changes in working practises

Question 1

what are the 8 different methods of working practices you need to know?

Answer 1

-home-working
-hot-desking
-job sharing
-flexible working
-part-time
-seasonal employment
-zero-hours contracts
-multi-skilling

Question 2

whats flexible working?

Answer 2

-An employee on flexible hours has an agreed number of working hours
but
-made up of core hours that must be worked and the rest can be made up in their own time

Question 3

whats job sharing?

Answer 3

The splitting of an existing job to enable two people to share it.

Question 4

advantages to job sharing?

Answer 4

• Able to retain employees who otherwise may leave if unable to go part time
• Meets employee request, keeps them happy and well motivated
• Somebody in place for at least part of the time if that staff member is on leave or ill
• The business may gain from ideas of two people

Question 5

disadvantages to job-sharing?

Answer 5

• Administration costs for training another employee.
• Communication between the two employees may be lost
• The business will have to communicate the same information to two people

Question 6

what is multi-skilling?

Answer 6

This involves businesses training their workforce to be able to work effectively across a wide range of tasks.

Question 7

advantages to multi-skilling

Answer 7

• manufacturing businesses don’t have to wait for a specific tradesperson to fix a fault – it can be done by trained staff
• Multi-skilled employees are likely to be better motivated

Question 8

disadvantages to multi-skilling

Answer 8

-may be time consuming and expensive to train all the staff
-some staff may be better at some jobs than others, therefore creating inefficiencies within the business

Question 9

what’s home-working?

Answer 9

When an employee completes tasks from their own home

Question 10

advantages of home working to employees

Answer 10

-better worklife balance, greater flexibility
-the stress of travelling is reduced

Question 11

disadvantages of home working to employees

Answer 11

-may miss out on social interactions/office-based community
-less communication with managers/supervisors

Question 12

advantages to home-working for employers

Answer 12

☑ Costs are reduced as less equipment and space is
needed.
☑ Staff may be more motivated if the benefits of
home-working suit their lifestyle.

Question 13

disadvantages of home-working for employers

Answer 13

☒ May be more difficult to monitor and control staff.
☒ Communication problems may occur especially if staff are working online

Question 14

whats a zero-hour contract?

Answer 14

This type of contract means that an employee has to be available for work but is not guaranteed any work.

Question 15

advantages of a zero-hour contract?

Answer 15

• total flexibility

Question 16

disadvantages of a zero-hour contract?

Answer 16

• If demand for labour falls, employees may find
  they have no hours
• Employees on these contracts have virtually no
  income security at all.

Question 17

whats hot-desking?

Answer 17

Hot-desking means that an employee has no fixed workspace within an office environment.

Question 18

advantages of hot-desking?

Answer 18

• Hot-desking cuts down the need for office space
• It is supposed to allow greater innovation
• encourages workers to be on time

Question 19

disadvantages of hot-desking?

Answer 19

• Some employees may complain about the breakdown of workplace relationships and can feel disconnected from the organisation

Question 20

what are working patterns

Answer 20

the ways employees are contracted to work

Question 21

overall advantages of changing working patterns on employees

Answer 21

• Some employees only want to work part-time
• Home working reduces transport costs/stress.
• allows employees to develop work patterns that suit their own lifestyles

Question 22

overall disadvantages of changing working patterns on employees

Answer 22

• Wages can decrease - lower pay but fewer hours if part-time/job sharing.
• May not feel the same sense of belonging
• Greater insecurity - temporary contracts provide less security.

Question 23

overall advantages of changing working patterns on employers

Answer 23

• Employees work more effectively
• If multi-skilled can be moved around the department in case of e.g. cover sickness and holidays.
• Reduce costs - part time working, e.g. accountant.

Question 24

overall disadvantages of changing working patterns on employers

Answer 24

• Extra cost of training if part-time/job sharing
• More difficult to administer/co-ordinate
• Staff turnover can be high if using temporary staff.
• Reduction in quality of work/less qualified employees.