Human Resource Flashcards
What is recruitment?
Recruitment is the process of finding people to work for a company
What is selection?
Selection refers to the methods used to choose the best or most suitable candidate for the vacancy
What are the stages of recruitment?
1) Identify a job vacancy
2) Carry out a job analysis
3) Prepare a job description
4) Prepare a person specification
5) Advertise the job
6) Distribute application forms
Describe the identify a job vacancy stage
Vacancies can become available in a business when someone leaves, when someone moves job leaving their own role unfilled. These vacancies are for existing roles and are therefore easily identified.
When identifying a job vacancy what significant factor may make it more difficult
If the business growing it is likely that completely new jobs will have to be carried out which makes it less clear what the vacancies are.
What is a job analysis?
This is looking at the role of a job within an organisation, and the responsibilities and skills that will be required of an applicant.
Why is a job analysis important in the recruitment process?
A job analysis is important as it can be used to identify whether a vacancy needs to be filled or whether the tasks and duties can be redistributed to other staff.
What is a job description?
A job description is a document that states the tasks and responsibilities of the job.
What information is contained in a job description
A job description contains information on tasks and duties
pay
working hours
contract type
holiday entitlement
company benefits.
What is a person specification
A person specification is a document which gives information about the personal criteria required for a job such as skills qualities qualifications experience.
Describe the criteria in a person specification
criteria can be classified as essential (an applicant has to have them) or desirable (an applicant doesn’t have to have them, but would be at an advantage if they did).
Describe the advertising the job stage
An organisation will need to make applicants aware of a job either internally, within the organisation, or externally, outwith the organisation.
What are the advantages of Internal recruitment?
less expensive than external recruitment
employees can be more motivated if they have a chance to be promoted
applicant will already be known in terms of the skills and qualities that they possess
there is no need to follow as many processes when appointing someone, e.g. induction training.
What are the disadvantages of internal recruitment?
a lack of new ideas or new systems knowledge being brought in, e.g. efficiency improvements
there may not be anyone who is right for the job
there will still be a job vacancy to fill.
What are the advantages of external recruitment?
new employees can bring in new ideas or new systems knowledge
more applicants to choose from;
there is no follow-on job vacancy to fill as the person is coming from outwith the business.
What are the disadvantages of external recruitment?
can be expensive to advertise on job websites
internal applicants may feel undervalued if they do not get the job
the person is not known to the organisation and may not be the correct person for the job
can be a more time-consuming process as there may be a more thorough process to go through.
Describe the sending out applications stage
An organisation will send out application forms to all applicants who wish to apply for a job, although many organisations will increasingly ask applicants to apply online.
Describe the selection process (stages)
Every organisation will have a different selection process which may involve one or more of the following:
reading application forms, CVs and references
shortlisting candidates
interviewing candidates
testing candidates
choosing the successful candidate(s)
notifying unsuccessful candidates.
What is an application form?
An application form is created by an organisation and will require an applicant to answer the questions asked by the organisation. (These are read in the selection process)
What is a CV?
A CV is created by an applicant themself and will list information about them, such as their education, work history, and hobbies and interests. (These are read in the selection process)
What is a reference?
A reference is written by a previous employer or teacher and will describe an applicant’s attendance, punctuality and suitability for a job. (These are read in the selection process)
Describe the shortlisting candidates stage
After reading through all of the application forms, CVs and references, an organisation will make a list of which applicants to include in the next stage of the selection process.
What is an interview? (in the selection process)
An interview is a meeting between a candidate and an organisation.
Organisation may use online platforms such as Teams, Zoom or Skype to carry out interviews.
What are the advantages of interviewing candidates?
see how a candidate copes under pressure
ask a candidate questions regarding items on their application form or CV
put a face to the name, and see the body language and the personality of a candidate
candidate has an opportunity to ask any questions about a job or organisation.
What are the disadvantages of interviewing candidates?
can be a time-consuming process for an organisation
some candidates can be nervous in an interview and not perform as well as they could
candidates might say the correct things in an interview but not be the correct person for the job.
What is the testing candidates stage of selection?
Testing involves assessing the skills and abilities of a candidate.
What can be tested during the testing candidates stage?
attainment
numeracy
problem-solving
intelligence
fitness, e.g. to join the police you must pass a fitness test
medical, e.g. to become a pilot you are required to pass a medical test which is carried out by a doctor or a nurse.
Describe the details of the choosing the successful candidate stage
An organisation will choose the most suitable candidate(s) and will organise a start date and training dates. A new employee will receive a contract of employment within 12 weeks of starting the new job which they will have to sign to say that they agree to the terms and conditions of the job.
What is training?
Training is teaching employees new skills or updating their existing skills.
What are the advantages of training?
employees will be more skilled at their jobs and will provide a higher-quality product or a higher-quality service to customers
fewer errors will be made, resulting in less wastage
fewer complaints and returns will be made;
a business can gain a good reputation and attract high quality staff
employees will feel more valued if a business is seen to be investing into them.
What are the disadvantages of training?
employees may have to spend time away from their workplace
can be a time-consuming process
can be expensive for an organisation if it has to pay for the training
employees may receive training and then leave for another organisation.
What is induction training?
Induction training is given to new staff when they start at an organisation
What may be included in induction training?
company policies and procedures
health and safety, e.g. what to do if there is a fire drill
a tour of the business
an introduction to key people and teams
an introduction to their tasks and duties.
What is on the job training?
On-the-job training is training which takes place within a workplace. This usually involves a less experienced employee working alongside an experienced employee.
What are the advantages of on the job training?
employees are in the workplace and can continue with their work
cheaper than off-the-job training as no courses have to be paid for
less time-consuming than off-the-job training.
What are the disadvantages of on the job training?
employees that provide training may not be qualified instructors
employees that provide training may have picked up bad habits which will be passed on
training may be interrupted due to it taking place in the workplace.
What is off the job training?
Off-the-job training is training which takes place outwith an organisation, e.g. at a training centre or college.
What are the advantages of off the job training?
training is given by qualified instructors
employees can receive recognised qualifications
fewer interruptions compared to on-the-job training.
What are the disadvantages of off the job training?
employees are away from the workplace which will result in lower production
more expensive than on-the-job training as courses have to be paid for, which can be expensive
can be time-consuming as some courses may last longer than a year.
What are financial incentives?
Payment systems which a business may use to pay staff
What is a salary?
A salary is when an employee’s annual wage is divided up into twelve equal payments which are made every month.
Teachers are usually paid this way
Name a disadvantage and advantage of a salary
Allows employees to have a guaranteed monthly income.
Does not encourage employees to work harder or work longer hours.
What is time rate?
Time rate is when employees are paid per hour they work.
Retail staff are usually paid in this way.
Name an advantage and disadvantage of time rate
This encourages employees to work longer hours, but does not reward them for hard work.
What is piece rate?
Piece rate is when employees are paid per item produced.
Employees may be paid a basic salary as well.
This payment system is usually used in factories.
This can motivate employees to produce more items, but does not always mean that they will produce items to a high standard.
What is overtime?
Overtime is when employees work more than their contracted hours.
Employees may be paid double time or time and a half for example.
Overtime rates can be used when employees are working bank holidays or an organisation needs to finish an order for a customer on time.
What is a bonus?
Employees are given an extra payment, or bonus, for reaching sales or production targets.
Some organisations may give employees an extra payment at Christmas as a reward.
Employees are paid their bonus on top of their existing wage.
What is commission?
Employees are paid a percentage of a product’s sale value, otherwise known as commission
This is paid on top of a basic salary.
This payment system is usually used in car showrooms and call centres.
Name at least 5 Non financial incentives which can be used by an organisation.
- Offering flexible working practices
-Allowing staff to work in teams to complete tasks. - Providing staff with good pay and conditions.
- Organising regular meetings with staff.
- Organising a works councils, which is made up of equal numbers of employees and management and allows employees to discuss work-related concerns.
- Providing training opportunities.
- Identifying staff who are ready for promotion.
- Offering reward schemes, e.g. employee of the month.
- Providing fringe benefits, e.g. company car, private health insurance, gym memberships.
Name 3 types of flexible working practices
homeworking
teleworking
flexi-time
condensed hours
job share
Define Homeworking
homeworking - employees work from home all the time or part of the time.
Define teleworking
teleworking - employees work away from the workplace and use ICT to communicate, e.g. a sales rep.
Define flexi-time
flexi-time - employees can choose their start and finishing times as long as they work their contracted hours and an organisation’s ‘core time’, which is the time at which all employees must be in the workplace, e.g. between 10 am and 2 pm.
Define condensed hours
condensed hours - employees work their contracted hours but can so over 3 or 4 days instead of 5 days.
Define Job share
job share - two (or more) people sharing one full-time job, e.g. one employee works mornings and another employee works afternoons.
What reasons may cause employees to undergo industrial action?
pay and conditions;
working conditions, e.g. workload;
pension terms and conditions.
Name at least 3 types of industrial action
Strike
Go-slow
Sit in
Work to rule
Overtime ban
boycott
What is a strike
strike - employees temporarily stop working altogether;
What is Go-slow
go-slow - employees complete tasks as slowly as possible
What is Sit in
sit-in - employees go into the workplace but refuse to do any work;
What is work to rule
work to rule - employees only carry out the duties which are included in their contract of employment;
What is an overtime ban
overtime ban - employees refuse to work any more than their contracted hours;
What is a boycott
boycott - employees refuse to carry out new duties or use new pieces of equipment.
What are the consequences of industrial action
production may stop;
customer orders are delayed;
an increase in complaints from customers;
customers will go to competitors instead;
bad publicity;
may not attract many applicants when looking for future employees.
What does the equality act 2010 do?
The Equality Act 2010 ensures that employees and customers are not discriminated against in the workplace.
ensures that all employees doing the same job with the same responsibilities receive the same pay, benefits and training opportunities no matter what characteristics they possess.
What characteristics are protected by the equality act 2010?
age;
disability;
gender;
gender reassignment;
marriage and civil partnership;
pregnancy/maternity;
race;
religion;
sexual orientation.
What does the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 do?
ensures that employers and employees have responsibilities for health and safety in the workplace. This covers all aspects of health and safety within the workplace.
What are the responsibilities of the employer under the health and safety at work act 1974
Provide health and safety training to all employees - this can be done through induction training.
Provide protective clothing to employees if required, e.g. hi-viz vests and safety goggles.
Provide toilets and clean drinking water.
What are the responsibilities of the employee under the health and safety at work act 1974
Ensure all accidents are reported and written into up with an accident report form.
Ensure that they adhere to all health and safety training.
Look after their own and others’ health and safety in the workplace, e.g. reporting any spillages or hazards.
What is the national minimum wage act 1998
The National Minimum Wage Act 1998 sets the minimum hourly rate at which employees must be paid. This depends on the age of employees and usually changes every April.
What is the minimum wage?
23+ £9.50
21-22 £9.18
18-20 £6.83
Under 18 £4.81
(April 2022)
What is a human resource department?
A human resources department is responsible for all staffing matters and will use a variety of different technology.
What technology may be used by the HR department?
databases
spreadsheets
presentation software
word processing
e-mail
videoconferencing
websites
