1.4 Flashcards
what are the benefits of seeing staff as an asset
-good employee relations
-valued and appreciated staff
- low staff turnover
what are the drawbacks of seeing staff as an asset
-cost of training
-lose of control from the top
what are the benefits of seeing staff as a costs
-specialised staff at one task, consistency
-high levels of managerial control
-minimum wage= low cost
what are the drawbacks of seeing staff as a costs
-demotivated
-targets tasks and high expectations
-high turnover
what is soft HR
-staff development
-empowerment, staff got control
-consultation
-flat structure
what is hard HR
-controlled mechanisms
-centralised decisions
-tall structure
-minimum wage and fixed term contracts
what is multiskilling work
-training staff in multiple areas of work
-staff gain more utility
what is part-time work
when an employee works partial areas usually on shorter shifts
-provides good flexibility
-works well with inconsistent demand
-retain skilled workers
what is a temporary employee
a seasonal member of staff, provides help during times of high demand
-full & part time work
-good work life balance
-low cost staff
what is flexible hours & home work
when an employee does the required work whenever its convenient for them, no strict work hours.
-less travel
-removes barriers
-better work life balance
what is outsourcing
when a business has products or components of the product made by other businesses.
-gain expertise, higher quality
-flexibility in supply
what is dismissal from work
when an employees work contacted is terminated as a disciplinary action due to them breaching there contract
what is redundancy
when an employees contracted is terminated due to the job no longer existing within the business, could be through restructuring, re-location or new technology
what is a trade union
a national organisation with a remit to protect its members and improve conditions, provides job security and fair treatment
what is a work council
two way communication, is a legal right for the employees if the business has over 50 employees
what is internal recruitment
when a vacancy within a business is filled from an internal candidate and not available to external candidate
what are the benefits of internal recruitment
-low cost
-promotion prospects
know candidates
-quick process
what are the drawbacks of internal recruitment
-reduces talent pool
-limited applicants
-could cause friction between employee’s
what is external recruitment
when a vacancy within a business is open to internal and external applicants
what are the benefits of external recruitment
-better talent pool
-increased number of applicants
-new ideas in the business
-internal staff can still apply
what are the drawbacks of external recruitment
-increased cost
-may upset internal staff
-the business doesn’t know the candidates work ethic
what are the costs of recruitment
-job description & personal spec need analysing
-advertising the job
-opportunity cost of managers time
-re-imbursement of travel costs
what is on-the-job training
when an employee trains at the workplace from experienced employees (employee is tailored by the company)
what is off-the-job training
where an employee trains externally from expertise (broad to the industry)
Alec Rodger’s seven point plan to selection
- psychical make up- appearance
2.attainments- education - intelligence- adaptability
- aptitudes- specialties
- interests- hobbies
6.dispostion- humor - circumstances-geography
what is tall structure
when a business has high levels of the hierarchy with a long chain of command for a narrow span of control
what are the advantages of a tall structure
-promotion path
-lines of authority & responsibility
-horizontal communication
-managers have no subordinates
what are the disadvantages of a tall structure
-messages get lost or confused
-many levels slows communication
-harder to manage quality & consistency due to so many layers
what is flat structure
when a business has less levels of hierarchy with a short chain of command but with a wide span of control
what are the advantages of flat structure
-less costly due to less senior staff
-clearer communication
-workers gain more control over how they work
-decision making is quicker due to less layers
-lots of delegation from managers
what are the disadvantages of a flat structure
-manager can be too “too hands” on
-few promotional opportunities
-workers get overwhelmed with delegated tasks
chain of command
-the way authority & power is passed down the levels of the hierarchy, the longer the chain the slower the communication is.
what is span of control
-the number of subordinates that a manger or supervisor is directly responsible for.
what is managerial authority
-the power of an employee to instruct subordinates, make decisions and control the use of resources.
-can be decentralized or centralized
what is decentralized decision making
-the responsibility of decision making is delegated to middle managers throughout the hierarchy
what is centralized decision making
- the responsibility of decision making is maintained by a limited number of senior managers, at the top of the hierarchy.
what is matrix structure
-where employees are placed into teams from different functional areas to work on a specific project.
what are the advantages of matrix structure
+
-communication across functional areas
-range of viewpoints considered
-functions support & understand each aspect for producing the project/product
-motivational as feeling part of a team
disadvantages for matrix structure
-
-potential loss of control
-dependent upon effective delegation
-teams may take time to work together effectively
-can cause conflict
what is de-layering
the process of removing layers of the hierarchy between the highest & lowest levels, typically removes middle managers
what are the advantages of de-layering
+
-cuts costs within the business
-shortens command chain, improves communication and speeds up decision making
what are the disadvantages of de-layering
-
-might cause a change in management styles & job roles within the business which can cause confusion
-less chance of promotion can demotivate
-can increase workload for existing staff
what is Abraham Maslow’s theory
- Maslow thought there were 5 levels of human needs, the first is psychological i.e. basic needs, shelter, food
safety, i.e. safe environment, job security
social i.e. feeling wanted, team working
esteem i.e. self- respect, level of status
self-actualisation i.e. achieving targets, fulfil potential
what is Elton Mayo’s theory
- mayo believed it was not money but social needs that acted as a motivator
Mayo used 2 groups and isolated them in their work place and changed factors such as dim lighting but it did not effect the team working together but it did effect the group who were not working together
What is Fredrick Winslow Taylor’s theory
- Taylor thought employees were only motivated by pay, he thought managers such break down production into small tasks to specialise workers to a task with minimal training while improving productivity
