1.4.1. Approaches to Staffing

Question 1

What is viewing staff as an asset?

Answer 1

Believing that staff are the most valuable asset to the company, and looking to develop them in order to boost their value to the business.

Question 2

How do employers that view staff as an asset, think that the employees can contribute to the output of an organisation?

Answer 2

By:

• bringing added value
• supporting manufacturing processes
• offering high quality customer service

Question 3

What is viewing staff as a cost?

Answer 3

When firms focus on the amount of money they are spending, rather than how much an employee might develop. Aiming to hire staff as cheaply as possible and utilizing them efficiently in order to meet corporate targets.

Question 4

What are some costs associated with employees?

Answer 4

• training
• recruitment
• payment
• welfare
• severance

Question 5

Why is flexibility needed in workforces?

Answer 5

Markets are always changing so in order to remain competitive, work forces need to be flexible, especially in markets where consumers are driving the products with demand pull.

Question 6

What are some examples of flexible working?

Answer 6

• part time
• flexitime
• temporary
• annualised hours
• multi-skilling
• compressed hours
• staggered hours
• job sharing
• teleworking/telecommuting

Question 7

What is part time working?

Answer 7

Working less than normal hours, e.g. fewer days per week.

Question 8

What is flexitime working?

Answer 8

Choosing when to work (normally during a core period)

Question 9

What is temporary working?

Answer 9

Joining a company on a short term contract that has a specific end date.

Question 10

What are annualised hours?

Answer 10

When hours are worked out over a year.

Question 11

What is multi-skilling?

Answer 11

When employees train to become experts in more than one task/function so they can adapt more quickly to changes in the company.

Question 12

What are compressed hours?

Answer 12

Working contracted hours over fewer days.

Question 13

What are staggered hours?

Answer 13

Different starting, break and finishing times for employees in the same workplace.

Question 14

What is job sharing?

Answer 14

Sharing a job designed for one person.

Question 15

What is teleworking/telecommuting?

Answer 15

Working from home.

Question 16

Why are flexible workforces attractive to companies?

Answer 16

• can avoid the cost of having to pay for full time employment
• can benefit from access to skilled individuals without having to train them first
• cover shifts can be filled when demand spikes

Question 17

What are drawbacks of flexible workforces?

Answer 17

• staff may have low job security = low motivation
• communication can be difficult
• low motivation can lead to poor productivity and high turnover of staff

Question 18

What is outsourcing?

Answer 18

Another example of flexible working, where a business will find a person/other firm to take on a particular business process, often used by large businesses and done overseas.

Question 19

Why is outsourcing used?

Answer 19

• do not have to pay for holidays/national insurance as this is the responsibility of the outsource company
• cheap if outsource company is in a poorer nation
• do not have to pay for training or full time employment, but still get highly skilled individuals

Question 20

What are some problems of outsourcing?

Answer 20

• less in control of how goods are produced
• so, quality may not match that of business
• can be tricky for business to communicate with outsource workers

Question 21

What is dismissal?

Answer 21

The act of terminating an employee’s contract.

Question 22

Why might an employee be dismissed?

Answer 22

• unable to perform tasks due to lack of skill/qualification
• gross misconduct
• long term illness that isn’t related to disability
• exceptional cases, such as refusing reasonable contract changes, or a prison sentence

Question 23

When does an employee become redundant?

Answer 23

When their job no longer exists.

Question 24

When does redundancy generally occur?

Answer 24

• when a company has to close down
• technology replaces tasks normally performed by humans
• a firm moves its production line overseas

Question 25

What must a company do if they are making at least 20 people redundant?

Answer 25

They must consult a trade union (or similar employee representative) at least 30 days before the redundancy is made. They must also consult with employees.

Question 26

What is a voluntary redundancy?

Answer 26

The employee has the choice whether to resign, generally with the offer of a severance package, rather than having to enter lengthy legal disputes.

Question 27

What are the benefits of having a good employer/employee relationship?

Answer 27

- better morale = more productivity - if employees are consulted in decision making, they are more likely to adopt new decisions - reduce likelihood of industrial action

Question 28

What are example industrial actions?

Answer 28

Strikes, sit ins, work to rules and picket lines.

Question 29

What is an individual approach to employer/employee relationships?

Answer 29

Single workers negotiating with their employees on their own working conditions and rates of pay.

Question 30

What is collective bargaining?

Answer 30

When a trade union or employee representative negotiates on behalf of many workers.

Question 31

When do unions take action?

Answer 31

When either communication has broken down, or the channels of communication have closed.

Question 32

What happens when a deadlock is reached?

Answer 32

A third party can be called in to break the deadlock, which is called mediation. If this does still not work, the business may seek to go to an arbitration service.

Question 33

E.g. arbitration service?

Answer 33

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.

Question 34

Advantages of trade unions?

Answer 34

- they lobby for satisfactory rates of pay - negotiate on target bonuses - can secure appropriate working conditions

Question 35

E.g. trade union?

Answer 35

NUT

Question 36

Disadvantages of trade unions?

Answer 36

- unofficial strikes can cause a drop in productivity and put a strain on employer/employee relationships - negotiation of high wage increases can lead to redundancies - if they only represent a small % of workers, they will have less of an impact.

Question 37

Advantages of staff associations?

Answer 37

- provide a common voice for workers - increases participation and involvement of staff - they sit in on management policy groups and help make decisions

Question 38

E.g. staff associations?

Answer 38

Society of Radiographers

Question 39

Disadvantages of staff associations?

Answer 39

- require a large amount of investment of time and effort - some employees will not want to join - may be overwhelming for organisers

Question 40

Advantages of professional associations?

Answer 40

- perform similar tasks to unions | - responsible for setting and maintaining standards in the industry

Question 41

E.g. Professional Association?

Answer 41

Police Federation

Question 42

Disadvantage of a professional association?

Answer 42

- It may insist on certain qualifications before members are allowed to join

Question 43

Advantages of works councils?

Answer 43

- employees in different member states have the right to be informed and be consulted about transnational issues via a works council - right to representation by a works council has been a EU directive since 1999 - legal requirement if the business is part of a multinational company that operates in at least two European countries with at least 1000 employees

Question 44

Disadvantages of works councils?

Answer 44

- complex to set up - language barriers - communication problems across different cultures and time zones

Question 45

Advantages of employee groups?

Answer 45

- meet up to discuss and raise issues that affect employees | - bridges gap between management and workers

Question 46

What are employee groups?

Answer 46

Forums made up of employee representatives from selected areas of the business and representatives of employers.

Question 47

Disadvantages of employee groups?

Answer 47

- may lack power of a union - employees may try to further their own interests - breaches of confidentiality as employees are keen to discuss sensitive management issues