APPROACHES TO STAFFING 2

Question 1

what is multiskilling?

Answer 1

A workforce that can be moved around from one job to another

Question 2

advantage of multiskilling

Answer 2

+ Less staff needed, use them more efficiently increasing productivity, variety for employee
+ greater use of job rotation

Question 3

disadvantage of multiskilling

Answer 3

• Greater training cost, lack of specialisation

Question 4

what is outsourcing?

Answer 4

Process of contracting an external business to carry out a specific function or task on business’s behalf
E.g. HR, finance

Question 5

what are part-time workers?

Answer 5

Part-time work is less than full time
- Maybe weekend or evening work

Question 6

benefit and drawbacks of part-time workers

Answer 6

 Increasing staff for busy periods saves costs
- Less efficient, the employee may want more hours

Question 7

what are temporary workers?

Answer 7

Temporary workers can be full time/specific contracted time

Question 8

benefits and drawbacks of temporary workers

Answer 8

 Recruit seasonally, easier to get rid of workers
- Lack of certainty for employee

Question 9

flexible working/home working

Answer 9

1. Flexible, not traditional hours
    Gain life balance, improve
   recruitment/retention - Still need core times covered, inconsistency for
   planning?
2. Homeworking, all/part of job from home
    Reduced office costs, less time wasted
   (travelling), convenience - Distraction? Trust? Less scope for teamwork

Question 10

overall advantages of flexible working

Answer 10

 Allows to respond to short term changes in demand
 Specialist jobs can be done by experts who do not have to be permanently
employed
 Easier to manage staffing costs

Question 11

overall disadvantages of flexible working

Answer 11

• Employees may not feel committed to a company if a not permanent contract
• Communication can be a problem
• Outsourced work may be of lower quality