14. Approaches to Staffing

Question 1

Number of employees in a small business

Answer 1

between 1 and 49 people

Question 2

Number of employees in a medium-sized business

Answer 2

between 50 and 249 people

Question 3

Number of employees in a large business

Answer 3

More than 250 people

Question 4

Staff as an asset

Answer 4

• Employers who view their staff as assets will value their employees and have concern for their welfare
• Staff will be valued because employers recognise that their efforts will help the business to perform more effectively

Question 5

Examples of treating staff as an asset:

Answer 5

• Acceptable remuneration
• Reasonable holidays, sick leave, maternity/paternity leave, pensions
• A safe and confortable working environment
• Trainning so that staff can develop skills and carry out work tasks succesfully and safely
• Chances of promotion
• Opportunities to solve problems, work in teams and be creative

Question 6

Staff as a cost

Answer 6

• If employers view their staff as a cost, their focus is likely to be different.
• They will try minimise the cost wherever possible

Question 7

Examples of treating staff as a cost:

Answer 7

• Paying just the legal national minimum wage
• Using a zero-hours contract
• Neglecting investment in training
• Using financial incentives to raise productivity
• Providing the minimum legal employee rights in relation to sick leave, holiday pay and working conditions
• Penalties for employees who are late, break sules, etc.
• Using cheap and inferior recruitment methods

Question 8

Flexible workforce

Answer 8

• A workforce that can respond, in quantity and type, to changes in market demand

Businesses can increase the flexibility of their workforce using a number of methods:
- Multiskilling
- Part-time and temporary staff
- Zero-hour contracts
- Flexible hours and home working
- Outsourcing

Question 9

Advantages of a flexible workforce:

Answer 9

• Allows a business to expand and contract quickly in response to changes in demand for its products
• Some specialist job need to be done but it would be wasteful to employ a permanent worker to do them
• In some cases temporary staff or subcontractors are cheaper to employ than permanent staff
• Employers are responsible for trainning their permanent workers so therefore that costs are paid by subcontractors or whoever has paid for the trainning of a temporary worker.
• Employing workers who can job share or work flexible hours may allow the business to work more efficiently.

Question 10

Disadvantages of a flexible workforce:

Answer 10

• Peripheral workers may have less loyalty to he business where they work temporarily. They may be motivated inly by financial gain.
• Sometimes outsorced work has been of poor quality, damaging their reputation with customers.
• Communication can be a problem as peripheral workers are not always available when the business would like to communiacte with them
• Sometimes peripheral workers are simply workers who have found it difficult to hold down a permanent job.

Question 11

Fair dismissal

Answer 11

When some is dismissed without notice or pay because of a misconduct or breaking the rules of a business

Question 12

Unfair dismissal

Answer 12

When someone is dismissed without any good reason for it

Question 13

Redundancy

Answer 13

When someone is dismissed because they are no longer needed as demand has decreased

Question 14

Retirement

Answer 14

When someone is a certain age and decides to not work anymore

Question 15

Resignation

Answer 15

When someone leaves the job because they want to change of country, they found a better paid job, they like more other jobs, etc.

Question 16

Employer/Employee relationships:

Answer 16

• rates of pay
• the introduction of new technology
• Flexible working
• Work conditions

Question 17

Individual approach

Answer 17

Approaching directly the employer and talk with him the problem you are having, this occurs normally when there is a good relationship between the employee and the employer

Question 18

Collective bargaining

Answer 18

A method of determining conditions of work and terms of emplyment through negotiations between employers and employee representatives

Question 19

Advantages of collective bargaining:

Answer 19

• Agreements are transparent and legally enforceable
• May be more cost effective to have just one set lf negotiations
• Rules and terms are more likely to be respected by both parties
• Outcomes may be fairer because power between both sides is equalised
• Unfair treatment of individual who are bullied or ‘favourites’ of their managers may be avoided
• Employee representatives are democratically elected

Question 20

Disadvantages of collective bargaining:

Answer 20

• Negotiations can result in a more bureaucracy and take longer
• The views of individuals are not always reflected by unions
• Negotiation cost can be high and are usually met by businesses
• A failure to agree can have serious consecuences, e.g. strike action
• Owners may feel their freedom to manage is compromised

Question 21

Home workers

Answer 21

People who undertake their regular work from home

Question 22

Industrial action

Answer 22

Disruptive measures taken by workers to apply pressure on employers when disagreements cannot be resolved

Question 23

Multiskilling

Answer 23

The process of increasing the skills of employees

Question 24

Outsourcing

Answer 24

Getting other people or businesses to undertake work that was originally done in house

Question 25

Trade unions

Answer 25

Organisations of workers that exist to promote the interests of their members

Question 26

Zero-hours contract

Answer 26

A contract that does not guarantee any particular number of hours’ of work