123 - 130 HR

Question 1

What are the functions of the HR department?

Answer 1

The HR department is responsible for managing people in a business, including pay and rewards, recruitment, selection, training, and dealing with disputes.

Question 2

What is a flexible workforce?

Answer 2

A flexible workforce does not adhere to the traditional 9-5 work pattern and is designed to meet changing demand patterns.

Question 3

What does flexible working mean?

Answer 3

Flexible working allows employees some flexibility in when and where they work, such as choosing their hours.

Question 4

What is flexi-time?

Answer 4

Flexi-time allows employees to choose their start and end times within agreed limits, while working certain core hours.

Question 5

What is part-time working?

Answer 5

A part-time worker works fewer hours than a full-time worker, typically less than 35 hours a week.

Question 6

What is multi-skilling?

Answer 6

Multi-skilling involves training employees to work across a wide range of tasks, often through job rotation.

Question 7

What is hot desking?

Answer 7

Hot desking means employees have no fixed workspace and often book desks as needed, reducing the need for office space.

Question 8

What are zero hours contracts?

Answer 8

Zero hours contracts require employees to be available for work without guaranteed hours, providing employers with flexibility.

Question 9

What is workforce planning?

Answer 9

Workforce planning determines the current and future labor needs of a company, including recruitment and skills required.

Question 10

What is internal recruitment?

Answer 10

Internal recruitment fills a vacancy by employing someone who already works for the business.

Question 11

What is external recruitment?

Answer 11

External recruitment fills a vacancy by employing someone from outside the business.

Question 12

What does the recruitment process typically involve?

Answer 12

The recruitment process may include job analysis, job description, person specification, job advert, shortlisting, and interviews.

Question 13

What is job analysis?

Answer 13

Job analysis determines the duties, responsibilities, and skills required for a position after a vacancy is identified.

Question 14

What is a job description?

Answer 14

A job description lists the specific duties an employee is required to carry out.

Question 15

What is a person specification?

Answer 15

A person specification lists the qualifications, skills, experience, and personal attributes needed for the job.

Question 16

What are selection methods?

Answer 16

Selection methods are ways to decide which applicants should be given the job, such as interviews and testing.

Question 17

What is induction training?

Answer 17

Induction training is provided to new employees to help them become productive quickly, including health and safety training.

Question 18

What is on-the-job training?

Answer 18

On-the-job training occurs at the employee’s workplace while they are performing their job, usually supervised by an experienced employee.

Question 19

What is off-the-job training?

Answer 19

Off-the-job training occurs outside the employee’s normal work environment, such as attending college or in-house courses.

Question 20

What are apprenticeships?

Answer 20

Apprenticeships provide training for young people while they work, often combining workplace training with college attendance.

Question 21

What is an appraisal?

Answer 21

An appraisal evaluates an employee’s performance against targets set, with feedback provided by their manager.

Question 22

What is a superior’s assessment?

Answer 22

A superior’s assessment evaluates a worker’s performance by their line manager, who sets future targets and training needs.

Question 23

What is peer assessment?

Answer 23

Peer assessment evaluates a worker’s performance by colleagues at the same level in the hierarchy.

Question 24

What is self-assessment?

Answer 24

Self-assessment involves workers reflecting on their own performance and setting their own targets.

Question 25

What is 360-degree feedback?

Answer 25

360-degree feedback assesses a worker’s performance from various sources, including managers, peers, and customers.

Question 26

How is labour productivity measured?

Answer 26

Labour productivity is measured by dividing total output by the average number of employees over a period of time.

Question 27

What is absenteeism?

Answer 27

Absenteeism is the number of working days lost due to employees not attending work, expressed as a percentage.

Question 28

What is labour turnover?

Answer 28

Labour turnover measures the rate at which employees leave an organization, calculated by the number of staff leaving divided by the average number of staff employed.

Question 29

What is the difference between authority and responsibility?

Answer 29

Authority is the power to make decisions, while responsibility is the obligation regarding a specific duty assigned by a superior.

Question 30

What is the chain of command?

Answer 30

The chain of command describes the lines of authority and communication in a business, where orders are passed down and feedback is passed up.

Question 31

What is span of control?

Answer 31

Span of control refers to the number of workers a manager is responsible for, which can be wide or narrow.

Question 32

What is delegation?

Answer 32

Delegation is when a manager passes authority to employees for specific tasks, allowing them to gain autonomy.

Question 33

What is a hierarchy?

Answer 33

A hierarchy shows the levels of management from top to bottom and indicates who is responsible to whom.

Question 34

What is centralisation?

Answer 34

Centralisation is when business decisions are made at the top of the hierarchy and distributed down the chain of command.

Question 35

What is decentralisation?

Answer 35

Decentralisation allows decisions to be made by managers and subordinates further down the chain, providing more decision-making responsibilities.

Question 36

What is empowerment?

Answer 36

Empowerment occurs when a manager passes authority to employees, enabling them to make their own decisions.

Question 37

What is delayering?

Answer 37

Delayering is the process of removing layers in a hierarchy, resulting in a flatter organisational structure.

Question 38

What is a hierarchical structure?

Answer 38

A hierarchical structure has many layers of management and often uses a top-down approach with a long chain of command.

Question 39

What is a flat structure?

Answer 39

A flat structure has relatively few management layers, achieved through delayering, with a wide span of control.

Question 40

What is a matrix structure?

Answer 40

A matrix structure is used for cross-functional teams on projects, where team members come from different disciplines.