1.4 Managing People Flashcards
Define Cost in terms of staffing
Treat employees simply as a resource of the business, costs associated with: hiring & training, wages & salaries, fringe benefits etc
Define Asset in terms of staffing
Treat employees as the most important resource in the business and a source of competitive advantage
Employees treated as individuals and their needs are planned accordingly
Describe Flexible Working
Working arrangements here there are a variety of option offers to employees in terms of working time, working location and the pattern of working
Examples of flexible working
Part time working
flexitime
job sharing
Working from home
Benefits of a flexible workforce
-Saving on costs
-Helps with recruitment and staff retention
-Reflect the changing profile of the UK workforce
-Take advantage of developments in technology
Drawbacks of flexible working
-Loss of customers if key employees reduce their working hours
-Lower employee productivity
-Managers finding it difficult to manage or administer flexibility
Define Multiskilling
Where staff are allowed to carry out a variety of task rather than specialise
-Enables greater use of job rotation
-puts greater requirement on training
Define Outsourcing
Hiring a third party business to do the work for you
Define Off-shoring
The work is done overseas
Name business objectives
-Quality
-Cost
-Speed
-Flexibility
Define dismissal
Employee dismissed because of break of contract or other unacceptable behaviour or performance
Define Redundancy
Employee loses job because job is no longer required by the business, requires consultation and redundancy payments
Define Employee Representation
Arises when employees are part of a formal structure for involving them in the decision-making process of a business
What needs to be consulted with employees for redundancy?
-Redundancy programmes
-On changes to pension arrangements
-Proposed changes to working time arrangements
Reasons for a Formal System of Employee Representation
-Make employees views known to management
-Help strengthen both managers and employees understanding of workplace issues
-Helps create mutual trust between employees a management and therefore improve workplace relations
Benefits of Employee Representation
-Increased empowerment and motivation
-Better decision making because employee experience and insights taken into account
-Lower risk of industrial disputes
Drawbacks of Employee Representation
-Time consuming (potentially slows decision making)
-Conflicts between employer and employee interests
-Managers may feel their authority is being undermined
What are the two main functions of a Trade Union?
Represent and negotiate
Define Represent in terms of Trade Unions
Represent & protect interest of employees
Define Negotiate in terms of Trade Unions?
Negotiate on behalf of employees with employer
Main Role of a Trade Union?
-Provide or improve job security
-Protect workers against unfair dismissal
-Better working conditions
Advantages for an Employer of a good relationship with Trade Union
- Negotiating with trade unions saves time and cost
- Employees morale and motivation may be improved if they know that their interests are being protected by a union.
Define Internal recruitment
When a business chooses only to advertise a job within their company or only make it available to current employees
Advantages of Internal Recruitment
-Cheaper and quicker to recruit
-Already familiar with business and how it operates
-Opportunities for promotion
Disadvantage of Internal Recruitment
-Limits number of potential applicants
-No new ideas can be introduced from outside
-May cause resentment amongst candidates not appointed
-Creates another vacancy which needs to be filled
Define External recruitment
Opening a job vacancy to a wider pool of candidates outside the business
Advantages of External Recruitment
-People can bring in new ideas
-Larger pool of workers from which to find best candidate
-People have a wider range of experiences
Disadvantages of External Recruitment
-Longer process
-More expensive process due to advertisement/ headhunting required
-Selection process may not be effective enough to reveal best candidates
Why are most employers prepared to incur costs to train staff?
Business will benefit from employees development and progress in long term
Potential benefits of training (For the business)
-Better productivity
-Higher quality
-More flexibility through better skills
-Improved motivation
-Less supervision required
Why do businesses need to train staff?
-To support new employees
-Support high standards of customer service and production quality
-Support employee progression and promotion
What issues can training not solve?
-Poor management
-Poor job design
-Ineffective or inefficient equipment
-Recruitment
Reasons why businesses neglect training?
-Fear of employees being poached by competition
-Desire to minimise short term cost
-Training takes time to have desired effect
Define On-the-job training
An employee receives training whilst remaining in the workplace
Name methods of On-the-job training?
-Demonstration
-Coaching
-Job rotation
-Projects
Benefits of On-the-job training
-Cost-effective
-Employees are actually productive
-Oppotunity to learn whilst doing
-Training alongside real colleagues
Drawbacks of On-the-job training
-Quality depends on ability of trainer and time available
-Bad habits might be passed on
-Learning environment may not be productive
-Potential disruption to production
Define Off-the-job training
Employee training that takes place away from the work place
Benefits of Off-the-job training
-Brings wider range of skills and fresh ideas
-Can learn from outside specialists or experts
-Employees can be more confident when starting job
-Tailored training
Drawbacks of Off-the-job training
-Expensive
-Lost working time and potential output from employee
-New employees may still need some induction training
-Employees may leave for better jobs with new skills