1.4 Approaches to staffing Flashcards
What is a hard HRM
When the workforce is treated as a cost
Staff often on fixed term contracts and min wage
little power - autocratic
temp contracts + 0 hours
What is soft HRM
Workforce treated as an asset
Opportunities for staff development
Competetive salery
Democratic
Flexible
Strengths of hard HRM
Close monterting -> ^ productivity
Lower costs
Autocratic decisions = quicker decision
Strengths of Soft HRM
Staff retention
Lower absences
Attract new employees
^ motivation
Weaknesses of Hard HRM
High staff turnover
Recruitment costs
Low motivtion
Industrial action
Damage firm rep
Weakness of soft HRM
Expensive
Staff may abuse the extra responsibilities
What is a flexible workforce?
A workforce that has many different types of staff, e.g. temp, perm, 0 hour
What is multiskilling?
Training employees to do a range of tasks
+ve of multiskilling for employer?
Can lead to staff retention due to motivation
Can help maintain productivity as staff can work in multiple areas
-ve of multiskilling for employer?
Staff may become less specialised in one particular area
Productivity may dip as they move areas
Staff training costs increase
+ve of multiskilling for employee?
Can increase motivation as workers get to experiance more
Can gain more skills
-ve of multiskilling for the employee?
May be required to work in areas which they dont like
Become less specialised
What are part time employees?
Employees who are contracted to work less hours
Hours can be increase to match demand
+ve of part time for employer
Cheaper
Flexible
+ve of part time for emplyee
Can balence other commitments
Can be less stressful
-ve of part time for employer
May not be available
Staff may be less commited
Communication can be hard if hours dont line up
-ve of part time for employee
less pay
may miss out on opportunities
may struggle to develop relationships
increases workload as lose momentum
What is a temporary employee?
A worker who is contracted to work for a specific time
can be full time or part time
less job secuirty
often work for an agency
+ve of temporay staff
helps deal with demand
cheaper
can bring in experts temporaraly
cover staff absence
-ve of temp staff?
may require training
short period
not as commited
may have less experiance
+ve of homeworking
Hire from anywhere
increases staff’s flexiblity
producivity can increase from no workplace distractions
-ve of homeworking
Cant moniter staff
Hard to communicate
distractions at home
miss out on social interaction
What is outsourcing
tasks or processes which are carried out by external staff.
+ve of outsourcing
Provides flexability
Can increase capacity without high capital expenditures
Buy in experts
-ve of outsourcing
quality must be maintained
loss of control
increased costs as provider wants profit
Whats a dismissal
employee breach of contract
position still exists
whats a redundacy
job no longer exists
have to pay off staff e.g. 2 months pay
-ves of redundancy
redundancy pay e.g. 2 months
lowers job security
damage reputation
Whats an individual approach?
Where an employee talks to employers one on one
+ve of individual approach
SUited to employee needs
May be better suited to fight their own corner
Managers can make judjement case by case
What is a collective responce?
WHere trade unions rep members through collective bargaining to achieve industial democracy and improve conditions and pay
What do unions work to avoid?
Indutial action and potential disputes before they happen
What is an industial action?
When employees take sanctions to try and impose pressure on the employer
What are examples of industrial action?
Work to rule (doing bare minimum)
Lobbying (protests and demostrations)
Strikes (refuse to work)
What is a work council
An internal group of people who meet regularly to discuss issues relating to the business specifically the workforce
+ve of collective barganing?
want to avoid big threats so more barganing power
unions have lots of experiance
-ve of collective barganing
hard to please exeryone
way more complicated + time consuming
some employees may not be deserving
