Understanding Organisations and the Role of Human Resources free essay sample

ACTIVITY A – INFORMATION SHEET FOR THE NOKE BY THISTLE HOTEL (742 WORDS) Organisation / Products / Services The Noke by Thistle is a Thistle Hotel, owned by Guoman Hotels, located in Chiswell Green, St. Albans. Situated just off junction 21A of the M25 and junction 6 of the M1, its location is perfect for both travelling business clients and those seeking leisure breaks. The hotel offers a wide range of products and services, spanning from accommodation, breakfast lunch and dinner services, conference rooms and locations for both wedding services and wedding receptions. Couples to be married at the site are allocated a wedding planner to organise and to help manage their perfect day. The Wedding Planner has contacts with photographers, dressmakers, caterers and other companies. They are trained to liase with the couple at an informal meeting to get to know how they imagine their special day to be. Customers During the week, our customers are made up of predominantly business clients from organisations all over the country. We will write a custom essay sample on Understanding Organisations and the Role of Human Resources or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is vital that sound relationships with businesses are retained and accommodation deals are arranged with each company to keep these relationships. At the weekend the hotel hosts numerous functions and is mainly occupied by families. With a large marquee in the grounds, the venue is used for christenings, birthday celebrations, retirements, Christmas parties and of course weddings amongst others. In the winter months the marquee is fully heated allowing the venue to be used all year round. The on site creche service allows parents to leave their children in the care of child care professionals, allowing them to enjoy weddings, parties and other such functions. Purpose / goals The organisation provides comfortable bedrooms, conference rooms, wedding venues, high quality food and drink and a pleasurable stay that satisfy customers. The following focus points allow this to be achieved. Providing a quality gym to allow both business and non – business clients to relax and unwind. Plans to offer more classes at the gym. Recent refurbishment of rooms to exceed customer requirements. Internet access Tailoring menus to different functions. Look to expand conference facilities. Look to introducing a â€Å"baby listening† service for guests attending a function at the hotel. External factors and their impact A PEST analysis can be undertaken by the organisation to recognise the external factors that may affect its future direction. †¢ Political – land behind the hotel – planning permission to external body resulted on objections from the local residents. The local council opposed, as confirmed by the General ma nager (2011). †¢ Economic – recession – had to reduce room prices to meet customer needs. Social – immigration quota. CIPD 2011. Changing immigration laws will mean a reduced pool to recruit staff from when resourcing will be particularly evident over the coming Summer months at the height of the hotels busiest period. †¢ Technological – staff training on new software programme Opera. Transition from current software programme Fidelio to Opera to keep up with technological advances, as recognised by Line Manger A (2011). Structure The Noke by Thistle adopts the Matrix model because different departments eport into other departments as well as their own superior, which allows it to meet its strategic aims. (See appendices page 1). The following functions help contribute to the organisation’s success; †¢ Events – Take and manage conference room bookings. Relationships are built with different companies, the reputation increases and the business comes back time after time. †¢ Housekeeping – Ensure that rooms are spotless and match the requirements of guests so that they return. Accounts – Process payments correctly and manage and analyse profits and growth. †¢ Restaurant – Provide an exceptional service to guests to ensure that their stay is pleasant and thus return. Culture Coined as â€Å"the way we do things around here† (Deal and Kennedy, 1983, p. 501), culture encompasses how an organisation is run, its â€Å"personality†, and the norms, values, beliefs and attitudes (Armstrong, 2010) that reflect the organisation’s mission, aims and goals. Four types of culture were identified by Handy (1981) Power – boss in the centre – source of power. Spider web framework. Role – each employee has job descriptions. Pyramid framework. Task – project driven. Person – individual expertise, for example, doctors. The Noke by Thistl e tends to adopt a mix of the power / role culture. Each employee has a role within a department with a job description, specifying requirements, responsibilities and boundaries. (Handy, 1993) The blend comes for example when accommodation deals with businesses are finalised by the General Manager. ACTIVITY B – REPORT TO JUSTIFY THE EXISTENCE OF HUMAN RESOURCES / LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT FUNCTION (739 WORDS) 1. 0 Introduction Following the proposal to close reduce / close the Human Resources / Learning and Development department, this report shall highlight the needs for retaining the function by drawing on the following; The organisations strategy and how the Human Resources / Learning and Development function supports this. The strength of the support Human Resources / Learning and Development give to line managers and their staff. The following methodology was undertaken. Research into current Human Resource Management, business studies and hotel management literature in order to gain a full understanding of how the Human Resources function contributes within this industry. Examination of Thistle literature to understand what Human Resources / business planning is currently being undertaken. Interviews and discussions with the General Manager, line managers and staff to establish how the Human Resources function works within the organisation. . 0 Findings 2. 1 Strategy The organisation has a long term strategy of growing its customer base by providing further products and services, increasing their conference facilities, increasing it’s wedding sales and maximising the services available to families. With the refurbishment of Westminster Lodge, the local swimming pool and gymnasium, plans are being put together to extend the on site gymnasium Otium leisure centre. (General Manager, 2011). 2. Benefits of Human Resources / Learning and Development Staff development – Pfeffer’s (1998, cited on CIPD, 2011) research found that â€Å"the combination of a number of powerful tools and policies of human resource management, acting as a total system, produce the highest levels of employee commitment and sustained company business success. † Employee commitment is extremely evident within this organisation and it’s due to the opportunities given to employees to develop, as employee A (2011) states. I’ve just done my intermediate level Food Hygiene course. I’m able to progress within this company and ever improve. † As Line manager A (2011) reports, â€Å"we value employees and it is necessary to develop employee talents to enable us to reach organisational aims and hence optimise organisational performance. † Employee relations – employee relations involves â€Å"managing conflict situations and seeking to gain the commitment of employees to organisational goals. (Martin, Whiting and Jackson, 2010, p. 215). The organisation has practices in place, including daily meetings, departmental meetings and suggestion boxes that engage all staff and value their work and well being. Employees continually work to the organisational goals and staff turnover levels are extremely low. Reward Human Resources advise managers and employees on the reward package and have produced a section for the staff handbook to explain all aspects of this. As line Manger B (2011) commented, â€Å"Human Resources worked closely with us (accounts) to ensure that a fair pay system is being implemented. † Line Manager A (2011) also added â€Å"Human Resources attend induction programmes to explain the reward package to new employees. † 2. 3 Supporting line managers and their staff Policy and procedure advice – the support that the Human Resources function gives to line managers regarding policy and procedures gives them heightened confidence to follow it in accordance with the strategic aims of the organisation. This is echoed in their staff and thus improves the highly consistent performance of all staff. Employment Law advice – employment legislation is ever changing and staff need a specialist person to interpret these changes and ensure all staff are working in accordance with them. The provision of exchange programmes and English language training – the organisation is an equal opportunities employer and pride themselves on providing support where necessary for all members of staff. For example, where English is not an employee’s first language, providing an opportunity for the employee to attend an English language evening class. This gives employees increased confidence and further skills to work to the organisations goals. 3. 0 Conclusions Human Resources / Learning and Development highlights clear benefits for the organisation in terms of staff development, employee relations and reward that will help meet the long term needs of the organisation. Human Resources / Learning and Development provides specialist advice on policies and procedures and changing laws to support managers and staff to deliver a high quality service that both simultaneously meets the needs of customers and works towards the strategic aims of the organisation. Human Resources / Learning and Development provide the provision for exchange programmes and language training programmes in conjunction with schools and the local college to better the education of employees to work towa rds the organisation’s aims. BIBLIOGRAPHY Primary research General Manager (2011) – Interview 31st May 2011. Line Manager A (2011) – Interview 1st June 2011. Line Manager B (2011) – Interview 1st June 2011. Employee A (2011) – Interview 1st June 2011. Secondary research Handy (1993) Understanding Organisations (4th ed) Harmondsworth: Penguin. Martin, Whiting and Jackson (2010) Human Resource Practice (5th ed) London: the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development. Journals Deal, T. E. and Kennedy, A. 1983), â€Å"Culture a new look through old lenses† The Journal of Applied Behavioural Sciences, volume 19, number 4, 498-505. Websites CIPD (2011) HR in Tough Times: Adapting to a Changing World. Available: http://www. cipd. co. uk/hr-resources/research/hr-tough-times-adapting-chang. aspx [Date accessed: 29th May 2011]. CIPD (2011) Immigration Debate needs to take into account recruitment difficulties. Available: http://www. cipd. co. uk/pressoffice/_articles/24012005125239. htm ? IsSrchRes=1 [Date accessed 29th May 2011].