Article on 7 P's Of HRM with Relation to 7 P's of Marketing

1. Journal of Management Research and Analysis, ISSN: 2394-2762 83
7 P’S in human resources
Ch. Freeda Rebecca1
, D. Rajendra Babu2
1
Research Scholar, 2
Assistant Professor, 1
Dept. of Business Management, Osmania University, 2
Immanuel Business School, Hyderabad
Email: chfreed@gmail.com, rajendrababu35@gmail.com
Introduction
A common trait between Marketing and the HRM pursuit is an exigency for grabbing the attention, influencing, appealing,
delighting and retaining the customer and human resources. In the case of the marketing function, the reference group is the
customer and in human resources, the reference group is the employees. Every company‟s ultimate goal is to achieve
satisfactory sales numbers and handsome profits by winning profitable customers. To achieve the desired profits they need to
attract sophisticated talent into the company.
Both Marketing and HRM go hand-in-hand, among all business functions, Marketing is a sibling of HRM function and
strongly believes that the Marketing Mix of marketing is closely connected and significantly applicable to HRM too.
The marketing mix is more popularly referred to as 7p‟s, which is the set of controllable and interrelated variables that gives
great intimation to the HR team in dealing with employees effectively. The ultimate challenge to the HR team is to attract the
most talented resources and engaging or captivating or alluring the resources intellectually and retaining them. A meager
blunder or slip on any of these 7p‟s can crash the efforts of a team. Concisely the HR team should tactically deploy and
regulate these 7p‟s relying upon the requirements and necessities of the organization
Let us reel out each P in relation to HRM function or in other words lets us discuss the marketing mix of the HRM function.
Product: product in HRM refers to planning, developing and administering the policies, programs, guidelines, norms
designed to make expeditious use of the organization‟s human resources. Maintaining good working conditions and
developing effective training and development programs. The key attribute here is flexibility and the quality of being friendly
with employees and use the spotlight on employees and the fact of being related to the matter at hand. The design or the
planning of drawing of policies, programs, events, etc., are to be concerned or linked with the company‟s HR principles and
should consider cost considerations, available IT support, employee‟s details, educational profile, etc.
Further, it is needed and very important to take the feedback from employees on their acquaintance and perceptions
about HR policies and associated services. If the policies do not meet the employee‟s needs and requirement‟s they require to
change/rebuild/withdraw them. Employer branding campaigns for attracting or captivating the talent for meeting the lawful
or consistent expectations of the employer.

2. Ch. Freeda Rebecca et al. 7 P’S in human resources
Journal of Management Research and Analysis, ISSN: 2394-2762 84
Price: Warren Buffet has rightly said that “Price is what you pay, value is what you get” In Marketing, we should delight the
customers and in HRM we should delight the employees for all the hard work put in by them. Employees should make sure
that they should feel that they are being compensated fairly by the organization and being valued from the entry to exit. One
of the important tasks of the HR team is retaining the employees by rewarding them fairly through all the different stages of
employment.
Employees enjoy this „P‟ in tangible and intangible forms. In the modern era, employees expect benefits like stock
options, Profit sharing, Insurance, medical, paid vacations, leaves, retirement benefits, etc. As we all know compensation is a
tool used by management to recruit and to retain qualified employees. It also helps in reducing turnovers, encouraging
company loyalty, increasing and maintaining self-confidence and satisfaction. When it comes to HR or marketing price plays
a vital role and it is the most motivational factor.
Place: Place in HRM refers to the workplace, we are no longer living in a world where we are forced to work hard like a
Trojan in a cubic all day. In the current scenario, employees should be benefited from collective surroundings and
environments with new opportunities to grow. Employees expect flexible work timings, safe baby care, personal care,
medical reimbursement, Insurance, leave travel, retirement benefits, yoga classes, rooftop deck where employees can work
and hangout. Now a day‟s all the employers are following “It‟s not a Sink or swim” type of culture. Organizations should be
ready to invest in their employees and help them to grow. All the companies should follow a simple acronym GPS, (GPS
stands for Grow Perform Success) and they should ensure that all the employees have a chance to grow and succeed. Like
marketing, the HR team should make sure that all the services are available to the employees when and where they are
needed.
Promotion: Promotion in HRM function refers to the approach used by the HR team to communicate and connect with the
employees. Alike marketing the aim of HRM is to create awareness and educate employees and to build a positive and
healthy image of the organization. For an efficient promotion, the HR team must architect the blueprint of the core message
and select the best channel to deploy it. For instance, an invite for training on encouragement and sustainment of employee
health and safety in the workplace considers implementing by these four practices.
1: Establish open communication
2: Implement strict safety policies
3:Co-ordinate with facility management
4: Provide health and safety training etc.
This kind of HR policy on a tender subject could be communicated more productively in a
Workshop and not through a mass channel.
People: People in HRM refers to the HR team members and as well as employees. The HR team is responsible for providing
information regarding services and other policies. These team members not only owning sound knowledge about specific
discipline, they should also have a fair and satisfactory proficiency in designing and developing services and policies. The
HR team should be very good at interpersonal skills. Employees are the consumers of services and policies, they deserve the
complete attention from the stage of planning to the delivery stage of policies and services. It is the task of the HR team to
provide the members and employees with competent and sustainable information so that they can handle and serve the
employees more effectively and efficiently for the betterment and growth of the organizations.
Process: Process in HRM refers to the channel to communicate services, values, expectations. And the process of obtaining
feedback from the employees. HR team needs to add benefits and value to the business organization. Among all the business
functions, HRM function is responsible for managing the people and practices and to make smooth & easy origination and
development of corporate culture and allow the concept of change management in the organizations. The HR team cannot
take measures in the business appropriately without the right step (i.e. HR Processes) HR team is not so great in process
management. Using of Marketing Mix in HRM will allow the team to transform into an actual partner of business which has
the core objectives like, performance, innovation, engagement of employees, interpersonal skills, rapport building, sympathy,
empathy, humility are most important aspects apart from technology. The most employee-friendly policies or services will
not serve the intended purpose if delivered poorly. Alike Marketing function, the HR function is responsible for creating
employer branding, brand–loyalty among the employees and developing the everlasting relationship between the Business
organization and the employees.
Physical Evidence: Physical evidence in HRM refers to physical and psychological environment which employee ought to
see (Tangible dimension or intangible dimensions) like products and services. In order to gain the confidence and trust of
employees in the organization, the HR team should make sure to maintain a healthy environment and relationship with Co-
employees by enabling a work culture where everyone gets a chance for personal development, so that the employees enjoy
while working and cherish their relationship with the organization. A positive work environment makes employees feel good
about the organization which provides the motivation to sustain and retain the employees for a longer period and developing
them as future leaders. The happier employees of the organization will turn brand ambassadors and support the organization
by turning more productive, which results in less absenteeism and focus on their work and are willing to take new challenges
for the mutual betterment.

3. Ch. Freeda Rebecca et al. 7 P’S in human resources
Journal of Management Research and Analysis, ISSN: 2394-2762 85
Epilogue: All the above-discussed P‟s are manageable and can come to a keen indication/conclusion on HRM efficiency, the
HR team must remember that unsatisfied customers are no different from unhappy employees these both can prevent success
and development of the company. Attracting, engaging and retaining the most talented resources is a very tough task for the
business organization. Slip-up on any of these 7p‟s can crash the efforts of the HR team and destroys the goodwill of the
organization in the market. So monitoring these 7p‟s will build up the employer branding.
7 P‟s in HRM Perspective.
7 P‟s in Marketing Mix(services
marketing)
7P‟s in HR perspective Intended For
Product Profile Profile of the Individual
Price Pay Pay package: Market Compensation
Place Place of Work Employer
Promotion Performance Performance of the Individual
Process Personnel Process Recruitment to Retirement
People Projection Projection of Human Resource Work
Physical evidence Physical Evidence Measuring Services from the HR
References
1. Service Mix: Adopted from Bernard H Booms and Mary J Bitner,
2. “Marketing strategies and organization structure for services firms” in J H Donnelly and W R George, Marketing of services,
American Marketing Association, 1981.
3. Anon, (1995). Marketing mix (price, place, promotion, and product) marketing mix business studies and business English. [Online]
Available at https://businesscasestudies.co.uk/business-theory/marketing/marketing-mix-price-place-promotion-
product.html#axzz4QN7jGYMu [Accessed 22 Dec. 2016].
4. Marketing Mix: Baker, M. (2002). The Marketing Book. 5th ed. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
5. A.M. Sharma "Personnel & HRM", Himalaya Publishing House 2005
6. Bisvvajeet Pattanayak, Human Resource Management, Prentice - Hall India, 2005