Human Resources at ASDA

Task 1

i)

The Human Resource Management or personnel function of ASDA covers a variety of activities. The term 'Human Resource Management' has largely replaced the old-fashioned word 'personnel', which was used in the past.

The types of work covered in the Human resource function might include the following:

·A Policy-making role - This is important because the Human resourcesdepartment need to be making big policies thatcover the place of work and the importance of thepeople in ASDA.

·A Welfare role - The welfare role concerned with taking care ofpeople in the work place including their needs.

·A Supporting role - This role is concerned with helping department managers appoint and train new workers.

·A Bargaining and negotiating role - They are concerned with acting as a "go-between" different groups and interests (e.g. between Trade Union and management.

·An Administrative role - The administrative role are concerned with the payment of wages, the supervision and carrying out health and safety laws.

·An educational and development role - Concerned with helping in the education and development of the workforce (e.g. training employees for higher positions)

Task 2

i)

In this task I will explain how ASDA has used internal staffing information, including:

·Labour Turnover - (stability index and wastage rates)

·Sickness and Accident rates

·Age, Skills and training

·Succession

And external labour market information, such as:

·Employment trends

·Skills shortages

·Competition from employers

·Availability of labour (internal and external to the business)

Labour Turnover

The effectiveness with which ASDA runs its Human Resources policies can be measured by the level of employee satisfaction, and this is where stability indexes and wastage rates are so important. If employees are content with their work, they are most likely to turn up for work. Levels of stress and stress-related absenteeism increase when there is a poor Human relations atmosphere.