SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP & GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT Leeds Business School First Year (H4) Module 2016/17 CRN 22524 Fundamentals of Human Resource Management Module Team Jill Braham, [email protected] (module leader) Available Mondays & Tuesdays. Contents Page no. Introduction from Module Team 3 Module Aims 4 Learning Outcomes 4 Learning Methods 4 Communication 5 Assessment 5 Feedback 5 Indicative Learning Resources 6 Seminar Activities 8 Bibliography of Sources for Seminar Activities 31 FHRM Delivery Schedule 32 Assessment. 33 Introduction from Module Team* What is human resource management? One definition of the concept is provided by Boxall and Purcell (2000, p.184), who state: “HRM includes anything and everything associated with the management of employment relationships in the firm.” This fairly broad definition is appropriate for us for several reasons. Firstly, this module is aimed at future HR professionals. Secondly, as you will soon understand, human resource management is a function undertaken not just by specialists but by anybody with line management responsibility in the workplace today. As this is an introductory module, no prior knowledge is expected, but you will find that many of the themes and topics covered in the first semester module People, Organisations and Management (POM) underpin the practice of human resource management. Each week you will attend a lecture and a seminar. The topic introduced in the lecture will be covered in the seminar the following week. Therefore you will have at time in which to read up on and prepare for the next seminar. A new topic will be introduced in the lecture each week. Consequently, if you miss a class then you must ensure that you catch up on any work missed, because every session is important in a different way. Session materials will be provided to you in hard copy in this document, which is also available on BB9 for you to download. Please remember that formal module teaching takes place in the classroom, but learning can take place anywhere you allow it to! Most of you are full-time students and your primary commitment must be to your academic studies. For every hour spent in class you are expected to spend a minimum of another four hours in independent study. This includes reading and preparation for the next seminar. If you follow this advice, then you are likely to perform well on this module. Best wishes The Module Team Module Aims This module provides an introduction to the concepts and practices of HRM in the context of business environment. The aim is to provide an understanding of the general management functions operating within organisations and thus develop an understanding of the local and international context of dealing with people issues. The module also aims to concentrate on a wide range of generalist HR policies and practices within the four key areas of the discipline: employee resourcing, employee reward, employee relations, and employee training and development through the consideration of systems and frameworks, which helps create and sustain the employment relationship in an ethical manner within the organisation both local and international. Learning Outcomes Upon successful completion of this module you should be able to: Describe the development of personnel management & HRM and explain their role in organisations. Assess and research the main internal and external contextual factors impacting the business & how HR objectives and functions are delivered both locally and internationally. Explain and appraise the procedures and practices for obtaining suitable employees and also identify effective principles and procedures for monitoring and rewarding employees both from a local & international perspective. Evaluate whether Human Resource Management is coherent, integrated and ethical in its approach in managing people and thus evaluate whether an effective HR management and development leads to improvements in organisational effectiveness. Learning Methods The module content is arranged in sessions. A weekly one hour lecture will be supported by a two hour seminar the following week. Topics introduced in lectures will be followed up and examined in more depth in seminars. Therefore each session is deemed to begin with the lecture. Guidance on independent study will be provided at each lecture, so that you may attend seminars fully prepared and ready to participate in activities. Seminar activities may include group discussions of current issues, exercises, tests, quizzes and analyses of case studies. You are expected to download your own copies of lectures slides from VLE prior to lectures. Communication All relevant information about the module will be posted on the VLE site. You should check regularly for updates and announcements. The module team may also use Leeds Beckett email and/or the student portal for communication if appropriate. Assessment A presentation, in groups in the form of a boardroom discussion (30%) and one piece of individual coursework. (70%) The assessment will enable you to demonstrate your understanding of key concepts and principles of HRM, as well as applying these, in order to identify solutions to a specific HR problem The assessment for this module consists of 2 components: Component 1. Board room discussion. Weighting 30%. A presentation, in groups (with an individual mark) in the form of a boardroom discussion. You will be required to investigate a range of human resource management activities in a case study organisation. (Calling from India) and then present your findings in a boardroom discussion. Component 2. Individual written report. Weighting 70% An individual written report. (2500 words, +/- 10%) A written report (Westbank Call Centre) requiring you to consider a range of HRM activities & then present your findings. The teaching team will refer to the assessments in all the weekly tutorials, so you will already be familiar with the issues in the case study. Feedback Formative feedback on seminar activities will be provided on a weekly basis and seminars will also provide the opportunity for feedback on module issues. You will have the opportunity to show a draft of your final assignment to your respective tutor on the W/C 1st May 2017, through drop in sessions. Please make every effort to make an appointment with your tutor or attend the drop in sessions as instructed by your Tutors. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE TEACHING TEAM CAN READ YOUR DRAFT ONLY ONCE AND GIVE YOU FEEDBACK IN THE DROP IN SESSIONS. Requests to read Multiple copies of the drafts and provide feedback through e-mail are not possible. Indicative Learning Resources The core text for this module is listed below. You are expected to obtain a copy of this text and to read from the recommended sections on a weekly basis prior to attending the seminar. This is a minimum requirement. In addition to the core text, this module draws on a variety of sources, some of which are listed below. There are copies of all the books listed in the library. Most HR texts are shelved under the classification 658.3. You should visit the library regularly and borrow several of the many texts. By reading text books, you will gain an understanding of HR theory and policy, but in order to acquire awareness of current HR policy and practice you should also consult journals using the library on-line service. Core Text • Banfield, P. & Kay, R. (2013) Introduction to Human Resource Management, 2nd edition. Oxford, Oxford University Press. Additional Books • Beardwell, J. & Claydon, T., (2010) 6th Edition, Human Resource Management – a Contemporary Approach, Harlow, Essex, Pearson Education Ltd, FT Prentice Hall • Bratton, J.& Gold, J. (2007) Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice 4rd Edition, Basingstoke, Palgrave, Macmillan • Foot, M. & Hook, C. (2011) Introducing Human Resource Management, 6th edition, Harlow, Longman. • Huczynski, A. & Buchanan, D. (2010) Organisational Behaviour, 7th Edition, Harlow, Essex, Pearson Education Ltd, FT Prentice Hall • Martin, J. & Fellenz, M.(2010). Organisational Behaviour and Management , 3rd Edition, London, Thompson Business Press • Mullins, L. (2010) Management and Organisational Behaviour, 9th edition, Harlow, Financial Times Prentice Hall • Price, A. (2007) Human Resource Management in a Business Context, 3rd edition, London, Thomson Learning. • Stredwick, J (2005) An Introduction to Human Resource Management, 2nd Edition, Oxford, Elsevier Butterworth – Heinemann • Torrington, D., Hall, L., Taylor, S. & Atkinson, C. (2011) 8th Edition, Human Resource Management Harlow, Essex, Pearson Education Ltd • Tyson, S. (2006) Essentials of Human Resource Management, 5th edition, Oxford, Butterworth-Heinemann. Journals The following journals are available both in hard copy in the library and in electronic version via journals on-line: Human Resource Management Human Resource Management Journal Human Resource Management Review People Management Personnel Today Websites Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/by/themes/employment%20matters The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development: http://www.cipd.co.uk/ The HRM Guide: http://www.hrmguide.co.uk/ Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service http://www.acas.org.uk/ The Trades Union Congress http://www.tuc.org.uk/ Xpert HR: http://www.xperthr.co.uk/ HRM Seminar Activities The activities on the following pages are designed to be undertaken during seminar sessions. With the exception of the activities for the introductory seminar, you are expected to have read the activity and undertaken any necessary preparation including reading, prior to the session. Introductory Seminar Part 1: HR Quiz Answer the following questions: 1. What is the difference between a grievance and a disciplinary procedure? 2. What is the legal minimum holiday entitlement for full-time workers in the UK? 3. On which of the following grounds is it illegal to discriminate in the workplace? a. religion or belief b. disability c. gender reassignment d. marriage and civil partnership e. race f. age g. sex 4. What is the difference between a job description and a person specification? 5. What is the current minimum wage for 18-20 year olds? 6. If you are made redundant, what does this mean? 7. What issue lead to industrial action by the UCU (Universities and College Union) and other public sector trades unions in 2011? 8. Are you entitled by law to double time payments for working on bank holidays? 9. What happens during induction training? 10. How long is the current period of maternity leave? The Role & Activities of HRM Seminar session 1. Travel Tours Read the following case study and prepare answers to the questions below for discussion at the next seminar. Travel Tours are a small independent tour operator based in Harrogate, specialising in high quality inclusive tours to the Indian sub-continent. The company, which was formed in 1990 by two graduates, Sam Rogers and Sally Hick, employs 50 people (35 as year round overseas staff) and is still run as a partnership with the partners undertaking all management tasks, including people management issues, themselves. Last year TT sold 4,800 holidays an increase of 2% over the previous year that placed them well ahead in an industry where growth has stagnated due to the decline of the package holiday in recent years and the effects of global recession. In addition to tour operation, the company is also heavily involved in flight consolidation work with two of the smaller airlines to the subcontinent. Encouraged by their recent success and keen to take the business into new markets, Sam and Sally have decided to include China in their brochure for the coming season. A Development Manager with substantial experience of organising tours to China, Holger Terhaus, has been appointed and it is felt that two marketing assistants will also need to be appointed as soon as possible to assist with this work. Sam, Sally and Holger quickly drafted an advertisement. The main copy gave details of the company and its expanding business and asked for graduates with an interest in China, some knowledge of marketing and with a willingness to spend 2-3 months a year actually in China. Candidates were invited to apply by CV and letter. The advert, which was stylishly designed by TT’s usual design agency, was then placed in the Yorkshire Post, Travel Trade Gazette and for two days in the European edition of the Guardian. By the closing date 1,800 applications had been received (an additional 234 were received over the next few days) from all over Europe. The three managers took a pile each and decided to short list on the basis that the candidates met their three criteria (graduates, interest in China and knowledge of marketing). 1400 of the applicants met the key criteria and the managers agreed with Sally when she noted “what we are really looking for is candidates like Rosie and Jo (two existing members of staff); people who are clearly well organised and who have been to a good British or top flight European university, so they will fit in with our culture.” Eventually 12 candidates were short-listed and invited for interview, although the partners and Holger felt that some potentially good candidates had been rejected. A brief letter was sent to the short-listed candidates’ referees asking for “any information that might be of help”. Six candidates turned up for interview and the partners and their manager agreed to proceed on the basis that they were looking for “the best of the bunch”. The interviews had to be interrupted on a number of occasions as not untypically, one or other of the partners had to rush back to their office to deal with one crisis or another. There were a few such crises relating to people management problems during the interviews: Sam had to go and sort out a problem with an overseas rep, who had come to the office for the day to answer an allegation from a number of clients that the rep ‘had her hands in the till’ and had been over-charging for day tours. Sally had to dash out to deal with another issue that had come to a head with one of the key Harrogate based administrative staff, who was threatening to resign, because she had discovered that she received considerably less pay than the overseas reps, despite the fact that she believed her work to be of a higher level. To top things off, the interviews were also disrupted when Holger had to assist a relatively new administrator who was simply unfamiliar with the relevant international regulations on statutory compensation for flight delays. Back to the interviews, eventually the partners and the manager concluded that three of the candidates, two women and a man, seemed extremely good and Sally wished to re-interview the three. However she was over-ruled by Sam and Holger who stated that they always felt happier having women work for them and that there was no difficulty in making the decision. The two women were therefore appointed. The candidates were told there and then of the decision but only one of the appointed candidates accepted the offer and so the managers had to offer the post to the third placed, male candidate. However, four weeks later, only the male candidate arrived to start work at TT and within a very short time, it became apparent to the three managers that he really didn’t fit in with the culture of the firm – the new employee was interested in the travel and adventure parts of the job and none of the routine market surveying and analysis work which forms the core of the marketing assistant’s post. Three Harrogate staff have since gone on sick leave citing stress associated with the unacceptable level of pressure and work- load’. Tasks TT’s Directors have called you in as a HR Consultant. Please advise them on the following: 1. What went wrong with the recruitment and selection exercise and what should they do differently to recruit more effectively in future? 2. Identify the whole range of additional people management issues you perceive might need attention in this firm? 3. How might the firm benefit from appointing a permanent HR manager? The Role & Activities of HRM Part 2: Travel Tours Discussion and Current Issues in HRM: How do they apply to Travel Tours? • The political and economic environment • Social and demographic trends • Employee retention • Information technology • Human capital • Added value Part 3: HRM and the Line Manager Outline the main activities that a Personnel or HR specialist might undertake in an organisation. How might a Line Manager also be involved in these activities and how would this differ from the HR specialist? Part 4: Westbank Call Centre Assignment: Models of HRM How might the models of HRM be incorporated into the assignment? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the hard versus soft perspectives on HRM, with respect to the Westbank scenario? Seminar Session 2: People Resourcing Part 1: Models of Flexibility 1. Using Atkinson’s model of flexibility, can you think of examples of the flexible firm in action? Apply the model to an organisation in which you have worked or with which you are familiar. 2. Which segment(s) best describe any jobs you have done? 3. Do ‘core’ workers usually deliver ‘front line’ operations? Can you think of examples where this is not the case? 4. Handy developed his Shamrock to include a fourth leaf – the customer. Can you think of examples where the customer ‘works’ for the organisation? 5. To what extent do flexible working practices benefit a. The employer? b. The employee? 6. How might either of those models be applied to the Westbank Call Centre scenario? Part 2: Requests for Flexibility Consider the following requests. Are they reasonable? 1. Julie is a secretary in an organisation employing 12 staff. She normally works Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.00pm. Her son James is four years old and has just started attending a local nursery school. Julie has exhausted her annual leave entitlement but has asked for time off to attend her son’s nativity play and sports day at school. 2. Dorothy is a doctor who is a senior partner in a busy GP practice with six other doctors. Dorothy is a passionate and highly accomplished golfer. She doesn’t want to fight with the crowds on the green at weekends and wants time off so she can play golf on Friday afternoons. 3. Clare is a marketing manager of a biscuit manufacturer, responsible for her company’s contract with a major high street supermarket. She has requested some flexibility ‘here and there for a few odd hours’ so she can spend time with her baby twins. 4. Dennis has been a full time teacher of Citizenship in an inner city secondary school for the past five years. He is feeling a bit disillusioned and would like to take a term off to undertake some voluntary work in a school in Malawi. 5. Michael is a shop worker who works part time and receives part time pay, so he can collect his children aged 11 and 8 from school. Colin, his boss asks him if he can work late for 3 days in a month’s time, to help with stock taking. 6. Josh is a graduate trainee in a large PR consultancy. He has requested a year off to study for a master’s degree. Recruitment and Selection at Westbank What are the main issues with respect to recruitment and selection at Westbank? How can improvements be made? Seminar Session 3: People Resourcing - The Systematic Approach to Recruitment and Selection Read the following case study and complete the tasks below: Part 1 Case Study: Cavendish Care Ltd Andrew Slingsby, the Regional Manager for Cavendish Care Ltd. is responsible for four residential care homes. Increasingly general managers from individual homes are complaining to him that a backlog of basic administrative is work is building up, particularly during holiday periods. In an attempt to stem this backlog and maintain some level of efficiency in the homes, general managers and other staff at senior management levels are having to do basic administrative tasks. In most cases it appears that there is not enough work to warrant an extra permanent post in each home, but the current improvised arrangement does seem an expensive way of getting the filing done! Andrew is not without sympathy. He is also finding it difficult to keep up to date with all his own administration. As you are the Regional Human Resource Manager for Cavendish Homes, Andrew has discussed this problem with you. You have confirmed that the organisation’s staff budget is very tight and could not cover a number of extra posts. However, you have proposed that a peripatetic or ‘mobile’ administrative assistant might be the answer. This post would be line managed at regional office level and general managers could request support on a half- day basis, paid for out of each home’s salaries and wages budget. Andrew has consulted with the general managers in the region and they are supportive of the idea. Therefore you have just been given the go ahead to start the recruitment and selection process. Tasks: In consultation with your colleagues and making use of the information from the lecture People Resourcing 2, below, compile the following for the post of Administrative Assistant at Cavendish Homes. 1. Job Analysis 2. Job Description 3. Person Specification Information from Lecture ,People Resourcing 2 Stage 2: Job Analysis (Foot & Hook, 2005 p. 41) • what are the most important tasks? • how much time is spent on each task? • how often is each task performed? • how is the job supervised? • what skills and at what levels are needed to do the tasks? • are there special conditions related to these tasks? Stage 3: Job Description - defines the job in term of • tasks/functions • responsibilities • reporting lines • salary range • Precise detail versus flexibility Stage 4: Person Specification - to define the ideal candidate in term of : • requirements to perform job • education & qualifications • training • experience • personal attributes and qualities • using frameworks? Person Specification Frameworks Rodger (1952) Physical Make-up Attainments General intelligence Special aptitudes Interests Disposition Circumstances Munro-Fraser (1954) Impact on others Acquired qualifications Innate abilities Motivation Adjustment (Beardwell et al ,2004 p.205 Part 2 Advertising the Post Use the information you have gained so far to help you draft a newspaper advertisement for Andrew’s approval. Short-listing After the closing date for interviews, there will be a meeting to compile a short list for interview. It is your responsibility to ensure this process is impartial. Draw up a short-listing grid for the post of Administrative Assistant at Cavendish Care. You should include some grading or scoring in your grid as you will use this document to make your decisions. Interviews Before you invite candidates to interview, you will be meeting Andrew Slingsby to discuss the interview process. What issues should be on the agenda? 1. Job Analysis Checklist Job’s purpose What is the purpose of the job? Scope and responsibilities Who will the job-holder report to; who will report to him/her; what resources will they manage; what will they be responsible for? Tasks and duties What are the main duties and tasks of the job? Skills, experience and training What essential educational/ professional qualifications are required? What skills and knowledge will the post-holder need? Are there any requirements for particular experience? Physical and mental demands Physical - e.g. outside work, sitting all day, heavy lifting etc. Mental – e.g. distressed clients, difficult situations etc. Environment and working conditions Condition of workplace e.g. hot/cold. noisy etc. Hours, shifts, call-outs, weekend work etc. Pay, overtime, bonuses, benefits and expenses, Special clothing for health and safety and hygiene. JOB TITLE: RESPONSIBLE TO: JOB PURPOSE: KEY TASKS: GENERAL (all staff) Terms and Conditions Hours of work: Holidays: Salary 3. Person Specification (using Munro Fraser Framework) Impact on Others: (Physical make-up, appearance, speech and manner) Acquired qualifications: (education, vocational training, work experience) Innate abilities: (quickness of comprehension and aptitude for learning) Motivation: (individual goals, consistency, and determination in following them up, success rate) Adjustment: (emotional stability, ability to stand up to stress and to get on with people) Essential Desirable How Identified (Munro Fraser, J (1954), Handbook of Employment Interviewing, London, Nac Donald & Evans. Quoted in Beardwell, J. and Claydon, T. (2007) Human Resource Management: A Contemporary Perspective, 5th edition, Harlow, Pearson) Part 3 How would you incorporate the Munro Fraser framework into a person specification for a call centre team member at Westbank? Seminar Session 4: Learning & Development Part 1: Learning and Individual Learning Styles Read the following case study and complete the tasks The Temperamental Chef You are one of the training managers in a large hotel chain. You have responsibility for overseeing all of the training programmes for the hotel staff in the north-west region. One group within the hotel environment that is most committed to their training is the group of commis (apprentice) chefs. Every year you recruit up to 30 aspiring chefs who are grateful for the opportunity to prove themselves worthy of working under executive chef Jean Poussin. Jean is a hard taskmaster who is famous for his aggressive style and his intolerance of timewasters. You know, though, that his bark is worse than his bite. The trainees from all four of the hotels go to South City College for two years on day release to study for their professional qualifications. At college they receive instruction in the theoretical aspects of food preparation, personal and food hygiene, familiarity with industrial equipment, and kitchen health and safety, which they bring back to practise at the workplace. You have never had cause to question the relevance or standard of their college education. Recently, however, Jean has come to you with a problem. Very few of the current batch of trainee chefs seem able to translate the skills of previous classes into proficient results. Soufflés are sinking, the sabayon is splitting and the vichyssoise is bland. To their faces, of course, he blames the trainees, but privately he is surprised by their lack of progress. He has discussed it with his head and second chefs and now he has come to see you. He suggests that there may be problems with the instruction at the college. You decide you would like to go and observe a class. The tutor at the college is happy for you do so. The morning is spent in the classroom at a desk making notes about aspects of kitchen management. Among other things, you learn the correct way to store herbs, the temperature at which the freezers should be kept and the best way to freeze food fast. You also learn some kitchen French and aspects of good menu planning. At the end of the morning session the tutor tells you that during the afternoon you will be making choux pastry and profiteroles. To your surprise the session once again begins in the classroom. You soon realise that there is more theory to choux pastry than you had previously appreciated. For a start there’s all the things that can be made from it, its glorious history, and how it fits into the pastry family. Then there’s the theory behind how the pastry rises in the oven (because the water in the base turns to steam, pushes up the egg mixture which then solidifies under the heat). Related to this, you learn why you should never take a look at choux pastry products while they are cooking (because you let the steam escape from the oven) and you pick up tips on how to maximise your chances of perfect results (always preheat the oven, open the door for the minimum possible time and throw in a glass of water when you put in the raw mixture). You learn what other foods are developed under the same theories (some sponges and batter products – e.g. Yorkshire puddings). At the end of the afternoon you divide into groups of 20 and watch the tutor and second-year trainees make a perfect batch of profiteroles. You are very impressed by your day at college. Your only criticism was that there was no review of what you had learned that day, and no discussion of what had been learned in the class in the previous weeks. Convinced that you are surely now an expert in choux pastry, you make a batch of éclairs at the weekend. You are truly surprised and disappointed when the attempt is an all-out dismal failure. What is worse, three weeks later, the hotel wedding reception party that requested white chocolate profiteroles for 350 guests (three each) had to make do with defrosted gateaux. Your trainees once again had failed to live up to their potential. The horror of this event is still fresh in your mind. Jean Poussin has threatened to resign. Activities 1. Using Honey and Mumford’s learning styles framework as a basis for ideas, analyse which of the four types of learner might benefit most from the tutor’s instruction of the ideal choux pastry as described in the case notes. 2. Outline proposals for the way that the learning opportunity might be adapted to maximise the chances of success for the other three styles. 3. Using Kolb’s learning cycle as a theoretical starting point, suggest ways that the placement supervisors (the hotel’s head/executive chefs) could work towards complementing the college activities and consolidating what the students learn there. (Source: Woodhams, 2011) Part 2: Implications for Westbank Consider the implications of your learning from the Temperamental Chef for the Westbank Customer Service Operators, in terms of both recruitment and selection and learning and development. Part 3: Learning and Development Activity at Westbank What learning and development activity is currently taking place in the call centre? What are the problems associated with this activity? How might improvements be made? Seminar Session 5: Learning & Development 2 - The Systematic Model of Training Read the following case studies and complete the tasks Part 1: Training Needs Analysis at Soupstock Ltd Soupstock Ltd is a canning factory that employs 150 people. Staff are employed in four departments: production, stock control, HR and administration, and maintenance. The majority of staff work in the production department on the factory floor. A new Human Resource Development Manager, Jill Collins, has recently been appointed. The board has decided that its organisational objectives for the next five years are to improve quality and reduce wastage. Jill’s first function was to consider how the organisational objectives could be met through training and development of staff. She therefore set about establishing employees’ training needs. Jill started by examining the human resource plan, which set out the human resource needs of the organisation for the next five years. She was able to see from this that particular areas, such as stock control, were expecting an increase in staffing levels in years two and three. Jill approached the managers of each department to discuss their jobs and what, if any, succession plans they had in place for key staff, including themselves. She found that only one department had a plan in action for ensuring that if staff left or were promoted, then there would be other staff available to take over their duties; this was the HR and Administration department. Her next job, then, was to identify key positions and key staff in the organisation and consider the training needs of staff likely to take over critical positions in the organisation if the current incumbents left. While she was collecting the above information from managers, she witnessed an incident which was very useful in her analysis of training needs. There was an accident in the production bay, where a hand-operated fork-lift landed on the operator’s foot. Luckily the operator was wearing steel-capped boots so no real injury other than some bruising was caused. However, Jill was able to determine that the incident was caused because the operator had insufficient experience in using the equipment, as she normally worked in another part of the factory. This had occurred as the process of ‘borrowing’ staff from one part of the organisation to another in busy times was common. Staff generally had no problem with this, indeed they enjoyed the change of work; however, staff were often not trained in the procedures of that particular area. As they were called upon only in busy times there was no time to train them properly during these periods. Nevertheless, for Jill, this incident demonstrated a clear training need. In particular she felt that health and safety could be jeopardised if individuals had not received full training. This incident provided very useful information on the training needs of individuals that may not have come to light otherwise. Next, Jill used the computerised information system to retrieve data on departmental targets and production levels as well as wastage levels. As she was not familiar with the particular system, an administrative assistant helped her to find the information required. From this information she was able to identify where targets were not being met and again, in talking to the managers and staff in those areas, establish what the problems might be and if training or development might help. The organisation had a formal appraisal system that operated once a year. Managers and their staff met individually to set performance targets and discuss training needs. By examining the formal appraisal and development plans that were written by the manager, and signed by the employee, Jill was able to find out individual areas where staff needed training. Once she had identified the training needs she was able to organise supervisors to meet with their staff on a one-to-one basis and agree personal objectives for training. Within these personal objectives, one had to be related to improving quality. Individuals' training needs were then established and a training and development plan was written for the employee. From then on, meetings were regularly held between the manager and the employee every quarter to discuss progress. Tasks Consider the following questions: 1. The above case emphasises different sources of information that can be used to analyse training needed. Identify the methods that Jill used to gain this information. 2. How might Jill now organise and analyse the training needs further? (Source: Hicks-Clarke20 Part 2: Individual Training Needs Analysis at Smith & Brown Ltd Read the following case study and complete the tasks Smith and Brown Ltd is a bookshop. It employs 60 members of staff, 25 of whom are employed in the warehouse packing and distributing books. The order section currently has 12 members of staff working in it. Two new staff, Philip Ard and Grant Knut, were recently introduced to the department to help with the continued demand for books. When the new staff first joined the organisation, five weeks ago, the responsibility for showing them the ropes was given to Cath Pratchet – a long-term member of staff and supervisor of the order section. No other staff had been employed in the order section for seven years, and the nature of the job has changed to some extent during this time. The computerised system used for managing the orders, however, has not been upgraded in five years. Since employing the new members of staff, customer complaints about receiving the wrong books have increased. Philip and Grant do have computer skills, but these are for more modern computer systems and they are having a problem in working the current order system. Cath has done her best to try to guide Philip and Grant in using the equipment, but has little time and often finds it easier to input orders herself. She also knows the system inside out and therefore has difficulty in understanding Philip and Grant’s continued problems with it. Mr Brown, the bookshop owner, has become aware of the complaints and is unhappy about it. The HR manager, Sue Fore, suggested that the new staff were given two weeks to improve their performance. That period has now finished and the hoped-for improvement has not taken place. Because Sue does not want to lose the new staff, something has to be done to improve their performance. Before placing the job advert, Sue was able to ‘grab’ only 10 minutes with Cath to discuss what the job entailed, because Cath was very busy. Sue also looked at the job description that had been written seven years previously. The interviews and information given to the new staff were based on the information Sue gathered. It has now become clear to Sue that not only was the job description no longer correct, but she did not get a full picture of what the job entailed in her discussion with Cath. To overcome these difficulties, Sue has asked you, the learning and development officer, to establish an effective way of identifying the individual training needs of Philip and Grant. Tasks Consider the following questions: 1. What went wrong with the initial identification of the individual training needs of the new staff? 2. What method of individual training needs analysis would you use? 3. What possible weaknesses does your chosen method have? (Source: Hicks-Clarke, (2011) Part 3: Implications for Westbank Based on the discussions of the Case Study you did in Sessions 4 and 5, what are the implications of the ideas discussed for West Bank Call Centre? Seminar Session 6: Performance Management – Reward Structures Part 1: What’s the Job worth? Read the list of job titles below and consider whom you think ought to be paid the most rather than what actually happens in reality. a) Put the jobs listed below in order of importance, i.e. with number one being the job you think ought to be paid most. b) Compare your rankings with those of your colleagues. Try to reach agreement about a list of factors to be taken into account when making these decisions. Waiter/waitress Nurse Sales assistant (clothes shop) Car park attendant Office cleaner Accountant Police officer Receptionist Warehouse supervisor University lecturer Truck driver Secretary Traffic warden Security guard Safety officer (factory) Doctor Human resource manager Minister of religion Lawyer Undertaker Professional football player IT consultant (Hook & Foot 2002) Part 2: St Mungo’s St Mungo’s is best known for providing short-term shelter for London’s rough sleepers – and extending a welcome to their dogs. But these days the charity, which employs 850 people, provides a much broader range of services, including health, support, vocational training, and for those who need it, a home for life. “Historically we dealt with older drinkers, but nowadays the client group is a lot younger and tends to have mental health and drug problems, so the skill-sets that we need to deal with are totally different”, says Peter Geoffrey, who was appointed HR Director early last year. One of his key tasks is to revamp St Mungo’s pay system to take account not only the broader skills it needs to recruit, but also of the rigid inspection regime that was introduced as part of the Supporting People programme for funding housing services for vulnerable people. “That has forced the organisation to focus more on performance”, explains Geoffrey. “But in an organisation like this, the question is, how do you measure improvement when someone is dealing with a client with deep-seated mental health problems?” There is no easy answer, but Geoffrey and his team are now carrying out a job evaluation exercise and introducing a new grading structure that links pay progression with performance and competency development. It’s a big job and one that the charity is tackling without a specialist reward team. “We can’t afford dedicated reward specialists, but we are doing the next best thing, which is recruiting people who have done pay as well as other things”, explains Geoffrey. Tasks 1. How can Peter Geoffrey start a job evaluation process at St Mungo’s? Whom should he consult? 2. How can he find out information for the job evaluation? (People Management 2005) Part 3: Job Evaluation How might the HR manager carry out a job evaluation for call centre staff at Westbank? How might s/he acquire the information needed? Why would it be useful to undertake such an activity? Part 4: Performance Management at Westbank Call Centre Identify the performance and reward management issues at the Westbank Call centre. What suggestions would you make for improving the situation? Seminar Session 7: Employee Relations Part A: Methods of Employee Involvement Employee involvement describes “a situation in which employees are given, gain or develop a degree of influence over what happens in an organisation.” (Torrington et al, 2011, p. 430) Marchington and Wikinson developed an ‘escalator’ model to illustrate the extent that employees might have an influence within the organisation, (2005, quoted in Torrington et al, 2011, p. 431). The escalator of participation Tasks 1. What types of employee involvement might be taking place at each of those stages? 2. What are the advantages to be gained for the organisation at each level? Part 2: Employee Relations at Honda and British Airways Both Honda and British Airways were hard hit by the 2009 recession, and both took imaginative measures to cope. Honda decided that it had to reduce production at its Swindon car factory from a planned 218,000 vehicles to 113,000, which in effect made half its 4,700 staff surplus to requirements. The first step was a voluntary redundancy programme taken up by 1,300 workers. However the company still felt that it had 490 workers more than it needed, but it did not want to lose them as they would be needed when the economy picked up in 2010. Two major programmes were agreed with the union Unite. One was a four month shut down ending in June 2009. Staff received full pay for the first two months of shut down and 60 per cent for the second two months. The second was a pay cut, of 3 per cent for employees, and 5 per cent for managers for the 10 months from June 2009 to April 2010, with six extra days of paid leave. In Japan, pay cuts of 10 and 15 per cent respectively had been agreed. The pay cut was agreed to by 89% of employees and the Unite regional officer Jim D’Avila said, ‘In true solidarity, the workers of Honda are standing together in difficult times to protect hundreds of jobs’. In addition, some of the surplus workers were found jobs at Honda’s nearby suppliers. In June 2009, British Airways was reported as asking staff to work for free for one month. Willy Walsh, the CEO, set an example by foregoing his pay for July, a total of £61,000. However there were media reports that undue pressure was being put on staff to agree to the proposal, and cabin crew and ground staff were said to be considering industrial action. BA then widened the proposal to a range of options including unpaid leave and a temporary switch to part-time work as well as unpaid work, while making it clear that employees who took up the unpaid work option would still receive allowances and shift pay. In the end the take up for the company’s proposals was small. Total take up was 8,000 or 20 per cent of the workforce, while the unpaid work option was only accepted by 800 workers, or 2 per cent. Task Why do you think the programme at Honda was successful, while that at BA was a relative failure? (Adapted from Kew and Stredwick, , (2010) Part 3: Implications for Westbank Should the bank encourage call centre staff to join the union or introduce non –union methods of employee involvement? Perhaps they could do both. What are the implications for Westbank? Part 3: Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures at Westbank How can the HR manager know that all staff are aware of disciplinary and grievance procedures at Westbank? Seminar Sessions 8: Assignment Update and Seminar Formative Feedback Please bring any assignment related questions to this session in order to receive formative feedback from your tutor. W/C May 1st 2017 will be a drop in session. You will have the opportunity to show a draft of your assignments to your respective tutor. Please make every effort to make an appointment with your respective tutor or attend the drop in sessions as instructed by your Tutors. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE TEACHING TEAM CAN READ YOUR DRAFT ONLY ONCE AND GIVE YOU FEEDBACK In THE DROP IN SESSIONS. Requests to read multiple copies of the drafts and provide feedback through e-mail is not possible. Bibliography of Sources for Seminar Activities Boxall, P. & Purcell, J.(2000) Strategic Human Resource Management: Where have we come from and where should we be going? International journal of Management Reviews, Vol. 2. No2. Pp. 183-203 Hicks-Clarke, D. (2011), Training Needs Analysis at Soupstock Ltd. CIPD Case Study Club, London, CIPD. Hook C. & Foot, M. (2002) Introducing Human Resource Management, 3rd edition, Harlow, Pearson. IRS (2005) More Questions than Answers? Employee Surveys Revealed. IRS Employment Review. No 820, March, London: IRS. Quoted in Torrington, D. et al (2011) Human Resource Management. 8th edition. Harlow, Pearson. Kew, J., and Stredwick, J. (2010) Human Resource Management in a Business Context, London, CIPD. Marchington, M. & Wilkinson, A. (2005) Direct Participation and Involvement. Quoted in Bach, S. (ed.) (2005) Managing Human Resources: Personnel Management in Transition, Oxford , Blackwell,p.401. Quoted in Torrington, D. et al (2011) Human Resource Management. 8th edition. Harlow, Pearson. People Management (2005) St Mungo’s, People Management, London, CIPD, 10 February. Torrington, D. et al (2011) Human Resource Management. 8th edition. Harlow, Pearson. Woodhams, C. (2011), Learning Styles and the Temperamental Chef. CIPD Case Study. WEEKS COMMENCING LECTURES TUTORIALS 30th Jan Introduction to module. Quiz 6th Feb The development, Role & Function of HRM Role & function of HRM Travel Tours 13th Feb People Resourcing 1 People Resourcing 1. 20th Feb People Resourcing 2. People Resourcing 2. 27th March Learning & Development 1 Learning & Development 1. 6th March Learning & Development 2. Learning & development 2. 13th March Performance Management. Performance Management. 20st March Employee Relations 1 Prep for the boardroom discussion. No formal tutorial but you are expected to meet your tutor for discussions about your oral exam material. 27th March No Lecture ORAL EXAM Board room discussion 3rd April No Lecture ORAL EXAM Board room discussion 11th April EASTER BREAK EASTER BREAK 17th April EASTER BREAK EASTER BREAK 24th April Employee Relations 2 Employee Relations. 1st May Final Assessment briefing. Question & answer session. Drop in Session. Submission of individual assignment 11th May 2017 before 4pm Through Turnitin, via Mybeckett Fundamentals of HRM (Discussion Case Study) Calling from India You are a group (of 6 max) working in the HR Consultancy sector. The Senior Management of South and West Bank comprising the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), HR Director and Finance Director have asked you to identify and analyse the overseas recruitment issue that are prevailing in their organisation at present; due to the shifting of their Call Centre to India and thus provide recommendations to them in order to address / resolve them. You should give an indication of the potential benefits of your recommendations and make reference to them during the discussion in order to support your ideas. Oral Exam Dates: W/C March 27th & April 3rd, 2017 during Class Times Maximum Time for each group 15 – 20 mins. An individual mark within a group delivery. Notes & power point presentations are not allowed, but you may offer the examiner an agenda & hand out to support your comments. The assessment is marked out of 100 which constitutes 30% of the overall module mark. The boardroom discussion is marked on the following criteria. Assessment Descriptor for Component 1. PASS FAIL Criterion Learning Outcomes 90-100% 80-89% 70-79% 60-69% 50-59% 40-49% 30-39% 20-29% Less than 20% Professional delivery. Well presented & researched information with clear agenda. Recommendations covered. 40% LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 Content is exemplary. All material is potentially publishable Comments are exhaustive, highly critical & superbly well prepared. Executed to the highest of standards. Objectives are all well exceeded. An exceptionally structured answer. Outstanding recommendations, including frame for implementations & costings. Content is exhaustive & of an exceptional standard. All material is very highly relevant. Comments are superior & exceptionally well prepared & professionally executed. Objectives are all exceeded. A superbly structured answer. Impressive recommendations, including frame for implementations & costings Content is comprehensive and of a very high standard. All material is highly relevant. Comments are very appropriate, very well prepared & very well executed. Objectives achieved. An excellently structured answer. Extensive recommendations, including frame for implementations & costings Content is very good &largely comprehensive & of a high standard. Almost all material is relevant. Comments are appropriate, well prepared and well presented. Most objectives achieved. A very well structured answer. Comprehensive recommendations, including frame for implementations Content is good and of a good standard. The majority of the material is relevant. Most answers are appropriate and executed to an acceptable standard. The majority but not all objectives achieved. Good recommendations, including frame for implementations. Content is acceptable &mainly of a reasonable standard, although there may be some omissions and/or irrelevancies. Answers are not always appropriate, well prepared and /or well executed. Majority of objectives not achieved. Some recommendations, including limited frame for implementations. Signs of an emerging knowledge of the topic areas with limited understanding & analysis. A lack of awareness of the HR problems within the organisation. A very limited attempt to produce recommendations for the organisation. Requires further detail. Insufficient knowledge or understanding of any of the topic areas. A lack of awareness of the HR problems within the organisation. Insufficient ability to produce recommendations for the organisation. Requires further detail. Very little understanding of any of the topic areas. A lack of awareness of the HR problems within the organisation. Little or no attempt to produce recommendations for the organisation. Requires further detail. Demonstration of understanding of theoretical concepts. 50% LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 The vast majority of HR problems are identified & analysis is offered that demonstrates an excellent awareness & understanding of the HR problems in the organisation. Demonstrates an erudite knowledge & understanding & excellent ability to apply appropriate theory, principles & practices as attained through wide, relevant reading from a variety of sources. Demonstrates very good knowledge & understanding & clear ability to apply appropriate HR theory, principles & practices as attained through comprehensive relevant reading from a variety of sources. Demonstrates good knowledge & understanding & a very good ability to apply appropriate HR theory, principles & practices as attained through relevant reading of a range of sources. Demonstrates knowledge and understanding & a good ability to apply appropriate HR theory, principles and practices as attained through relevant reading but from a limited range of sources. Demonstrates limited knowledge and understanding and little ability to apply appropriate HR theory, principles & practices. Little evidence of relevant reading from few sources Demonstrates little knowledge and understanding; and little ability to apply appropriate HR theory, principles and practices. Insufficient evidence of relevant reading from an insufficient number Demonstrates very little knowledge and understanding; and very little ability to apply appropriate HR theory, principles and practices. Insufficient evidence of relevant reading from a number of sources Demonstrates very little or no knowledge and understanding; and very little ability to apply appropriate HR theory, principles and practices. No evidence of relevant reading Appropriate style and professional presentation of the report. 10% Opportunity to demonstrate academic skills and competences Exemplary structure and presentation with precise, full and appropriate references and subtle use of language expressing a high degree of thought with clarity and precision to a level appropriate for submission for publication Outstanding structure and presentation with precise, full and appropriate references and subtle use of language expressing a high degree of thought with clarity and precision almost to a level appropriate for submission for publication structure and presentation with precise, full and appropriate references and subtle use of language expressing a high degree of thought with clarity and precision which furthers and enhances the argument Very good structure and presentation with precise, full and appropriate references with minor or insignificant errors with clear and precise use of language allowing a complex argument to be easily understood and followed Good structure and presentation with good references and minor or insignificant errors or omissions with generally clear use of language sufficient for arguments to be readily understood and followed Adequate structure and presentation with competent references but may contain inconsistencies, errors or omissions with generally understandable use of language but significant errors in expression affecting overall clarity Poor structure and presentation with poor references but may contain multiple inconsistencies, errors or omissions with serious errors in the use of language which makes meaning unclear or imprecise Very poor structure and presentation with very poor standard of basic English and an imprecise non-academic writing style showing very limited or nil referencing with numerous errors and omissions which makes meaning unclear and imprecise No attention paid to structure and presentation Calling from India ©CIPD A number of organisations have, over recent years, taken the decision to move part of their organisation overseas. A common example of this is the moving of call centres. With the increase in communications technology, organisations have found that the location of the call centre has no impact on the effectiveness of the service. They have also found that labour costs are considerably cheaper in some overseas countries, and the move of the call centre has therefore made economic sense. Such moves have also been the subject of complaints from customers in some situations. Customers have complained that the call handlers have made errors because of their lack of understanding of the UK geography and culture. Despite these difficulties, many organisations have still pursued the operation of call centres overseas. The South and West Bank has recently decided to move its call centre to India. It has looked carefully at the experience of other UK organisations that have made similar moves, and is convinced that it can make the relocation a success. After some consideration it has decided that the approach will be most successful if the call centre is run by managers it currently employs in the UK. The reasons for this are: • One of the most common problems it has found other organisations have experienced is the understanding amongst employees of how the UK operates. It has compared organisations that have overcome this by training locally recruited employees with those who have overcome this by putting UK managers in place, and has concluded that the latter option is more effective in overcoming the difficulties. • The South and West Bank has no current links with India. It does not have any branches there, and so has no employees in India. It is concerned about its ability to recruit effectively at management level in India, and has decided that it is not prepared to risk getting such important appointments wrong. • It wants to maintain close control over the call centre from the UK Head Office. The South and West Bank has decided that this will be achieved more effectively if the managers are used to the procedures and approaches used within the Bank. • Having made the decision to go ahead with the move, the South and West Bank has hit a significant number of problems. Firstly, there has been a very difficult period of conflict with the trade unions because there will be compulsory redundancies amongst the staff who work in the call centre that currently operates in the UK. This call centre will close. Secondly, it has proved very difficult to find three managers (which is what South and West Bank has decided is the requirement) from the Bank who are willing to work in India. The South and West Bank had anticipated that there would be a large number of applications for the roles. They thought that managers would see this as an excellent step in career progression, and that there would be a significant number of people who were interested in gaining the experience of working overseas. It has not been the case. The HR manager believes that this is the result of a variety of reasons, including: • The South and West Bank has not appointed any expatriates to overseas roles before, and so there are no experiences from other managers in the Bank for potential applicants to draw upon. • This is a very new venture for the Bank. A number of organisations that have taken similar steps have had very difficult experiences. Potential applicants might be concerned that they will be associated with something which fails – which they will see as not helpful to their careers. • Because there have been no expatriate placements before, there is no example of what might happen to the managers when they return to the UK afterwards. Potential applicants may well be concerned that once they are out of the UK they will be forgotten about and miss good promotion opportunities. • No clear policy has been established about pay and benefits for the managers while they are in India. This uncertainty is off putting to potential managers, and clearly, the prospect of attractive pay and benefits is not being used as an incentive to apply for the opportunities. To compound the problems, four senior executives of the South and West Bank have recently spent one month in India observing the operations of a range of UK companies. Their observations and discussions have led them to become aware of three recurring problems. They are: • The organisations report that attitudes to work are very different between managers appointed from the UK and local employees. This seems to be primarily related to drive and motivation – but it is not known whether this is a feature of different cultures, or a feature of different levels of seniority in the organisations. • It has proved very difficult to get Indian employees to work effectively in teams alongside UK employees. Again, the reason for this is not really known – and, again, it could be a feature of differing levels of seniority between UK and Indian employees. • The UK managers have tried to impose the procedures that they have been used to when working in the South and West Bank. In some areas this has led to misunderstandings or even conflict. In the light of all these difficulties, senior management within the UK have seriously questioned whether moving the call centre is the right way forward. However, they have already announced their decision, and have already served redundancy notices on existing UK call centre staff. Although they now realise that they should have researched the proposals more thoroughly before they started, they think that they have no option but to go ahead with the plans. You are a group of HR consultants with experience of advising organisations who are setting up overseas operations. You have been hired to look into the following issues pertaining to shifting of overseas Call Centre to India by South and West Bank senior management. The Management wants you to look into specific issues poised as the following questions and seeking the best advice: 1. Are there differences in culture between the UK and India? If there are, what impact might these have on the workplace? 2. What approaches to payment for the UK managers would you consider, and what would you recommend as the best approach to adopt? 3. What issues might arise in setting up teams within the call centre, and how would you address them? 4. What are the merits of sending an expatriate from the UK to manage the call centre against recruiting management locally? THE SCENARIO You are scheduled to meet the Senior Management of South and West Bank tomorrow morning. Today you have sat all together to go through all your notes, pointers and recommendations based on your research and finalise the presentation you are going to give to the Departmental Management of South and West Bank. FHRM Individual Assignment: The Westbank Call Centre Requirements: Read the attached case study about the Westbank Call Centre Produce a 2500 word report (+/-10%) which identifies and analyses the main HR issues at the call centre and provides recommendations to resolve them. Pay close attention to the attached assessment criteria. Submission Deadline: Submit the report no later than 16.00 on 11th May 2017 via VLA for Plagiarism Check. Marking and Feedback: Generic feedback on overall assignment performance will be available via VLA from week commencing Monday 12th June 2017. Internally moderated marks on the assessment rubric and individual feedback will be available via VLA week commencing Monday 12th June 2017. Individual Assignment Case Study: The West Bank Call Centre WestBank plc is a banking and insurance group in the United Kingdom. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Premier Banking Group having been taken over in January 2009. The bank was established on 1 May 1870 by Sir Arthur Kettlewell of Pudsey. Based in Leeds, it was originally known as the West Riding Bank. The corporate headquarters of the Premier Banking Group are in Birmingham, although Westbank retains its head office in Leeds, which employs 300 staff. Despite recent losses, Westbank Chief Executive Anne Jones is committed both to saving the Westbank brand within the massive Premier group and to retaining the Leeds based jobs. Anne Jones’s vision for the bank returns it to the sector that established its formerly positive reputation in the UK market. During the 1970s and 1980s Westbank was a leading player in the student banking and finance sector. Many of the benefits students now expect such as interest free overdrafts and no account charges were pioneered by Westbank with their Leeds based student clientele. In order to make this vision a reality and return Westbank to profitability, the bank is developing a portfolio of student services and needs to attract and retain customers. With this objective in mind, Westbank have opened a call centre. Ann Jones has successfully resisted pressure from the parent company Premier to locate this call centre in the Indian subcontinent and thus benefit from cheaper labour costs. The Westbank Call Centre is situated in the new company Head Office building on the outskirts of Leeds. It benefits from investment in the latest technology in order to provide fast and accurate services to clients, and also to monitor, record and measure staff performance. Eventually the centre must function as a 24 hour, seven day operation as it competes for customers and customer loyalty. Research on human resource management in call centres has produced some controversial results. The monitoring and measurement of behaviour has prompted some commentators to describe call centres as modern day versions of 19th century sweatshops, with consequent problems of labour turnover and absenteeism. Others point to organisations that have developed sophisticated human resource practices which balance the competitive pressures and the needs of employees to achieve a high degree of commitment. The new Westbank Head Office and Call Centre has been established on a ‘greenfield’ site on the edge of Wetherley, a village twelve miles from the centre of Leeds. Wetherley is an affluent area with low unemployment. The primary objectives of the call centre are to improve the quality and consistency of services, give customers access to 24 hour banking and reduce overhead costs. The importance of service quality at Westbank is demonstrated by a series of tough service-level targets, including an abandoned call rate of 2% for routine calls and 1% for the key customer group, 90% of calls to be answered within 15 seconds and 90% of calls to be dealt with at the initial point of contact. Five hundred staff are based at the site, including 200 in the call centre. The majority of the staff on the site are full-time, with the biggest percentage of part-timers working in the call centre (35% of whom are part-time). Unite, the UK’s largest union is the recognised trade union in Westbank; membership for the bank as a whole is about 50%, but much less than this in the call centre. At the moment, there is no other formal channel for communication or consultation with staff. The management team at the call centre is headed by the Centre Manager; it discusses local policy issues and comprises the various section heads. Staff work in teams. Each team comprises 15 people and is headed by a Team Leader. The Team Leader reports to a Customer Services Manager, who is responsible for motivating Team Leaders and teams and analysing data for individuals and teams to measure and further improve their performance. The Team Leaders are expected to develop their team members as quickly as possible, to coach, train them and keep them motivated, as well as bring some ‘fun’ into the working environment. The team members are known as Customer Service Operators (CSOs) and are supposed to be multi-skilled, although new recruits initially handle only the most basic type of call. Productivity and sales are measured daily on an individual and team basis. All CSOs have sales and service targets; calls are monitored closely and daily sheets are displayed, showing the performance of individuals and teams. Scripting, which works through the computer, helps the operators to adhere to the standards. In addition, 98% of a CSOs time has to be signed on to the phone. Westbank have faced a number of problems/challenges from day one. These include considerable IT problems, an inexperienced management team (who were mostly from Westbank’s branch network, and lacked call centre experience) and centrally determined HR policies and procedures which are felt by the local management to be inappropriate for working in a call centre. Labour turnover is running at 35%, and although absence levels are not high by call centre standards, they were much higher than the average for Westbank employees as a whole. Rates of pay are relatively low compared to the local labour market, though fringe benefits are good, but they reflect a remuneration structure based on the ‘lifetime employment’ of bank branch and head office staff. At the moment, there is no clear progression for staff at the call centre and it is felt that the immediate earnings are unlikely to attract and retain the calibre of staff needed for high quality customer service. There are currently few incentives for staff to achieve the level of service desired. In addition, the contractual working hours are considered inappropriate to meet the cover requirements. Staff are receiving a shift allowance despite the fact that the call centre is still not operating on a 24 hour basis. To promote team building, team members are encouraged to mix socially outside work, although the extent to which this happens is variable. Overtime is high, which as one manager notes, is nonsense in a telephone environment where people have to be ‘fresh and buzzy’. External recruitment is handled through two channels; the Westbank central HR function for permanent staff, while agencies are used on a pilot basis for temporary staff. However, the focus in recruitment & selection has been on identifying good communicators with ‘personality’ or ‘naturals’, but once employed and trained, they are ‘re-programmed’ and instilled with a sense of conformity. This has resulted in frustration for those staff selected for their outgoing personality. Training is currently co-ordinated by Westbank’s central training & development function. The Team Leaders are expected to identify the training needs of their team members but the pressures of their own workloads means they have had little time for staff development. As one ex-Team Leader explains, ‘I was just managing the business, not managing individual performance. I wasn’t really involved with the development of people or identifying the reasons why people were or were not performing’. Anne Jones must resolve this situation and answer her critics with Premier Banking Group. Therefore she has appointed you as the new HR Manager with responsibility for the Westbank Call centre. You must identify and analyse the HR problems that have arisen and then recommend suitable solutions. The case study is marked on the following criteria. Assessment Descriptor for Component 2. PASS FAIL Criterion Learning Outcomes 90-100% 80-89% 70-79% 60-69% 50-59% 40-49% 30-39% 20-29% Less than 20% Identification and analysis of relevant HR problems from the case study. /25 LO1 LO3 LO4 All HR problems are identified & an insightful analysis is offered that demonstrates an exceptional awareness & noteworthy understanding of the HR problems in the organisation The vast majority of HR problems are identified & analysis is offered that demonstrates an excellent awareness & understanding of the HR problems in the organisation The majority of HR problems are identified & analysis is offered that demonstrates an clear awareness and understanding of the HR problems in the organisation The main HR problems are identified & analysis is offered that demonstrates very good awareness and understanding of the HR problems in the organisation Some of the HR problems are identified & analysis is offered that demonstrates some awareness & understanding of the HR problems in the organisation Few of the HR problems are identified & very little analysis is offered that demonstrates poor awareness & understanding of the HR problems in the organisation Signs of an emerging knowledge of the topic areas with limited understanding & analysis. A lack of awareness of the HR problems within the organisation Insufficient knowledge or understanding of any of the topic areas. A lack of awareness of the HR problems within the organisation Very little understanding of any of the topic areas. A lack of awareness of the HR problems within the organisation Appropriateness of recommendations for the company. /25 LO1 LO2 Recommendations are explained in exhaustive detail & are exceptionally realistic in the context of the organisation. Recommendations are explained in extensive detail & are highly realistic in the context of the organisation Recommendations are explained in sufficient detail & are sufficiently realistic & feasible in the context of the organisation Recommendations are explained in clear detail & are realistic & feasible in the context of the organisation. Recommendations are mainly realistic & may be feasible in the context of the organisation. Would benefit from further detail Recommendations are possibly realistic & feasible in the context of the organisation. Sufficient explanatory detail is lacking. A very limited attempt to produce recommendations for the organisation. Requires further detail. Insufficient ability to produce recommendations for the organisation. Requires further detail. Little or no attempt to produce recommendations for the organisation. Requires further detail. Demonstrates knowledge and understanding and the ability to apply appropriate HR theory, principles and practices as attained through relevant reading. /40 LO2 LO3 LO4 The vast majority of HR problems are identified & analysis is offered that demonstrates an excellent awareness & understanding of the HR problems in the organisation Demonstrates an erudite knowledge & understanding & excellent ability to apply appropriate theory, principles & practices as attained through wide, relevant reading from a variety of sources Demonstrates very good knowledge & understanding & clear ability to apply appropriate HR theory, principles & practices as attained through comprehensive relevant reading from a variety of sources. Demonstrates good knowledge & understanding & a very good ability to apply appropriate HR theory, principles & practices as attained through relevant reading of a range of sources Demonstrates knowledge and understanding & a good ability to apply appropriate HR theory, principles and practices as attained through relevant reading but from a limited range of sources Demonstrates limited knowledge and understanding and little ability to apply appropriate HR theory, principles & practices. Little evidence of relevant reading from few sources Demonstrates little knowledge and understanding; and little ability to apply appropriate HR theory, principles and practices. Insufficient evidence of relevant reading from an insufficient number of sources Demonstrates very little knowledge and understanding; and very little ability to apply appropriate HR theory, principles and practices. Insufficient evidence of relevant reading from a number of sources Demonstrates very little or no knowledge and understanding; and very little ability to apply appropriate HR theory, principles and practices. No evidence of relevant reading. Appropriate style and professional presentation of the report. /10 Opportunity to demonstrate academic skills & competencies. Exemplary structure and presentation with precise, full and appropriate references and subtle use of language expressing a high degree of thought with clarity and precision to a level appropriate for submission for publication Outstanding structure and presentation with precise, full and appropriate references and subtle use of language expressing a high degree of thought with clarity and precision almost to a level appropriate for submission for publication structure and presentation with precise, full and appropriate references and subtle use of language expressing a high degree of thought with clarity and precision which furthers and enhances the argument Very good structure and presentation with precise, full and appropriate references with minor or insignificant errors with clear and precise use of language allowing a complex argument to be easily understood and followed Good structure and presentation with good references and minor or insignificant errors or omissions with generally clear use of language sufficient for arguments to be readily understood and followed Adequate structure and presentation with competent references but may contain inconsistencies, errors or omissions with generally understandable use of language but significant errors in expression affecting overall clarity Poor structure and presentation with poor references but may contain multiple inconsistencies, errors or omissions with serious errors in the use of language which makes meaning unclear or imprecise Very poor structure and presentation with very poor standard of basic English and an imprecise non-academic writing style showing very limited or nil referencing with numerous errors and omissions which makes meaning unclear and imprecise No attention paid to structure and presentation