Recruitment & Selection at Sri Lankan Supermarkets: Are we on the correct track?
This article
also investigates the methods used by Tesco for recruitment. The company seeks
the most cost-effective way of attracting the right applicants. Tesco first
looks at its internal talent plan to fill a vacancy. If there are no suitable
people in this talent plan or developing on the internal management development
programme, Tesco advertises the post internally on its intranet for two weeks. For external recruitment, Tesco advertises
vacancies via the Tesco website www.tesco-careers.com or through vacancy boards
in stores. Applications are made online for managerial positions. The chosen
applicants have an interview followed by attendance at an assessment center for the final stage
of the selection process. People interested in store-based jobs with Tesco can
approach stores with their CVs or register through Jobcentre Plus. The store
prepares to await a list of people applying in this way and calls them in as jobs
become available. For harder-to-fill or more specialist jobs, such as bakers and
pharmacists, Tesco advertises externally: through its website and offline media,
through television and radio by placing advertisements on Google or in
magazines such as The Appointment Journal (Times Newspaper Limited and
MBA Publishing Ltd, 2008).
Keells supermarket
chain, on the other hand, employs recruitment methods similar to Tesco. According to their
Recruitment Policy Manuel (2016), the Manager, Talent Acquisition looks at the people
on the internal talent pipeline or developing on the internal management
development programme to fill a vacancy. As other options, Keells advertise the
post internally on its intranet for managerial and head office positions.
In addition, vacancies for Keells in store-based jobs are displayed on banners at the store premises (for stores located in suburbs and outskirts of the city), head office, and training center notice boards. People interested in store-based jobs with Keells can also call the recruitment hotline number, email their job application to careers.jms@keells.com or forward the application through ‘Keellssuper Careers’ Facebook page. Furthermore, they can approach stores with their CV, the store prepares to await a list of people applying in this way and calls them in as jobs become available. A successful referral scheme (bring-a-friend) is also employed by Keells with attractive incentives for the staff members who do the referrals. Also, Keells advertises externally: through its Facebook page and state newspapers. Moreover, the 'Rekiya Saviya' campaign, an extensive island-wide recruitment campaign is employed by Keells with added benefits for new recruits. According to their annual report, during 2019/20, over 1,900 individuals were recruited to their 109 plus supermarkets across Sri Lanka. Cargills also carried out traditional regional recruitment activities during the mentioned financial year (Annual Report, 2019/20).
Argue (2015) cites Henderson (2011, p.84) elaborating that the selection process is a major process in strategic human resource management in order for an organization to sustain competitive advantage. According to Henderson, each step in the recruitment and selection process needs careful time and consideration. Decisions made in the recruitment and selection stage will impact the company in the future. Bad decisions made in the selection process can create serious costs for an organization.
Tesco considers screening candidates as a very important part in their selection process to ensure the best fit with the job requirements. The below diagram explains the process Tesco uses to select external management candidates;
HR Recruitment Policies of Tesco and local supermarket operators like Keells and GLOMARK allow Line managers for the job on offer take part in the interview to make sure that the candidate fits the job requirements. Candidates face these interviews after they are approved by the internal assessment centers.
Times Newspaper
Limited and MBA Publishing Ltd (2008) concludes their article by showing the
importance of Tesco having people with the right skills and behaviors to support
its growth and development. As discussed earlier, Tesco and local supermarket
operators have lots of similarities in their recruitment and selection process.
They provide many job opportunities, including management, graduate, school
leaver, and apprentice posts; has clear organizational
structures,
detailed job descriptions and person specifications. It provides user-friendly
ways of
applying for jobs and a consistent approach to recruitment and selection. On a positive note, this means local supermarkets are on the right path and they could successfully manage its changing demand for staff.
Reference
list:
All Answers Ltd. November 2018. Supermarket Culture in Sri
Lanka. (online). Available from:
https://ukdiss.com/litreview/the-sri-lankan-retail-market-marketing.php?vref=1
(Accessed 15 October 2020).
Argue, M. (2015). The
Importance of the Strategic Recruitment and Selection Process on Meeting an
Organisations Objectives. Dissertation. Dublin Business
School. Available at:
https://esource.dbs.ie/bitstream/handle/10788/2873/mba_argue_m_2015.pdf?sequence=1
(Accessed 20 October 2020).
Cargills. (2020). Cargills (Ceylon) PLC – Annual Report
2019-20. Available at:
https://www.cargillsceylon.com/pdf/annual-reports/Cargills%20(Ceylon)%20PLC%20-%20Annual%20Report%202019-20.pdf (Accessed: 15 October 2020).
Dissanayake, M, Rathnasothy, M. (2020). ‘2020 AND BEYOND: TRENDS SHAPING SUPERMARKETS FOR THE FUTURE FROM A RETROSPECTIVE VIEW OF THE PAST DECADE AS PER SRL’, Daily News, July 8, 2020. Available at: https://www.dailynews.lk/2020/07/08/finance/222626/2020-and-beyond-trends-shaping-supermarkets-future-retrospective-view-past#:~:text=In%20Sri%20Lanka%2C%20household%20penetration,steady%20but%20a%20sustainable%20growth. (Accessed: 20 October 2020).
Keels Super. (2020). John Keells Holdings PLC AR 2019 20 CSE.
Available at: https://www.keells.com/annual-reports
(Accessed: 15 October 2020).
Times Newspaper Limited and MBA Publishing Ltd (2008), Recruitment and selection. Available at: http://colbournecollege.weebly.com/uploads/2/3/7/9/23793496/tesco-recruitment__selection.pdf. (Accessed: 20 October 2020).
ReplyDeleteHi Mihiran, This is additional for you, Keells as a leading retailer is striving to deliver its core purpose “to improve the quality of life for the nation”. To deliver on our core purpose, we have to grow and develop Sri Lanka’s best retail team. If you want to come on this journey with us, to deliver retail excellence, then we can really support your ambitions and future growth (careers.keells, 2020).
Hi Ranga, thanks for the input. Yes, to become the Sri Lanka's best retail team, the company need to attract best talent in the market at the same time develop the existing talent pipeline. According to Ngui Thomas Katua et al (2014), firms that are able to attract, recruit, and retain talent employees via HRM will gain a competitive edge in the dynamic market. A resourcing strategy should therefore explore methods of recruiting the number of people required and finding staff with the necessary skills and experience, who are likely to deliver the desired sort of behavior and who will fit into the organization’s culture readily.
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ReplyDeleteOver the years, we can now see a shift in recruiting practices, primarily affected by socio-economic conditions, as well as growth and technological impact. Although the recruiting industry has evolved from hand-written CVs to walk-in apps, the industry continues to evolve. After 2010, more people have been using social networking sites to hire workers and to apply for jobs. Personal branding has taken center stage, and there are ever-present and rising social networks (Gerome, 2018).
Hi Malinga. I agree with you on the technological advancement and the employer branding for recruitment and selection in the modern era. However, careful planning prior to implementing the technologies is important. Failing to anticipate issues such as compatibility with existing systems and practices, training of staff, upgrading and maintenance costs, security, handling applicant volumes, unreliable vendors, applicant cheating, and possible negative applicant reactions could generate more problems than solutions (Chapman et al, 2003).
DeleteAccording to the Williamson et al. (2003), recruitment method can be different to each other for ability to communicate different type of information. For an example super market assistants will be recruited by a walk in interview and for a higher position there will be a need of a test.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, personnel selection includes three key steps: recruitment, selection and implementation for work (Listwan 2010, p.80). Well-conducted recruitment and selection process is extremely important for the organization, because it permits for in-depth and objective verification of candidates in terms of meeting their employer's expectations and leads to their employment. The main task and purpose of the personnel selection team is not the process itself, but the final choice of a person who meets all criteria and is unambiguously suitable for a given position (Sołek-Borowska and Wilczewska, 2018).
DeleteFernandez and Weinberg (1997) find strong empirical evidence of the employer's preference for referrals v is-a-vis other candidates after the quality of resumes, including relevant socio-technical characteristics, are taken into account. But this method violates the equal opportunity rights for equal employment.
ReplyDeleteBeyond individual company practices and challenges, it is clear that there are specific and common gender gap challenges within industries. This is thus an area ripe for intra-industry collaboration and for improved public-private collaboration, to balance both public and business interest. Such collaborations and partnerships are currently relatively rare but there are emerging experiments that indicate the greater efficiency for business and improved societal outcomes are possible through such approaches (World Economic Forum, 2016).
DeleteOrganization should continuously evaluate their workforce to make sure that they have the right people with the right skills in the right places to ensure sustained competitive advantage (Barney, 2001). Selection is the process by which specific objectives are engaged to choose an individual from a group which match to the most suitable job available (Ofori & Aryeetey, 2011).
ReplyDeleteConsistency of assessment centres shouldn’t dismiss all other information as likely to contaminate the objectivity of the assessment. Meaningful recommendations -whether it is for assessment or development -need to put assessment centre ratings into context, the context of career achievements, work performance outcomes, 360 feedback data and psychometric test results. The gain comes from using this knowledge to improve the decision making -either in selection or promotion decisions or in guiding the development of high potential candidates (Envisia Learning, 2018)
DeleteThere has been a major rise in the usage of the Internet to recruit and select individuals (Hopkins & Markham, 2003). Because of e-recruitment, saving cost and time has become easy, based on research evidence by (Hart, Doherty & EllisChadwick, 2000).
ReplyDeleteYes it is true. Moreover, introducing a new technology in the recruitment process can have many benefits for organizations in the recruitment process but research about this is scarce. The possible benefits include time savings, cost reduction, reaching a broader audience and more accurate and detailed information about applicants. Benefits of e-recruiting can differ between organizations, because every organization has its own strategy, and recruitment objectives should support that strategy (Sołek-Borowska and Wilczewska, 2018).
DeleteThe retail industry faces a high level of competition as well as difficulty finding long-term committed employees. Without a strong recruitment strategy, you may find it challenging to hire retail employees in a timely and cost-efficient way.
ReplyDeleteDeveloping and implementing a recruitment strategy can help you evaluate and meet your hiring goals, as well as set up a long-term plan for keeping employees around. With the right tools, communication, and research, you can find employees committed to helping your retail store grow.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to retail hiring. However, these five tips can help you develop a strategy that fits your company’s unique challenges and needs. By getting to know your unique candidate base, creating a strong employer brand, and utilizing recruitment data and tools, you can improve your recruitment process and make smarter hiring decisions. (Harver. 2018).
Thanks for the input Melissa. The report from World Economic Forum (2016), recommends reinventing the HR Function: As business leaders begin to consider proactive adaptation to a new talent landscape, they need to manage skills disruption as an urgent concern. They must understand that talent is no longer a long-term issue that can be solved with tried and tested approaches that were successful in the past or by instantly replacing existing workers. Instead, as the rate of skills change accelerates across both old and new roles in all industries, proactive and innovative skill-building and talent management is an urgent issue. What this requires is an HR function that is rapidly becoming more strategic and has a seat at the table—one that employs new kinds of analytical tools to spot talent trends and skills gaps, and provides insights that can help organizations align their business, innovation and talent management strategies to maximize available opportunities to capitalize on transformational trends.
DeleteOtoo , Assuming and Agyei (2018) explained ,To manage a diverse workforce effectively, an organization must hire the most capable candidate for a job, while being mindful of the necessity to build a workforce that is representative of the greater business community. This may be achieved through using more appropriate and inclusive recruitment and selection strategies. Cole (2002) stated that the principal purpose of recruitment activities is to attract sufficient and suitable potential employees to apply for vacancies in an organization. The principal purpose of selection activities, by comparison, is to identify the most suitable applicants and persuade them to accept a position in the organization.
ReplyDeleteWhile this being true, attracting the best and the brightest is vital for a company’s survival and development since the human capital is a valuable resource that does contribute for the organization success (Xie, Bagozzi & Meland, 2015). As the talent shortage has been increased within the global context, to attract and retain the best talent in organizations the ‘employer brand’ has been significantly used during last three decades (Theurer, Tumasjan, Welpe & Lievens, 2016).
DeleteIn this knowledge era, the phenomenon of increased competition between firms and their
ReplyDeleteneed to respond turbulent business environment in order to survive in a dynamic business
environment. Within this changing business environment human resource management plays
a strategic role in managing people and their workplace culture and business environment
(Janice 1997). The degree of effectiveness of the HRM practices contributes greatly to the
overall success of the company and accomplishment of its goals and objectives (Opatha
2003). Therefore, HRM practices have been identified as one of the main sources of
competitive advantage of the today’s company.
An organization’s resources can be divided into tangible (financial, technological, physical and human) and intangible (brand-name, reputation and know-how) resources. Barney (1991) argued that resources lead to sustainable competitive advantage when they are valuable, rare, inimitable, and non substitute. Resources such as technology, natural resources, finances and economies of scale can create value, however the resource based theory argues that this sources of value are available to all and easy to copy, compared to complex social systems like human resources.
DeleteAs you explain on selecting suitable employee is crucial for an organization. The selection of right candidates for the right positions will help the organization to achieve its desired goals and objectives. When selection of the employees takes place, it is vital to ensure that they possess the desired qualifications, skills and abilities that are required to perform the job duties in a well-organized manner (Radhika, 2018).
ReplyDeleteTo do this effective recruitment is important for an organization as it provides numerous benefits in the long run. To do effective recruitment Desseler (2014) emphasized that employers require a proper brand to differentiate themselves from other competitors and to gain competitive advantages in the labor market.
DeleteWhile agreeing with your statement and wish to comment that increasing organizational success in competition and maintaining it is based on the basic requirement of recruiting talented staff (Anand, 2016), therefore, Barriers in the recruitment process can be solved by e-recruitment, where recruits will have easy access to apply for a posted vacancy.
ReplyDeleteThough it sounds like a vision of the future filled with solutions that will significantly simplify the work of human resource management teams; however, quite a large percentage of specialists are still wary of entrusting the decision-making process to machines. The significant potential in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning has been proven many times, but there is still a long way to go for the HR industry to fully use them or just to convince them to be used in an appropriate way (Morgan J. 2014, p. 6–10).
DeleteThere is a variety of recruitment approaches (e.g. employee referral, campus recruitment, advertising, recruitment agencies/consultants, job sites/portals, company websites, social media etc.); and most organizations will use a combination of two or more of these as part of a recruitment process or to deliver their overall recruitment strategy(Sinha & Thaly, 2013).
ReplyDeleteOrganizations can take one of three actions to fulfill their employee resourcing: 1) reallocate tasks between employees, so that existing staff take on more or different work. 2) re allocate people within the company; and 3) recruit new staff from the external job market. The emphasis is on flexible working practices, requiring multi-skilled workers and sophisticated assessment and development programmes (Katua et al., 2014).
DeleteContinuously Evolving changes in the FMCG industry warrant for suitable recruitment & selection. Ideally I agree with your outcome as people component can make or break any organization. With existing supermarkets growing bigger with integrated supply chains suitable recruitment will provide the competitive advantage from several perspectives.
ReplyDeleteIntroducing a new technology in the recruitment process can have many benefits for organizations in the recruitment process but research about this is scarce. The possible benefits include time savings, cost reduction, reaching a broader audience and more accurate and detailed information about applicants (Sołek-Borowska and Wilczewska, 2018).
DeleteHi Mihiran, recruitment and selection of individuals in organizations takes place as a result of a formal and systematic process and employees must have a thorough knowledge of the strategies and strategies required to implement recruitment and selection (Radhika, 2020). Legislation and good training and recruitment resources and selection methods as well as having skills and competencies in interviewing and evaluating potential employees highlight the importance of recruitment and selection (Radhika, 2020).
ReplyDeleteLeaders who create visions that lead to employee engagement should identify and connect with leading customers, anticipate technology and industry trends, determine how to leverage their core competencies to move into new markets, and find ways to involve employees in defining and shaping their strategy. Nokia leaders knew that the cellular phone devices strategy which had been so successful had to morph to being an internet company where content on the devices defined their future.They held broad-based employee ‘café’ meetings where employees throughout the company could learn about the future and engage in discussing the strategy. As the Nokia internet strategy emerges,employees who participated in it will be more engaged with it (Storey et al., 2009).
DeleteJovanovich (2004) has pointed out recruitment as a process of attracting a pool of high-quality applicants to select the best among them. For this reason, top-performing companies devoted considerable resources and energy to creating a high-quality selection system. Recruitment is a process of searching potential applicants for a suitable post/vacancy or an anticipating vacancy and encourages them to apply for the said post/vacancy as well, selecting a suitable person for a suitable post will ensure the goal of the organization (Noe et al., 2006).
ReplyDeleteWhether it is for assessment or development -need to put assessment centre ratings into context, the context of career achievements, work performance outcomes, 360 feedback data and psychometric test results.The gain comes from using this knowledge to improve the decision making -either in selection or promotion decisions or in guiding the development of high potential candidates (Envisia Learning, 2018).
DeleteFor a company to stay competitive it must recruit, select and retain an efficient and effective team of employees (Taylor, 2002).
ReplyDeleteMoreover, the effective recruitment is important for an organization as it provides numerous benefits in the long run. To do effective recruitment Desseler (2014) emphasized that employers require a proper brand to differentiate themselves from other competitors and to gain competitive advantages in the labor market (Weerawardane and Weerasinghe, 2018).
Delete