Employee Resourcing

Question 1

Employee resourcing definition

Answer 1

Staffing and mobilising workforce - right people doing the right jobs at the right time

Question 2

What employee resourcing focuses on

Answer 2

Recruiting, selecting, inducting, retention, dismissal, and retirement

Question 3

Good practice of recruitment and selection - Purpose

Answer 3

Hire best qualified and highest performing staff while being fair to job applicants

Question 4

Good practice of recruitment and selection - 4 main stages

Answer 4

1. Job analysis and design
2. Recruitment
3. Selection
4. Induction

Question 5

Job analysis and design - what does it use

Answer 5

Job description and person specifications

Question 6

Selection of good practice

Answer 6

Using objective methods to accurately predict future performance

Question 7

Induction - use

Answer 7

Ensure newbies perform to high levels as quick as possible

Question 8

Competency meaning

Answer 8

Boyzatis (1982) - underlying characteristic of a person resulting in effective and superior performance in job

Question 9

Competency framework - what is it

Answer 9

List of personal attributes expressed as what ppl can do and how they prefer to conduct work (similar to person specs)

Question 10

Competency framework steps

Answer 10

1. Identify best performers
2. Find underlying characteristics that they share
3. Formulate framework
4. Compare candidate list to framework
5. Hire those who have a higher number

Question 11

Competency framework vs person specifications

Answer 11

Competencies are not specific to jobs/job groups, as it covers wide range of divisions or whole organisation

Question 12

What can the competency framework be used for in HRM practices?

Answer 12

Performance mgmt, employee development, recruitment and selection

Question 13

What tests can be conducted to find underlying characteristics?

Answer 13

Interview, personality tests, direct observation

Question 14

Milsom (2009)

Answer 14

Competency frameworks are more distinct than person specs as it focuses on organisational values: not just simple attributes to get job done, also language that reflects core values

Question 15

Pros of competency frameworks

Answer 15

• modern business context requires flexibility, not appropriate to define narrow jobs
• globalisation, tech, unpredictable market conditions means that job description/person specs need continuous updating (costly and disruptive)
• Effective performers are less about skills sets and more about attitudes/personal values (skills can be trained, attitudes are hard to influence)

Question 16

Cons of competency framework

Answer 16

• Produce clones - reduced diversity (Kandola et al, 2000), same mindset and values, less creativity and innovation
• International organisations: doesn’t consider cultural differences
• Reflect characteristics that worked in the past, doesn’t reflect attributes needed to develop for the future

Question 17

What is the best approach for recruitment and selection?

Answer 17

Blend competency framework and job analysis, drawing best features:

• incorporate competencies with role-specific points
• likely future requirements

Question 18

Internal recruitment - define

Answer 18

Existing staff are given preference when new job opportunities arise in organisation

Question 19

Types of internal recruitment

Answer 19

• Jobs first advertised internally, then externally if there are no candidates
• Internal applicants compete with external
• Jobs are only advertised internally, external candidates are not considered at all

Question 20

Informal recruitment - define

Answer 20

Jobs are not formally advertised (e.g. WOM), unsolicited applications that may turn out being suitable

Question 21

Criticisms of internal/informal recruitment

Answer 21

• unfair because excludes possible candidates, operates against minorities and benefits powerful
• potential external candidates may be better performers

Question 22

Pros of internal recruitment

Answer 22

• low cost (no training/advertising)
• Low risk (expectations are known, less disillusioned)
• speed of adjustment (little induction/support)
• incentive and motivation (developmental opportunities)
• return on investment (waste of money invested in development of employees)

Question 23

Sparrow and Hilton (1994)

Answer 23

European companies show evidence that support the benefits of internal recruitment

Question 24

Cho et al (2006)

Answer 24

American hotels that promoted internally suffered higher levels of employee turnover among non-managerial jobs

Question 25

Problems with internal recruitment

Answer 25

- ppl being promoted without training and support to carry new roles effectively - unsuccessful applications lead to demotivation - Senior mgmt need external recruits in order to avoid dull/non-innovative

Question 26

Pros of informal recruitment

Answer 26

- less likely to be disillusioned as they know what to expect - Less expensive - less likely to leave early - Turn out stronger/more qualified than external recruits - fits with some cultural norms

Question 27

Employer branding

Answer 27

Building organisation reputation as employer, seen positive and distinct from competitors

Question 28

Employer of choice

Answer 28

Organisation recognised as most desirable in industry from candidate perspective (most target market would like to work for)

Question 29

Employee value proposition (EVP)

Answer 29

Terms and conditions and potential experiences that org tries to offer its recruits in order to attract/retain

Question 30

Employer branding - focus

Answer 30

- develop and communicate compelling EVP to achieve employer-of-choice status

Question 31

Caveat of Employer branding

Answer 31

- EVP must be lived in experience of employees, misleading leads to loss of trust

Question 32

Employer branding - steps

Answer 32

1. Find out what employees perceive as best things from employment experience, how is it distinct from competition 2. Formulation of compelling EVP 3. Develop short, snappy slogan summing up main points of EVP to use in advertisement

Question 33

Tools to achieve first stage of employer branding

Answer 33

- employ specialist consultants to advise and carry research, focus groups, wider employee surveys

Question 34

Concerns of employer branding

Answer 34

Multi-national employers - using single EVP to employ ppl in different cultural contexts - EVP will have to be tailored to meet local preferences

Question 35

Problems with Headhunting

Answer 35

- Companies that source recruits, seen as incompatible with 'good practice' - Industry is unregulated, guilty of misleading recruiters and recruits - expensive, tendency for agency to exaggerate qualities of candidates, very narrow field of candidates - attracts negative media comments - agents contact candidates already on their books, as they're reluctant to make major research - don't commit with genuine equal opportunities for selecting new recruits from widest possible field of talent

Question 36

Why headhunting

Answer 36

- need to fill highly specialised role, placing advertisement in press/website is unlikely to be successful - Company is expanding operations into new regions and lacks expertise to recruit locally. headhunters have required contacts and understanding of labour market - Company doesn't want existing staff to know recruitment activity - headhunters provide contact to professional groups, highest calibre recruits, Jobs that are well-paid and T&C are negotiable before appointment - subcontract headhunters to communicate confidentially with candidates working for competitors and present excellent shortlist - develop strong links with headhunters and work with them over a long period - exclusivity, employer ensures consultant works for them and refrain from exaggerating abilities or attracting successful candidates away to further jobs elsewhere after commission has been paid

Question 37

Selection interviews

Answer 37

Most common method for selection process: Formal face-to-face encounter

Question 38

Traditional/unstructured interviews

Answer 38

- one/two interviewers - no specific questions - decisions of selection made by interviewer, who fills existing skill gaps and who they personally like the most?

Question 39

Criticisms of traditional interviews

Answer 39

- Unfair bias risk, interviewers favour ppl like themselves, first impressions/prejudicial judgements (disfavours minority groups) - Poor predictor of job performance or those who stay in organisation for a good length of time - People with good interview skills are appointed irrespective of skills, abilities or attributes that contributes to the job - candidates are given opportunities to shine as they get asked helpful questions or manage to steer conversations to suit their strengths

Question 40

Method to predicting good performance

Answer 40

Relative predictive validity: score on scale 0-1 - 1 = future job performance predicted perfectly - 0 = no capacity to predict future work performance

Question 41

Schmitt and Fandre (2008)

Answer 41

- Traditional/unstructured interviews scored poorly (0.1-0.2) - predictive validity of structured interviews - 0.4 to 0.6

Question 42

Cook (2004)

Answer 42

Traditional interviews gives candidates opportunity to manage impressions through force of personality, personal charm or presenting themselves professionally

Question 43

Rigorous and structured interviews

Answer 43

Candidates have same questions, enabling comparisons. questions asked derive from person specification or competency framework ensuring that candidates meet specific requirements for a job - requires involvement of panel of interviewers who score candidates against some selection criteria. after all interviews, panel discusses and reaches consensus

Question 44

Situational questioning

Answer 44

candidates are asked about how they'd act in hypothetical situations directly relevant to job. Establish preferred approach in scenarios they'd face

Question 45

Behavioural questions

Answer 45

Focused on past experiences, past occasions were effective/relevant skills or attributes were used. what did they do? Why did they choose that approach? What might they do differently?

Question 46

Pros of structured interviews

Answer 46

Approaches fairer, less unjustified bias, much better to predict future performance accurately (fits requirements of 'good practice')

Question 47

Pros of traditional interviews

Answer 47

Problem lies this with format and more with poor interviewers. unfair bias and prejudice is allowed by interviewer - unwise to judge effectiveness purely against prediction of future performance. conversational nature provides information about the job and organisation to see whether they'd take the job offer - inexpensive and flexible, structured involve preparation and participation of a group of managers. cheaper when compared to other selection methods (personality testing, assessment centres) - most candidates prefer traditional, feel comfortable and see it as fair