HR Planning

It is vital for organisations to have HR plans because HR plans improve the effectiveness of organisations (Jackson, Schuler and Werner, 2009, p.101). For example, HR plans can help identify how many employees are needed in a certain organisation. In order to run an efficient business, it is important that every organisation has enough employees but not too many to make the business run inefficiently. HR plans help make sure that not only is their enough employees working in a certain business, but their also aren't too many employees working in an organisation that are costing the business any unnecessary expense. This is why it is vital for business's to have HR plans.

In this case, a problem that an organisation would have if HR plans weren't put in place would be the increased likelihood of business's employing either too few or too many people. Employing too few people would mean that the business wouldn't be able to function in certain areas properly or to it's maximum capability. Employing too many people on the other hand, would mean the business would be paying wages to people unnecessarily as they may not be needed, increasing the costs of the business.

In addition, HR planning allows business's to locate and identify talent that may be of use to the business currently or in the future [Anon 1.] [n.d.]. Since people generally leave organisations after only a few years, business's need to replace these employees that have left. Unfortunately, this can be difficult to do immediately without HR planning. HR planning allows firms to predict when certain employees may leave the company giving them time to prepare replacements for them. This can prevent business's from operating without key employees. This is another reason why it is vital for business's to have HR plans.

In this case, a problem that a business would have if HR plans weren't put in place would be that employees would leave the company unexpectedly and their would be a shortage of employees in certain areas of the business e.g. marketing. This could affect the productivity and efficiency of the business since their is a shortage of manpower which in turn could affect the sales revenue and therefore profits generated.

Rodger's seven point person specification for a University lecturer:

1. Physical make-up - A University lecturer is expected to be a healthy individual that is able to physically move from room to room with ease. They should be of a reasonable height, tall enough to use black/white boards. They should dress relatively smart wearing shoes, not trainers.

2. Attainments - A University lecturer is expected to be qualified enough to teach whatever module they teach well. It's expected that University lecturer's have graduated from higher education preferably University in the past. It is also expected that the lecturer's have been trained in teaching in order to teach at a satisfactory level.

3. Intelligence - University lecturer's are expected to have a good ability to learn new things which may be of use to pupil's that they are teaching. They are also expected to have good analytical ability so pupil's can understand the material that they are taking in as easily as possible.

4. Special aptitudes - University lecturer's are expected to use IT software and equipment to a reasonable standard. This is so that they can present information on a projector, for example. In addition, they are expected to be able to use Microsoft Office programs such as PowerPoint and Word. University lecturer's teaching Maths, Accounting and other numeric related courses are also expected to have good Mathematical skills.

5. Interests - University lecturer's are expected to be social to an extent that allows pupil's to talk with them if and when necessary. University lecturer's are also encouraged to read in order to keep up to date with News that may be of use to their classes and to boost their knowledge in general.

6. Disposition - University lecturer's are expected to be mature so that they appear as good role models for their pupils. Maturity is also needed so that the lecturers can remain focused on the module that they are teaching at hand without going off topic unnecessarily. On the other hand, lecturer's are also encouraged to be humorous to an extent so that pupil's don't get bogged down in the serious nature of a particular module, which may result in de-motivation and de-satisfaction.

7. Circumstances - University lecturer's are expected to be located reasonably close to the University that they teach at so it isn't a problem travelling to and from the University five days a week. It is encouraged that lecturer's live no more than an hour's drive away from the University. Lecturer's are also expected to be able to drive so that they can get to work without having to rely on public transport that isn't always reliable which may result in cancelled classes in extreme cases of delays.

If Waitrose were considering opening a new store in High Wycombe, the key labour questions that they would need to ask would be:

1. What is the unemployment rate like in High Wycombe?

2. How competitive is the supermarket market in High Wycombe? (this may determine how many people are employed at the other supermarkets which may affect how many people Waitrose can employ).

3. How skilled/qualified is High Wycombe's population?

4. What training procedures will need to be put in place to train newly recruited employees?

5. What methods will be introduced that will retain currently employed employees.

References

[Anon 1.] [n.d.] What is the importance of human resource planning in an organisation? [online]. [s.n.] Available from: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_importance_of_human_resource_planning_in_an_organisation

[Accessed 30 January 2010].

HR planning image - http://www.ssa.vic.gov.au/CA2571410025903D/WebObj/ssa_strategydiagram/$File/ssa_strategydiagram.jpg

Jackson, S. Schuler, R. and Werner, S. (2009) Managing Human Resources. 1st ed. Ohio: South Western Cengage Learning.

Role of the Line Manager

Benefits of line managers being more involved in HR activities:

1. The line managers relationship with their employees may improve as they are working more intimately with them.

2. The line managers will be more likely to solve the day-to-day problems of the business (e.g. punctuality) because they are monitoring their employees more closely.

3. Line managers may be more motivated because they are epowered with more responsibility. (Brown, 2008, p.4). This may result in increased productivity and efficiency.

4. Line managers may learn new skills that could benefit the business as they will be carrying out new and unfamiliar tasks.

5. As their is a clearer picture of the employees progress (because of the link between the Line managers and the HR department), the Line managers can plan with greater certainty [Anon 1.] [n.d.].

Drawbacks of line managers being more involved in HR activities:

1. The relationship between the line managers and the HR department may worsen as the HR department may lose their independence.

2. The line managers are reliant on the HR department to do their job effectively and efficiently. (Redman and Wilkinson, 2006, p.216). If this is not the case, it may reflect badly on the line managers.

3. Existing policies and procedures may be inefficient and or outdated in order to accommodate the link between the line managers and the HR department.

4. The line managers have many duties and therefore have a lack of time to do the HR department's work well. (Redman and Wilkinson, 2006, p.215).

5. The line managers may not have the skills necessary to carry out certain functions of the HR department because they don't specialise in HR.

http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/maneco/general/rolefrntlinemngers.htm

Understanding skills - I think that line managers need to develop good understanding skills in order to effectively manage people because if a line manager cannot understand an employee's problem, the line manager won't be able to take the necessary steps to solve the problem that an employee has.

Problem-solving skills - I think that line managers need to develop good problem-solving skills in order to effectively manage people because if an employee approaches a line manager that has no or little problem-solving skills with a problem, the line manager won't be able to solve the problem or solve the problem effectively.

Communication skills - I think that line managers need to develop good communication skills in order to effectively manage people because if an employee can't communicate with his or her line manager, the line manager won't be able to solve any problems that are present in the workplace.

Motivation skills - I think that line managers need to develop good motivation skills in order to effectively manage people because if an employee is becoming de-motivated, the result might be a unproductive and inefficient employee. Unproductive and inefficient employees are employees that aren't reaching their full potential so it is in the line manager's interest that this is avoided.

Disciplinary skills - I think that line managers need to develop good disciplinary skills in order to effectively manage people because an undisciplined workforce is likely to be unproductive and inefficient. Undisciplined workers may also arrive to work late and take days off from work without permission.

At work, my line managers are developed in most of the aspects that I think are essential in order for them to effectively manage me. For example, my line managers at work have great understanding skills. This is good because I can communicate to him/her and always expect them to understand what I say. This is particularly useful when I have problems that need solving as I have to communicate to them and explain what the problem is and make sure they understand what the problem is, which they do in almost every case. The line managers at work have good understanding skills because they all speak English and are from the south-east of England. This is good because they can not only understand what I say since they understand the accent but also understand certain words and slang terms that are exclusive to the south-east of England (where I am from). In terms of understanding, the line managers at work are therefore very developed.

In addition, my line managers at work also have good problem-solving skills. This is good because at work, their are many problems that can happen and the line managers are often needed to resolve any problems that exist. The line managers at work have good problem-solving skills because all of them have several years of experience as line managers. They therefore know their job role well and have resolved similar problems in the past so they know the good solutions from the bad ones.

The line managers at work also have good communication skills. This is good because at work, we rely heavily on communication between the different levels of the organisation hierarchy. The line managers at work have good communication skills because they all speak English fluently, speak clearly and have excellent spelling and grammar (for when they communicate to us via E-mail and letters). They therefore communicate to us very well.

Having been on Prospects website and researched the job roles for an HR manager, I think my skills are more suited to the role of a HR manager than a line manager. This is because I'm quite a shy individual and a line manager's job role requires someone that is outgoing and willing to communicate with his or her employees. These are qualities that I feel I don't have in order to be a successful line manager. This is why I think that I don't have the skills be a good line manager.

A HR manager on the other hand seems to be generally more bureaucratic and less communicative which is something I feel would be suitable for myself as I feel I am effective when I'm working with paperwork and legislation. This is because their are strict guidelines to follow which I like because it means I can avoid getting caught up in different opinions and options which might be the case if I were to become a line manager e.g. their are different ways of motivating and disciplining people.

Another reason why I think that my skills would be more suited to the role of a HR manager than a line manager is because in order to be a successful line manager, you need excellent team-working skills. For example, a line-manager has to work closely with his or her employees in order to work well. I feel that I work more successfully and efficiently on my own which is why I feel that I don't have the necessary team-working skills in this regard to be successful as a line manager. Even though their is a degree of team-working in HR, I think that overall their is less team-working in HR than in line managing which is why I feel I would be more successful as a HR manager than a line manager in this respect.

In conclusion, I feel I have enjoyed and learnt a lot from this topic on the role of Line Manager's. This is because I have learnt what types of skills and qualities are needed in order to be a successful line manager. This is something that I find very interesting because it applies to the world of work. I can therefore use this knowledge and apply it if necessary when I start to seek full time employment. I also liked this topic because I enjoyed the overlap of Line managing and HR. I thought that it was very interesting how the two need to communicate and interact with each other in order for both to be successful.

References

[Anon 1.] [n.d.] Line Manager Benefits. [online]. [s.n.] Available from: http://www.teamseer.com/benefits/line-manager-benefits/ [Accessed 20 January 2010].

Brown, P. (2008) A guest article by Phil Brown. Why HR must empower the line manager. 1 (1), 4

Manager image. [online]. Available from: http://s2.hubimg.com/u/1438293_f520.jpg [Accessed 24 January 2010].

Redman, T and Wilkinson, A. (2006) Contemporary human resource management: text and cases. 2nd ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

Teamworking

An example of a time when I worked in a team and were successful was when I worked with Zov in carrying out a presentation titled "Our New Business Idea". Since this was the first assignment we had in the University, we were very polite to one another which I felt made the process of practising our presentation a lot easier. This is because we were comfortable with each other. At this point we were at the "Forming" stage of team development. I think that being polite to each other made our presentation successful because it didn't delay the task of practising our presentation. This allowed us to practise and reherse our presentation without any delays e.g. having personal disagreements and other conflicts which would have delayed the process of rehersing. Repeated rehersals perfected our performance.

When we were rehersing our presentation, me and Zov would often consult each other about issues regarding the presentation e.g. what bits that weren't necessary to include, taking into account that our presentation had a time limit of ten minutes. At this point then, we would manage any conflicts that both of us had with the presentation. We were at the "Storming" stage of team development during this period. I think that our team worked successfully during this period because we acted as one, editing the content of our presentation which allowed us to present content that was relevant and necessary in order to reach the higher mark bands.

After confronting issues and difficulties that we had, me and Zov then focused on developing our presentation skills next e.g. such as speaking clearly, giving eye contact to the audience and not speaking too fast/slow. At this point we were at the "Norming" stage of team development. I think our team worked successfully during this period because we both made attempts to improve our presentation skills, which was crucial in receiving the highest mark our team could achieve because the quality of the content presented would have been limited by our skills of presenting the content.

Once our presentation skills had improved to a level that we were both comfortable with, me and Zov focused on making our presentation as a whole as effective as possible. We did this by sharing and suggesting ideas in addition to improving our maturity as a group so our presentation would look professional. At this point, we were at the "Performing" stage of team development. I feel that our team worked successfully during this period because it was at this point where we added the final touches that made the presentation from good to great. By sharing ideas through interacting with one another, I feel we achieved this.

When it came to performing our presentation, I feel me and Zov were very successful in working as a team. This is because we linked our own individual parts of the presentation together e.g. I would say that "As Zov just said" and he would say the opposite on sections of the presentation that overlapped on both his and mine's parts. This made the presentation seem united and feel like a group presentation as opposed to a presentation where you are simply working with someone. In addition, we both worked equally as hard when it came to presenting our presentation which helped make the presentation look like a group effort as I wasn't "out-presenting" him and vice versa. As a result, we clearly shared the responsibility of the work together as a good team should.

The people in my team were myself, Zov, Pierre and John for the People and Organisations group assignment. Looking back on the People and Organisations group assignment, I think that we performed reasonably well as a team. This is because we covered the main points that were included in the assessment criteria. However, I don't feel we were truly united as a team. This is because instead of working as a team, we instead split the work into four pieces between the four of us, with each of us researching and writing up the definition of certain motivation theories in addition to relating these motivation theories to a business of our own choice. If we had collectively looked at all of the results from our secondary research, we could have made sound conclusions based on our findings making links between the different theories and businesses respectively. We didn't do this however. Instead, we simply split the conclusions from our results into four different conclusions with no links between each of the theories and business's. In this respect, we weren't successful as a team because it seemed like we were doing our work as individuals and simply compiling all the information together instead of analysing all of the results and linking them together cohesively.

Our group (consisting of myself, Pierre, Zov and John) did not progress through all of the key stages in Tuckman's theory. The key stages that we progressed through were Forming and Storming. We progressed through Forming in the beginning stages of the assignment by being polite to each other and impersonal. Going through the Forming stage of development contributed to our success as a team in my opinion because it allowed the team to concentrate on the assignment at hand and stay professional. This is because we didn't know each other as individuals very much which meant we didn't get distracted by going off the subject of the assignment e.g. gossiping.

We also progressed through the Storming stage of development. We did this by confronting each other with regards to the assignment. This is because their were a few occasions where some of our group arranged to meet at a certain time but didn't turn up. Going through the Storming stage of development contributed to our success as a team because it helped resolve issues surrounding our dedication, independence and maturity towards the assignment. If we hadn't have addressed these issues, we wouldn't have been able to complete the assignment fully.

We did not progress through the Norming stage of development however. Even though I feel that we confronted issues regarding the assignment, I don't think we developed our skills as a group e.g. analytical skills, as we didn't analyse the content of the assignment to a great degree. I think that this effected the success of the group because it prevented us from achieving a higher grade for our assignment, as analysing the content was a big part of the assessment criteria.

We also did not progress through the Performing stage of development. I think we didn't progress through the Performing stage because I feel we never met our potential as a group. The reason for this is that we never worked effectively or maturely enough to meet this stage. I think that this effected the success of the group because it prevented us from improving the assignment by a significant amount in order to receive a high mark for the assignment.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/

Using the link above, Microsoft is one company where teamwork has been identified as a major contributory factor to their success. For example, Anon 1 (2009) states that 74% of employees feel that working in a team gives them a buzz. Employees with a "buzz" are generally excited which insinuates that 74% of Microsoft's employees that work in a team are excited about working in a team, improving the morale in the work environment. This would also motivate the employees into working harder and more efficiently because they are excited about the prospect of working in a team.

Anon 1 (2009) also states that 81% of Microsoft's employees feel that working in a team "is fun". Working in teams that is regarded as "fun" would mean that the labour turnover rate would be low at Microsoft because people would be interested, excited and motivated into going to work reducing the chances that existing employees would seek employment elsewhere. This would therefore be one of Microsoft's major contributory factors to their success. Anon 1 (2009) proves this further when it states that "regular get-togethers at team, department and company level ensure success is celebrated and staff remain engaged". Furthermore, "Managers have morale budgets which are used to keep teams happy and motivated".

Another company where teamwork has been identified as a major contributory factor to their success is Iris. According to Anon 2 (2009), "employees believe there is a strong sense of family in their teams (an 83% positive score)". If their is a "strong sense of family" in their teams at Iris, the workers would be more open to pitching new and creative ideas together which may result in better results for the company overall, which may help boost sales and therefore profits. This would therefore be a major contributory factor to Iris' success.

In addition, Iris' employees say that "working with their teams gives them a buzz (80%), agree that colleagues go out of their way to help each other (81%) and say that workmates are fun to work with (89%)" [Anon 2]. [n.d.]. Working for a company that gives teams "a buzz" would give the employees more enthusiasm about their job which would motivate them to work harder / more efficiently. This would therefore reduce the labour turnover rate in the company which would mean Iris wouldn't have to spend as much time and money into training new employees as replacements for the employees that have left the company. Teamworking in Iris is therefore clearly contributory to the business as it ultimately saves the business time and money from training new employees.

In conclusion, I have learnt quite a lot on the subject of team working. The main thing I learnt from this topic is the importance of good team working in any business. This is because good team working can work better than people working well as individuals. The reason for this is that more ideas can be pitched together with the best ideas inputted and the worst ideas discarded in teams unlike working as individuals. The outcome is better results. I also enjoyed the topic because I felt it was interesting as it relates to the world of work and I learnt something new.

References

[Anon. 1] (2009) Microsoft [online]. [s.n.] Available from: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/article5703546.ece [Accessed 17 January 2010].

[Anon. 2] (2009) Iris [online]. [s.n.] Available from: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/article5845070.ece[Accessed 17 January 2010].

Teamworking image [n.k.] [online]. Available from: http://www.pathways4change.com/images/cgi.gif [Accessed 17 January 2010].