UK consultation on standardised packaging 2012. Tobacco control, 24(e2), pp.e168-e177.

Gatewood, R., Feild, H.S. and Barrick, M. (2015) Human resource selection. New York: Nelson Education.

Goodman, M.K. and Goodman, D. (2016) Ethical Campaigning and Buyer-Driven Commodity Chains: Transforming Retailers’ Purchasing Practices?. In Consuming Space. London: Routledge.

Gruissem, W., 2015. Genetically modified crops: the truth unveiled. Agriculture & Food Security, 4(1), p.3.

Liu, Y., Gibson, G.R. and Walton, G.E. (2017) A three-stage continuous culture approach to study the impact of probiotics, prebiotics and fat intake on faecal microbiota relevant to an over 60 s population. Journal of Functional Foods, 32, pp.238-247.

Marchington, M., Wilkinson, A., Donnelly, R. and Kynighou, A. (2016) Human resource management at work. London: Kogan Page Publishers.

Ostroff, C. and Bowen, D.E. (2016) Reflections on the 2014 decade award: Is there strength in the construct of HR system strength?. Academy of Management Review, 41(2), pp.196-214.

Rohwer, L. and Topi?, M. (2018) The communication of Corporate–NGO Partnerships: analysis of Sainsbury’s collaboration with Comic Relief. Journal of Brand Management, pp.1-14.

Stone, D.L., Deadrick, D.L., Lukaszewski, K.M. and Johnson, R. (2015) The influence of technology on the future of human resource management. Human Resource Management Review, 25(2), pp.216-231.

Trullen, J., Stirpe, L., Bonache, J. and Valverde, M. (2016) The HR department’s contribution to line managers’ effective implementation of HR practices. Human Resource Management Journal, 26(4), pp.449-470.

Van Gunsteren, H.R. (2018) A theory of citizenship: Organizing plurality in contemporary democracies. London: Routledge.

Woo, K.Y. and Lee, S.K. (2018) Price convergence in the UK supermarket chains: Evidence from nonlinear cointegration approach. Economics and Business Letters, 7(3), pp.115-125.