1.4 Managing People Flashcards
1
Q
Staff as a cost
A
Treat employees as a resource of the business
2
Q
Staff as an asset
A
Treat employees as an important resource in the business and gives a competitive advantage. Employee are treated as individuals and their needs are met
3
Q
Key features of staff as a cost
A
- short term changes in employee numbers
- minimal communication
- little delegation
- pay (minimum wage)
4
Q
Staff as an asset focus
A
Concentrate on the needs of employees- their roles, rewards, motivation etc
5
Q
Key features of staff as an asset
A
- focus on longer term planning of workforce needs
- two way communication with staff
- competitive pay structure with rewards
- employee take responsibility
6
Q
what is flexible working
A
working arrangements where there are a variety of options offered to employees in terms of working time, location and pattern of working
7
Q
examples of flexible working
A
- part time
- flexitime
- career breaks
8
Q
ways to develop a flexible workforce:
A
- multiskilling
- flexible hours & home working
- outsourcing
- part time & temporary
9
Q
what is Multi-skilling
A
process of training workers to fulfil multiple job roles within a business
10
Q
advantages of multiskilling
A
- Business utilise their workforce efficiently which reduces labour costs & increase productivity
- workers have a broader range of skills
11
Q
disadvantages of multiskilling
A
- require significant investment in training and development
- not appropriate for all job roles, e.g. those that require a high level of expertise
12
Q
Advantages of part time and temporary working
A
- Flexible working arrangements help businesses to attract and retain staff
- improve productivity, as staff can work during productive hours & avoid distractions
13
Q
disadvantages of part time and temporary working
A
- Flexible working arrangements creates challenges with communication & collaboration
- Monitoring and managing flexible workers can be more difficult
14
Q
what is outsourcing?
A
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
15
Q
Advantages of outsourcing:
A
- may allow businesses to access specialised skills that may not be available in-house
- May reduce labour costs
16
Q
disadvantages of outsourcing
A
- 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
17
Q
what is dismissal
A
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
18
Q
what is redundancy
A
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
19
Q
features of an individual approach
A
- 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
20
Q
what is collective bargaining
A
when a group of employees is represented by workforce representatives - these negotiates with employers on issues such as pay and working conditions
21
Q
what is recruitment?
A
process of identifying potential job candidates who are suitable for role.
22
Q
costs of recruitment?
A
- lost output from replacing an employer
- logistical cost of running a recruitment & selection
- timely (opportunity cost)
23
Q
what is selection
A
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
24
Q
The recruitment and selection process
1. Define the role
A
Businesses determine what’s required. part of that is developing a job description and a person/job specification
25
whats a job description
outlines the duties, responsibilities, and requirements of a particular job
26
what is a job specification?
outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and qualities required from a candidate for a specific job
27
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
28
The recruitment and selection process
3. Advertise - if have a strong online presence
can use these platforms to advertise cost effectively
29
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
30
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.
31
what is employee representation
it arises when employees part of a formal structure for involving them in the decision-making process of a business
32
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
33
advantages of employee representation
- lower risk of internal disputes
- increased motivation of the workforce
- better decision making as employees ideas are taken into account
34
disadvantages of employee representation
- time consuming - slow decision- making
- conflict
- managers feel their authority is undermined
35
main function of trade unions
- represent
- protect interest of employees
- negotiate
36
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
37
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
38
what is induction training?
Introducing new employees to job, colleagues, premises, values, and aims of business
39
what is on the job training?
An employee receives training whilst remaining in the workplace
40
methods of on the job training?
- Demonstration
- Coaching - close working between an employee and trainee
- Job rotation - trainee is given several jobs, to gain experience of a range of activities
- Projects - gives exposure to other parts of the business
41
advantages of on the job training
- more cost-effective
- Employees are productive
- Opportunity to learn whilst doing
- Training alongside colleagues
42
disadvantages of on the job training
- Quality depends on ability of trainer and time available
- Bad habits might be passed on
- disruption to production
43
what is off the job training
Employee training that takes place away from the work place
44
advantages of off the job training
- range of skills or qualifications can be obtained
- learn from outside specialists or experts
- Employees can be more confident when starting job
45
disadvantages of off the job training
- More expensive e.g. transport
- Lost working time and potential output from employee
- New employees may still need some induction training
- Employees have new skills may leave for better jobs
46
recruitment costs examples
- advertising, recruiting, interviewing, and screening candidates
- employees leave the business they have to spend money recruiting and training new employees
47
training costs example
- cost of trainers, training materials, and facilities
- employees may need additional training to learn new skills, which increases the cost of training
48
definition of organisational structure/chart?
shows how people and management are organised in a business
49
definition of span of control
is the number of employees for who manager is responsible for
50
narrow span of control
- closer supervision of employees
- more layers in the hierarchy
- more effective communication
51
wider span of control
- subordinates have a chance for independence
- reduces labour costs
52
definition of chain of command
describes the lines of authority within a business
53
what is hierarchy in a business
refers to levels of authority, describes ranking of positions from top to bottom. Higher the position, the more authority and power it holds
54
centralised structure
decision-making is concentrated at the top with senior management making most of the decisions. this promotes consistency and control
55
decentralised structure
decision-making is distributed throughout the organisation, lower-level employees make more decision. promotes flexibility and innovation
56
advantages of a centralised structure
- leaders have lots of experience
- manager has an overview of the business so more consistent decisions
- senior managers aren't biased to departments
- quick decisions
57
disadvantages of a centralised structure
- not many people who are experts
- excludes employees from decision making
- slow reaction to change - so competitors get ahead
- not on shop floor so they are slow to follow trends
58
advantages of a decentralised structure
- involvement in decision making motivates employees
- employees have expert knowledge on their sector
- quick decisions
59
disadvantages of a decentralised structure
- inconsistencies may develop between division in a business
- junior employees dont have enough experience and struggle to see the overview of the business
60
features of a tall organisational structure
- long chain of command
- multiple levels of management and centralised decision making process, clear hierarchy
- increases efficiency & motivation
- offers opportunity for career advancement
61
disadvantages of a tall organisational structure
- communication barriers
- decision-making is slow
62
what is a flat organisational structure
fewer levels of management and a more decentralised decision-making process, short chain of command
63
advantages of a flat organisational structure
- promotes collaboration and open communication
- decision making is fast
- encourages innovation due to flexibility
64
disadvantages of a flat organisational structure
- lack of hierarchy
- no career advancement
- requires employees to take on multiple roles
65
matrix organisational structure
combines functional areas of a business (HR, finance, sales, marketing) with a specialist team that operates inside the business
66
advantages of matrix organisational structure
- promotes collaboration and communication
- allows for specialisation within each functional group
- enables coordination on projects
67
disadvantages of matrix organisational structure
- leads to conflicts
- confusion over roles
-requires a high degree of coordination
68
what is taylor scientific management
- workers are trained to perform one tasks so they become very
- skilled workers are only paid for for completed work
69
advantages of Taylor scientific management
- increased efficiency which lower costs
- specialisation of labour , leads to greater efficiency
- training leads to job satisfaction
70
disadvantages of taylor scientific management
- more efficiency reduces workers satisfaction
- limited applicatory as this approach wont work for people who have high skills
- exploitation this approach extracts more from workers without compensating the,
71
mayo human relation theory
the key to improving productivity and job satisfaction lies in understanding and improving relationships between colleagues
72
advantages of mayo human relation theory
- improved job satisfaction & productivity as workers feel valued and supported
- better communication which reduce conflict
- employee empowerment increase workers sense of ownership
73
disadvantages of mayo human relation theory
- time consuming building relationship requires time
- lack of control workers make decisions
- conflicts as stronger relationships can lead to conflicts
- limited applicability it wont work for business which require independence
74
Maslow's hierarchy of needs
- physiological needs
- safety needs
- love and belonging needs
- esteem needs
- self-actualisation needs
75
advantages Maslow's hierarchy of needs
- high employee satisfaction, by meeting the needs of employees it leads to increase productivity
- increased motivation
- imp0orved employee performance - feel valued and perform at a higher level
76
disadvantages Maslow's hierarchy of needs
- expensive
- businesses need to tailor their approach to employees
- time consuming
77
Heisenberg two factor theory
to factors that affect employee motivation and job satisfaction
- hygiene factor, their absence causes dissatisfaction
- motivators, lead to job satisfaction and motivation
78
financial incentives
piecework
employees are paid according to the number of units or pieces they produce
79
financial incentives
commission
a percentage of sales revenue paid to workers who sell products or services
80
financial incentives and their affect
bonus
additional payment is given to staff as a reward for achieving goals, completing projects, exceeding performance. motivates staff
81
financial incentives and their effect
profit-share
portion of company profits are distributed among staff, which encourages to them to work together and focus on company goals
82
financial incentives
performance related pay
staff paid on performance which motivates staff to work and achieve better results.
this has been criticised as it discriminatory and open to abuse by managers
83
non-financial incentives
delegation
transfers responsibility from a manager to their staff
gives employees control over their work, which can lead to improved productivity
84
non-financial incentives
consultation
seeking the input of staff on decisions that affect their work
this increases staff engagement and commitment, leading to improved productivity
85
non-financial incentives
empowerment
involves giving staff the authority ad resources to make decisions and take action without receiving managements approval
increases staff responsibility, leading to improved productivity
86
non-financial incentives
team working
creating opportunities for staff to work collaboratively
staff share ideas and expertise, leading to improved productivity and innovation
87
non-financial incentives
flexible working
provides staff with the option to work remotely, or adjust their hours suit their lifestyle. increases staff satisfaction and work-life balance leading to improved productivity
88
non-financial incentives
job enrichment
adding more challenging or meaningful tasks to a job
staff feel motivated and engaged, leading to improved productivity
89
difference between leadership and management
- leadership is about having a vision, sharing that with others and providing direction
- management is the day-to-day organisation of the business, its resource and its staffing
90
non-financial incentives
job enlargement
expanding staff's job duties to include additional tasks or responsibilities. engaging with a variety of tasks can increase motivation and job satisfaction, leading to improved productivity
91
autocratic leadership
leader has complete control over decision making, with little or on input from others
92
paternalistic leadership
leader takes on a parental role, making decisions with the best interest of their staff
93
laissez-faire leadership
hands-off approach that allows their team to manage their own work
94
democratic leadership
leader involves their team in their decision making
