2. Human resource management

Human resource management plans, recruits, develops, rewards and supports people so the organisation has the capability to achieve its objectives.

HR decisions affect cost, productivity, skills, morale and legal risk. HRM is therefore a strategic function, not only an administrative payroll task.

If a firm plans a new digital service, HRM may forecast skills, recruit or train staff and redesign roles before launch.

A “people-first” policy is not automatically effective; its value depends on fit with work, resources and objectives.

Workforce planning compares the people and skills an organisation has with what it will need. It considers numbers, roles, timing, cost and the quality of capability.

A gap can be addressed through recruitment, training, redeployment, flexible work or redesign; the choice depends on urgency, cost and whether the skill is specific.

A manufacturer expecting automation may need fewer routine operators but more technicians, so redeployment and targeted training can be better than immediate blanket recruitment.

More employees do not necessarily solve a capability gap; the missing skill, timing and workload must be specified.

Recruitment attracts suitable applicants; selection evaluates them against the job requirements. A fair process starts with a clear job description and person specification.

Internal recruitment can be faster and motivate staff, while external recruitment adds new skills and perspectives. Tests, interviews and references each provide partial evidence.

A business hiring a lab technician can advertise required qualifications, shortlist against criteria, then use a practical task and structured interview rather than charisma alone.

A larger applicant pool does not guarantee a better appointment, and an interview score is not a complete measure of future performance.

Redundancy occurs when a role is no longer required, often because demand, technology or structure changes. Dismissal is termination by the employer for reasons such as conduct or capability, subject to law and procedure.

Both affect morale, cost, skills and reputation. A fair process requires evidence, communication and consistent application of employment rights.

Automation may make a job redundant even if the worker performed well; repeated unsafe conduct after a fair process may lead to dismissal instead.

Redundancy is not a shortcut for removing an unwanted employee, and dismissal is not automatically unlawful or justified.

Employee morale is the overall confidence and commitment people feel toward their work and organisation. Welfare includes conditions that protect health, safety and wellbeing.

Good welfare can reduce absence and turnover and support productivity, but morale also depends on workload, fairness, leadership, voice and meaningful work.

A safer shift pattern may improve wellbeing and attendance, yet if managers ignore pay inequality, the wider morale problem can remain.

A wellness perk is not proof that working conditions are healthy; diagnose the mechanism and listen to employees.

Training improves knowledge or skills for current performance; development broadens capability for future responsibilities. Both can be on-the-job or off-the-job and should match a diagnosed need.

Training has costs and opportunity costs, so evaluate whether the change transfers to work. Development can support retention but may also make employees more mobile.

A new operator may need supervised machine training now, while a team leader benefits from longer-term coaching in planning and people management.

Completing a course is not evidence of improved performance; the learning must be applied and evaluated.

Workforce relations describe how employees, managers, representatives and employers negotiate the terms and experience of work. They influence communication, trust, productivity and the handling of disputes.

Collective bargaining, consultation and grievance procedures can resolve interests without stopping operations; poor communication can turn a local issue into industrial action.

A change to shift patterns may be accepted after consultation and compensation, but resisted if employees believe the decision was imposed without evidence.

Good relations do not mean no disagreement; they mean disagreement has credible channels and fair processes.

Motivation is the willingness to direct effort toward work. It is shaped by intrinsic factors such as achievement and responsibility and extrinsic factors such as pay, recognition and security.

A reward changes behaviour only if employees value it, believe performance can earn it and see the process as fair. Different people respond to different combinations.

A sales bonus may increase effort when targets are controllable, but can damage teamwork if staff compete for an unfairly allocated reward.

Motivation is not identical to satisfaction or productivity; an enthusiastic worker may still lack training or resources.

People have needs that can include security, belonging, esteem and opportunities to develop. A workplace reward motivates only when it connects to a need that matters to that employee.

Needs are a lens, not a rigid ladder. Pay may matter for security while autonomy, recognition or meaningful work matters for another person or at another time.

Flexible hours may improve motivation for a carer, while a development opportunity may matter more to a worker seeking responsibility; the same firm can offer both.

A needs model predicts possibilities, not universal behaviour, and context can override the suggested order.

Taylor, Mayo, Maslow, Herzberg, McClelland and Vroom emphasise different mechanisms: pay and efficiency, social belonging, needs, job factors, achievement or expectancy of valued outcomes.

Use a theory to explain a specific pattern, then test its assumptions against the workforce and task. No theory captures every employee or situation.

If performance falls after repetitive work, Herzberg may direct attention to job design; if targets seem unreachable, Vroom points toward expectancy and reward credibility.

Naming a theory is not analysis: the mechanism must connect evidence, management action and likely limitations.

Financial methods include pay, bonuses and profit share; non-financial methods include job enrichment, recognition, participation, training and flexible work. The method should fit the objective and the workforce.

Methods have costs and side effects: a bonus can focus effort, while autonomy can improve ownership but requires capability and trust. Evaluate both short- and long-term effects.

A call centre might combine a fair base wage with coaching and quality recognition rather than rewarding call volume alone, which could encourage rushed service.

No method is universally motivating, and incentives can distort behaviour when the measure is incomplete.

Management involves planning, organising, coordinating, directing and controlling resources. Managers translate objectives into work, allocate responsibility and monitor whether action is producing the intended result.

The balance changes with uncertainty, team capability and organisational structure. Effective management is a process of judgement, not just authority.

A manager launching a product sets milestones, assigns roles, checks quality and changes the plan when customer evidence contradicts the forecast.

A manager’s title does not guarantee leadership or good decisions; outcomes depend on behaviour, information and context.