Organization Background information
The business of retail sector of UK keeps on changing with respect to the new technologies being introduced. E-commerce phase of retail sector is making the job easier for seeking a new market. The UK food sector is a highly competitive place for retailers as the trends of customers’ demand changes very fast. For opening and running successfully, the ABC retail food store, a highly motivated work team is be needed who can perform well in the tense situations faced by the retail sector due to fast changing consumer needs and demands (Crown, 2013). In the year 2015, the volume of sales for the month of April was estimated to increase by 4.7% as compared to the sales for April 2014. In comparison to the increment in the sales of the retail sector in March, the quantity purchased in the retail sector had increased by 1.2% (ONS, 2015a). All these have increased the pressure of doing business effectively and efficiently on the industry incumbents. In due course, the role of human capital has increased incrementally in business.
RSS with Organizational Strategic Plan
The retail sector of UK is very vast, and it includes food stores, non food retail stores, petrol stations, etc. The employment in retail was increased to a whole new level in the year of 2013 with 15.8% of total employed persons in UK as the total productivity of retail sector increases (ONS, 2015b).
Organizational strategic planning is an important tool; that helps the strategic management of the public sector in finding the right strategic direction of the business (Ugboro, Obeng, & Spann, 2010). The recruitment search and selection (RSS) process links with the strategic organizational goals in such a way that it helps the organization in achieving its goals. The current goal of the organization is to hire the competitive team of managers that should lead the staff teams towards the completion of the goals assigned with success. The managers must make sure that the mission of the company is followed throughout the activities conducted in the business cycle. Internal promotion of the current employees is done for the posts of Lower level management in the firm. It is done by measuring the performance of the each every employee against the target he is assigned to complete in the given time period. These time based targets motivate the workers of the workplace for resulting in greater achievement for the company.
Workforce Planning and Recruitment Process
Workforce planning holds key significance in human resource management, as it determines the type of the people that an organization requires in order to achieve the future milestone (Erasmus, and Schenk, 2008). ABC retailers have a comprehensive mechanism for planning and aligning their workforce. Recruitment policy is based on tests and interviews in order to examine the core capabilities of candidates applying for certain vacant positions. Firstly, the shortlisted candidates are called for the test to check whether or not their level of knowledge matches the criteria of advertised position. After the test, 25% of total candidates (who appears for test) are shortlisted for interviews on the basis of their performance in the test. The managers appointed for the interviews have solid command over the knowledge of the relevant department.
After the lapse of two months, which are marked as probation period, competitively strong employees are retained. The performance of employees is tracked by HRM, and punishment and reward system makes them adopt cautious as well as a motivational approach to their work. Consistently bad performers are warned, and their contracts are terminated if the bad performance sustains even after continuous warnings.
Evaluation of Use of Position Description
Certain members of the top management are assigned to keep monitoring the work performance of employees occupying different positions. The managers that are given this charge have proper relevant knowledge of the positions that they monitor. They release monthly and annual employee performance reports for the comparative analysis of different members of the workforce in terms of performance. All the reports are reviewed and analyzed both in the light of previous performance as well as with comparison to reports collected from different employees. It provides the HRM with a platform to base their future decisions for thus monitored employees. These decisions can be in any one of four possible forms:
Relevant recommendations after the identification of areas to improve.
Demotion or termination of the contract on the basis of utterly disappointing performance.
The announcement of award or prize prompted by the excellent display of professionalism.
Improvement in the rank of top performers (promotions)
It shows that the company has a standard set of rules defined for the evaluation and the improvement of the position description.
Job Analysis
Franklin (2005) regards the job analysis as a process that is utilized by the human resource management of any organization to evaluate the true nature, core duties of, and qualifications required for certain jobs. ABC Retailers come up with the most up-to-date system for the best accomplishment of this complicated task. Highly competitive analysts who have an extraordinary knowledge of certain position undertake the responsibility to conduct a complete job analysis required for any specific vacant position. First of all, they define the basic criteria of undertakings or duties required to be satisfied for that position. This basic analysis is followed by the analysis of directly or indirectly linked responsibilities. After this, the direction of analysis is switched to the responsibilities of HRM. The requisite work environment is preferably highlighted in this context. After this, HRM is dictated by the need of specific kind of training for required position. Hence, the policies of the company towards job analysis not only clear the way towards the selection of the most proper employee for a vacant position, but also generate the possibility of hundred percent work performance by defining the role of HRM simultaneously.
Policies and Procedures to Support Recruitment
It is made sure that nothing from merits to limitations of the underlying policies or procedures remains hidden from senior managers. Moreover, it is only after the consent is shown from them that these policies are put into action (implemented). Any amendments suggested by approving authorities are preferably included in the recruitment procedure.
Use of technology in recruitment and selection
As the technology progress with the ever increasing speed, the process of recruitment and selection in a sector is also changed. In last four years, the technology has shifted the paths of recruitment from paperwork to online. Still, most of the organizations use both the methods of recruiting the employees (Chapman, & Webster, 2003).
The use of technology in the process of recruitment and selection helps the HR department of the company to fill in the gap caused by inefficient talent management of early times. With the use of technology, a great amount of talent is managed more effectively as compared to earlier times. The technology will help the recruiters of the firm in reducing the working hours for aligning their regular tasks of hiring. There is software available on the market that can be used for the recruitment purpose, and this software could sort the resumes for the HR managers as per their requirements of the position.
The job posting for the recruitment and selection purpose inside the retail food business will be targeted towards the desired market of candidates.
Job Advertising
A good job advertising done by the company recruiters will help the company in attaining the managers that will take the organization to the success of its mission and vision. This will help the organization in hiring a team of talented people inside the company. Job advertising will be done for the management post only as discussed above because the job opportunities below managerial level are filled by internal recruitment process of promoting the successful employees of the respected field.
The jobs are advertised with a scope of equal opportunities for both male and female workers. In the job advertisement created, a short summary of what the company does and what its goals are is also stated clearly for better receiving of resumes. Company’s short history of achievement is also added in the job advertisement. This helps in creating a better image of the company in the market so that it can attain its vision successfully. With the better job advertising, the company also achieves the targeted marketplace.
Internal job advertisement is done the employer on the basis of job fairs and some private posting on the notice boards of the firm.
Trial of Forms and Documents
Basic information including their name, identity, gender, nationality, etc.
Information based on religious background including religion and sect.
Academic details including grades and divisions achieved at different levels of academic career and the details of other relevant diplomas/courses.
Apart from this, there is a subjective section of the form that requires candidates to describe their purpose for applying, understanding to the nature of the underlying position, and their views about the organization in detail. All the applicants are supposed to attach all essential documents including three photographs, two copies of Identity Card, and all academic degrees and experience certificates to the application form.
Support
Cable (2013) highlights the importance of recruiters’ proper training for better chances of successful completion of the procedure. If the recruiting staff is well aware of their duties, and follows well-directed approach to the matter of selection, the selected employees are very likely to add handsomely to organizational profitability being the products of the most refined recruitment policies.
Communication of Policies
Human resource management of the organization is renowned for the smooth flow of upstream or downstream communication. Furthermore, it utilizes the most refined techniques of both internal (within the organization), and external communication of existing or emerging policies. The change management mechanism obligates HRM to take the whole body of an organization consisting of all employees, managers, and regional directors into confidence before implementing any new change. This confidence is nurtured through proper communication.
For instance, when the top management of the retailer expressed the wish to capitalize on emerging opportunity of business expansion by establishing their stores in new locations of London, there were some objections raised by regional directors and lower managers. In response to this, meetings were conducted in which the presentations were given regarding the underlying change (expansion) to emphasize its importance and need. Consequently, these meetings and presentations purge the minds of opposing parties of all doubts, uncertainties, apprehensions, and suspicions involved in the decision. Therefore, the credit must be given to the proper communication of the policy for its riskless implementation.
Outsourcing
Outsourcing is not new for the UK industries. Many public sector companies have contracted the private companies for outsourcing such resources that are assumed as company’s time wasters such as electrical appliance maintenance, security providers, etc. Outsourcing has created many jobs across UK and around the globe.
For attaining the company’s goal for attainment of its mission, the hiring of the high level and middle level management of retail food store has been outsourced to many different recruitment portals working online in different states of UK i.e. only top level or middle level manager jobs are offered through different job portals. The jobs for higher and middle level manager level posts are posted in newspapers and on linkedin.com and jobs.ac.uk, and totaljobs.com for gaining the major part of the resource of managers available.
With such outsourcing process, the food chain can attain lower operational costs and other internal resources of work can be utilized for some other activities along with the increase in profit the business.
Selection Procedures
Miller, and Gordon (2014) are of the view that the overall organizational performance, to a large extent, depends on the selection procedure. It is true or wrong estimations from HRM regarding the suitability of certain candidates for specific positions that determines the success or failure of the procedure. Given below is the info-graphic detail of selection process, which is commonly followed in the food industry of the UK as well as in many other types of businesses.
Advising of Outcomes and Executing Contracts
Advising of outcomes is another integral factor in the selection process, which plays an active role from the beginning until the completion of the procedure. Usually, it is based on the set of predefined terms and conditions associated with different situations encountered or created by selected candidates in near or remote future. These terms and conditions are either communicated solely in written form requiring candidates to put a signature on specified place or this written material is coupled with a verbal explanation. As for ABC retailers, both means are utilized for the selected candidates to make them understand each part of advising in the most articulate manner.
All the candidates are informed of certain risks and threats related to their positions prior to occupying them. Furthermore, the company also makes it clear that none of their employees is given permanent contracts, and they are to be revised on an annual basis depending on the performance of the candidates. Furthermore, it is also articulately mentioned that any extreme violation of environmental or cultural discipline (harassment, theft, suspicion of fanaticism) can lead to the termination of the contract. Furthermore, selected candidates are also made informed about the rewards and appraisal that they can expect in case of asserting their competitive strength.
Summary of Recommendation
Even though the HRM structure of the organization is well established and close to perfection, yet there is reasonable room for improvement that guarantees enhanced organizational profitability if covered. Given below are some of the core recommendations for the human resource management of the ABC food retailers keeping in view with all the key facts mentioned in the report:
Top management needs to give their conventional approach a touch of creativity in order to better cope with the requirements of today’s dynamic business climate.
All the persons involved in recruitment and selection process must be well trained in order to align perfectly with the core requirements of the procedure.
Human resource management should introduce proper training programs for the best utilization of employees’ polished skills.
Revision interval of the contract must be extended to three years. It will create among workforce a sense of the better level of job security, which is very likely to reflect in their work performance.
HRM should take advantage of the most updated technologies to achieve various purposes such as recruitment, selection, tracking employees’ performance, and many others more sophisticatedly than otherwise.
Organization should add employee-friendly compensation plan i.e. pension, decent annual increment, and retirement plan in order to boost their level of motivation that is largely dependent on these policies (McCoy, 1992)
List of References
Cable, D. M. (2013). The Oxford handbook of recruitment. Oxford University Press.
Chapman, D. S., & Webster, J. (2003). The use of technologies in the recruiting, screening, and selection processes for job candidates. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, vol. 11, no. 2‐3, pp. 113-120.
Crown. (2013). A Strategy For Future Retail. Available from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/252383/bis-13-1204-a-strategy-for-future-retail-industry-and-government-delivering-in-partnership.pdf [Accessed 22nd June 2015]
Erasmus, B., & Schenk, H. (2008). South African human resource management: Theory & practice. Juta and Company Ltd.
Franklin, M. (2005). A guide to job analysis. American Society for Training and Development.
McCoy, T. J. (1992). Compensation and motivation: Maximizing employee performance with behavior-based incentive plans. Amacom.
Miller, V. D., & Gordon, M. E. (Eds.). (2014). Meeting the Challenge of Human Resource Management: A Communication Perspective. Routledge.
ONS. (2015a). Release: Retail Sales, April 2015. Available from http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/rsi/retail-sales/april-2015/index.html [Accessed 22nd June 2015]
ONS. (2015b). Statistical bulletin: Retail Sales, April 2015. Available from http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/rsi/retail-sales/april-2015/stb-rsi-april-2015.html#tab-Contributions-to-growth [Accessed 22nd June 2015]
Ugboro, I. O., Obeng, K., & Spann, O. (2010). Strategic planning as an effective tool of strategic management in public sector organizations: Evidence from public transit organizations. Administration & Society
