HR

Question 1

What is HR

Answer 1

the coordination of all issues relating to the people a business employs

Question 2

What does the HR department deal with

Answer 2

the recruitment of new staff
the induction, training and development of staff
staff performance systems
disciplinary procedures
ending employment
complying with relevant government legislation

Question 3

Examples of HR objectives

Answer 3

employee engagement
talent development
training
diversity
alignment of employer employee values
number, skills and location of employees

Question 4

Internal influences on HR objectives

Answer 4

Corporate objectives
Operational strategies
Marketing strategies
Financial strategies

Question 5

External influences on HR objectives

Answer 5

Market changes
Economic changes
Technological changes
Social changes
Political and legal changes

Question 6

What is human research management

Answer 6

the design, implementation and maintenance of strategies to manage people for optimum business performance

Question 7

Aspects of HRM

Answer 7

workforce planning
recruitment and selection
training
talent development
Employee engagement and involvement
managing diversity
developing corporate culture

Question 8

What is hard HRM

Answer 8

treats employees simply as a resource of the business
strong link with corporate business planning : what resources do we need, how do we get them, how much will they cost

Question 9

What is soft HRM

Answer 9

treats employees as the most important in the business
a competitive advantage
employees are treated as individuals and their needs are planned accordingly

Question 10

Benefits of hard HRM

Answer 10

cost effective workforce
quicker decision making
a focus on senior management

Question 11

Drawbacks of hard HRM

Answer 11

high staff turnover
less successful recruitment

Question 12

Benefits of soft HRM

Answer 12

motivated staff

Question 13

Drawbacks of soft HRM

Answer 13

cost of workforce may be a competitive disadvantage

Question 14

What is an appraisal

Answer 14

an assessment of an employee’s performance and is part of the performance management process
involves a formal meeting between the employee and the line manager

Question 15

Different measures of workforce performance

Answer 15

Labour productivity
Labour turnover
Retention
Absenteeism
Labour cost per unit
Employee costs as a percentage of turnover

Question 16

How do you calculate labour productivity

Answer 16

Total output (per period) / average number of employees

Question 17

Why does labour productivity matter

Answer 17

labour costs are usually a significant part of total costs
business efficiency and profitability are closely linked to use of labour
to remain competitive a business needs to keep their unit costs down

Question 18

Factors influencing labour productivity

Answer 18

extent and quality of fixed assets
skills, ability and motivation of workers
method of production organisation
extent to which the workforce is trained and supported
external factors

Question 19

Ways to improve labour productivity

Answer 19

measure performance and set targets
streamline the production process
invest in capital equipment
invest in employee training
improve the working conditions

Question 20

Potential problems when trying to increase productivity

Answer 20

trade off with quality
employee resistance depending on the new methods used
employees may demand higher pay for their improved productivity

Question 21

How to calculate labour turnover

Answer 21

number of staff leaving (per period) / number of employees x 100

Question 22

How to calculate labour retention

Answer 22

number of staff not left (per period) / average number of employees x 100

Question 23

What is employee retention

Answer 23

the ability of a business to convince its employees to remain with the business

Question 24

Problems with high staff turnover

Answer 24

higher costs (more training and recruitment)
increased pressure on remaining staff
disruption to productivity and production
harder to maintain the required quality and customer service standards