MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES

3.  Communicating

To end up with a policy best suited to your business, communication is essential.  There are many effective ways to ensure this happens, for example:

• Establishing a management/staff project team to create and implement flexible work practices, and regularly talks to employees about its progress;
• Talking to managers, both individually and in groups, to get them involved;
• Getting managers to talk to their staff, choose people who understand what you're trying to do so they can support and implement the new programme;
• Sending out newsletters to let employees know what's happening - a good idea for small to medium sized businesses; and
• Using email and intranet as a fast and efficient means of "talking" to employees in larger businesses.

The aim is to keep employees informed of all progress and give them a sense of ownership of the new policy that is being developed.

4.  Developing strategies

By this stage, with a good profile of your workforce and a detailed understanding of their needs, you'll have a better idea of which flexible work practices are best suited to your business.  These may include flexible:

• Working hours, for example, condensed hours or part-time work;
• Leave provisions, for example, carer's leave, parental leave, single days annual leave;
• Work locations, for example, working from home, teleporting; and
• Employment arrangements, for example job-sharing.

Whatever strategies you decide upon, the most important thing you need is the support and backing of senior managers.  This may involve training on:

• The types of flexible practices available;
• How to develop practical solutions to new requests for flexibility;
• How to manage a diverse work team; and
• How to effectively implement flexibility.

It is essential to include flexible working in your performance review/appraisal process for managers and workers to help them feel comfortable with the new arrangements and to take responsibility for ensuring they work well.

5.  Evaluating

A very important and final step!  A good policy will have an in-built evaluation process to help you measure its success and highlight improvements that may be needed.  This may include outlining key performance indicators and work objectives, and setting a review period, of three to six months, where feedback from employees, their managers and even clients is gathered to determine the impact of flexibility on the workplace. (  &  P, 2001)

P2.1 - Explain how a model of flexibility might be applied in practice. Relate this to the organization chosen or reflect your argument with examples.

Flexibility is no longer an optional extra that employers may offer, but a "must have" that many job seekers and current employees look for.  Simply having a flexibility policy however isn't enough to satisfy this need or for an organization to be considered best practice. 

To be best practice, workplace flexibility must not only be:

• Communicated in a policy which is broad in nature and appeal, offering a variety of flexible work options to a wide range of people; but also
• Implemented by a business that is really committed to making flexibility work effectively.

How can you achieve best practice?

Many businesses have the best intentions and develop a good policy, but it goes nowhere in practice.  The gap between policy and practice can be bridged by providing managers with the support they need to implement flexibility (ie knowledge, confidence and implementation skills) and building skills amongst employees and teams.

How can flexibility be accessed?

A few simple measures can help ensure flexibility is easily accessed within a business, for example:

• Offering a wide range of options for flexibility across all areas of the business and for all staffing levels;
• Providing real examples to all staff of successful flexible working arrangements within the business;
• Openly supporting staff in their need for flexibility, showing a high level of commitment;
• encouraging staff to voice their opinions about the availability and accessibility of flexibility;
• offering a way for employees to access flexible hours and offering vacancies on a part-time basis to people who can't work full-time; and
• Developing a set of fair decision making criteria for managers to use when assessing requests for flexible working practices.

How can flexibility be implemented effectively?

To effectively implement a workplace flexibility policy, managers must:

• become role models for flexibility, accessing flexible work arrangements themselves;
• be knowledgeable about the range of flexibility options available and how to manage them;
• have practical skills and confidence to lead a team with different working arrangements and be able to cope if implementation is difficult;
• track the career progression of staff who are working flexibly and ensure they have access to all training and other benefits; and
• always evaluate the outcomes of the arrangement and look for improvements.

What are some examples of workplace flexibility?

The winners of the (Australian) National Work and Family Awards, provide great examples of best practice workplace flexibility - and demonstrable outcomes. 

Some of the practices used by past winners include offering:

• a work/life choices programme involving a compressed work week, a preferred meeting time policy (between 9am and 4pm) and one day paid employee volunteering;
• on-site child care, flexible work arrangements (flexible shifts and job-share) and concierge facilities (employee car servicing and internet banking access);
• 22 weeks paid maternity leave, 10 days partner leave at the time of birth and 52 weeks leave without pay to raise children up to six years of age; and
• Paid time off during school holidays for employees with children and family friendly employee rewards. (Somerfield, 2005)

P2.2 - Discuss the types of flexibility which may be developed by the chosen organization or give examples.

Functional Flexibility: is sought so that employees can be redeployed quickly and smoothly between activities and tasks. Functional flexibility may require multi-skilling.

For example, it may mean a reduction in demarcation lines between occupations, or in boundaries between individual jobs. There are fewer jobs reserved for employees with specific occupational backgrounds: in the NHS, for example, nurses are increasingly taking on functions formerly reserved for medical staff. Job definitions become increasingly unhelpful in many workplaces, particularly where team working or multi skilling is introduced.

Financial flexibility: provides for pay levels to reflect the state of supply and demand in the external labor market and also means the use of flexibility pay systems that facilitate either functional or numerical flexibility.

Example, by sales staff, performance (or profit) related pay has spread to other groups throughout the workforce. This element of flexibility is important to employers as a means of linking costs to output and reducing the importance of the link between pay and prices.

Flexibility in the pattern and organization of work which describes a wide range of practices including:

Numerical flexibility: Numerical flexibility or the ability of firms to adjust the number of employees or the number of hours worked to reflect business needs. Many more employees are now on short-team or temporary contacts, or are employed on a part time basis, or self-employed. This issue is discussed more fully later. We note her simply that the changes are driven primarily by changes in the nature of employer’s business. (Baum, T., (1995)

Example, supermarkets employ part-time labour so as to better match the hours when customers prefer to shop; temporary contract for nurse may be used to match peak demand for hospital services.

Working time or flexibility: This relates to variations in the number and timing of hour’s flexibility worked.

Example: Include flexi time, annual hour’s contracts and overtime;

Location flexibility: Employees to work away from the office base.

Example:  Home working and teleporting.

P2.3 - Assess the use of flexible working practices from both the employee and the employer perspective.

Flexible work programs are work arrangements wherein employees are given greater scheduling freedom in how they fulfill the obligations of their positions. The most commonplace of these programs is flextime, which gives workers far greater leeway in terms of the time when they begin and end work, provided they put in the total number of hours required by the employer. Other common flexible working arrangements involve telecommuting, job-sharing, and compressed work weeks.

Supporters of flexible work programs hail them as important recognition of the difficulties that many employees have in balancing their family obligations and their work duties, and they note that such programs can make a company more attractive to prospective employees. Critics contend, however, that while flexible employment initiatives do attempt to redress some long-time inequities in the work life-family life balance, ill-considered plans can have a deleterious impact on a company.

ADVANTAGES OF FLEXIBLE WORK PROGRAMS

Defenders of flexible work initiatives point to the competitive advantages that such programs bring to companies that move in that direction. Perhaps the single most cited reason for introducing a flexible work environment is employee retention. Indeed, many businesses contend that the recent trend toward flextime and other programs has made it necessary for them to introduce their own programs or risk losing valued employees. "Another business argument for flexible work arrangements is that they allow companies to match the peaks and valleys of activity," wrote Elizabeth Sheley in HRMagazine. "More organizations have shifted their focus to how potential changes in schedule will affect the product. Reduced absenteeism, though often overlooked, is also a legitimate business rationale; flexible options not only strengthen commitment, but also give employees more time to handle the very situations that sometimes lead to absenteeism."

Proponents also note that, in many respects, flexible work programs provide a way for businesses to increase employee loyalty without resorting to making fundamental changes in their operations. Indeed, Sheley observed that "the most popular flexible work options are those that involve the least change. Flex time and compressed work weeks, for example, call for the same number of hours, at the same workplace, as in traditional work arrangements."

In addition, some supporters of flexible work arrangements argue that such programs can actually have a positive impact on the productivity of employees. They contend that employees who are better able to attend to family needs through flex time are more likely to be contented and productive, while good employees who telecommute may get even more work done if they are freed up from office interruptions.

Business can also use flexible programs to address institutional problems. For instance, a small-or mid-sized business that is crammed into a small facility or office may want to explore telecommuting programs in order to relieve the situation without resorting to an expensive relocation or expansion. Finally, proponents say the flexible work programs can be beneficial to companies by enhancing their public image and expanding the number of hours during which customers can be serviced. (Peak, Martha H 1994)

DISADVANTAGES OF FLEXIBLE WORK PROGRAMS

Flexible work programs have many apparent advantages, but critics point out that ill-conceived programs can have a negative impact on businesses, and they add that even good programs often present challenges that a business has to address.

First of all, business owners and managers need to recognize that flexible work arrangements are not always appropriate for all people, jobs, or industries. Telecommuting and other "flexi place" arrangements, for example, can be disastrous (or at the very least a productivity drain) if used by employees who are unwilling or unable to put in a full day of work amid the non-work temptations (television, pleasure reading, housecleaning, etc.) of a home setting. Other companies, meanwhile, find that employees "flex" in and out of the business at such different hours that overhead costs increase, customer service suffers (i.e., no one comes in until 9:30 a.m., a state of affairs that forces customers and vendors to cool their heels until then), and manufacturing output suffers. This latter factor makes flex time a difficult fit for many manufacturing facilities. "Many of the factory operations depend on each other being there," said human resources consulting executive Terry McGeorge in an interview with The Milwaukee Business Journal. "Especially when you talk about the concept of work-cell team manufacturing, they really all have to be there at the same time." (Mullins, Robert.2004)

Critics also contend that flex programs often leave managers in exceedingly difficult situations. "Far too often, flex is embraced … for its 'family-friendly' aspects long before the corporate support needed to manage it takes root," wrote Martha H. Peak in Management Review. "In these companies, flex policies are outlined in the employee manual but implementation is left up to individual managers. Then, when managers try to implement these programs, they discover that to be fair, flex requires them to treat different employees differently."

Finally, many observers argue that businesses launch flexible work plans without adequate preparation. "I know that flex is a basic element of family-friendly and that family-friendly is a requisite for competitive companies," stated Peak. "But it takes more than a statement in the policy manual to institutionalize flex. It takes new methodologies to measure job success and investment in technologies to keep employees in constant communication." (Kirrane, Diane E.1996)

P 2.4 - Discuss the impact that changes in the labour market have had on flexible working practices

The overwhelming majority of IoD member organisations operate flexible working practices and would do so regardless of legislative compliance. One must therefore conclude that flexible working practices have had a favourable impact. In order to assess this fully, IoD members were asked whether there had been a noticeable impact on the ‘bottom-line’ from the use of flexible working. 46 per cent of IoD members say there has been a noticeable impact on the bottom-line of their organisation from the introduction of flexible working practices. 81 per cent say this impact has been positive.12 The proportion stating there had been a noticeable impact on the bottom-line was significantly higher for smaller companies, ranging from 34 per cent (201+ employees), to 51 per cent (26–50 employees) to 59 per cent (1–25 employees). It would appear from the survey that flexible working works best for smaller companies. This is a significant finding given that other survey evidence suggests the growth in flexible working has been greatest for larger organisations.

  Task-3

P3. Understand the impact of equal opportunities within the workplace of your organization and compare it with Tesco.

Tesco is a well known organisation and they followed some same equal opportunities for their own employees. They are discussed below:

Benefits

People are most important asset, and a key objective is to select and retain the best. Many organizations offer their staff an attractive benefits package, including flexible hours and leave, profit-share, an award-winning defined benefit pension, subsidized meals and childcare vouchers.

Tesco provide Privilege Card scheme, all staff with over 12 months’ service receive a 10% discount on their shopping at Tesco. They are also able to take advantage of discounts at Tesco.com, on their financial products, holidays, gym membership, childcare vouchers and health cover. Each staff member receives a Benefits Book annually to explain all the benefits they can take advantage of, and a personal Benefits Report summarizing their total package. This year 160,000 staff shared £63 million in profits.

Careers & training

Tesco is committed to developing people to fulfill their potential. This year over 2,000 people in their stores have progressed into management positions. 95% of retail staff was trained to their ‘bronze’ level of competency.

All staff has access to training programs and a personal development plan, with six-monthly reviews, to ensure that they have the right skills for their job. Tesco delivers an extensive program of learning through the Tesco Academy. This offers everyone in the company learning that is tailored to their own personal development needs – from induction and core skills to operational and leadership skills.

Family

Tesco aims to be a family-friendly employer, giving mothers in particular the most favorable employment terms possible. They offer family-friendly shift patterns, maternity leave for all, paid paternity leave, equal training and development opportunities for part-time workers, and a career break scheme. Where practical, our staff is able to job-share, work flexi-time or compressed hours, shift swap, work from home or work part-time. We offer childcare vouchers to all staff, whether full or part-time, and these can be used for most types of childcare. Last year we took part in the DTI Work-Life Balance Challenge Fund and ideas arising from this have been implemented in our flexible working request policy.

P3.1 Explain the forms of discrimination that can take place in your workplace.

Discrimination can take one or more of the forms set out below.

Direct discrimination is treating one person less favourably than another in the same or similar circumstances, or segregating them from others solely because they have for example a disability or illness. Refusing to employ someone who has the required skills because they are, For example: deaf, over a certain age or pregnant would constitute such discrimination.

Indirect discrimination occurs where there is a provision, criterion or practice which applies Employment discrimination can take a number of forms, including illegal hiring and firing, on-the-job harassment, denial of a worker's promotions or raises and unequal pay. There are a number of federal and state statutes that protect employees from discrimination in the workplace, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967.

Age

Employers may not discriminate based on an employee's age, provided that the employee is over the  age for employment in the state.

Gender

It is illegal to discriminate against an employee on the basis of gender.

Religion

Employers may not fire, censure, or otherwise discriminate against workers because of their religious affiliation.

Disability

Federal  prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of disability, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Marital Status

Marital status is a protected designation under federal law. Employers may not discriminate against employees based on whether or not they are married.

Citizenship

Provided that employees are legally authorized to work in the United States, discrimination on the basis of citizenship is barred by law. ( , , 2005)

P3.2 Discuss the practical implications of equal opportunities legislation practiced in your organization.

COMMISSION FOR RACIAL EQUALITY (London & Regions):

RACE RELATIONS ACT (RRA) 1976

1 The RRA makes it unlawful to discriminate against a person, directly or indirectly on racial grounds, in the area of employment and in the provision of goods, facilities or services. Direct racial discrimination consists of treating a person on racial grounds less favourably than others are, or would, be treated in the same or similar circumstances. Indirect racial discrimination involves applying a requirement or condition which, although applied equally to all persons of all racial groups, has a disproportionately adverse effect on a particular racial group and cannot be justifiable on any grounds other than racial grounds.

2 Racial grounds include race, colour, nationality – including citizenship, or ethnic or national grounds. Every race etc. is protected, but in practice most racial discrimination in Britain is against ethnic minorities.

3 Section 71: Local authorities must ensure their functions are carried out with regard to eliminating unlawful racial discrimination and promoting good race relations.

RACE RELATIONS AMENDMENT ACT (RRAA) 2000

The RRAA has brought the whole of the public sector within the scope of race discrimination legislation, including the police, prisons and immigration services. It aims to combat institutional racism and places a positive duty on all public bodies to promote equality. Public bodies will have to examine their career structures and their workforces and account for the lack of black people in senior positions. Local authorities' regulatory, economic and social policies are also covered.

The new enforceable positive duty to promote racial equality is anticipatory meaning that public bodies need to take action to avoid racial discrimination before it occurs by examining their policies and procedures for discriminatory impact including institutional discrimination.

The Government will bring in specific racial equality duties which will include

making impact assessments and consulting on them, conducting a wide range of ethnic monitoring and publishing reports of their racial equality work in Race Equality Schemes. Both the RRA and the SDA (next page) have specific sections that allow for employers to specify that a job is for one sex or race only - known as a Genuine Occupational Qualification (GOQ) e.g. a personal carer. Neither law refers to harassment as such, but case law has defined it as treating a person less favourably on racial grounds or on grounds of sex and/or subjecting them to a detriment. (Skyrme, David J.1997)

P3.3 Compare the approaches to managing equal opportunities and managing diversity.

Managing Diversity for Success is a four-step process:

1. Recognizing the economic consequences to the business.
2. Developing an effective strategy for managing diversity.
3. Implementing an action plan for organizational change.
4. Evaluating the diversity strategy.

Step 1 - Recognizing the economic consequences to the business

Businesses that do not have an effective strategy for managing diversity will likely experience all or some of the following consequences: loss of productivity, employee turnover, lost opportunities, and potential employment law mistakes. To avoid these consequences, decision makers need to recognize this deficiency as a business problem and acknowledge the need to develop an effective strategy for Managing Diversity for Success.

Step 2 - Developing an effective strategy for Managing Diversity for Success

i. communicating with employees

communicating with employees begins when management commits to the four-step process for Managing Diversity for Success. The method used to communicate will vary depending on the number of employees and locations. Informing employees of the diversity efforts the business will undertake will position the MDS process as an opportunity to enhance productivity and growth. As well, communicating with employees at this step of the process will prevent or lessen opportunities for the circulation of misinformation and rumours that could undermine the MDS process.

ii. Assigning responsibility

It is the responsibility of management to develop, implement, monitor, and review the organization's diversity efforts. Significant consideration is required in the selection of the individual who will lead the strategy for Managing Diversity for Success. When selecting the individual to lead this process, be sure that the person is a respected employee who consistently demonstrates a commitment to the principles of inclusion, and that the person is a decision maker with the authority to lead and act on recommendations.

iii. Allocating financial resources

There are costs to implementing the four-step process for Managing Diversity for Success. Demonstrating a commitment to this process requires management to allocate a budget in order to ensure that the diversity action plans are not subject to shifting priorities and efforts. Allocating a diversity budget sends a clear message to employees, suppliers, and customers that management is serious about bringing about changes to enhance productivity and opportunities for growth. Costs can include the diversity council, communication, diversity assessment, and employee training.

iv. Establishing a diversity council/task force

Does the organization require a diversity council or task force? Generally, a task force is time and task specific, ending with a report of the findings prepared for management. The diversity council is an integral business partner in the development, implementation, monitoring, and review of the action plan. Establishing a diversity council is an opportunity to directly involve employees who often are the company's "diversity champions." Many factors need to be considered when selecting committee members and determining the committee's goals.

v. Building accountability

Building accountability into the organization's diversity efforts begins with a clear statement from the CEO stating his/her expectations and outcomes for the diversity strategy. A business leader that sets standards and leads by example in organizational and personal actions demonstrates commitment to employees, suppliers, and customers about the importance of diverse ideas, opinions, knowledge, and skills. Although achieving diversity business success is the responsibility of all employees, long-term sustainability is achieved by holding management accountable for integrating diversity within all business functions, and by evaluating managers based on their ability to achieve diversity goals. (Derek Torrington, 2007)

Step 3 - Implementing an action plan for organizational change

I. Communicating the action plan

The components of an organization's diversity action plan will vary depending on corporate strategic goals, size of the organization, time for committee work, and human and financial resources. One of the key components for success is communicating with employees throughout the Managing Diversity for Success process to deliver a clear message: MDS is an ongoing process, not a quick fix program. The goal is to bring about real organizational change to benefit the business, employees, suppliers, and customers.

As the business moves to the implementation of the diversity action plan, responsibility for MDS is shifting from a top-down to circular approach that involves all business functions and organizational levels. The process utilizes the diverse knowledge, thinking, and talent of employees and community alliances to meet business diversity goals. Be aware that the organization is now potentially exposed for its shortcomings; it is time to walk the walk. If senior management, advisory boards, and directors do not reflect the diversity of society, change is required, or very quickly employees and the public will know that there is no commitment or action for real organizational change.

ii. Conducting the initial diversity assessment

Now that employees are informed about the MDS process, it is time to conduct an organizational diversity assessment. The diversity assessment results will give insight into the perceptions of employees relating to the workplace environment, management's contribution to creating a harmonious and productive workplace, and employee working relationships.

Including all employees in the diversity assessment provides information about the organization as a whole as well as its employee groups, i.e., position, age, gender, years of service, race, sexual orientation, etc. The diversity assessment results provide a baseline of information to measure future progress. Utilizing the diversity assessment results to plan future initiatives ensures the organization's diversity efforts are developed based on a solid foundation of information.

iii. Setting diversity business goals

Achieving diversity means a shift from a non-diverse business (workforce, suppliers, products, customers) to one that reflects the demographic characteristics of the population within all functions and organizational levels. Achieving diversity requires management to set specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic goals based on business needs and by selecting key areas where diversity can help move the business forward.

iv. Providing employee training and development

Memos and team discussions clearly state that achieving diversity is the responsibility of all employees. Opportunities for diversity training must be provided for employees to further develop their understanding of diversity and to learn the necessary skills to achieve diversity business goals. Good diversity training gives employees the skills that they can use to deal with workplace diversity, its implications and effects. Begin with awareness building to ensure that all employees understand the business and ethical reasons for implementing a diversity strategy. A second-stage diversity program should further develop employees' skills and knowledge to contribute to business success in a meaningful way.

Step 4 - Evaluating the diversity strategy

To restate, Managing Diversity for Success is an ongoing process, not a program. The goal for MDS is to establish diversity as an organizational and business value. To achieve MDS, it is imperative that management evaluates each component of the diversity strategy to determine successes, setbacks, and new opportunities in order to revise the diversity strategy.

Communicating the outcomes and future goals of the diversity strategy should be expanded beyond employee groups to include additional stakeholders and the public. The purpose of your communication strategy at this point is to talk about business goals and achievements relating to the diversity strategy for Managing Diversity for Success. The goal is to be recognized by employees, suppliers, customers, and the public as an inclusive organization that places a high value on diversity that is reflected in the business products and services. (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007)

Task-4

P4. Understand approaches to human resource practices for the chosen organization and compare it with Tesco.

Any organization, may it be profit oriented or not-for-profit, the most vital asset is its employees. And for these organizations to maximize their assets, they should manage the employees’ working condition with intelligence and efficiency (1998). They must be allowed to be involved in making work-related decisions to further enhance the organizational structure (1996). Furthermore, the structure of tasks among the employees strengthens the organizational performance (1989). It is therefore necessary to understand the employees for the organization to be effective (1983). The development, building, motivation, enhancement and enrichment of the employees of any organization largely depend on the leadership, mandate and vision of the organization (1999).

Traditionally, HRM is the helps the organizations in achieving the goals of the organization by hiring and maintaining efficient employees. According to (2002), the following are some of the responsibilities of HRM:

• Train the workforce to maintain competitiveness of the organization.
• Develop and communicate industrial policies and procedures in line with legislation.
•  Involvement in grievance and disciplinary hearings.
• Lead negotiations.
•  Implement termination and hiring procedures.
• Assessment and management of organizational climate and employees relations.
• Liaison with trade unions.
• Implementation of outcomes of collective bargaining and negotiation.
• Develop compensation strategies and polices in line with legislation and the                            organization’s business strategy.
• Attach meaningful monetary values to posts in the organization ensuring that the     organization’s compensation is in line with market forces.
• Develop appropriate compensation systems for the organization.
• Manage overall labour costs.
•    Provide current information regarding employees to be used in the decision-making process and measurement of HRM’s contribution to the organization.

 

In this case, Tesco has over 250,000 employees that contributed to the £37.974 billion GBP in 2009. The apparent effective implementation of HR functions by the HR personnel of Tesco is a basis itself to prove that HR strategy is a tool for competitive advantage. Being governed by CEO, Tesco provided comprehensive execution of the HR function with respect to the employees’ welfare.

P4.1- Compare the different methods of performance management in your organization.

The different methods of performance management in a organization are discussed below,

1. Critical incident method

The critical incidents for performance appraisal is a method in which the manager writes down positive and negative performance behaviour of employees throughout the performance period

2.  method

This method describes a performance appraisal method where ratter familiar with the jobs being evaluated prepared a large list of descriptive statements about effective and ineffective behaviour on jobs.

3. Paired comparison analysis

Paired comparison analysis is a good way of weighing up the relative importance of options.
A range of plausible options is listed. Each option is compared against each of the other options. The results are tallied and the option with the highest score is the preferred option.

4. Graphic rating scales

The Rating Scale is a form on which the manager simply checks off the employee’s level of performance. This is the oldest and most widely method used for performance appraisal.

5. Essay Evaluation method

This method asked managers / supervisors to describe strengths and weaknesses of an employee’s behaviour. Essay evaluation is a non-quantitative technique This method usually use with the graphic rating scale method.

6. Behaviourally anchored rating scales

This method used to describe a performance rating that focused on specific behaviors or sets as indicators of effective or ineffective performance. It is a combination of the rating scale and critical incident techniques of employee performance evaluation.

7. Performance ranking method

Ranking is a performance appraisal method that is used to evaluate employee performance from best to worst. Manager will compare an employee to another employee, rather than comparing each one to a standard measurement.

8. Management By Objectives (MBO) method

MBO is a process in which managers / employees set objectives for the employee, periodically evaluate the performance, and reward according to the result. MBO focuses attention on what must be accomplished (goals) rather than how it is to be accomplished (methods)

9. 360 degree performance appraisal

360 Degree Feedback is a system or process in which employees receive confidential anonymous feedback from the people who work around them. This post also include information related to appraisal methods such as 720, 540, 180…

10.Forced ranking (forced distribution)

Forced ranking is a method of performance appraisal to rank employee but in order of forced distribution.

For example, the distribution requested with 10 or 20 percent in the top category, 70 or 80 percent in the middle, and 10 percent in the bottom.

11. Behavioural Observation Scales

Behavioural Observation Scales is frequency rating of critical incidents that worker has performed. (, 2008)

P4.2- Assess the approaches to the practice of managing employee welfare in your selected   organization and Compare it with Tesco.

Employee welfare is a very broad area of interest. In our organization employee welfare is addressed to varying degrees by measures such as

1. Family friendly policies. For example, staff can in most positions opt to work part time. Or they can choose to "purchase" extra annual leave (i.e. get paid slightly less each fortnight, but get an extra 2 - 4 weeks of annual leave)

2. Flexi time - Most staff can choose how early or late they start each day, so long as they are here between 10 am and 4 pm. Of course, they have to make up time if they regularly start late or finish early. Staff can carry up to 20 hours deficit or 20 hours surplus from one month to the next. If in surplus, staff can take this time off with manager approval.

3. Employee Assistance Programs. Our agency has an arrangement with an external counseling service so that employees, or members of their immediate family can access counseling on any matter whatsoever - work issues, drug and alcohol problems, family dynamics etc.

4. Policies on bullying and harassment in the workplace. Psychological health is a big focus for us and sadly there are a few managers who are very "unhealthy" for their staff.

5. Paid Maternity & Adoption Leave - a recent industrial decision enables staff to have up to 12 weeks paid maternity or adoption leave and up to 2 years unpaid leave for each child. Of course, under equal opportunity legislation the organisation is obliged to allow the employee to return to their position when this leave is finished.

6. The agency maintains a "family friendly" website that has links to support services for a whole range of things - parenting, domestic violence, child abuse, health issues (specific to men and women) etc.

We work on the premise that to address employee welfare adequately, we need to consider the employee in the context of their whole life, and not just in the workplace. As a staff member, my observation is that these measures are very useful to staff and most staff would take advantage of at least one or two strategies to support their welfare. (Baum, T., 1995)

P4.3- Discuss the implications of health and safety legislation on human resources practices of the chosen organization and compare it with Tesco

Two of the most important pieces of health and safety legislation affecting educational establishments across the UK are the Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. These set the standards that must be met to ensure the health and safety of all employees and others who may be affected by any work activity. Other regulations also exist to cover work activities that carry specific risks, for example lifting and carrying, computer work and electricity.

P4.4 - Discuss the implications of health and safety legislation on human resources practices of the chosen organization and compare it with Tesco.

Health and safety implications

Some practical study activities, such as laboratory experiments, the use of workshop equipment and field trips, have health and safety aspects for all students. Risk assessment should address the learning situation and should be sufficiently inclusive so that it covers the implications for all students who may take part, including those with impairments and additional needs. There may be practical learning environments where there is additional health and safety issues for students with particular impairments and your teaching strategies will need to accommodate this.

There is an extensive body of legislation and regulation, for example the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and the Fire Precautions Act 1971, that specify the actions your institution must take to ensure the health and safety of staff, students and visitors. The Disability Discrimination Act does not override health and safety legislation. However, in many cases, changes to procedures, the provision of training, the purchase of equipment or the provision of human support may reduce any risks that arise in relation to disabled students. The Code of Practice associated with the post-16 requirements of Part 4 of the DDA makes the following statements.

The Health and Safety at Work Act requires institutions to produce a health and safety policy and to carry out risk assessments that list any risks and identify the measures that will be taken to reduce those risks. The risk assessment process carried out to comply with health and safety legislation may provide a useful opportunity to consider reasonable adjustments required by the DDA.

Conclusion

After discussing the entire task I understand that HRM model how to motivate labour for an organisation. What is the flexibility for the employee and what is the suitable workplace for an employee. I can understand how to improve the organisation management and legal practice.

Reference & Bibliography

• Graham, Baxter W. "The Business Argument for Flexibility." HRMagazine. May 1996.

• Kirrane, Diane E. "Wanted: Flexible Work Arrangements." Association Management. November 1994.

• Leveen-Sher, Margery. "Flexibility Is the Key to Small Business Benefits." Washington Business Journal. February 16,1996.

• Human Resource Management: A Contemporary Approach by  &   Publisher: Financial Times/ Prentice Hall; 4 edition (27 Nov 2003)  ISBN-10: 0273679112  ISBN-13: 978-0273679110

• Human Resource Management: A Concise Analysis of Theory and Practice by  &  Publisher: Financial Times/ Prentice Hall; 1 edition (28 Nov 2001) ISBN-10: 0273655108 ISBN-13: 978-0273655107

• Human Resource Management at Work: People Management and Development by  ,    Publisher: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development; 4 edition (1 Jun 2008)   ISBN-10: 9781843982005  ISBN-13: 978-1843982005

• Human Resource Development by ,  ,   Publisher: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development; 7 edition (1 Mar 2004)  ISBN-10: 1843980134  ISBN-13: 978-1843980131

• Human Resource Development: Learning and Training for Individuals and Organizations by  ,  ,  ,   Publisher: Kogan Page; 3 edition (3 Nov 2011)   ISBN-10: 0749461063  ISBN-13: 978-0749461065

• Organizational Behaviour: AND Companion Website Access Card by  , Publisher: Financial Times/ Prentice Hall; 7 edition (13 May 2010) ISBN-10: 0273728598 ISBN-13: 978-0273728597

• Stredwick, J., (2005), An Introduction to Human Resource Management, Butterworth Heinneman, ISBN 0750665343

• Human Resource Management in an International Context by     Publisher: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (1 Jan 2007) ISBN-10: 9781843981091  ISBN-13: 978-1843981091

• Human Resource Management (9th Edition) by

• How to Measure Human Resource Management by   Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 3 edition (1 Feb 2002)  ISBN-10: 9780071369985   ISBN-13: 978-0071369985

• The Workforce Scorecard: Managing Human Capital to Execute Strategy by  ,   Publisher: Harvard Business School Press (1 April 2005)  ISBN-10: 9781591392453   ISBN-13: 978-1591392453

• Peak, Martha H. "Why I Hate Flextime." Management Review. February 1994.