1.4 Managing People Flashcards
Staff as a cost
Treat employees as a resource of the business
Staff as an asset
Treat employees as an important resource in the business and gives a competitive advantage. Employee are treated as individuals and their needs are met
Key features of staff as a cost
- short term changes in employee numbers
- minimal communication
- little delegation
- pay (minimum wage)
Staff as an asset focus
Concentrate on the needs of employees- their roles, rewards, motivation etc
Key features of staff as an asset
- focus on longer term planning of workforce needs
- two way communication with staff
- competitive pay structure with rewards
- employee take responsibility
what is flexible working
working arrangements where there are a variety of options offered to employees in terms of working time, location and pattern of working
examples of flexible working
- part time
- flexitime
- career breaks
ways to develop a flexible workforce:
- multiskilling
- flexible hours & home working
- outsourcing
- part time & temporary
what is Multi-skilling
process of training workers to fulfil multiple job roles within a business
advantages of multiskilling
- Business utilise their workforce efficiently which reduces labour costs & increase productivity
- workers have a broader range of skills
disadvantages of multiskilling
- require significant investment in training and development
- not appropriate for all job roles, e.g. those that require a high level of expertise
Advantages of part time and temporary working
- Flexible working arrangements help businesses to attract and retain staff
- improve productivity, as staff can work during productive hours & avoid distractions
disadvantages of part time and temporary working
- Flexible working arrangements creates challenges with communication & collaboration
- Monitoring and managing flexible workers can be more difficult
what is outsourcing?
when a business uses another business to make part of its product or provide part of its service. This allows the company to produce products at a lower cost and maintain competitive pricing
Advantages of outsourcing:
- may allow businesses to access specialised skills that may not be available in-house
- May reduce labour costs
disadvantages of outsourcing
- lead to a loss of control over quality and delivery, if the outsourcing partner is based in another country
- create ethical concerns, if the partner is based in a country with lower labour standards or human rights abuses
what is dismissal
the termination of employment by an employer against the will of the employee. Employees are terminated due to misconduct or poor performance. Employer can dismiss them immediately or provide a notice period
what is redundancy
the job is no longer available as the business reduces the size of its workforce. The termination is not due to fault of the employee. The employer follows legal procedures, e.g. providing notice & redundancy compensation
features of an individual approach
- Focuses on relationship of an employee and employer
- each employee is unique and has own goals, motivations
- employment relationship is an agreement between 2 parties in which both negotiate their roles, responsibilities and benefits
- employer hire, fire, set terms & conditions of employment
what is collective bargaining
when a group of employees is represented by workforce representatives - these negotiates with employers on issues such as pay and working conditions
what is recruitment?
process of identifying potential job candidates who are suitable for role.
costs of recruitment?
- lost output from replacing an employer
- logistical cost of running a recruitment & selection
- timely (opportunity cost)
what is selection
process of choosing the best candidate. they review CVs and conducting interviews or assessment tasks. Goal of selection is to hire the most suitable candidate for the job
The recruitment and selection process
1. Define the role
Businesses determine what’s required. part of that is developing a job description and a person/job specification
whats a job description
outlines the duties, responsibilities, and requirements of a particular job
what is a job specification?
outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and qualities required from a candidate for a specific job
The recruitment and selection process
2. Determine the best source of candidates
- Internal recruitment hires employees within the organisation. it encourages employee progress and saves time and money on training
- External recruitment hires employees from outside. it brings ideas, experiences, perspectives
The recruitment and selection process
3. Advertise - if have a strong online presence
can use these platforms to advertise cost effectively
The recruitment and selection process
4. Receive applications
- collecting information from potential candidates
- business have an application form which gathers info
- Applicants submit their curriculum vitae (CV) & cover letter
- shortlist candidates. usually 3-5 candidates are interviewed
The recruitment and selection process
5. selection process
Businesses identify the best candidate
- Interviews, business must prepare questions to ask candidates and ensure that the interview is fair and consistent
- Assessment tasks, candidates can demonstrate their skills/ suitability for the job.
what is employee representation
it arises when employees part of a formal structure for involving them in the decision-making process of a business
legal requirements to consult with employees
- redundancy
- employees being transferred from one employer to another (business sold)
- changes to pension
- changes to working time arrangements
advantages of employee representation
- lower risk of internal disputes
- increased motivation of the workforce
- better decision making as employees ideas are taken into account
disadvantages of employee representation
- time consuming - slow decision- making
- conflict
- managers feel their authority is undermined
main function of trade unions
- represent
- protect interest of employees
- negotiate
what is the work council
EU legislation makes these mandatory for firms that operate in two or more EU countries and have more than 1000 employees
benefits of training
- Better productivity
- Higher quality
- More flexibility through better skills
- Less supervision required
- Improved motivation
- Better recruitment and employee retention
- Easier to implement change
what is induction training?
Introducing new employees to job, colleagues, premises, values, and aims of business