1.4.1 - Approaches to Staffing Flashcards
What is workforce planning?
Deciding how many and what type of workers are required
How staff are an asset?
They bring knowledge, skills and expertise
- Can increase productivity, innovation and enhance customer service
- Can help build a positive reputation
How can treating staff as an asset improve the business?
Will ensure staff are motivated and increase in productivity
- Enhance business reputation
How are staff seen as a cost?
- Costs associated with hiring and training
- Costs associated with salaries and wages
- Costs associated with benefits such as pensions and company cars
- Costs associated with redundancy payments
What is multi-skilling?
Process of training workers to fulfil multiple jobs within a business
What is part time work?
Someone who works part time for instance 2/3 days a week
What is temporary work?
When the employee shows up to work whenever the business needs them
What is flexible hours?
Development of a culture where workers complete a set number of hours for what suits them
What is homeworking?
Working at home for a period of time
What is job sharing?
Where two or more employees divide a job between them to cover one full time role
What is outsourcing?
Delegation of businesses processes to an external provider who then manages and administers the processes
Advantages of multi-skilling
- Utilise their workforce more efficiently
- Reduces labour costs and increases productivity
Advantages of temporary work and part-time
- Improve staff productivity as they can work during their most productive hours
- Help attract and retain staff
Advantages of flexible hours
- Saving costs as save on overheads
- Increases job satisfaction
Advantages of homeworking
- Reduces need and cost of travelling
- Saves time so increases productivity
- Less likely to take time off work
- Overall reduction of costs
Advantages of job sharing
- Ability to retain staff
- More job roles available to bring in skilled employees
Advantages of outsourcing
- Lower costs
- Capacity can be increased
- Don’t have to train staff for specific tasks
- Allows specialised skills
Disadvantages of multi-skilling
- May require significant investment in training
- May not be appropriate for all job roles
Disadvantages of part time and temporary work
- May create communication and collaboration issues
- Issues with monitoring workers
- More training costs
Disadvantages of flexible workers
- Lower employee productivity
- Managers may find it difficult to manage the flexibility
Disadvantages of home working
- Some people find it hard to separate work and leisure
- Training costs
- May miss working alongside colleagues
- Difficult to monitor progress
Disadvantages of job sharing
- Finding compatible partners may be challenging
- There may needed to be added monitoring
Disadvantages of outsourcing
- Loss of control as reliance on suppliers
- Employees may be less motivated as may be threatened by the loss of their job
- May loose control of quality
What is dismissal?
Termination of employment by an employer against the will of the employee
(Firing or sacking)
Why are employees usually dismissed?
- Due to misconduct or poor performance
- May be immediate or with notice
What is being made redundant?
When the job is no longer available and the business reduces the size
`What are the impacts of a successful employer-employee relationship?
- Maximises cooperation and minimises potential conflict
- Increase motivation and productivity
Characteristics of an individual approach to employer-employee relationship
Focuses on the relationship between an employee and their employer
- Assumes each employee is unique and has their own goals
- Tailored relationship
What is individual bargaining?
- Means employers can decide based on the employee as an individual for instance pay (financial incentive to work harder)
- Also used for flexible working as can use employee’s personal circumstances
What is collective bargaining?
When a group of employees are represented by workforce representatives and these negotiate with employers with their issues
What is an example of workforce representatives and what can they do?
Trade Unions
- Can take action in the workplace to improve or protect conditions
- Can also take action on a national level to put pressure on the government for pay and wages
