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Business skone > 1.4.1 Approaches To Staffing > Flashcards

1.4.1 Approaches To Staffing Flashcards

1
Q

What are HR approaches

A
  • The overall way in which a business treats its staff

* Has a direct impact upon the level of performance, motivation of employees and management styles

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2
Q

What are the two types of HRM approaches

A

Hard

Soft

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3
Q

Describe hard HRM

A

Staff as a cost

Staff are treated as a resource that must be managed in order for the business to control costs and output

  • Control mechanisms
  • Judgemental appraisals
  • Centralised decision making
  • Tall organisational structure
  • Fixed term contracts
  • Minimum wage
  • External recruitment
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4
Q

Describe soft HRM

A

Staff as an asset

Staff are treated as an asset to the business that can contribute and help the business achieve its objectives

  • Opportunities for staff development
  • Training
  • Internal promotion
  • Empowerment
  • Consultation
  • Greater autonomy and responsibility
  • Flatter organisational structure
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5
Q

What has involved in a flexible work force

A 
Part time employees 
Temporary  employees 
Flexible hours 
Homeworking 
Outsourcing
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6
Q

Why is it important for a business to have a flexible workforce

A
  • It is important to be able to match workforce skills, size and location to business needs
  • This is necessary for a business to run smoothly and be able to match supply to demand
  • Enabling all aspects of the business to function
  • Meet new challenges to the business
  • Meet seasonal fluctuations
  • Respond to changes in the workforce e.g. people leaving, changing jobs internally, taking maternity or paternity leave
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7
Q

Describe part time employees

A

●Part-time employees are contracted to work less hours than a full time employee e.g. 3 days a week
●Offer greater flexibility to a business and may be a more affordable option
●Hours can be increased if there is an increase in demand and the firm requires more workers
●Legally, part-time workers should not be treated less favourably than full time workers
●Offering part-time work increases the number of applicants for a position e.g. Parents and retired workers may be more likely to be interested in part time work
●A firm can retain valued workers that no longer wish to work full-time by offering part time work
●In the UK job sharing has increased where employees share a full-time position

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8
Q

Describe temporary employees

A

●A person who is contracted to work for a business for a specified period of time e.g. 6 months to cover maternity leave
●Temporary employees can be full-time or part-time and help meet the short term needs of a business
●They do not have the security that a permanent employee has
●Often, they are agency workers and are brought in to fill gaps at peak times e.g. seasonal work or to cover peak holiday periods

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9
Q

Benifts is using temporary and part time employees

A
  • Flexible workforce
  • Better able to match supply to demand
  • Not tied into paying workers when they are not being used to their full potential
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10
Q

Disadvantages is using temporary and part time employees

A
  • Recruitment and training costs may be high and not seen as value for money when employees are only with the business for a short period of time
  • May be more transient
  • May lack commitment
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11
Q

Describe flexible hours

A

●Flexible hours give some degree of autonomy to the employees to chose their own hours of work , normally within certain boundaries
●e.g. 36 hours a week, anytime between 7 and 5 per day but must be in between 10 and 4 each day

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12
Q

Describe home working

A

●Homeworking is the ability to work from home rather than travelling into the workplace
●Increases flexibility to the employee
●Reduces costs to the employer
●Made easier by advances in technology

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13
Q

Describe outsourcing

A

●The practise of using the services of other organisations to complete all or parts of the manufacturing process

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14
Q

Advantage of outsourcing

A

●Provides flexibility in supply
●Can increase capacity without high capital expenditure
●Can buy in expertise

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15
Q

Disadvantages of outsourcing

A

●Quality must be maintained
●Sub-contractor will also want to be making a profit

Language

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16
Q

Describe dismissal

A
  • Dismissal is when an employee’s contract is terminated due to a breach of the terms of that contract by the employee
  • Incompetence
  • Disciplinary matter e.g. theft or behaviour
  • The position still exists and therefore the business is likely to look to recruit a replacement worker
17
Q

What is unfair dismissal

A

•Unfair dismissal is when an employee’s contract is terminated but the reason is seen as unfair in the eyes of the law e.g. being pregnant or an unrelated criminal record

18
Q

What is redundancy

A

Redundancy is a form of dismissal when an employee’s contract of employment is terminated because the job no longer exists

19
Q

Reasons for redundancy

A
  • Closure
  • Restructuring
  • Relocation
  • New technology
  • Rationalisation
20
Q

What are employee/ employer relations

A

mployer/employee relations are the defining features of how employers and employees interact with each other on a day to day basis

21
Q

Employee representations are the systems put in place to aid communications between employers and employers , what do they do

A
  • Giving a voice to employees through a recognised body that represents them
  • In large organisations one to one discussions with all employees is not a realistic option
  • The elected voice must have a clear remit and the objectives understood by all related parties
22
Q

Methods of collective bargaining

A

Trade unions

Work councils

23
Q

What are trade unions

A

National organisations with a remit to protect its members and improve their economic and working conditions

24
Q

What are the key objectives of trade unions

A
  • Securing jobs
  • Maximising pay
  • Ensuring safe and acceptable conditions
  • Fair treatment of members by employers
25
Q

Unions can work with employees and employers to

A
  • Enhance business performance
  • Improve international competitiveness
  • Implement change
  • Lower labour turnover
  • Increase motivation
26
Q

An industrial disputes exists when

A

there is a disagreement between the employer and the employee or employee representative

27
Q

Industrial actions is when

A 
the employees take sanctions to try and impose pressure on the employer
•Work to rule
•Demonstration
•Lobbying
•Strike
28
Q

How to avoid disputes

A
  • Early involvement of employees and employee representatives
  • Clear communication
  • ACAS - an independent body that can be called in to help avoid (or resolve) disputes by helping both parties work together
  • It is better to call in their services sooner rather than later
29
Q

How to resolve disputes

A
  • Open and honest communication
  • Explore all avenues
  • Industrial action (as a last resort)
  • Utilise the services of ACAS
30
Q

What are work councils

A
  • A group made up of managers and representative employees who meet regularly to discuss issues relating to the business and specifically issues affecting the workforce
  • Pay and working conditions
  • Workforce plans
  • Proposed or planned changes to business activities
  • Employees have a legal right to request a works council if working in a business with over 50 employees
31
Q

Advantages of employee representation

A
  • Medium for effective 2 way communication
  • Reduces feeling of “them and us”
  • Employees kept informed
  • Employers have some understanding of employee perceptions
  • Improved motivation
  • Less risk of industrial disputes
32
Q

Disadvantages is employee representation p

A
  • Opportunity cost of time
  • Can cause conflict due to different agendas
  • Slows down decision making
  • Employer may not be able to respond to employee wishes
  • Non homogeneous employees
33
Q

What is the individual approach

A
  • An employee could opt to take an individual approach to employer/employee relations
  • Each employee would negotiate individually with management for their own interest e.g. pay or working conditions
  • Decisions would be made on a one to one basis rather than for the workforce as a whole
  • Individuals may be better equipped to “fight their own corner”
  • Managers can judge each case on individual merit

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