Unit 22 Managing Human Resources Mulberry Company Assignment

Unit 22 Managing Human Resources Mulberry Company Assignment

Introduction

This Unit 22 Managing Human Resources Mulberry Company Assignment throws light on various aspects of Human Resource Management and helps us to comprehend different methods and models via which the employees can be given flexibility at their work place. We also come to understand the range of impact that the practice of flexibility in working can bring about for the employer and the employee. Mulberry, the company from the fashion Industry is being considered for comprehending the aspects of HRM in a better manner.

Mulberry is placed in the category of the most luxurious fashion brands in Britain. Being a design company, it is renowned all over the globe for exhibiting craftsmanship that is British in nature fused with remarkable quality. The company i strengthened with its range of classic and chic jewellery collection, footwear and handbags. The head offices of the company are located in London and Somerset in United Kingdom.  (Mulberry official site, n.d.)

Task 1: Essay                

1.1 Explain Guest’s model of HRM as applied to the organisation of your choice.

Model Of HRM David Guest
The model of HRM given by David Guest establishes a strategic link between the policies of the business strategy and thus helps the organization in managing the operations effectively, seeking and inculcating commitment amongst employees towards the organizational goals, focussing on the needs of the individuals, practicing the models of flexibility at work and considering the employees as the assets for the organization.

The model given by David Guest in the year 1987, suggests that the Human Resource Management in the organizations of UK must make efforts to bring about the following outcomes and align them.

• Committed employees with high level of commitment and loyalty towards the organizational goals.
• A workforce having the capability to adapt quickly be flexible towards the changes effectively.
• Integrated strategies, comprising of strategies for planning and implementing.
• Developed, trained, effective, productive and efficient work force.

Aligning the above mentioned outcomes will make the employees productive and efficient and develop the skills of problem solving and other soft skills amongst them. This will lead to various changes in the organizational culture that would help in the achievement of organizational goals with cost effective operations. But there also exist a condition for the achievement of these outcomes. The condition is that the business organization must integrate its strategic policies of HRM with the business policies and strategies and this integration must be supported by all levels of managers.

Application Of Model Of David Guest To Mulberry
The HRM model of David Guest has been used by Mulberry to enhance the employee engagement in the company. It has been observed in Mulberry that the implementation of the Guest’s Model has inculcated the loyalty and trust amongst the employees towards the company and its management which has led to the raised levels of productivity of the employees. Mulberry has always tried to recruit the best talent and develop it to suit to the needs of the company. Earlier the company Mulberry practices the hierarchical management structure but now it has been replaced by layered management structure. The employees are given incentives, empowerment and responsibility that give them a sense of belongingness. The practice of providing participatory role and leadership to the employees has also increased the employee engagement. Managers of Mulberry ensure that a healthy work culture and effective communication exists in the company and employees are given appropriate opportunities for self expression. (Paulo, 2012)

1.2 Choosing two organizations of your choice compare the differences between Storey’s definitions of HRM, personnel and IR practices.

I am choosing two organizations for differentiating the definitions of HRM, Personnel and IR Practices.
One is the Mulberry Company which is a fashion company producing luxurious range of handbags, jewellery and footwear. This company practices the latest form of managing employees and updates it from time to time.

Another organization that I have chosen is Barresi’s which is the chain of Italian restaurants that has been working in various parts of United Kingdom since ten years. This company still believes in old form of managing employees and practices Personnel Management (PM) and IR Practices.  (Barresi’s, 2016)

Storey suggested by the medium of his theory that the traditional methods of managing employees, termed as personnel management is gradually being replaced with modern methods of Human Resource Management. The differences between Human Resource Management and Personnel management with the help of the two organizations, i.e. Barresi’s and Mulberry as examples have been given as below:

• The Human Resource Managers in Mulberry help in motivating the employees to work towards the achievement of the mission and the vision of the company whereas in Mulberry the Personnel Managers lay stress that the employees must adhere and act according to the norms laid by the company.
• It is mentioned by Storey in his theory that the scope is limited in the case of Personnel Management when compared to the scope of Human Resource Management as it has been observed in the case of the two organizations taken. Human Resource Management in Mulberry focuses relatively more on the organizational values and cultures.
• The process of decision making is slower in Personnel management as seen in Barresi’s in contrast to the Human resource Management as seen in the case of Mulberry.
• The Human Resource Managers in Mulberry help in creating congenial work conditions for employees and encourage them to take accountability and responsibility for their wok and performance but the Personnel Managers at Barresi’s believe in monitoring the employees strictly in order to get the work done effectively.
• The Human Resource Management of Mulberry considers its work force and employees as assets. The managers of Mulberry recognize the wants and psychological needs of employees and motivate them to engage strategically. The training and development programmes are given the employees to develop them and make them suitable for the organization. The employees are empowered and rewarded suitably. The Personnel Management in Barresi’s considers the employees and the work force as the mere mediums to reach the goals of the organizations.  
• The employment contract and the terms and conditions in the contract are rigidly followed by the Personnel Managers of Barresi’s but the Human Resource Managers at Mulberry possess the authority to modify the employment contract suiting to the demands of the organization and the employee in certain conditions. (What is human resource, 2016)

1.3 Assess the implications for line managers and employees of developing a strategic approach to HRM for any organisation of your choice.

When the strategic approach to HRM is developed in Mulberry, the implications for the line managers as well as for the employees come to the surface. Line managers of Mulberry help in integrating various approaches with the styles of leadership, culture of the organization, goals of the organization and the policies of the organization. Therefore it has been observed that the aspects and various policies of Human Resource Management in Mulberry have large implications for the line managers of the company as the line managers have to frame and implement the policies in such a manner that the conflicts do not arise amongst the employees and the goals of the employees and the goals of the organization are aligned in a compatible manner. As far as the implications for the employees of Mulberry are concerned, these are the job security, remuneration, work flexibility, incentives etc. as these are the factors that are dependent upon the performance of the employees.(Giorgiana, 2016)

Task 2: Topical Issue

2.1 Explain how a model of flexibility might be applied in your organisation.

The provision of the privilege of flexibility at work place is getting prevalent in the business organization rapidly. Flexibility at work place is in relation to the provision of flexibility of time and place to the employees for work that suits the convenience and needs of both the organization and the employees.

Various situations are there where the flexibility model is applied in Mulberry. For instance when the company needs to increase the rate of production, it offers the employees to work overtime and make extra earnings. When the company needs to decrease the absenteeism rate of employees, there are various situations where the model of flexibility can be applied. For example if a company desires to increase the production, it can give the offer to the employees for overtime working or outsourcing the work. If the company needs to decrease the rate of absenteeism, it offers the employees the privilege to share the job or work with flexible schedule.

According to the 2002 Act Mulberry implements the flexible work schedule for women having disabled children or having children under the 6 years of age. Employees who have been working continuously for twenty six weeks are also given this advantage.

The flexible model of working at Mulberry includes privilege of job sharing, work from home privilege, mobile working, working part time facility, privilege of working  overtime compressing of working hours, etc. (Michigan State University, 2016)

Mulberry has been consistently recognizing the needs of its employees. HRM of Mulberry has been developing strategies and models of flexible working for the employees in order to engage them optimally. For example the mobile working facility helps them to complete their jobs and working hours even when they are travelling. This practice of flexible working offers a quality life to the employees of Mulberry.  (Walsh, 2015)

2.2 Discuss the types of flexibility which may be developed by your organisation.

The changing scenario of demography, business, developing technology, education system, rapid competition in the market has raised the demands for flexible working in the organizations in order to make balance between the work life and personnel life. Flexible work has given benefits to business organizations by helping in reducing costs, enhancing efficiency, productivity, boosting morale and retaining good talent.
Mulberry gives the work flexibility of following types:

• Flexibility in operational and functional tasks: Employees who are multi talented and are capable of multitasking are trained and developed to perform versatile roles in Mulberry. This increases the productivity level.
• Flexibility of choosing time for work: Mulberry gives its employees the facility of flexibility in work schedule. The employees who get this privilege are seen to perform in a more desired and positive manner as they have the opportunities to balance their personnel and professional life efficiently. This keeps them active, healthy and stress free. The rate of absentee is also reduced by this practice.
• Flexibility of work from home: Work from home facility is also given to the employees in Mulberry. This saves the time and money incurred by the company and thus cutting down the overhead costs. The employee is also benefitted as he can fulfil the liabilities of home and office at the same time.
• Flexibility of choosing the work days number: Mulberry also gives the employees the facility of choosing the number of working days. The week is compressed and working hours are expanded if the employee desires to work for lesser number of days.
• Flexibility of the number of work hours: Mulberry offers this privilege to the employees in the situations where part time working and job sharing is feasible. (Queensland Government, 2016)

2.3 Assess the use of flexible working practices from both the employee and the employer perspective.

The HRM of Mulberry practices various models of flexible working that helps the company in optimum employee engagement and offering quality life to its employees simultaneously.
Mulberry offers part time working facility to women who have small children or elderly parents to take care of. During high sales season, Mulberry also hires workers to work on temporary basis. The facility of sharing of jobs and rotation of jobs is also offered to the employees.

Advantages Of Flexible Models Of Working For Employer
Flexible models of working benefits the employees in balancing the work and the personnel life positively and having a quality and stress free life style. This balance helps them to remain healthy and be productive and more committed towards their jobs and the organization. The rate of employee absenteeism is reduced and the retention of good talent is enhanced. This is ultimately beneficial benefits the employer as the overhead charges are reduced and the productivity increases.

Disadvantages Of Flexible Models Of Working For Employer

The disadvantages of flexible working to the employer are that the cost of administering these models is high for the employer. The overhead charges like utility bills may increase and the resources may not be optimally used if the employees are not trained. Different work schedule may also bring about miscommunication.

Advantages Of Flexible Models Of Working For Employer

Flexible Models of working benefit the employees by making the personal and professional lives of the employees balanced. This consequently helps in keeping the employees healthy, motivated, energetic, efficient and more productive. The quality life helps the employees the time and enthusiasm to develop their skill sets and develop their weak areas.

Disadvantages Of Flexible Models Of Working For Employer

The disadvantages of flexible working to the employees are that the multi talented and multi tasking employees have to bear more work burden nd work related responsibilities relatively. Compressing the week and expanding the working hours may leave the employees drained.  (Beale, 2013)

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

The business style and structure is changing rapidly all over the globe. The operations and strategic policies are very much different from what they were in the past. The demography and culture is also undergoing transformation. These changing conditions have raised the demand for the practice of flexible working in the labour market. A number of business organizations that include Mulberry Company as well are introducing the practice of flexible working at the work place. The transformations in the demographic, legal, political, environmental structure, increasing undergraduate and post graduate recruits, the willingness to migrate amongst the youth, rapid developments in technology etc. are big factors that have raised the demand for the practice of flexible working in the organizations.

These changes have positive impacts on Mulberry. The company now prefers multi talented and multi tasking employees to the specialized employees. The willingness of workers to migrate to other places for work has made the workers from different skills, culture and background available for the company. The implementation of strategic policies has also become more cost effective and easy with the practice of flexible working.  (Broughton, 2015)

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Task 3

3.1 Explain the forms of discrimination that can take place in the workplace using examples of recent discrimination cases which has made the news.

Sometimes people are treated in an unfavourable way due to some personal characteristics like sex, age, disability, religion, cast, colour and many more. This is called discrimination at the work place. Mulberry is a company which works on the basis of unity in diversity. It has made its law against discrimination under Equal Opportunity Act 2010.
Discrimination is classified into two categories:

• Direct Discrimination: Direct discrimination is made when an assumption is created that a person with specific characteristics can or cannot do. For example deploy responsibilities or refusing to employ someone due to his age, sex, cast, racial, disability etc.
• Indirect Discrimination: Indirect discrimination is made when a person is imposed by unfair and unreasonable condition at the workplace. For example a particular task requires the involvement of 12 hour work in a day but a family person with responsibility is not able to do it. He is being discriminated. (Victorian Equal Rights and Human Rights Commission, 2016)

Mulberry protects its employees at all the stages of employment like appointment, working conditions at the place and the retirement or dismissal period. In spite of all the strict laws Mulberry has sometimes faced the discrimination cases and the efficient management has solved them under the Law and Regulation.

Racial Discrimination: A mulberry worker in 2013 accused the other employees at her workplace were discriminating her racially. The case of resolved by the management and senior authorities and the people who were accused were questioned and strict actions were taken against them. (The Ledger, 2013)

In Mulberry the discrimination laws are no laughing matter. They have created strict rules and formed departments and hired lawyers so that the employees can seek discrimination attorney in Mulberry.

3.2 Discuss the practical implications of equal opportunities legislation for an organisation.

Mulberry has diversity at its workplace that means it has wide range of employees from different background working together for the organisation. This includes employees from different religion, cast, age, sex, physical disability, sexual orientation, educational background, work experience and so on.

UK covers all laws of equal opportunities and anti-discriminations at all the workplace. Mulberry has made aware to its employees about all their rights and laws. The equal opportunity legislations give equal chances to flourish to all the employees. They give their best to the organisation and succeed.

The HRM analyse the working style, capability and skills of the employees before deploying responsibilities on them. The management goes through the performance chart of each employee. The working teams are created in such a way that the weakness of one employee is balanced by the strength of the other.

• Mature aged and young aged employees: Mulberry doesn’t look at the age of the employee but allots the duties according to the age. The activeness of the young employee and the experience and decision making capability of the aged employee do wonders for Mulberry.
• People with disability: The employees with disability are given all the desk, computer and clerical work. Their skills are utilised by Mulberry.
• Education and experience: Mulberry creates a balance and utilises the education of the educated employees, experience of the senior employees and the creative ideas coming from all the brains to grasp the ambition of the company.
• Gender: Mulberry believes in the skills and capabilities irrespective of the gender. The employee who performs better gets promotions and success. (City of Mulberry, 2014)

3.3 Compare the approaches to managing equal opportunities and managing diversity. You should give examples from a selected organisation and discuss the similarities and differences in their approaches to managing equal opportunities and diversity.

Mulberry is the most popular fashion brand company in UK and an established company since 1971. It has hundreds of stores located in different parts of UK and thousands of employees working for it. To manage such a vast range of employees with equal opportunities and diversity is a big challenge for the HRM team of Mulberry.

Approaches to provide equal opportunities to all the Mulberry employees:

Mulberry always works under the protection of Law. Mulberry makes sure that there is a collaborated effort by all the employees of the company irrespective of gender, disability, ethnicity, sexuality and so on. Every person should share equal responsibilities and participate equally. The Equal Opportunity policy says that the company should engage the employees at the workplace according to their capabilities and they should discriminate and get equality from all the other employees and staff members.

The individual should be appointed according to the job criteria and requirements. But at the work place everyone is equal and the rewards and promotions are entirely based on the performance analysis of the individual in Mulberry.

Approaches to manage Diversity in Mulberry:

As it is already discussed that Mulberry is a big company working with thousands of employees of different sex, cast, disability, religion, colour and so on. HRM of Mulberry is very efficient in managing this diversity in the company. Mulberry makes sure that the potential of the employees is engaged in the best way to take out the best results for the company. While analysing the feedbacks and performance of the employee the company only looks at the performance and not the physical appearance. The employees are given equal opportunities to flourish. Training sessions to new technology and new projects are time conducted to make the employees updated. The whole division of work among the employees is done according to the individual’s capacity and capability as the main ambition of the company is to achieve the set goals. (Shen, Chanda, Netto, and Monga, 2009)

Task 4

4.1 Select an organisation you work or have worked for, identify and compare the performance management.

The basic motto of performance management is to polish and promote an employee’s effectiveness. It is a continuous process where the managers play the main role in monitoring the employee’s work objectives and they both plan together to achieve the goals set by the organisation.

• Progress and development in the Organisation: Mulberry takes care that all the employees give their hundred Per cent shot at the workplace. It makes continuous process by lectures, training programs, practical etc. to improve the performance of the employees which is useful for the company performance.
• Strategies of allotment of work: As mentioned above Mulberry closely analyse the performance, skills and capabilities of the employees and allot them the responsibilities accordingly. It takes the best out of the employee which is useful for the organisation.
• Rewards, promotions and appraisal: The performance level is checked every week by the managers. The employees are given equal opportunities to grow. The collaboration of all the weekly reports leads to promotions, appraisals, warnings, rewards, bonus or further training sessions for improvement.
• Managing behaviour of the employees: Mulberry creates a healthy working environment and for this the employees are always encouraged to behave with their managers, subordinates and customers. (People Stream Human Capital Management, 2013)

4.2 Assess the approaches used to managing employee welfare in your organisation

A satisfied employee is a key to success for any organisation. How an organisation treats its employees and what facilities are provided to the employees is shown by the approaches to manage the employee welfare in an organisation. Mulberry knows that its employees are the asset to the company.

• Global image of the company: Mulberry has a reputed image in the world as the best fashion company and the best employer. This positive image in the market wins the attention of the customers which is profitable for the company.
• Well being of the employees: Mulberry knows that the global business market position of the company is due to the hard work of its employees. They feel responsible towards the employees. For the betterment of the employees Mulberry has created many plans and policies.
• With holding of the employees in the Mulberry: The employee needs break, vacation and holidays in between his working tenure. Mulberry provides them paid and unpaid leaves, medical leaves, annual holidays and earned leaves. The female employees get maternity leaves and all the employees that are being terminated are given severance packages.
• Compliance: Mulberry asks its employees to fulfil the target and achieve the goals and the company will provide all the resources required for the completion of the work. The company provides the best insurance plans like the health plan, life plan, share of the company and best opportunities to grow financially in the company. (Koening, 2016)

4.3 Discuss the implications of health and safety legislation on human resources practices.

Mulberry feels the responsibility of the employees and their health on its shoulders. Under the rules of health and legislation Mulberry has health policies to all of its employees. Mulberry takes full care of the employees and their health working at the workplace.

The implications of health and safety legislation on HRM practices of Mulberry:

• Health records: Mulberry has maintained hard and soft copies of the health planner of every individual employee from the date of appointment. This planner is maintained regularly with regular check- ups.
• Health, life and accidental insurance policies: Mulberry takes full care of the employees and has provided them the best insurance policy, life insurance policies and accidental policies. Mulberry provides a stress free environment to employees.
• Health and safety training programs: Mulberry does the overall development of the employees and provides them regular health and safety training programs so that the employees can take care of themselves and others at the time of emergency.
• Deployed safety managers: The health and safety managers at the workplace take care of the employees and keep a close check at all the dangers. They provide special instructions to the employees to fight from the danger. (Mayhew, 2016)

4.4 Evaluate the impact of another topical issue on human resources practices.

To retain the position in the global market Mulberry needs to remain updated. The efficient management team of Mulberry keeps a close look at the changing trends, requirements of the customers, new ideas and the competitors. The marketing team implement the new strategies based on the market survey. The biggest impact of one of the topical issue is the emerging trend of E-learning. The whole global market is interconnected through this technology. The employees of Mulberry are required to remain updated and learn the new practices E-Learning. The market survey and data remains in the record and is just a click away from all the employees. Mulberry conducts regular programs for understanding end learning this new technology. The working style and conditions at the work place become smoother and surveys are more accurate due to E-Leaning. (Andriotis, 2015)

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Conclusion

This MHR Assignment Mulberry is a well of knowledge about the working style of Human resource managementin Mulberry. This explains that how the HRM team acts as the life line for the company. The assignment explains the importance of the employees and how the company takes care of them. The employees treat their employees under rules and regulations set by the Government.

References

Andriotis, N., (2015), E Front: eLearning for Human Resources Management, [Online], Available: https://www.efrontlearning.com/blog/2015/02/elearning-human-resources-management.html [Accessed 15 November, 2016]
Barresi’s (2016), [Online], Available:  http://www.barresis.com/about_us.php [Accessed on 16 November, 2016]
Beale, S., (2013), Flexible working-The advantages and disadvantages, [Online],
Available:http://www.businesszone.co.uk/community-voice/blogs/sbeale/flexible-working-the-advantages-and-disadvantages [Accessed on 16 November, 2016]
Broughton, A., (2015),Flexible working remains a mainstay of the UK labour market, [Online], Available:http://www.employment-studies.co.uk/news/flexible-working-remains-mainstay-uk-labour-market, [Accessed on 16 November, 2016]
City of Mulberry, (2014), Personal Rules and Regulations, [Pdf], Available:http://www.cityofmulberryfl.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/City-of-Mulberry-Personnel-Manual.pdf [Accessed 15 November, 2016]
Giorgiana, A., (2016), Implications for line managers and employees of developing a strategic approach to HRM at Harrods, [Online], Available: http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/implications-for-line-managers-and-employees-of-developing-a-strategic-approach-to-hrm-at-harrods-7453901.html[Accessed on 16 November, 2016]