Approaches to staffing Flashcards
Define the term staffing.
The process of hiring, training and supervising employees in a business.
Staff are the employees in a business.
Explain staff as an asset.
Staff can be viewed as a useful or valuable thing or person.
- They support the manufacturing process or give customers good service which can contribute to adding value to the product/output
Treating staff as an asset means they are developed with training and seen as a benefit to the business.
What are the advantages to a business of treating staff as an asset?
Staff are allowed to participate more in decision making
Business is more able to respond quickly to market changes
Staff have more autonomy over their work.
Explain staff as a cost.
Staff may be viewed as a cost as if they are to be productive they need to be invested in…cost of recruitment, cost of training, cost of paying minimum wages, cost of paying salaries, cost of staff welfare, cost of redundancy.
Staff training is often viewed as a cost rather than adding value. When workers are treated as a cost there is the danger that they may only work the necessary and not put in any extra effort which can lower morale, motivation and productivity levels. Businesses may justify making staff redundant by saying it is a cost cutting exercise.
What is the difference between a salary and a wage?
A salary is paid to permanent staff and is usually a year’s salary divided into 12 equal monthly amounts while wages are paid to staff on an hourly basis.
Explain multi-skilling
Having a workforce that can be moved around from one job to another.
Evaluate multiskilling.
+ Fewer staff are needed and those that are employed are used to capacity.
+ Makes the job more interesting
+Increases efficiency while reducing costs
- Workers become a ‘Jack of all trades master of none’
- Businesses lose the benefits of having specialist staff
Explain full-time work.
A full-time worker will usually work 35+ hours a week, with the legal maximum being 48.
Evaluate full-time work.
+ May be higher paid per hour than part time
+ Access to more holiday entitlement
+ Employees are committed to the business and may be more productive
+ More loyalty
- Less flexible
- Might leave employees standing idle if there is a business downturn
Explain part-time work..
A part-time worker is someone who works fewer hours than a full-time worker, less than 35 hours a week.
Evaluate part-time work.
+ Good way to keep costs down while a business is growing
+ Part-time jobs attract a wide pool of applicants with experience and skills
+ Flexible to seasonal changes in demand
+ Part time employees have the same employment rights as full-time ones
- Employees might lack commitment and loyalty
- Employee may have more hobs, making them inflexible
- Employee might leave if they find a full-time job
Explain temporary work.
A job where the employer only needs extra staff to cover a seasonal period. Can be employed directly by the business or from an agency.
Evaluate temporary work.
+ Ideal for a business than needs extra workers for a special project
+ Useful to meet seasonal demands and work fluctuations and employee shortages
+ Agencies may complete all the paperwork
- Agency staff may be expensive
- Injury rates are higher in temp workers
- All staff need some kind of training which costs time and money
Explain permanent work.
A permanent contract is the most common type of employment, an indefinite contract hwereby you are employed by the company until either the employee leaves is fired or is made redundant.
Evaluate permanent work.
+ Staff will be focussed on the business and look to the long-term to build up their personal development profile with the business
+ High staff morale as they know they have a secure job
+ Employees are loyal which reduces absenteeism and increases productivity
- Permanent staff can develop negative attitudes to work, get involved in office politics or become lazy and disinterested in the business.
