3.5.3 Human resources

Question 1

What are the features of a human resource function?

Answer 1

recruitment
employee representing (trade unions)
dismissals and redundancy
employee welfare
health and safety
training
customer service
contingency plans  (succession planning)
motivation and productivity
staff retention

Question 2

How would you measure the success of a HR function?

Answer 2

1) Recruitment (speed/cost/applicants)
2) Planning (profits/longtermism)
3) Retention (morale)
4) training (performance/skills)
5) motivation (morale/productivity)
6) redundancy and dismissals

Question 3

What calculations would you use to help decision-making from the HR function?

Answer 3

1) Labour turnover and staff retention
2) Labour productivity
3) Absenteeism

Question 4

How do you work out Labour turnover/staff retention?

Answer 4

(number of employees that leave during period)/(average number employed during the period) x 100

Question 5

How do you work out labour productivity?

Answer 5

1) output per period (units) /number of employees at work.
2) Total output/total employees
3) Total output/work hours

Question 6

How do you work out absenteeism?

Answer 6

(time lost) / (max time) x 100

Question 7

What do you want labour turnover to be?

Answer 7

• as high as possible

Question 8

What do you want labour productivity to be?

Answer 8

• as high as possible

Question 9

What do you want absenteeism to be?

Answer 9

• low as possible

Question 10

Why do people leave jobs?

Answer 10

• wages
• not enjoyable
• self interest
• no promotion
• ethics
• retirement
• illness
• flexibility
• opportunities

Question 11

What factors impact staff turnover?

Answer 11

• leadership
• pay
• job security
• working conditions
• motivational strategies
• progression
• welfare
• ethics
• flexibility

Question 12

What are the 4 ways a business increase productivity and retention but reduce turnover and absenteeism?

Answer 12

• financial rewards
• employee share ownership
• consultation strategies
• empowerment strategies

Question 13

How can business improve its labour turnover?

Answer 13

• motivation
• circles of quality (consultation)
• staff appraisal
• improve recruitment process (refine)
• flexible working
• opportunities and promotion

Question 14

Why is productivity so important?

Answer 14

It impacts a businesses output and quality
Helps understand the current workers efficiency
Helps reduce ACPU

Question 15

What factors influence levels of productivity?

Answer 15

• training
• motivation
• leadership style
• method of production
• skills and expertise
• proximity to suppliers
• external circumstances
• resource mix
• working environment

Question 16

How can a business improve productivity?

Answer 16

• invest into training
• motivation (PRP)
• specialisation and division of labour
• invest into automation
• set targets
• streamline production process

Question 17

What are some issues when improving productivity?

Answer 17

• costly
• unrealistic objectives
• staff resilience
• motivation must be effective
• diseconomies
• reduction in quality

Question 18

What is absenteeism?

Answer 18

An employee’s intentional or habitual absence from work

Question 19

Why is absenteeism an issue?

Answer 19

• hard to plan
• lost output
• time consuming
• quality suffers

Question 20

What are some strategies to lower absenteeism?

Answer 20

wage cuts
suspensions
culture changes
strict policy
understand causes
set targets
provide rewards for good attendance

Question 21

What are some benefits of high labour turnover?

Answer 21

• new ideas

- specialist knowledge can easily be obtained