1.4 Managing people Flashcards
What is a zero-hours contract
employment contract that has minimum of zero hours a week
-employee is not guaranteed any work/ income- only told of their working day few days in advance
Name 4 aspects of treating staff as an asset
-permanent contracts
-develop staff skills with training
-pay staff a slary
-nuilds loyalty with staff
Name 4 aspects of treating staff as a cost
-flexible contracts
-minimal training offered
-low pay
-often leads to high staff turnover rate
What is a flexible workforce
where workers are equipped to do different roles
Why is a flexible workforce useful
changing external environments lead to patterns of demand changing –> supply changes
Name 4 methods of achieveing a flexible workforce
-multiskilling
-part-time and temporary
-flexible hours and home-working
-outsourcing
What is multiskilling
training workers to fulfil multiple job roles
Name 2 benefits and 2 disadvantages of multiskilling
+no disruption due to absentees -> ^ productivity
+motivation increases
-increased training budget
-loss of production -> employees switching between jobs
What is outsourcing
contracting another business t perform certain business functions
Name 2 reasons why staff are removed from a business
-reduction in demand
-disruption from staff
What is redundancy
when staff are ridded of when employer needs to reduce the size of its workforce
What is dismissal
when staff are ridded of due to misconduct/ incapable of doing
job
- given a period of notice before they leave which length differs depending on how long the employee has worked for the business
What is employer/ employee relations
when employer needs tp discuss changes with workforce/ groups of employees
What is collective bargaining
when employer discusses problems with one/ few employees for whole workforce
-most commonly- employees represented by trade union
Name 3 reasons why a business needs to recruit
-existing staff leaving
-growth of business
-new activities needing new skills
Name the 7 steps involved in the recruitment and selection process
- determine number & type of employees needed
- conduct job analysis for each vacancy
- create job description and person spec
- advertise vacancy (internally/ externally)
- draw up shortlist of most suitable applicants
- decide most suitable candidate using appropriate selection method
- appoint successful candidate
What are 3 advantages of the growth of part-time and flexible working
-cheaper to employ- entiled to less benefits
-flexible workforce
-wide range of potential recruits
What are 2 disadvantages of the growth of part-time and flexible working
-employees feel less loyal to business
-harder for managers to control and coordinate workforce
Name 2 reasons why recruitment selection and training can be costly
–lost output from replacing employee
-logistical cost of running the process
Name a method of internal recruitment
Name 2 benefits of outsourcing
-sudden surges of demand can be met quickly
-high-quality services can be offered
Name 2 disadvantages of outsourcing
-companies used for outsourcing need their own profit adding to overall costs
-outsourcing arrangements may take time
Name 2 benefits of internal recruitment
-cheaper and quicker to recruit
-people already familiar with how business runs
Name 2 disadvantages of internal recruitment
-limits number of potential applicants
-no new ideas introduced
Name 2 benefits of external recruitment
-new ideas brought in
-wider range of experience
Name 2 disadvantages of external recruitment
-longer process
-more exoensive- ads, interviews
Name the 3 common forms of selection
-interviews- face to face/ phone, questions, convo
-testing and profiling- skill levels, identifies personality
-assessment centres- selection,
What is training
designed to enhance e,ployees existing skills/ develop new skills
Name 3 benefits of training
-higher skill levels can boost productivity
-wider range of skills- enhance business flexibility
-motivates staff
Nam 3 disadvantages of training for a business
-training- large financial cost
-training- disrupt normal operations of a business
-trained staff- more attractive to other businesses
What is on the job training and state one benefit and disadvantage
-saves time and cost
-less knowledge aquired on methods used elsewhere
What us off the joh training and guve a benefit and disadvantage
What is an organisational structure
uses heirarchial system -> main descision at top
What is span of control
number of subordinates managed by a manager
What is delegation
passing descision-making power down organisational structure to lower level
What is a centralised structure
organisational structure where descisions are made at very top
What is a decentralised structure
descision making passed lower down organisational structure through delegation
Name the 3 types of organisational structure
-tall
-flat
-matrix
What is a tall structure
-has many layers
-narrow spans of control
Name 2 advs and disadvs of tall structures
+allows close supervision of staff
+communication within immediate team is excellent
-staff may feel not trusted
-narrow spans- little scope for staff to use iniative
What is a flat structure
-few levels of heirarchy
-wide spans of control
Name 2 advanates and disadvantages of flat structures
+employees given more responsibility
+communication between managers and employees is easier
-
What is a matrix structure
company structure where teams report to multiple leaders
Name 2 advanatages and 2 disadvantages of matrix structures
+working together allows expertise from each department- preventing delays
+learning from views of colleagues in other departments helps develop each team member
-2 bosses- can be unclear whose order should take priority
-getting staff from diff functional areas to agree can be difficult
How can organisational structure impact efficiency and motivation
efficiency:
-poor communication -> mistakes
-departments failing to work together effectively
motivation:
-opportunities for promotion
-responsibility
State the 4 key motivation theorists and their theories
-F.W Taylor (scientific management)
-Elton Mayo (human relations)
-Maslow (hierarchy of needs)
-herzberg (two-factor theory)
What is FW Taylor’s theory for motivation
-‘money motivates’
-theory -> ppl only work to maximise their own income
-to get ppl to work harder -> money should be used as an incentive (or removal of money as threat)
Where is FW Taylor’s work visible in jobs today
-piece-rate pay
-commission
-used to incentivise more work being completed
What is Elton Mayo’s theory
-human relations theory
-workers motivated by having social needs met
-gain satisfaction from freedom#
-workers should work in teams
What are the two approaches to motivate employees
- financial
- non financial
Taylor’s theory in terms of managing
- managers maintain close control over employees
- managers make all decisions
list the heirarchy of needs from top to bottom?
- self actualisation
- esteem
-social - safety
- psychological
What is employee engagement
workplace approach -ensure employees are commited to organisation’s goals and values , motivated to contribute to organisational success and are at same tune to enhance their own sense of well-being
What is Maslows theory
-humans have 5 sets of needs
-can be arrange in hierarchy -> basic needs at bottom, higher-level needs at top
-only once lower level is met would worker be motivated by higher level
What is Herzberg’s theory
-two key factors in a workplace: motivators, hygiene factors
-motivators- directly motivate workforce
-hygeine- factors that demotivateif not present (pay, working conditions)
Name 4 factors that influence organisational structure
-size of business -> small - flat structure, large - more complicated
-type of business -> mutiple locations?, overseas operations?
-management, leadership style ->
-competitive environment -> suppliers?, competitior actions?
Name 2 reasons why narrow span of control good
-allows for closer supervision of employees
-more effective communication
Name 2 reasons why wide span of control is good
-gives employees more chance for independence
-reduces labour costs -> less managers
What is chain of command
describes the lines of authority within a business
What is levels of hierarchy
number of layers of management/ supervision in the organisation structure
What is delayering
removing layers of management from the hierarchy of the organisation
Name 4 factors which encourage managers to change their organisational structure
-reduce costs, complexity
-boost employee motivation
-customer service improvements
-quality improvements
What is employee empowerment
giving employees the power to do their job
2 adavntages and disadvantages of delegation
+reduces management stress
+employees empowered, motivated
-may increase workload
-depends on quality of subordinates
Name 4 advantages of a well motivated workforce
-better productivity
-better quality
-decreased absenteeism
-lower training, recruitment costs
Describe the 4 motivational theorists views on pay
-taylor -> only one who thought pay motivated
-mayo, maslow, herzberg -> non-financial rewards; teamwork -> better incentive
Name 4 main financial incentives that motivate
-wages -> paid per hour worked, receive end of week
-salaries -> annual sum of money paid at end of each month
-commission -> paid according to no. of products sold
-performance related pay -> paid to those who meet certain targets
Name 4 non-financial incentives that motivate
-empowerment -> delegating power to employees
-praise -> recognition for good work
-promotion -> promoting employees to a higher position
-job enrichment -> give employees more challenging tasks
Name 2 ways it can be argued that staff are an asset to a business
-can ^ productivity, drive innovation, enhance customer service -> contribute to success & profitability of business
-can help to build a positive reputation for business
Name 4 ways it can be argued that staff generate costs to a business
-hiring and training costs
-salary costs
-additional benefits -> company cars, healthcare, prensions
-redundancy payments
How does the national minimum wage impact staffing costs
if government raises national minimum wage -> businesses employing on a wage basis -> ^ labour costs
-doesnt impact businesses that employ workers on a salary basis
