HR Flashcards
What is span of control ?
The amount of people who are managed by one person
What is a positive of a wide span of control ?
Gives workers more independence
Appropriate if labour costs are high / save money on managers
What is a negative of a wide span of control ?
Can place heavy workload on employees due to delegation of work
delegation can damage employee motivation
What is a narrow span of control ?
Below 4-5 people are managed
What is a wide span of control ?
7 + people are managed
What is a positive of a narrow span of control ?
Better communication leads to more efficient workers
Less stress for workers over delegated workloads
What is a negative of a narrow span of control ?
More layers may be needed to become effective
Makes it harder to communicate down to lower levels of the rankings which wastes time
What is a tall structure in a business ?
Business has many layers to its authority
What is a positive of a tall structure ?
Better promotion oppourtunities for workers / increases motivation
Staff gain more aid from line manager
employees will work better due to more supervision
What is a negative of a tall structure ?
Takes longer to communicate to the top of the rank / kills time
Due to more layers , it will cost more for staff
What is a flat structure ?
The business has little layers
What are some positives of a flat structure ?
Better communication as there is less people to go through
faster decision making as communication is quick
gives employees more autonomy on their work
What is a negative of a flat structure ?
Fewer chances of promotion / decreases employee motivation
risk of power struggles if there is an absence of a boss
Increased delegation may make people more stressed
What is delegation ?
Off loading a task to someone else that you were meant to do
What is a positive of delegation
Reduces your own stress
Allows you to focus on the main task at hand
What is a negative of delegation ?
Cannot delegate responsibility
Increases stress for subordinates
What is employee empowerment ?
Giving workers the power to make their own choices
What is a centralised organisation ?
All communication goes to the leader , as they want full control of the company . Decisions are made slower
What is a decentralised organisation
Decisions are made away from the leader , helps empower workers . Quicker decision making
What are the advantages of changing the organisation structure ?
Reduced costs
Quality of work improvments
Growth means a more formal structure is needed
What are some disadvantages of changing the organisation structure ?
Expensive to reshuffle
Time consuming to do
Workers may be resistant to change
Negative impact on customers service
What is organisation culture ?
The values and beliefs of the business , the ethical stance they take
What are some examples of organisation culture ?
The ways in which the company :
Conducts business
Treats customers
Involves employee decision
Shows concern for community
The way they dress
Building design
What is recruitment ?
The process of filling a vacancy
What are the reasons for recruitment ?
To fill a vacancy
Replace someone
To get better experience
Bring new ideas
What is a job description ?
Document stating what the job is about / what they will have to do
What is a person specification ?
What characteristics the business is looking for :
qualifications
Skills required
experience
Team working ability
What is internal recruitment ?
Hiring from within the business
What are some benefits of internal recruitment ?
Person already knows the business
Cheaper and quicker
Employee knows other employees
What are some negatives to internal recruitment ?
Leaves a gap in the workforce
Limited talent pool
Employee resentment
What is external recruitment ?
Hiring someone from outside the business
What are some advantages of external recruitment ?
Candidate can bring new ideas
Field is a lot larger to chose from
Less employee resentment
What are some negatives to external recruitment ?
Expensive to advertise the vacancy to the public
Process will take longer than internal recruitment
How is advertising used to fill a vacancy ?
To let people know about the vacancy
Can go to an agency or media
All legislation needs to be followed to
What are the stages towards the interview process ?
Candidates will be chosen out of the applications
Usually organise activities for them to do whilst someone watches ( or do a test )
Those who are successful will get a face to face interview
What is induction ?
Introducing the new person into the company . They will go through :
Salary information
The staff
Procedures
Rules and expectations
What is on the job training ?
Training that takes place in the actual working environment . Usually shadowing an employee
What are some advantages to on the job training ?
Easier to do for the business
Cheaper / no time lost as day to day business continues
What are some disadvantages of on the job training ?
Negative habits may be passed onto the new person from employee .
What is off the job training ?
Training that is carried outside of the work premises by a specialist
What are some advantages of off the job training ?
Less stressful for the worker as its not in work environment
May be seen as more valuable / they feel more motivated as its more expensive . Feel valued
What are some other methods of training other than on and off job training ?
Shadowing
Apprenticeships
Courses
E-learning
What is performance appraisal ?
When an employee work rate / performance is noted down and evaluated
They see their strengths and weaknesses / offer improvments
What is the process of performance appraisal ?
Discuss performance expectations
Discuss communications standards
compare employees actual performance with the expectations
Evaluate
What is 360 appraisal ?
Getting employee opinions via an anonymous employee
What is Peer to Peer appraisal ?
Employees write a review of co workers
What is self assessment ?
Reflecting on your own performance / see what improvements + goals
What is an advantage of performance appraisal ?
Used to measure productivity
Correct any deficiencies
Improve co worker relations
Identify if someone needs promoting
What are some disadvantages of performance appraisal ?
Expensive and time consuming
Biases may affect results
Employees may lie about performance / affects results
What is the equation for labour turnover ?
Number of people who left
this year
—————————————-X100
Average number employed
that year
What does the equation for labour turnover tell us ?
The number of employees who have left the business over a period of time
What is the labour stability index ?
Number of employees with 1 or
more years experience
—————————————-X100
Number of employees 1 year
ago
What does the labour stability index show us ?
The number of experienced staff being retained over a period of time
What is the equation for absenteeism ?
Number of working days in a
month
What is the equation for lateness ?
Total number of arrivals
————————————–X100
Total number of scheduled
attendants
What is the equation for workforce productivity ?
Average number of employees
What is the equation for wastage rates ?
Number of rejected products produced by a department
—————————————-X100
Total number of units produced
What are the limitations of quantitative data ?
Figures can be misleading
Departments have different numbers of employees
Needs to be compared to previous years / competitors
Numbers do not always explain the situation
As an employee , what is the advantage of improving your performance ?
Better job security
Higher pay
Bonuses
Improved working conditions
What 3 areas does employment law cover ?
Recruitment law
Employee in the workplace law
Law of terminating contracts
What is the equality act 2010 ?
The law that protects discrimination against :
Age
Civil partnership/marriage
Disability
Race/creed/colour
Religion
Sex
Sexual orientation
How does employment law affect recruitment for a business ?
Cannot discriminate in ads
Cant ask ??? about a protected characteristic
Cant specify a job to a gender
Business makes reasonable adjustments to candidates
How does employment law affect the contract of employment of a worker ?
Each party has certain obligations that they have to complete / ACAS has set out
Does not have to be a verbal contract or implied
What is the race relations act ?
The act that protects against racial stereotyping and unacceptable terminology in the workplace
What is the sex discrimination act ?
Makes it illegal for an employer to discriminate due to gender
What is direct discrimination ?
Treating someone different due to sex / perceived sex / association to someone
What is indirect discrimination ?
Procedure applies to workers yet still disadvantages for a particular person ( sex )
What is harassment ?
When unwanted conduct related to someones sex causes a negative environment to the person
What is victimisation ?
Treating an employee differently since they reported or supported a complaint about a problem
What is the law that surrounds the minimum wage ?
Workers must be of leaving school age or over to get the MW
Contracts below are not legally binding
What does the equality act state about someones age ?
It is unlawful for someone to discriminate based on someones age
E.g force someone to retire unless justified
What does employment law state about Maternity and Paternity leave
Protects the right to apply for flexible working
Gives parents paid leave if adopting a kid
Parents share up to 12 months of leave after birth
What is the data protection act ?
Must insure that data is
Used fairly
Used as stated
Accurate
Kept safe and secure
Not kept for longer than needed
Not transferred to a non DPA Country
What policy should a business set out on the grounds of social media ?
Defamatory statements could lead to legal action
Policy needs to outline how employees behave with social media in + out the workplace
What is whistleblowing ?
When an employee reports malpractice at work
Employee has a right to protection against dismissal
What is grievances
When an employee has a concern / problem
What is redundancy ?
When a job no longer exists
Allowed a redundancy pay out
What are the rules on dismissal and firing ?
Must be justified to be classed as legal
In what cases can on the spot dismissal be allowed ?
Gross negligence
Gross misconduct
What is gross misconduct
Physically assaulting a worker/customer
What is gross negligence ?
Reckless disregard for the safety of others
What are some of the grounds of fair dismissal ?
Repeated poor conduct
Incapability to do task
What is wrongful dismissal ?
When there has been a breach of the employment contract
What is constructive dismissal ?
The behavior of managers force an employee out of the company
What is an employment tribunal ?
Court where dismissal claims are heard
ACAS are notified to reach a conclusion
What were the 4 aspects of Blake and Moutons leadership grid ?
Country club (+ people , - task )
Team leader ( + people , + task)
Impoverished (-people , - task )
Authority ( - people , + task )
What was Carlyle and Galtons thoughts on leaders
Goods leaders were :
Motivational
Ethical
Confident
Creative
Intelligent
What was Tanenbaum and Schmidt leadership ideas on leaders
The trade off between the control shown by a leader and the affect it had on the employees interactions
What were the 3 aspects of Adair’s leadership grid ?
The three leadership points were
Achieving the task
Building / keeping a team
Developing the individual
What is the trait theory ?
People inherit certain qualities that make them a good leader
( some lack the traits but still excel as a leader , Hard to explain leadership)
What is the contingency theory ?
Focuses on the environment which determines a style of leader .
( no style is the best all the time / balance of behavior is better )
What is the behavioral theory ?
Leaders are made not born / can be taught
What is functional theory ?
To achieve success , the leader must do necessary things to achieve the goal/task
What is situational theory ?
Different styles of leadership are better in certain situations
What is participative theory ?
Good leaders encourage the participation of others to make them feel motivated
What are management theories?
If employees are good , they are rewarded vice versa . Based on group performance
What is relationship theories
Focuses on the connection between leader and follower
High ethical and moral standards
Workers who are motivated tend to … ?
Be loyal / stay at the company
Be enthusiastic / offer ideas
Arrive early
In motivational theory , what is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs ?
Reasons why people go to work change over time :
self actualisation ( full potential )
Esteem needs ( prestige )
Love
Safety needs ( job security )
Physiological needs ( food )
What are some problems with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs when looking at motivational theory ?
Dosn’t look at the affect on Business
Some people may be in more than one at one time
Self actualisation is never achieved
What is Taylors scientific management on motivation
He would measure the time it takes for a person to do a task and train the workers to be quicker / Pay them based on their results
Why is Taylors scientific management not liked by many ?
Not all workers are there for money
His best method ideas would not suit all industries
Pay per piece is not appropriate for most businesses
What is mayo’s human relations school ( motivation )
Believed that workers are driven by :
working conditions
Skill of co workers
Financial incentives
People are motivated on interactions with others ( teams )
What is Herzberg’s 2 factor theory on motivation
Did a 200 people survey
Found out that people are motivated by :
Hygiene (salary , conditions , policy)
Motivators ( growth , achievement)
What are some negatives to herzbergs theory on motivation ?
Job enrichment is expensive
Findings based on small sample
similar surveys got different results
What is McLelland’s three needs theory of motivation ?
People have 3 needs :
Achievement : Likes challenging goals
Affiliation : Enjoys working in a team / people focused
Power : Like to control others / status and recognition
one of these 3 will dominate a persons behavior
What was Vroom’s expectancy theory on motivation ?
Mental processes that people go through when making a decision
Expectancy = Do they think they can achieve the task (1-10)
Valance = Based off the value of the reward (1-10)
Motivation = valance X expectancy
What are some limitations of vrooms expectancy theory on motivation ?
Each persons perception of performance is better
Difficult to identify the needs of each person
Cannot by used in all organisations ( cost to implement )
What was Drucker’s theory on goal setting ?
The most important asset to an organisation is the people / recognise them as humans not costs
What was Edwin Locke’s theory on motivation ?
Says that workers like to have appropriate goals , helps them keep motivated to try and meet them
They need to :
Clarify the goals
Have challenging goals
Provide feedback
Get employees committed to the goal
See if it is completable
What was Tom Peters theory on motivation ?
To keep workers motivated , you need to acknowledge their efforts and achievements e.g
Encourage employees
Involve them in decision making
Try to offer continuous employment
What is a trade union ?
An organisation which strives to improve the conditions of its workers through change . look out for their interests
What are some new rules that unions must follow ?
Have to give notice when they are going to strike
All members are given a secret ballot
What are No strike deals ?
When a union gives up the right to strike - done to make them seen as a peaceful organisation to a company
If they do this they expect the business to :
Regularly communicate
Train their employees
Agree to go to arbitration for wage settlements
What is the confederation of British industry ?
The body that looks after employers ( business owners )
Lobbies GOVT on policies that affect business
What is employee participation in a company ?
When employers involve workers in the decision making process
What are some benefits of employee participation ?
Increased motivation levels
Better communication leads to better decision making
fewer days lost to absence
Lower labour tunover
What are quality circles ?
Workers from all hierarchy’s of the business sit down and settle disputes and issues . They understand how to deal and manage the situation
What are work councils ?
A meeting between managers and workers discussing pay and working conditions , allows them to make changes to their operations
Why do businesses allow employees to become shareholders ?
Strengthen their involvement in the company / allows them to vote in the company .
Owning shares can motivate them
What is industrial action ?
Putting pressure on companies to change their ways
What is strike action ?
Stopping work all together - business loses out as workers are not at work . They do not get paid whilst they strike .
What is work to rule ?
They do the bare minimum of what their contract states
What is refusal to work overtime ?
People only work for their contracted hours - Businesses struggle to meet the demand of workload
What is ACAS ?
They aim to sort the problems between the disputing parties
They give out advice on how to deal with in work disputes
They try and reach an out of court settlement between parties
They decide who is right or wrong . The decision is final / accepted
