Human Resources

Question 1

What is workforce planning

Planning in Human Resources

Answer 1

• to have the right number of employees.
• in the right place
• with the right skills
• at the right time

Question 2

What are reasons for changing workforce (4)

Answer 2

• increase production/ service production may have to have seasonal employees
• staff moving to another job- find employees to fill the space
• change in working pattern- may have to fill in part time work
• maternity/paternity leave- temporary hire someone whilst people being incapable themselves

Question 3

What are benefits of workforce planning? (4)

Planning in Human Resources

Answer 3

• identifies gaps in current staffing, may have no shortfall
• ensures relevant training can be given, ensures no skill shortage
• staffing forecasts can be carried out, allowing continuity of production
• avoids over staffing/ surplus- saving finance on wages

Question 4

What are application forms?

Answer 4

• shows personal detail of experience, education and reasons for wanted the job

Question 5

What are advantages and disadvantages of application forms (2 each)

Answer 5

+- clear information which the company requires
-standardised forms, easy to compare candidates

• _ can’t see attitude, work ethic or personality
• limited to space about what you can add with characters/space

Question 6

What are interviews and what type of interviews can you get?

Answer 6

Asked questions by someone in business

One to one
Panel
360 degree

Question 7

What are disadvantages and advantages of interviews? (4)

Answer 7

+- tells how they act, can show personality
- ask questions to get more detail from interviewee

— can be time consuming to get people
-costly, to gather people together

Question 8

What is testing

Answer 8

Testing so,ones suitability for a position

Question 9

What are advantages and disadvantages of testing 4

Answer 9

+- confirms details on application forms about attitude, skills and problem solving

• • time consuming and costly
• many dislike tests as it doesn’t always show full potential

Question 10

What is referencing

Answer 10

Selection

Information from previous employer

Question 11

What are advantages and disadvantages of referencing (2)

Answer 11

+- confirms what people have said about themselves

- can be vague and not show much detail

Question 12

What are different types of testing in the selection (5)

Answer 12

Attainment test - demonstrates a learnt skill
Aptitude test- assesses skills of natural ability
Psychometric test- shows how candidates react in situation
-intelligence and IQ test- measures candidates mental skills
-medical test- measure candidates physical suitability

Question 13

What are assessment centres

Answer 13

Applicants take part in different activities

Team building and role play and testing, shows suitability

Question 14

What are advantages of assessment centres (3)

Answer 14

• demonstrates real life situations in role play
• candidates can interact with each other which shows personal skill
• reduces bias as quality’s/ skill is demonstrated

Question 15

What are disadvantages of assessment centres

Answer 15

• costly, have to get venue and resources
• takes time and involvement from current staff
• needs planning and preparation to be successful

Question 16

What is appraisals

Answer 16

It is a two way meeting between a employee and another member of staff to discuss individual performance and set targets for future

Question 17

What is one to one appraisal

Answer 17

Traditional and formal process I’m line managers/ superiors

Question 18

What is peer appraisal

Answer 18

Meeting with a colleague at the same level of hierarchy

Question 19

What is 360 degree appraisal

Answer 19

Mosy complete method of gaining feedback as getting feedback from many different people

Question 20

What are advantages of appraisal (5)

Answer 20

• positive feedback, increase motivation
• identifies people who are appropriate for appraisal
• helps identify where training is needed
• can have links to wage increases and bonuses and helps to set targets
• improve relationship between employers and superiors

Question 21

What are disadvantages of appraisal (4)

Answer 21

• could cause changes in job specification- increase workload
• negative feedback could be discouraging
• if poor relationship with superiors then employee may feel uncomfortable
• meeting is time consuming and employee might not make realistic targets

Question 22

What is the impact of employee legislation (4)

Answer 22

equal pay. This is when you make sure you don’t give unequal pay to people working the same jobs, so it doesn’t result in protection.

accessibility for workers. This is when you should make sure the work is suitable for everyone, like how the work should be accessible for employees in wheel chairs.

minimum wage. This is when the business should make sure the pay staff the correct amount of money

health and safety. This is when the business will have to supply equipment and training and if there is a accident on the job then the business may have to give a compensation claim

Question 23

What are some employee participation (3)

Answer 23

Work councils:

• equal amounts of workers and managers, fair
• empowerment joint decisions and is less resistance to change

Consultative committees
-with workforce and managers and member of the public, inclusion of other groups

Workers direct

• low level employees given directors status
• there are no workers rights