James, a software engineer, who identifies as a transgender man, has recently joined XYZ Corporation; he left his previous employer because of the coworkers$$ negative attitude towards him because of his gender identity. XYZ wants to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in their organisation, and in this direction, they mentioned in their online recruitment advertisement that they are welcoming towards LGBTQ$+$ individuals. XYZ Corporation$$s recruitment and selection process, involved AI software$-$based application screening and competency$-$based interviews, so as to ensure the selection of qualified candidates. James felt welcomed throughout the recruitment and selection stages; however, after joining the organisation, he did not find the organisational climate to be welcoming towards him. He feels his manager, Krish, is biased towards him and that work allocation and communication on goals are also not fair as compared to other team members. His efforts to have a conversation on this with his manager did not go well, as the manager seems to be avoiding this conversation. James has decided it is time he speaks to Sam, the HR manager, about this issue so that there is clarity from the beginning and all these factors do not result in a bad performance appraisal outcome for him, which is done quarterly at XYZ$,$ or even worse, him having to quit this job.

Source: Fatima, S$.(2024).$ Case study: Diversity and inclusion in XYZ Corporation $[$Case study$].$

Task:

$1.$ Examine the concept and need of Human Resource Management, analysing its practical applications, with a special focus on effective Recruitment and Selection procedures, using XYZ Corporation as a case for analysis. $(15$ marks$)$

$2.$ Critically evaluate the significance of the Labour Relations Act in ensuring effective Human Resource Management practices within organisational contexts. $(10$ marks$)$