1.4.1 approaches to staffing

Question 1

what does it mean when a business sees employees as an asset?

Answer 1

means that they are developed with training and are seen as a benefit to the business

Question 2

pros and cons of seeing employees as an asset?

Answer 2

+ staff are more motivated and work at a better level
+ business is able to respond quickly to changes
- costs will rise - as you have to invest in training
- recruiting staff is time consuming

Question 3

what does it mean when a business sees their employees as a cost?

Answer 3

staff are seen as a cost instead of adding value to the business

Question 4

disadvantages of seeing employees as a costs?

Answer 4

• workers feel domination
• workers won’t be working to their full potential, which could harm the business
• only provide basic warning conditions + pay workers the minimum

Question 5

what is flexible working?

Answer 5

multi skilling employees so that individual workers can carry out multiple roles

Question 6

pros and cons of flexible working?

Answer 6

\+ less staff needed
\+ more interesting jobs for workers - keeping them engaged 
\+ increases efficiency and productivity
- training costs increase
- may not be good in all the roles

Question 7

pros and cons of part time workers?

Answer 7

\+ entitled to sick pay, pay rates
\+ flexible for employees
\+ reduce costs for business
- potential for inconsistent
- can be challenging to get all work done

Question 8

pros and cons of temporary workers?

Answer 8

+ can employ staff on a seasonal basis
+ reduce costs for business
- may have to train multiple staff at multiple times
- employees may not be as reliable

Question 9

what is outsourcing?

Answer 9

many functions of the business can be outsourced to other business.
e.g marketing research, legal issues

Question 10

pros and cons of outsourcing?

Answer 10

+ helps with a flexible workforce
+ no expensive teams
+ benefit of the skills and expertise of the agencies

Question 11

define dismissal

Answer 11

employees may be dismissed from work for failing to meet the required standard or through misconduct.
worker is not entitled to a pay out.

Question 12

define redundancy

Answer 12

applied where there is no work, not enough work for the position or the position is no longer needed.
will receive a pay out

Question 13

what is collective bargaining?

Answer 13

is a negotiation process where trade union and business discuss and agree on pay, working conditions etc

Question 14

pros and cons of collective bargaining?

Answer 14

+ representatives speaks for all the workforce, so there is no greater power
+ if fails, there may be strikes
- some companies don’t recognise unions
- not all workers may agree

Question 15

define individual bargaining?

Answer 15

individuals negotiate their own pay and conditions

- more appropriate for small businesses

Question 16

pros and cons of individual bargaining?

Answer 16

+ prevent strikes
+ provides security and stability
- manager might not take any action
- can widen the gap between employees and employers