1. An assignment on
Managing
Human Resource
Submitted by:
Name:
Id:
Submitted to:
Date of submission:

2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
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TASK- 1 VARIOUS PERSPECTIVE OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
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1.1 GUEST’S MODEL FOR HRM:
1.2 DISSIMILARITY BETWEEN STORY’S HRM, PERSONNEL AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
DEFINITION:
1.3 DEVELOPING A STRATEGIC METHOD TO HRM AND EFFECT OF LINE MANAGERS AND
STAFFS:
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TASK- 2 DEVELOPING FLEXIBILITY IN PLACE OF WORK.
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2.1 FLEXIBILITY MODEL THEORY AND PRACTICE:
2.2 FORMS OF FLEXIBILITY IN ORGANIZATIONS:
2.3 FLEXIBLE WORKPLACE PRACTICES FROM MANAGER AND WORKER PERSPECTIVE:
2.4 EFFECT OF FLUCTUATIONS IN LABOR MARKET ON FLEXIBLE WORKING PRACTICE:
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TASK- 3 OUTCOME OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES IN PLACE OF WORK
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3.1 DISCRIMINATION IN WORKPLACE:
3.2 APPLICATION OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY LEGISLATION FOR ORGANIZATION:
3.3 DISSIMILARITIES BETWEEN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT:
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TASK- 4 METHODS TO HUMAN RESOURCE PRACTICES
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4.1 COMPARING TECHNIQUES OF PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT:
4.2 ASSESSMENT OF EMPLOYEE WELFARE MANAGEMENT:
4.3 APPLICATION OF HEALTH AND SAFETY LAW ON HR:
4.4 OUTCOME OF TOPICAL ISSUE ON HR PRACTICES:
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REFERENCES:
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3. Executive Summary:
Human Resource Management is comprised of the activities which include the management,
development, motivation and maintenance of individual workers working in an organization.
All the organizational segments are anyhow related to HRM. Recruiting, selecting candidates,
improving performance, rewarding employees and maintain safety in workplace, these are
common actions considered under HRM. HR manager performs a very significant role in not
only those actions but also establishing policies to provide equal opportunities disregarding
gender issue, age difference or other discriminating factors. In the competitive, repeatedly
changing labor market, it is very important to consider suitable flexibility issues for the
employees. HRM is responsible to deal with the methods of human resource practices like
performance assessment on various bases. Eventually HRM ensures the positive outcomes for
the organization as a result of healthy human resource practices.
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4. Task- 1
Various perspective of Human resource management
1.1 Guest’s model for HRM:
An HR model was introduced by David Guest (1997) which is considered to be a superior
model related to other HR models. According to this model, the HR manager adopts various
strategies needed some specific practices and therefore receives the output. The model has six
components which are noted down here sequentially.
HR strategies
HR practices
HR results
Behavioral output
Performance outcome
Financial consequences
Unilever is one of the biggest consumer merchandise producers. Their strategy is to acquire a
sustainable growth, reduce fifty percent of the environmental impact their operation makes
and double their revenue. The relation between the Guest’s model and the HR policies
maintained by Unilever is stated below
HR policies established by Unilever are associated with the organization’s core
structures and objectives.

More controlled supply chain worker management, discrimination free working
environment, long term commitment, equal rights and maintaining child labor policy.

Because of that the staffs get motivated, more objective-oriented and satisfied in their
work.

Staffs perform at a standard level and their improved performance focuses on business
structural objectives and values.
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5. 
Involvement of the employee, co-operation within them and customer-focused actions
resulted in increased profit and attainment of more customer and market share.
1.2 Dissimilarity between Story’s HRM, personnel and industrial relations
definition:
HRM
Personnel management
Personnel management
and IR
Definition: HRM deals
with the improvement
and utilization of human
resources, employees,
employers,
suppliers,
customers and maintain
quality, commitment to
attain
organizational
objectives.
Definition: It is a
directional
function
which attempts and
directs
to
bring
efficiency in operation.
Definition: IR means
the connection and
relation
between
employers, staffs and
outside influencers like
Government.
Unilever
arranges
programs on health &
hygiene improvement
of the people, takes
supplier and expert
suggestion and which
creates an effective
supply-chain relation.
Unilever
includes
activities like training,
advice, knowledge and
keep
records
of
performance to develop
the personnel.
It includes the relational
perspective of HR,
communication with the
labor-union.
1.3 Developing a strategic method to HRM and effect of line managers and
staffs:
HRM plays an important role in all organizational level. Basically it’s the process and system
of recruiting, training and improving the human resources (Herder 2009). It is the aim of
Unilever to select and develop appropriate skilled candidates to get performance that
increases cultural value to keep pace with the changing environmental situation. In this fact,
the HR line managers play an important role. For the line managers and staffs of Unilever
following approaches can be useful and applicable4|P a g e

6. i.
Creating desire: It is important for line managers to feel the desire of importance of
HR responsibility and activity. HR department needs to help them creating a desire to
implement HR approaches in workplace more effectively and practically.
ii.
Providing support: Line managers should be provided sufficient supports from the
HR professionals so that they can successfully implement the HR activities.
iii.
Developing capacity: Various short terms based and operational duties are carried by
line managers which demotivate their HR responsibility. Their capacity in HR activity
needs to be fruitfully enhanced along with their operational responsibilities.
iv.
Competency development: to perform HR activities effectively. Training facilities can
be carried out to improve their HR competencies and skills.
HR responsibility: Line managers and employees can be very much helpful by strong HR
concept, policies, rules, procedures and responsibilities. It will also help them to clearly
understand the importance of HR activities.
Task- 2
Developing flexibility in place of work.
2.1 Flexibility model theory and practice:
Atkinson’s core and peripheral workforce model: This model explains that stability between
the peripheral and core workforce alters. This happens because of the unstructured use of
peripheral workers among the managers. A suitable core-periphery strategy for workers is
needed to be maintained by the managers, to make sure that disproportionate worker selection
is never made by them.
Core workforce: According to Guest (1987), core workforce is known as high commitment
workforce. They are highly proficient, quality performers and enjoy job security. Flexibility
functional form can explain the appropriate strategy for core workforce.
Peripheral workforce: Peripheral workforce includes the workforce involved with the
numerical and regular activities of a firm. They perform important tasks but these are not
vital for the organization.
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7. 2.2 Forms of flexibility in organizations:
Workplace flexibility is very important for an organization which means how swiftly the
workers can adapt to fluctuations and changes in the demand-supply curve of the labor
market. Atkinson’s approach is considered as the most appropriate flexibility type. For
achieving equilibrium in flexibility in personnel work environment four approaches can be
useful for Unilever.
i.
Financial flexibility: Here flexibility can be obtained by assessment-based or
performance payment. This pattern means not making the wage level collectively
fixed, undertaking variant in wage level among different individuals.
External numerical flexibility: It’s the adaptation of labor entry from external labor
ii.
source. It entails the actions like temporary workers acquisition, relaxing the
employee security legislation to be able to fire permanent employees if necessary.
iii.
Locational flexibility: The workers’ activities outside of typical workplace can be
another flexibility pattern which is called locational flexibility.
iv.
Functional flexibility: Functional flexibility deals with training and outsourcing of
activities. It involves the movement of workers within the organization from one
function to another.
v.
Temporal flexibility: This flexibility includes adaptation of working shifts, flexible
time, flexible schedule and overtime for the present workers.
2.3 Flexible workplace practices from manager and worker perspective:
Considering both employer and employee viewpoint, there exist few normally used flexibility
practices in workplace.

Part-time: Staffs spend less time working usually not more than 30-35 hours a week.

Teleworking: Using telecommunication, workers need not to attend at the workplace
but they can perform the task from outside or home.

Zero hour contract: In this type of arrangement, no time is specified for performing a
task between the employees and employers. Employer can offer a job or not and viceversa employee can accept the job or not. Worked hour is made the basis of the
compensation.

Staggered hours: This working system works like when all employees don’t enter or
leave the work at same moment but create huge overlaps.
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8. 
Homeworking: There are specific tasks which the workers can accomplish from their
homes.

Job sharing: A job is normally shared by two workers usually done by one person. If
this type of flexibility is prevailed, payment is minimized through job sharing.

Compressed hours: This working system ensures that the employees can work
extended hours daily to reach a targeted total weekly hours and later on which allows
them to enjoy a day off per week.
2.4 Effect of fluctuations in labor market on flexible working practice:
It is important for an organization to attain its organizational objectives. To do so, they need
to make sure that they are hiring appropriate staffs with necessary competencies and skills for
appropriate role. But for social, economic and environmental changes labor market is
changing repeatedly. Because of the changes in the labor market supply-demand curve, work
environmental flexibilities should be adapted.
Demography in labor market: Demography has been reordering the supply and demand of
labor market for a long time. Increased longevity of people has enabled them to work for a
long time. Diminished birth rate is another reason for the reduced labor supply in the market.
Gender proportion in workplace has changed the scenario of policies by the increased
participations of women in corporate world. Diversified personnel and their altering
demographic stages require variety of flexibility strategies to achieve strategic objectives
Task- 3
Outcome of equal opportunities in place of work
3.1 Discrimination in workplace:
ILO has defined that discrimination in workplace can be happened because of the differences
in individual background, race, age, gender and characteristics which impede equal
opportunity at work (Mishael 2012). If this kind of discrimination in workplace takes place,
human development process is constrained, humiliation, violations take place and as a result
the motivation and standard of the workers get lost. Thus the firm falls in deep trouble failing
to achieve its HRM goal and organizational objectives.
Discrimination of gender: Women face negligence in workplace compared to their male
counterparts who enjoy better opportunity and dignity. This kind of practice demotivates
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9. them to join corporate world and economic process. Equal rights, recognition and
responsibility should be provided to both male and female workers for their motivation.
Discrimination of age: Considering age variances, staffs are discriminated from opportunity
of promotion, transfer and authority. HRM managers should provide equal opportunity of
reward, promotion and transfer to all the staffs based on their performances and
achievements.
Discrimination of background: Discrimination is possible on the basis of the varied family
and institutional background. Thus people from particular educational or family legacy
receive more attention and benefits in their professional life than the other staffs. All the
staffs must be treated equally depending on their skills and expertise; background should be
ignored.
Discrimination of religion: People coming from a minority religious group face numerous
problems to cope up with corporate structure, culture, policy and behavior. Corporate policies
should be set as per to comply with the religious differences and provide them with equal
facilities.
Discrimination of disability: Disable candidates are often underestimated and neglected in
recruitment because of the assumption that they possess less abilities and skills. But these
people can do particular functions and work with excellence. HRM managers should provide
equal opportunity to them during selection process and their performance should be equally
assessed.
3.2 Application of equal opportunity legislation for organization:
Firms and organizations develop equal opportunity rules, so that equal treatment of the staffs
and minimized discrimination in work environment can be ensured. Employee’s right is
secured in HR and all other sectors of operations and managements including job structure,
recruitment, reward, transfer and financial benefits after retirement. Discrimination can be of
two types- direct and indirect.
Direct: Individuals who are discriminated and less favorable than other employees from
desired background, characteristics to the employers.
Indirect: All staffs receive equal rights and rules but those rules might prove impossible or
difficult to comply with because of particular restrictions and culture.
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10. To introduce and raise equality in all sectors of firm’s structure and activities, a firm should
comply with some crucial factors
Creating equal promotional and salary opportunities.

Complying with the workplace legislation act.

Eradicating any unlawful acts or workplace harassment.

Assisting employees building communication between those who own favorable
individualities and those who don’t.

Adapting facilities for staffs that don’t carry particular characteristics.
3.3 Dissimilarities between equal opportunity and diversity management:
The concept of equal opportunity is initiated to handle discrimination. Diversity management
is a model which is called as the development of equal opportunity attitude. But diversified
workforce benefits a firm and requires a strategic management of the diversity.
Managing diversity
Driver aspects
Managing equal
opportunity
External factors
Method structure
Operational structure
Strategic structure
Situation is measured as
A problematic situation
Assets for the firm
Focus base
Group discrimination
Individual dissimilarities
Understanding base
Narrower
Broader
Suggested effort
Integration
Mainstream adaptation
Aspects
Task- 4
Internal factors
Methods to human resource practices
4.1 Comparing techniques of performance management:
Performance assessment is very essential for a firm. It lets the firm know about the required
modifications to improve the performance of the staffs. Different assessment techniques are
used for the evaluation of performance. The techniques of evaluation that can be very useful
in valuing quantity and quality of performance are:

MBO: A predetermined performance standard is maintained and the actual
performance is matched to find new policies and other modifications. It is graded
based on the attainment of structural goal through performance.
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11. 
Assessment centers: Managers join assessment centers and performance is then
measured by trainers. Through drills like virtual work scenario, group mission, the
communiqué aptitude, planning proficiency, leadership excellence, creativity,
tolerance range etc. are assessed. This technique is more trustworthy and effective to
evaluate the future development of performance and requirements than the other
evaluation methods.

Psychological assessment: Psychological assessment is practiced by emotional test,
knowledge profundity conversation and other in-depth assessments. This system is
used to measure the potentialities and understanding for forthcoming performances.
Individualities, emotional and motivational aspects are judged and which affect their
work and output.

360 degree feedback: Supervisors, team-members and customers, own-self
determine the assessment in this process. Appropriate response, multiple evaluation
and greater self-development is possible through this method.
4.2 Assessment of employee welfare management:
Worker welfare management includes the activities that simplifies employee life and make
lives more valuable. Managers must offer assistances, services, inspiration, safety, medical
facilities and cultural events to maintain the labor force for a lengthy period. The purposes of
a firm behind the worker welfare are given below:

Delivering healthy work atmosphere.

Developing job desirability for more effective employment.

Attaining established labor force and squeeze labor turnover.

Preserving against trade and labor unions.

Achieving more efficiency and constructive employee relation this supports cooperation.
Employee welfare applied must be assessed regularly to analyze the financial paybacks and
expenses. Welfare managers require assessing specific principles of welfare management
Determine if the undertakings are sufficient for fulfilling the actual needs of
workforces.

The financing method must be well-structured and the cost of welfares should be
balanced and viable.
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12. 
Facilities and benefits must be adapted complying with the personal heterogeneity.
This customization of facilities is also known as the cafeteria approach.

Periodical evaluation will explain the achievement of the accomplishments based on
the criticism.
4.3 Application of health and safety law on HR:
Health and safety standard must be followed in the workplace according to the health and
safety rule. Prevention of harms, accidents at factory, violence and other safety matters are
dealt in this matter. Supervisors, managers and personnel are accountable to ensure the safety
guidelines and regulations. Workforces might reject to work if working circumstance is
dangerous. Firm might fail to attract the capable and talented staffs and trapped in
competitive disadvantage. So, for raising brand image and value of the organization to the
prospective labor market, achieving sustainable workforces and increasing efficiency, a firm
should monitor and abide by health and safety principles.
According to the Health and Safety at work act (1974), health and welfare concern and the
responsibilities of the managers, workers and those investors who possess control in working
structure.
4.4 Outcome of topical issue on HR practices:
In HR the topical issues break out during the effort of effective recruitment process,
improved productivity, training and mitigating discriminations. Some important and
concerned topical issues are given below:

Adopting effective recruitment process.

Improving productivity.

Ensuring safety at workplace.

Maintaining workforce diversity.

Arranging training programs.

Mitigation of discriminations.

Resolution of conflicts.
The employees need to be prepared to reform and improve the HR activities as the changes in
such HR related issues can occur any time (Martin 2013). Various HR approaches and
policies are taken considering individual difference.
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13. References:
Atkinson, J. and Meager, N. (1986) Changing Working Patterns: How companies achieve
flexibility to meet new needs, Institute of Manpower Studies, National Economic
Development Office, London.
Guest, D E (1987) Human resource management and industrial relations, Journal of
Management Studies, 24 (5), pp. 503–21
Herder, J.E. (2009) Issues of Fit in Strategic Human Resource Management: Implications for
research. Human Resource Management Review, 8: 289–309.
Martin, L. (2013) Similarities and Differences in Human Resource Management in the
European Union. Thunderbird International Business Review, 45: 729–756.
Mishael, C.R. (2012) Strategy and Human Resources. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Story,
D.J. and Johnson,
S. (1987) Are
Small
Firms
the
Answer
to
Unemployment? London: Employment Institute.
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