BTEC Level 3 National Business

Unit 16 Assignment Brief

Unit 16

Human Resource Management in Business

Name:

Unit Information

Unit Number/Title: 16 Human Resource Managementin Business

QCF Level 3: BTEC National

Credit value: 10

Guided learning hours: 60

AuthorS. Curtin

Assessor(s)S. Blunt

Aim

In this unit, you will learn about all aspects of Human Resources management in business, including the different factors that are involved.

Assessment Information

Before starting each task, you MUSTmakesure that you fully understand ALL of therelevant content associated with that task.

You MUST also be clear about the nature of the evidence you need to produce for each task.

All tasks MUST be handed in by the deadlines set.

Grading Criteria

Task / Grading criteria / Deadline
1 / Describe the internal andexternal factors to considerwhen planning the human
resource requirementsof an organisation / P1
1 / Describe how the skills thatemployees require to carryout jobs in an organisationare identified / P2
1 / Explain why human resourceplanning is important to anorganisation / M1
2 / Outline how an organisationmotivate its employees / P3
2 / Compare the useof motivation theories
in an organisation / M2
2 / Suggest, with justification,ways of improving motivationin an organisational setting / D1
3 / Explain how organisationsobtain the cooperationof their employees / P4
4 / Explain how employeeperformance is measuredand managed. / P5
4 / Explain how the results frommeasuring and managingperformance informemployee development / M3
4 / Assess the importance ofmeasuring and managingemployee performance atwork / D2

Task 1 –Human Resource Planning

Vocational Context

You have just started working for a company called SpiraxSarco as a Human Resources Assistant. SpiraxSarcois a leading British-based manufacturer of boiler and pipeline control valves for steam heating and process plants. To get to know the business, they have asked you to complete a review on the methods used within the business to manage HR.

Learning Objective and Content
L01: Know the factors that are involved in human resource planning in organisations
  • Internal planning factors: organisational needs e.g. demand for products and services, new products and services, new markets, technological change, location of production; skills requirements; workforce profiles (age, gender, ethnicity, ability)
  • External planning factors: supply of labour (international, national, regional, local, long-term trends, short-term trends); labour costs; workforce skills; government policy; labour market competition; changing nature of work; employee expectations e.g. full-time, part-time, permanent, temporary, casualwork; impact of automation; demand for products and services
  • Employee skills: people as organisational resources; skill sets e.g. job specific, generic; skill acquisition; skillsaudit, skill transferability; impact of technology

For a PASS (P1)

You need to write a REPORT which includes the following:

Company Background (Research task)

Conduct brief researchon the background of the business and explain in a few paragraphs some information about SpiraxSarco. Make sure you include the size, ownership and purpose of the business as well as information about their workforce (for example, how many employees, white/blue collar workers etc.)

Internal and External Factors

Then you need to examine how Human Resources at SpiraxSarcois developing and changing due to internal and external factors.

  • Explain each of the internal factors that SpiraxSarco must consider:
  • Organisational Needs(demand for products and services, new products and services, new markets, technological change, location of production)
  • Skills requirements
  • Workforce profiles (age, gender, ethnicity, ability)
  • Explain each of the external factors that SpiraxSarco must consider:
  • Supply of labour (international, national, regional, local, long-term trends, short-term trends)
  • Labour costs
  • Workforce skills
  • Government policy
  • Labour market competition
  • Changing nature of work
  • Employee expectations (full-time, part-time, permanent, temporary, casualwork)
  • Impact of automation
  • Demand for products and services

For a PASS (P2)

You now need to research and explain how SpiraxSarco identify employee skills by explaining each of the skills below in relation to the business:

  • People as organisational resources
  • Skill sets (job specific, generic)
  • Skill acquisition
  • Skills audit
  • Skill transferability
  • Impact of technology

Find out and explain how SpiraxSarco identify, record and monitor their employees’ skills.

For a MERIT (M1)

You now need to explain why human resource planning is needed to ensure SpiraxSarco has employees with the necessary skills, knowledge and abilities to fulfil its purposes (M1).

Some of the benefits of carrying out a skills audit may include:

-Develop individual and organisational learning plans.

-Inform your annual training budget and prioritise individual training.

-Set other budgets

-Show that the organisation is considering its staff and is committed to helping staff, volunteers and management committee do their job more effectively

-Identify skills that staff have that you didn’t know about

-Improve staff morale, motivation and performance

-Feed into further career opportunities

-Have a more effective team

Completion of this task will provide evidence that you have met the following grading criteria:
P1Describe the internal and external factors to consider when planning the human resources requirements of an organisation
P2 Describe how the skills that employees require to carry out jobs in an organisation are identified
M1 Explain why human resources planning is important to an organisation

Task 2–Employee Motivation

Vocational Context

Now that you understand the pressures on SpiraxSarco to get the right staff with the right skills, you can see why it is important to motivate the workforce and retain employees. The HR manager has asked you to carry out an evaluation of the current methods of motivation and suggest new ideas based on your findings.

Learning Objective and Content
L02: Know how organisations motivate employees
  • Motivation theory: theories of motivation e.g. Taylor, Mayo, Maslow, Herzberg, McGregor, McClelland, Vroom
  • Reward systems: pay; performance-related pay; pension schemes; profit sharing; employee share options;mortgage subsidies; relocation fees; bonuses; company vehicles; loans/advances; childcare; school fees;corporate clothes; staff discounts; flexible working; leave; health care; extended parental leave, careerbreaks; cafeteria incentive schemes; salary sacrifice schemes

For a PASS (P3)

You need to start by defining motivation and explaining that there have been many motivational theorists who have suggested that humans are motivated in many different ways. Create a PRESENTATION to explain each of the theorists below and give examples, where possible, to show how SpiraxSarco motivate its employees.

  • Taylor
  • Mayo
  • Maslow
  • Herzberg
  • McGregor
  • McClelland
  • Vroom

Continue the PRESENTATION by describing the different reward systems that could be used and give an example for each one using SpiraxSarco and other businesses:

  • Pay
  • performance-related pay
  • pension schemes
  • profit sharing
  • employee share options
  • mortgage subsidies
  • relocation fees
  • bonuses
  • company vehicles
  • loans/advances
  • childcare
  • school fees
  • corporate clothes
  • staff discounts
  • flexible working
  • leave
  • health care
  • extended parental leave
  • career breaks
  • cafeteria incentive schemes
  • salary sacrifice schemes

For a MERIT (M2)

In a REPORT, you need to compare the different methods of motivation used by SpiraxSarco. Choose 5 different methods of motivation used and for each one:

  • Explain how and whyit motivates staff
  • Consider the advantages and disadvantages to the business

For a DISTINCTION (D1)

Continue with your REPORT and explain 5 different ways that the business could improve employee motivation. For each one:

  • Explain the suggested method of motivation
  • Explain why it will improve motivation in the business?
  • Refer to the theory (P3) and advantages and disadvantages (M3) to explain SPECIFICALLY how it will help SpiraxSarco.

Completion of this task will provide evidence that you have met the following grading criteria:
P2 Outline how an organisation motivates its employees
M2 Compare the use of motivation theories in an organisation
D1 Suggest, with justification, ways of improving motivation in an organisational setting

Task 3 –Employee Cooperation

Vocational Context

Now you have completed the research on motivation, the HR manager has asked you to turn your attention to employee cooperation and how this can help business performance. Continue your research into SpiraxSarco by examining how they gain cooperation from their workforce.

Learning Objective and Content
L03: Understand how to gain committed employee cooperation
  • Contracts of employment: contractual entitlements (pay, hours of work, leave, notice period, pension benefits); employee and employer rights; types of employment contract (full time, fractional, part time, temporary, casual); disciplinary procedures; grievance procedures; union membership; codes of behaviour
  • Employee involvement techniques: membership of work groups eg board, works councils, quality circles, intra-organisational groups (transnational, national, site specific); suggestions schemes; devolved authority and responsibility; open communications (formal, informal, top-down, bottom-up, lateral); types ofcommunication (newsletters, company bulletins); organisational culture (ethos, values, mission); nationalaccreditation (Investors in People (IIP), Charter Mark, International Standards Organisation (ISO))

For a PASS (P4) –

You need to write a REPORT that explains how SpiraxSarcogain employee cooperation by explaining the following points and giving an example for each one:

  • Contracts of employment
  • Contractual entitlements (pay, hours of work, leave, notice period, pension benefits)
  • Employee and employer rights
  • Types of employment contract (full time, fractional, part time, temporary, casual)
  • Disciplinary procedures
  • Grievance procedures
  • Union membership
  • Codes of behaviour
  • Employee involvement techniques
  • Membership of work groups, for example, board, works councils, quality circles, intra-organisational groups (transnational, national, site specific)
  • Suggestions schemes
  • Devolved authority and responsibility
  • Open communications (formal, informal, top-down, bottom-up, lateral)
  • Types ofcommunication (newsletters, company bulletins)
  • Organisational culture (ethos, values, mission)
  • Nationalaccreditation (Investors in People (IIP), Charter Mark, International Standards Organisation (ISO)

Completion of this task will provide evidence that you have met the following grading criteria:
P4–Explain how organisations obtain the cooperation of their employees

Task 4 –Employee Performance

Vocational Context

The HR manager is so impressed with your work so far that she has asked you to complete one final piece of research on how the business manages performance and the importance this has on the overall success of SpiraxSarco.

L04: Learning Objective and Content
Understand the importance of managing employee performance at work
  • Measuring performance: performance indicators (achievement against targets); goal theory; SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound) targets eg sales targets, growth targets, financialtargets, waiting times, pass rates, punctuality, attendance; benchmarking
  • Managing performance: probation; appraisal; supporting employees eg mentoring, monitoring, buddying;occupational health; managing workloads; delegating authority; responsibility; capacity; competence;autonomy; linking rewards to performance; discipline; employee development(training, learning, jobrotation, accelerated promotion, personal, professional)

For a PASS (P5)

You need to explain each of the points below and give an example for each how this is carried out by SpriaxSarco:

  • Measuring performance
  • Performance indicators (achievement against targets)
  • Goal theory
  • SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound) targets e.g. sales targets, growth targets, financialtargets, waiting times, pass rates, punctuality, attendance
  • Benchmarking
  • Managing performance:
  • Probation
  • Appraisal
  • Supporting employees - mentoring, monitoring, buddying
  • Occupational health
  • Managing workloads
  • Delegating authority
  • Responsibility
  • Capacity
  • Competence
  • Autonomy
  • Linking rewards to performance
  • Discipline
  • Employee development(training, learning, jobrotation, accelerated promotion, personal, professional)

For a MERIT (M3)

Continue your report by explaining how the results from measuring and managing performance inform employee development at SpiraxSarco.

You will need to:

  • Explain how they measure and manage performance as well as how this is used to further develop each individual.
  • Identify suitable performance indicators to use with individual employees and showhow the individual’s performance can be improved through the use of performance management.

For a DISTINCTION (D2)

You need to assess the importance of measuring and managing performance at work. What are benefits and drawbacks to SpiraxSarco? You need to make judgements about the value of monitoring and managing employees. The benefitsof performance management should be contrasted with the consequences of failing to manage performance.

Completion of this task will provide evidence that you have met the following grading criteria:
P5 Explain how employee performance is measured and managed
M3 Explain how the results from measuring and managing performance inform employee development
D2 Assess the importance of measuring and managing employee performance at work

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