Human Resources Flashcards
Human Resources roles
FACES
facilitate training
Audit and monitor individual staff and departments productivity
Consultancy and providing specialist advice on staff issues
Executive role - making decisions about staffing issues
Service role - providing useful info on employee legislation and changes
Reasons for new staff
Increase product demand
Respond to flexible working
Develop new products
Help opening new branches
Reasons for staff to leave
Retirement
Promotion
Maternity leave
Work life balance
Resignation
Respond to falling demand
Workforce planing definition
Where a business looks ahead to ensure they have the right number of employees with the right skills in the future.
Workforce planing steps
Identify potential demand for product in the future and workforce skills.
Determine if current staff have correct skills and if there is enough of them for business to run efficiently
Recruit train and retain staff to ensure staff have correct skills and staff number.
Review strategy in the future to ensure strategy is effective.
Advantages of workforce planning
Avoids understaffing
Avoids over staffing
Identifies any lack in staff expertise
Allows for continuous production
Allows for business to forecast changes in external pressures and prepare for these (restructuring/technology/growth)
Factors to consider for workforce planning
Skill of workforce
Business finance
Demand of product
Population of workforce
Recruitment stages
Identify job vacancy
Analyse job vacancy
Job description
Person specification
Advertise job vacancy
Send out applications
Identify job vacancy
Where a business is notified of an employee leaving their job or a job role not being fulfilled
Analyse job vacancy
Where a business looks at the necessary job requirements and job responsibilities and whether the job is necessary.
Create a job description
Where a business Human Resources department creates a document which describes the role of the employee in the organisation and their responsibilities.
Create a person specification
Where a business Human Resources Department creates a document which outlines the skills and qualities of the employee they require for the job.
Advertise the job vacancy
Where the business HR uses media to promote a job vacancy, this can be internally (only to business employees) or externally (to all members of the public which wish to apply.)
Advantages of internal recruitment
Already know employees so can make a more informed decision
Can offer promotions which may motivate staff
Saves advertising costs
No need for induction training
Faster than external
Disadvantages of internal recruitment
Creates other job vacancies
Not gaining new ideas
Limits pool of candidates
Resentment between colleagues
Employees may not have skills required for job
External recruitment methods
Newspapers
Websites
Job centres
Recruitment agencies
Radio
Advantages of external recruitment
Larger selection of candidates
New ideas going into business
Avoids creating further vacancies
Avoids resentment between employees
Disadvantages of external recruitment
Higher advertising cost
More time consuming
Induction training may be necessary
Demotivates staff due to depriving promotion opportunities
Less reliable
Recruitment agencies
Businesses which are paid by other businesses to find capable candidates for job vacancies
Job centres
Government facilities which look for jobs for the public to do to decrease unemployment.
Methods of recruitment/types of recruitment
Internal and external
Stages of selection
Take in applications
Create a shortlist
Testing/interviewing
Inform successful candidate
References
Statements gathered from previous employers about how well an employee does their job.
Methods of selection
Interview
IQ test
Psychometric/psychological test
Medical/fitness test
Attainment test
Aptitude test
Assessment centres
Interview
Where a business employee/s asks questions to candidates about why they should be given the job over other candidates.
IQ test
A method of assessing the intelligence of candidates.
Psychometric test
A method of assessing a a candidate’s personality
Medical/ fitness test
A method of assessing a candidates physical health.
Aptitude test
A method of assessing a candidates relevant skills for the job.
Assessment centres
A facility that a business uses to test many candidates suitability for a job position at once, using real life/ practical situations.
Types of training
On the job
Off the job
Induction
Virtual learning environment
Continuing professional development
Graduate training schemes
Corporate training schemes
Apprenticeship
Professional development.
On the job training definition
Where a business employee gains business training inside the business premises, from other business employees
On the job advantages
Specific to business
Cheaper
Workers can still carry out their job
Employees may be relaxed in workplace.
On the job disadvantages
Could pick up bad habits from other employees,
May have a lower standard than off the job
Trainer must have skills and knowledge to carry out training, making it unavailable in some businesses,
Trainer may not be given adequate time to spend with the trainee.
Off the job training
Where a business trains their staff by sending them to a specialist/ professional for training, at a facility outside the business.
Off the job advantages
Specialist trainers can train to a higher standard,
Can learn new methods to increase efficiency,
Concentration is solely on training which means that employees may learn more.
Off the job disadvantages
Employees need to be motivated to learn
May not be relevant to employee job
More expensive sue to additional cost.
Benefits of training
Increases employee efficiency + productivity
Motivation of employees increases
Reduced stress in employees
Reduced absenteeism
Better prepared to deal with change.
Better business reputation
Costs of training
Expensive
Employees may request pay rise
Decreases productivity
Employees may go work elsewhere.
Virtual learning experience def
An online platform with training materials which allows employees to learn new skills and gain new expertise which allows you to interact with other employees and trainees.
Advantages of virtual learning experiences
Flexible training times
Can be accessed by a large number of trainees
Can be updated easily
Saves printing and travel costs
Can use chat facilities and video call to collaborate and communicate.
Dsv of virtual learning experience
Employees need to be motivated to do the training
Some employees may prefer or learn better with face to face contact
May be expensive to purchase p/ set up technology for employees
.
Continual professional development
Where a business carries out training and learning experiences for employees regularly and repeatedly, to ensure they are always getting better at their job and moving up through the ranks of the business.
Advantages of Continual professional development
Jobs carried out to a higher standard
Helps achieve business objectives
Motivates employee
Keeps employees up to date with procedures outside business.
Contributes to Scottish governments life long learning agenda.
Continual professional development disadvantages
Can be expensive
Time consuming
Productivity will be regularly lowered
Staff may be demotivated to do training.
Graduate training scheme def
A structured training programme run by an employer which selects the best candidates and aims to develop competent future leaders of an organisation.
Corporate training scheme
A training program designed to teach employees new working practices and adhering to new legislation ensure that employees can complete specific needs.
Professional development def
Where a business enables employees to study towards a work based qualification while still earning a salary.
Apprenticeships definition
Where a business combines on the job training with off the job training, typically learning a trade, the employee is paid a salary during this time.
Advantages of corporate training schemes
Employees will be more motivated
Employees will adhere to legislation and adapt to change
Employees may do their jobs better.
Disadvantages of corporate training schemes
Expensive to carry out
Time consuming to carry out
Employee may ask for raise afterwards.
Graduate training scheme disadvantages
Could leave once training is done
May not be a guaranteed job at the end of the course
Time consuming to carry out the training
Graduate training schemes advantages
Specific to organisation
Business can choose where to employ graduate
Gives graduates work experience and allows them to develop specific skills for the working world.
Professional development disadvantages
Can be costly to pay trainers
Can be time consuming
Employees may be demotivated to do the professional development
Advantages professional development
Qualifications can be business specific
Increases employees chance of getting a promotion
Business gets good reputation for training staff.
Appraisal’s definition
A formal and annual meeting between an employee and an employer, used to discuss employees work performance, and discuss any issues the employee has in the workplace with employer.
Appraisals advantages
Positive appraisal means more motivated staff.
Opportunities for training can be identified
Promotions pay rises and bonuses can be identified
Strong employee relationships
Targets for future can be identified.
Disadvantages of appraisals
Negative appraisals can be demotivating
Time consuming
Employees may have too many development needs which causes too much additional workload
Seen as a tick box exercise - not very interested
Types of appraisals
One to one
Peer appraisals
360 degree appraisals
One to one appraisal
Where a manager carries out the appraisal, assessing performance and identify employee needs
Peer appraisals
Where a colleague at the same level conducts an appraisal, discussing employee performance and needs .
360 degrees appraisals
Where many employees of different levels carry out appraisals for the employee, discussing performance and needs, most effective method.
Legislation definition
Laws created by the government that the business has to adverse to
Different legislation examples
Equality act
HASAWA
national minimum wage
National living wage
Failure to follow legislation
Create bad employee relations
Demotivate employees
Legal action
Business could be fined
Poor reputation
Equality act description
The law which ensures that a business doesn’t discriminate against employees based on protected characteristics
Protected characteristics
Age
Sex
Sexual orientation
Gender change
Race
Pregnancy
Religion
Disability
Marriage
Equality act impact
Business must create a policy to deal with discrimination
Employees must be trained to deal with discrimination
Business facilities must be accessible to all types of people
Business may be prosecuted if they fail to comply with regulations
HASAWA description
health and safety at work act
Ensures that employees are safe in the workplace.
Employer duties under HASAWA
provide protective equipment
Train employees to be safe
Facilities must meet health and safety requirements
Maintain safe working space
Employees duty in HASAWA
Take reasonable care of yourself and others
Don’t misuse safety equipment
Cooperate with employers and do health and safety training.
Repot illness and injury.
National minimum / living wage act description
The legislation which ensures employees are paid a fair amount for their labour.
National minimum wage/ living wage impact on businesses
Increase employee wages
Could receive bad publicity if they fail to adhere and face fines as well
Employer may have to reduce amount of people employed.
Technology in HR
Database- storing employee information
E -diary - used to schedule employee appraisals
Email - communication between employees in different branches
Business website - advertise job vacancies
Social media - advertise job vacancies
Video conferencing - set up online meetings, saving time and money
Virtual learning experiences - training staff.
