Human Resource Strategies Flashcards
Arbitration
An alternative to a court of law in determining legal and employment disputes. Involves a specialist outsider being asked to make a decision on a dispute
Centralisation
An organisational structure where authority rests with senior management at the centre of the business
Communication
The process by which a message or information is exchanged from a sender to a receiver
Conciliation
A way of mediating industrial disputes to gain agreement without going to arbitration
Core workers
Employees who are part of the core workforce of a business – central to the business activities
Decentralisation
An organisational structure where authority is delegated further down the hierarchy, away from the centre
Delayering
The process of removing one or more layers from the organisational structure
Downsizing
The reduction in the scale and resources of a business, usually involving job losses and/or the sale or closure of business units
Flexible working
The range of employment options designed to help employees balance work and home life (e.g. part-time, job-sharing, Homeworking, annualised hours contracts)
Gap analysis
Analysis of the difference between the workforce needs or a business and its current capabilities
Hard HRM
An approach to HRM based on treating employees as resources in the same way as any other business resource
Human resource management (HRM)
Strategies for managing people in order to achieve business objectives
Labour shortage
Where a business finds it does not have sufficient employees in number, or with the right skills and experience, for its needs
Peripheral workers
Employees who are on the fringe of the core workforce. They are not essential (core) workers, and their activities can often be outsourced or provided using flexible contracting
Soft HRM
An approach to HRM based on treating employees as the most important resource in a business
