2.5- Making Human Resouce Decisions

Question 1

What are hierarchical organisations?

Answer 1

• Have lots of layers of management
• Managers have a lot of employees to look after
• In h managers have a small span of control( only man age 3 or 4 employees)
• Employee likely to be paid more if they are higher up in hierarchy
• Decisions have to be made through the layers(must seek permission from manager)

Question 2

What are the benefits of hierarchical structures?

Answer 2

• Provide lots of opportunities for employees to seek promotion+ chance to earn more money

Question 3

Disadvantages of hierarchical structure

Answer 3

• Need to seek permission through layers

- Communication is harder + slower

Question 4

What is a flat structure?

Answer 4

• Has few levels of management

- Managers have a wide span of control( they look after a large no. Of employees)

Question 5

Advantages of a flat structure

Answer 5

• Communication is quicker + more efficient

Question 6

Disadvantages of flat structure

Answer 6

• Managers have more employees to look after
• Managers workload becomes large
• Makes it difficult to make sure all employees are supported
• Limiting: does not offer employees many opportunities for promotion

Question 7

What is a centralised structure?

Answer 7

• Decisions are made at the ‘centre’ of the organisation

- Decisions must be approve by managers before implementing

Question 8

Benefits of a centralised structure

Answer 8

• Business activities are very focused
• Vison of organisation is clear
• Performance of employees is tracked and managed
• High levels of control
• Accountability of all members of staff in the business is clear

Question 9

What is a decentralised structure?

Answer 9

• Decisions are made locally

- Decisions are made at a lower level

Question 10

Benefits of a decentralise structure

Answer 10

• Senior management can focus on the bigger picture
• Local managers can be more creative in their thinking + respond to local needs of customers+ don’t have to seek permission
• Fewer mistakes made+ business operates better
• Local managers + employees feel more empowered and responsible
• Low cost

Question 11

Disadvantages of a decentralised business

Answer 11

• Managers and employees must be highly trained
• Managers must be able to make good decisions
• Need to clearly communicate what is going well
• Id they don’t they can be confusion + cost a lot of money

Question 12

How does communication take place in a business?

Answer 12

• Having conversations in offices
• Discussing things in meetings
• Talking to colleagues on phone
• Use digital methods of conference

Question 13

Why does communication become a problem when a business grows?

Answer 13

1. Business communicates too little
2. Business communicates too much
3. Other info or activities act as barriers and get in the way of communication

Question 14

What is the impact of insufficient communication in a business?

Answer 14

• Leads to managers + employees being unaware of what is happening
• Can lead to mistakes+ inefficiency
• Fatal consequences + financial difficulties

Question 15

What is the impact of excessive communication in a business?

Answer 15

• Managers + employees unlikely to do their jobs efficiently coz of time needed to read through all of it
• E.g E-mail overload
• Too many forms to fill out

Question 16

What kind of barriers affect communication?

Answer 16

• Illegible handwriting, poor font + presentation
• Structure not clear, cultural differences, jargon(slang)
• Language not understood
• Speaking too fast

Question 17

How does hours affect the way an employee work?

Answer 17

• Full time employee works approx 35h a week
• it’s illegal to treat part time employees less favourable than full time employees
• Flexible working hours= helps business cover temporary gaps in staff due to sickness
• Zero hour contract=employees don’t know how long they will have to work for

Question 18

What are the 3 main in contracts?

Answer 18

• Permanent=employee will be employed by a business on an ongoing basis
• Temporary= employee will be employed for a fixed amount of time
• Freelance contract= business asks a freelancer to work for them, usually on a particular project. Freelancer is self-employed

Question 19

How does technology impact the ways of working?

Answer 19

• Social media platforms change the way people communicate
• Improved efficiency of employees
• Makes it possible to make decisions quickly
• Business can employ people working in different countries
• Meetings can take place online

Question 20

How does technology benefit employers?

Answer 20

• Lower costs due to less travel requirements and reduced workspace requirements
• Lower sickness rate as staff less likely to take time off
• Happier staff coz they can work more flexibly, they are less likely to leave the business

Question 21

How does technology benefit employees?

Answer 21

• Reduced time spent travelling to work
• More flexible times to start and end of workdays
• Less chance of being prevented from getting on with work with conversations or meetings

Question 22

What are the 2 main stages of recruitment?

Answer 22

• The business needs to be clear about the different roles that it needs to fill and the responsibility of those roles
• The business needs to develop the documents and processes that are used in job application and the selection process

Question 23

What are the 4 most common roles seen in a business?

Answer 23

• Director
• Senior manager
• Supervisor
• Operational and support staff

Question 24

Who are the directors?

Answer 24

• The people at the top of a businesses organisational structure
• Highest paid employees
• Have a lot of responsibility
• Responsible for making sure business runs correctly
• Responsib,e for ensuring business accounts are made available to gov departments

Question 25

Who are senior managers?

Answer 25

• Managers at the highest level of management
• Forma team called Senior management team
• No. of senior managers depends on size of organisation
• Usually responsible for setting the businesses strategy (aims+objectives)

Question 26

Who are the supervisors and team leaders?

Answer 26

• The managers in charge of the business’s staff
• Ensure employees work efficiently + are completing work on a day to day basis
• Their responsibility affects the level of their wage

Question 27

Who are the operational and support staff?

Answer 27

• Employees who are employed within the business to carry out operations of that business
• Support staff= employees who carry out duties that are not directly associated with operations, but are necessary to make business operations possible