3.4 Human Resources Flashcards
1 what is an organisational structure
how a business is organised in terms of communication and decision making
identifies specific job roles in organisational hierarchy
who reports to who
who is responsible for who
1 what does organisational structure identify
relationship between different employees, departments and locations
1 why would you have an organisational strcuture
ensure efficiency
clear direct reporting lines
specific job roles
clear respsonsibilities
1 what is a managing director or CEO
highest ranking person in an organisation
has ultimate authority
in a PLC, they’re voted in via shareholders
1 what is a director
below the CEO
several directors
in charge of functional areas- finance director
form the board of directors
manage company strategicly
1 whats a manager
seniors managers report to the directors
responsible for a significant part of the business operation
performance and a number of employees
1 whats a team leader / supervisor
one person who is more senior to other employees
reports to managers
team leader ensures an effect, efficient team
1 whats an operative / shop floor worker
carry out basic tasks that run the business smoothly
working on a production line
re-stock shelves
photocopying or filing
1 whats a support staff
role to provide assistant in any area
specialist knowledge or skills
IT specialist
cleaners
cooks
caretakers
1 what is span of control
number of employees a manager is responsible for directly
span of control of 7 is wide
span of control of 3 is narrow
1 whats an ideal span of control
no more than 6 people
depends on experience and personality of the manager
type of business
skills and attitude of employees
1 pro of narrow span of control
con of narrow span of control
pro
-less mistakes
-increased efficiency
-more promotional opportunity
con
-comms can become difficult due to many layers of control
1 pro of wide span of control
con of wide span of control
pro
-less management layers can be motivating
-no of managers can be reduced
con
-increased work load
1 what is a chain of command
shows the line of authority in the organisational structure
1 whats delegation
when managers or senior employees choose to give some of their workload to a less senior employee
the less senior has authority to do the job but not the responsibility
responsibility stays with the manager
1 what is a tall structure
the organisation has many layers
long chains of command
narrow spans of control
1 what is a narrow structure
the organisation has few layers
short chains of command
wide spans of control
1 what is delayering
when a business grows and has to add in more layers, you’re layering
in reverse when you remove layers form a business, decreasing in size or reducing cots is DELAYERING
1 pros of delayering
help speed up communication
decision making is quicker and more flexible
reduces wage costs
1 cons of delayering
reduce promotional opportunities
employee motivation may fall
may incur additional costs to train extra staff
1 whats an organisational chart
shows the hierarchy of jobs withing a business
clear lines of management shown
responsibilities shown
1 whats a centralised structure
decision making is firmly at the top of the hierarchy
1 benefits of centralised structure
easier to implement common policies and practices
decisions are taken for the benefit of the whole business
consistency will exist among branches
1 drawbacks of centralised structure
reduce staff motivation
increase costs
cannot respond to local needs
1 what is decentralised structure
decision making is spread out to include junior managers too
1 benefits of decentralised structure
decisions are made closer to customer needs and wants
training and developing junior management roles
improve staff motivation
1 drawback of decentralised structure
decision making is not necessarily looking to long term future
more difficult to ensure consistent policies and practices
harder to control costs
2 what information is on a job advert
title of job
info about business
location
pay
hours
brief info
how to apply
closing date
2 why would you need to recruit more employees
business expansion
maternity leave
promotion
dismissal
assistance
2 what is job analysis
a vacancy arises in the organisation, keen to decide on whether the job is really required
if a vacant position is needed, a person and job specification will be written up
2 what is recruitment and selection
the process of identifying, advertising and employing the most appropriate candidate for a job role
2 what is the recruitment process
job analysis
job description
person description
job advertisement
applications
long/short list interviews
selection and references
offer letters
contract of employment
2 what is a job description
document detailing the roles and responsibilities of the vacant position
2 what is a person specification
the type of person a business is looking for to fill the position
qualifications
skills
experience
personal attributes
2 why are job and person specifications important
closely referred to by applicants
must be accurate and sufficiently detailed
2 what is a job advertisement
the type of job
internal or external filling of job
how far applicants will consider applying
budget available
2 what is internal recruitment
when a business fills a job vacancy with an existing employee
used for promotions
horizontal shifts too
noticeboards, emails etc
2 what is external recruitment
when a business fills a job vacancy with new candidates form outside the employee basis
job centres
advertising
2 benefit of internal recruitment
workers strengths and weaknesses are known
higher staff retention rate
usually cheaper and quicker
less induction training needed
2 drawbacks of internal recruitment
more training needed
creates another vacancy that needs filling
cause jealousy amongst other employees
2 benefit of external recruitment
new ideas and skills are introduced
larger choice of applicants
increase calibre of workforce
2 drawback of external recruitment
more expensive
takes longer
2 how do you actually apply for a job
send a CV
cover letter
application form
2 what is a CV
curriculum vitae
shows experience, qualifications, skills
brief fact sheet on you
2 advantages of CV
less time consuming to complete
more informal so more personality
business doesn’t waste time on making a form
2 advantages of application form
can ask specific questions
forms standardised- easy comparisons
can be off putting so cuts down to only willing candidates
2 what is full time employment
employee works number of hours equivalent to a working week
usually 35-40 hours
2 what is part time employment
relates to any number of hours under full time working week
2 benefits of full time employment
security and motivation
fewer staff
develop better skills
loyalty and commitment
staff customer relationship is better
lower recruitment costs
2 benefits of part time employment
more flexibility
better work life balance
rota staff
2 what is a job share
when two or more people agree to share one full time position
split pay and hours
2 benefits of job shares
experience of two people
cover absences or holiday easier
enjoy better work life balance
2 drawbacks of job shares
communication can be difficult
information always need to be shared
may require more pay
span of control is wider
2 what is a zero hour contract
employees are not guaranteed a set number of hours to work each week
2 pros of zero hour contract
employee flexibility over life
cuts wages and costs of business
business has flexibility in staffing
2 cons of zero hour contract
may feel pressured to work hours when offered
struggle to pay bills
experience low staff rate
2 why is having an effective recruitment and selection process important for a business
increase outputs and productivity
different ideas
improve quality and customer satisfaction
increase staff retention rate
3 what is motivation
the commitment to do something
the will to work
motivated workforces can create more successful businesses
3 when do you pay a salary
paid the same amount regardless of how hard or how many hours is worked
3 when do you pay a wage
when full time hours have been worked, you add on a higher hourly rate
3 when do you pay commission
when an individual employee sells as many units as possible
results in staff competitions and high motivations
3 when do you pay profit share
employees who work harder to ensure the whole business benefits
payment that’s low due to external factors on the market
3 what is hourly pay
what is salary
a fixed wage paid per hour for a set number of hours
paid a set amount for a year, received in monthly installments
3 what is overtime
what is piece rate
extra payment made for extra hours worked
payment according to how many products are produced
3 what is profit sharing
what is commission
additional payment depending on how well the business is doing
paid a percentage value of the products they sell
3 benefits of having a highly motivated workforce?
increase productivity levels
low levels of absenteeism
high levels of staff retention
good reputation as an employer
high quality work and customer service levels
3 two methods of motivation
financial
non financial
3 what is a non-financial method of motivation
doesn’t involve money
job enrichment
-more interesting and challenging tasks
training up to a new role
fringe benefits
3 what are fringe benefits
additional benefits to supplement pay
health insurance
company car
staff discounts
3 what are financial methods of motivation
increased salary
wages
commission
piece work
profit sharing
3 why is important that employees are motivated
increased efficiency
high quality
less supervision
lowers costs
retain skill base
flexible pricing
high profit margins
3 what are some non financial methods of motivation
training
fringe benefits
greater responsibility
style of management change
job enlargement
3 what is autocratic management
employees told what to do and say when and how to do it
3 what is democratic management style
more freedom to workers and say in decision making
3 why are fringe benefits half good half bad
expensive on the company
help retain staff
4 what is training
the process of increasing the knowledge and skills of the work force to enable them to perform their jobs effectively
4 what are different methods of training
induction training
on the job training
off the job training
4 what is induction training
received by employees when they start a new job
also needed when employees get promoted
length depends on
-complexity
-size
-level of position
4 benefits of induction training
new employees become productive quickly
avoid costly mistakes
improve motivation
employee retention increases
future recruitment and selection costs are reduced
4 what is off the job training
when employees are taken away from their usual place of work to be trained
4 benefits of off the job training
wider range of skills learnt
learn from specialists
more confidence
improve motivation
no interruptions
4 drawbacks of off the job training
can be expensive
lost working time
employees have training and may leave for a better job
4 what is on the job training
e-learning or computer based training that are custom to a business
participate in training at anytime cost effectively
4 benefits of on the job training
cost effective
often productive
opportunity to learn through work
train along side colleagues
first hand experience
4 drawbacks of on the job training
quality is dependant of availability of trainer
bad habits passed on
learning environment may not be productive
potential disruption causes quality to lower
4 why is training important
more committed staff
higher satisfaction and motivation
confidence in jobs
4 4 benefits of training
higher quality work
increased motivation
better customer service
increased productivity
less supervision required
adapt to change more easily
4 factors affecting training
technological changes
updates to business policies
4 training in new technology
off the job- get up to date knowledge of new ICT
on the job- business specialised knowledge of programs, not necessarily up to date though
costs- can be very expensive to continue training with all tech changes
can increase employee productivity though
