Recording, Analysing and Using Human Resource Information

To comply with legislative and regulatory requirements, the organisation in question is required to keep records for the HMRC as they can request to see information at any time such as the number of employees in the company, hours worked and payment. Employers are required to keep records of the amounts that their employees are paid. If an employee claims that he or she has been paid less than minimum wage, the Low Pay Commission can inspect the employees record to confirm the accusation. The minimum level of pay is set by the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 which all organisations must follow. Training and performance records should also be kept for each employee. This enables line managers and learning & development to assess individual productivity and performance to help each employee reach their full potential and increase productivity for the organisation.

There are a few types of data collected in an organisation. The first is organisational records such as recruitment and selection records, learning and development records, absence and staff turnover. These types of records allow the HR department to monitor employment levels and recruit when needed and also monitor sickness and absence to determine if there is anything the organisation can do to cut down on sickness levels. Absence costs the organisation money and managing the data is essential to help this.
The other type of data that is collected is statutory regords such as national insurance contributions, tax, hours worked, sickness and SSP. These records ensure that the HR deparment abide by all regulatory requirements.

This organisation has 34 stores and tends to employ many students and temporary workers during busy periods. I would suggest using a computerised personnel information system, which can be used across a number of stores to hold personnel records and data. Additional functions could be added to the standard package and record absence management, training records, payroll systems and recruitment. Using this system is easy for the HR and L&D departments as it gives faster access to employee files and is easy to amend. It also gives a quick analysis of data so that hours are not spent manually calculating statistics. Another method I would recommend is an electronic management system to keep personal records. This type of system allows employees to access their own personal record and saves the job of HR having to alter details constantly such as changing an address, contact number or next of kin details. The one negative of this system is that employees may not alter details because they forget to update certain information. It is better for HR to have full control over employee data so they can maintain an up to date system at all times.

It is important that the organisation inputs data correctly to ensure there are no faults each month such as incorrect salary, address on pay slip or wrong national insurance number. It is essential that HR and the payroll team correlate otherwise information will be repeated and mistakes will be made. According to the Data Protection Act 1998, personal data shall be accurate and whereas necessary kept up to date. Personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully. And personal data shall be obtained only for specified and lawful purposes and shall not be processed in any manner incompatible with these purposes.

This graph clearly shows the absence rate for the organisation in question. By looking at this data, we can see that stores D and E had a higher absence rate compared to the rest of the stores. Store C had the highest staff turnover but the lowest absence rate. This graph tells me that an investigation is needed to determine why employees are taking so much absence and also why there is such a high turnover. A discussion is needed with employees to decide what changes need to be made. The management for each store needs to be involved to help reduce absenteeism and make improvements. According to ACAS (2005), research shows that employers who manage attendance save money and improve effectiveness. According to the 2011 CBI Absence Survey, the average worker is absent 6.5 days a year. The figure costs the UK economy £17 billion per year. High staff turnover leads to increased expenditure on recruitment and training of new staff. It is a good indication that there are management problems. High labour turnover may damage the company’s reputation and low morale results in low productivity as employees have no motivation to carry our their jobs to a high standard. Each store should keep a record of the number of employees leaving and a reason why. An exit interview may be useful to ask people why they are leaving as well as interviewing employees on their return to work after being absent (ACAS, 2005).

The recruitment, induction and training should be revised to ensure job advertisements give accurate descriptions of the position. When interviewing candidates, the manager must make sure the person is a good fit for their store. Each store will have a different culture and the fit needs to be right or else the new employee will feel uncomfortable and most likely quit after a short amount of time. When new recruits join each store, they should have an induction and training to carry out their jobs effectively. If they are confident with their skills, they will work to a high standard. Discrimination needs to be addressed to ensure employees feel safe in their working environment. The working conditions should also be inspected to make sure toilets and working areas are clean.
Increasing employee morale would help motivate long term and short-term employees giving them something to work towards. Having weekly or monthly targets could help create some friendly competition within the workplace. And lastly, having staff functions or for example a pizza and bowling competition between stores will help employees get to know each other and feel as if they are part of a team (ACAS, 2005).

References

ACAS, 2012. Managing attendance and employee turnover. [online] Available at: http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/i/o/Managing_attendance_employee_turnover_(Oct_11)-accessible-version-Apr-2012.pdf. [Accessed 24 February 2013].

ACAS, 2005. Controlling employee turnover. [online] Available at: http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/t/t/S09_1.pdf [Accessed 24 February 2013].

ACAS, 2005. Tackling Absence Problems. [online] Available at: http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/5/3/S07_1.pdf [Accessed 24 February 2013].

Bibliography

Martin, M., Whiting, F. and Jackson, T., 2011. Human Resource Practice. 5th ed. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Chartered Institute Of Personnel And Development, 2009. Data protection. [online] Available at: www.cipd.co.uk/onlineinfodocuments/atozresources.htm [Accessed 24 February 2013]

References: ACAS, 2012. Managing attendance and employee turnover. [online] Available at: http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/i/o/Managing_attendance_employee_turnover_(Oct_11)-accessible-version-Apr-2012.pdf. [Accessed 24 February 2013]. ACAS, 2005. Controlling employee turnover. [online] Available at: http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/t/t/S09_1.pdf [Accessed 24 February 2013]. ACAS, 2005. Tackling Absence Problems. [online] Available at: http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/5/3/S07_1.pdf [Accessed 24 February 2013]. Bibliography Martin, M., Whiting, F. and Jackson, T., 2011. Human Resource Practice. 5th ed. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Chartered Institute Of Personnel And Development, 2009. Data protection. [online] Available at: www.cipd.co.uk/onlineinfodocuments/atozresources.htm [Accessed 24 February 2013]