History of Human Resource Management

People Management

In this assignment I will be looking at the role played by the Personnel Management to Human Resource Management (HRM) for Sainsbury's and there historic developments. I will also be looking at how the existing HR function for Sainsbury's could be developed to work more effectively with the rest of the organisation.

Human Resource Management (HRM) is fundamentally another name for personnel management. It is the process of making sure the employees are as creative as they can be. HRM is a way of grouping the range of activities associated with managing people that are variously categorised under employee relations, industrial/labour relations, personnel management and organisational behaviour. Many academic departments where research and teaching in all these areas take place have adopted the title department of human resources management. HRM is a coordinated approach to managing people that seeks to integrate the various personnel activates so that they are compatible with each other. Therefore the key areas of employee resourcing, employee development, employee reward and employee involvement are considered to be interrelated. Policy-making and procedures in one of these areas will have an impact on other areas, therefore human resources management is an approach that takes a holistic view and considers how various areas can be integrated.

Many businesses place an emphasis on the importance of teamwork. A good team consists of people with different skills, abilities and characters. A successful team is able to blend these differences together to enable the organisation to achieve its desired objectives.

An important part of the retention of staff, reducing staff turnover and minimising absenteeism at work is ensuring that staff are properly motivated. This is not as easy as it sounds. At first glance, you might be tempted to think that merely increasing wages is the way to motivate! Not so. Most thinkers on the subject would argue that motivation is a far more complex issue than merely 'money'.

If staff are absent from work they are not able to carry out the functions for which they have been employed. In many businesses, these functions have to be taken on by someone else - if not, the customer could suffer. Reducing absenteeism is an important feature of human resource management. The extent to which absenteeism affects businesses has been a topical feature. Not only does absenteeism cause problems, but employers are beginning to recognise the effects of 'presenteeism' - staying at work when you are ill or because you believe that in some way your 'presence' will help boost your promotion prospects. Workers who are tired or ill are not likely to be as productive as they can be. This stresses the importance to businesses of promoting a sensible 'work-life balance' policy in helping the business to achieve its goals.

I understand that Sainsbury's believe that they have a range of employment policies to ensure that their workforce is as representative of the wider community as possible. There staff often have a choice of work arrangements including: part-time, flexible contracts for retail employees, job share, home working, enhanced maternity leave/pay, paternity leave, career break schemes for childcare, special leave for personal development or caring responsibilities. The company also has an Equality and Diversity policy, with a Steering Group led by a Board Director to advise the group. Sainsbury's played a lead role in the Business in the Community's 'Race for Opportunity' survey in 2001. There is a Fair Treatment policy for handling grievances and complaints. On disability issues, Sainsbury's are senior members of the Employers' Forum on Disability. They also support the Learning Consortium, helping talented people with disabilities to move into senior management positions.

Sainsbury's policy is based on a commitment to. Provide workplaces where all staff feel valued, respected and able to contribute to the business. Employ a workforce that recognises the diversity of current and potential customers. Through these pledges Sainsbury's aim that all staff can work without fear of discrimination, harassment and bullying and that all colleagues, job applicants, customers and suppliers should be treated fairly, regardless of:

* Race:- colour, nationality, ethnic origins or community background

* Gender:-gender realignment, sexual orientation, marital or family status

* Religious:-or political beliefs and affiliations

* Disability

* Real or suspected infection with HIV/Aids

* Membership or non-membership of a trade union

* Differing working patterns such as part time

* Age

I believe Sainsbury's Supermarkets employs over 145,000 people. Of these, 60% are part-time and 40% full-time. 62% of employees are women.

Sainsbury's motivates there staff by undertaken the following issues:-

* Save-As-You-Earn scheme for supermarket staff offers chance for company shares to be bought at a 20% discount

* A profit-sharing scheme allows employees to have shares or cash. Roughly 50% of the company's shares are owned by current or former staff and it is this scheme that is largely responsible.

* Under a staff discount scheme, employees receive a 10% reduction on products bought from the company.

* Long service awards are given to staff with 15, 25 or 40 years' service.

Also, the company operates performance-related pay and bonus schemes for middle and senior managers.

Managing change is seen as a key leadership HR function for Sainsbury's businesses. How to introduce changes that impact on the whole organisation and the people who work in it is not easy. There are a number of issues surrounding the process, how to re-organise the operation, motivate staff, change the corporate culture, change the decision making structure of the organisation, and also the quality of communication are perhaps the vital ones.

The different types of production methods