Human resource management in Thomas Cook

TASK 1

P1 Purpose and functions of HRM, applicable to workforce planning

Workforce planning refers to a procedure in which HR managers of a company used to make continuous improvement and design in perfect way. In this process, they used to align working organisation with priorities and requirement of business. It includes legislations, regularities and production requirements along with hiring desired employees in firm. In addition to this, workforce planning includes various strategies which is based on determining workers' implications, goals and objectives of a business in context with future and current needs (Functions of HRM. 2017). Thus, HR managers of a company perform various functions in order to design workforce which aid enterprise in enhancing profitability and productivity of business in a higher manner. In context with Thomas Cook, which is a travel company of UK. Currently, near about 22,000 number of workers are working in this tourism industry.

Purpose of human resource management- The main purpose of human resource management in a firm is to boost productivity of workers. They generally concern with making improvisation in an association as well as on adopting various approaches and policies. Some main purposes of HR managers in Thomas Cook are:-

• Create better organisational culture: It is the main purpose of human resource management of a company in which managers used to form effective working culture. In travel and tourism industry, managers are mainly concern with introducing diverge culture in workplace. It will help in getting highly qualified workers who have gained knowledge of various languages. Therefore, creating proper organisational culture aid firm in managing entire functions of business in a systematic manner.
• Law: In UK, Government has established various rules and legislation which helps in running business organisation in a legal manner. These laws are amendable for all companies including tourism sector also (Shuck and Wollard, 2010). It includes employment legislation, union and negotiation etc. These are generally influence decision-making process of HR in a company which are based on recruitment and selection, hiring as well as terminating employees and more.
• Managing employees: In an enterprise, the most valuable asset is its workers, therefore, it is main responsibility of HR to manage their work and provide healthy working environment to them. In order to this, they should give them proper training, compensation, reward and more. It would help in increasing productivity of employees so that profitability of business can be enhanced (Teece, 2012). Since business of Thomas Cook is increasing at rapid rate, therefore, it necessary for managers to manage workplace in an effective manner and use various approaches for utilising manpower.

The main functions of human resource management in Thomas Cook-

• Recruitment and selection – Business of tour and travel industry is enhancing at rapid rate, therefore, it needs to hire best employees in organisation. For this process, HR managers used various approaches to attract large number of job seekers who have possessed high skills in giving effective services to travellers. By getting a list of applicants, they can choose the best among them through various method of recruitment and selection procedure.
• Training and development- This is the major responsibility of HR managers of an association in which they provide essential training to new and existing employees to increase their skills, abilities and knowledge in a particular people. In Thomas Cook travel company, managers provide learning programs to employees which gave them opportunity to gain theoretical, behaviour and functional knowledge. All these skills help in giving high customer services and retain them with longer period.
• Payroll management- It is also major responsibility of a firm to introduce payroll management in enterprise. In this process, managers are needed to review performance of each employee and give appraisals accordingly.

P2 The Strengths and weaknesses of various approaches to recruitment and selections

Every business organisation need to get best candidates in their workplace who help in running business activities in a proper manner. For this process, HR managers perform various activities in order to introduce high skilled workers. But it is not an easy task for them to recruit and select the best, as this process includes lot of procedures. Along with this, they have to analyse effectiveness of all sources of recruitment and selection method so that entire activities can be done in proper manner (Tarique and Schuler, 2010).

External Recruitment: It is the method under which list of candidates are obtained from external sources such as placement agencies, job portal, media advertisements, employment exchange and more. Therefore, it helps in bringing high eligible candidates at workplace.