human resources Flashcards
human resources definition
the management of the total relationship between an employer and employee.
The strategic role of human resources involves the long term planning of staffing in a business
stakeholder definition
A stakeholders is any person who has an interest in the business in some way
employees
the people who are paid to work for the employer.
employees are the ‘human capital’ essential to the production processes.
employees from HR perspective
From an HR perspective, employees in HR management are to increase cost and complexity in relation to pay and conditions.
unions:
consists of…
principal activities…
formed to…
an organisation that consists of employees.
the principal activities include the negotiation of rates of pay and conditions for its members
Unions were formed to combat the bargaining that employers have under the employment contract.
union objectives
They are united in opposition to pay cuts, outsourcing, casualisation of the workforce and job losses.
qantas union
unions have reacted … to …
- Qantas has high unionised workforce
- The employees are represented by 16 different unions
unions have reacted angrily to Qantas’ drive to cut labour costs and have a waged political community and an industrial campaign against Qantas.
minimum employment standards
38 hours per week, flexible work, leave, public holidays, notice of termination and redundancy pay, provision of fair work information statement
WHS role
fostering a workplace culture that embeds a health and safety culture
ensuring the right people are in the right roles
ensuring documented workplace health and safety policies and procedure
qantas WHS stat
Qantas WHS program has increased safety awareness and led to an 80% reduction in employee injury since 2001
anti discrimination act
Discrimination occurs when a policy or practice disadvantages a person or group because of a personal characteristic that is irrelevant to the performance of the work.
disability discrimination act 1992
Qantas must comply
qantas investigates identifies and prevents discrimination
economic influence
Economic influences especially the economic cycle have a major impact on human resources. The economic cycle has 4 distinct phases,
as the economy moves through these phases, there are different impact on investment, consumer demands for goods and service, prices and many other variables.
These in turn will affect employment and demand for labour
high economic growth
employment level…
increased ___ power of…
levels of ___ are high so ….
high employment
increase in bargaining power of employees and unions.
Industrial action is common at these times.
When levels of inflation are high and prices increase unions seek to gain pay increase to match
technological influences on HR
technology has enabled the HR function to provide a higher level of service to the business at a lower cost
changing work patterns
increase participation of women in the workforce: now 62%
ageing workforce
more casual employees
qantas changing work patterns
There are now more part-time and casual employees at Qantas (17%)
female employees now comprise 45% of Qantas’ total workforce
changing living standards
increasing income equality
the casualisation of the workforce
lack of life balance and working long hours
impact of technology, never away from the office
ethics and corporate responsibility
Ethical business practices are those practices that are socially responsible, morally right, honourable and fair.
this means a business has a clean, healthy, safe and stimulating work environment for their employees.
ethics and corporate responsibility benefits
Staff retention and absenteeism rates improve as staff feel more valued and motivated
Business costs (recruitment and training) are reduced and business performance is enhanced
Marketing and business opportunities are promoting best practice
leadership style benefits
Staff retention and absenteeism rates improve as staff feel more valued and motivated
Business costs (recruitment and training) are reduced and business performance is enhanced
Marketing and business opportunities are promoting best practice
if leadership style is working:
reduction in…
increase in…
reduction in staff turnover
increase in production and innovation
training and development
to determine the needs for training and development across the organisation, create or purchase the types of training and development and then monitor and control the program to ensure the development goals are being met.
if training and development is working:
participation in satisfactory surveys
number of training hours per person across the business increases
decrease in regulatory compliance failures
reward effects/benefits
avoiding high turnover
monitoring behaviours which are in the interests of productivity, quality and customer service
individual rewards
relate pay to individual performance, retain best performers, equitable distribution of compensation, suitable for individualistic culture
if rewards are working:
reduction in number of days positions are unfilled
increase in number of average qualified candidates per role
reduction in staff turnover of high performers
increase in outcomes on culture and employee satisfaction surveys
qantas employee evidence
Qantas employs over 22,000 full time employees, all concerned with the maintenance of their existing levels of pay.
Qantas’ employees have been angered by Qantas’ industrial relations tactics and length of time taken to end some disputes.
heavily supports union action and sometimes even rejected initial enterprise agreements negotiated by their unions
what would happen if employees were unhappy with pay and conditions (employee stakeholder)
the businesses performance can be dramatically affected, creating a change in staff turnover
employees lack motivation, productivity, effectiveness and efficiency causing business objectives to go uncompleted
causing the business to lose its competitive advantage and success rates.
employee stakeholder indicator and strategy
indication: changes in staff turnover
strategy: leadership style
changes in staff turnover
staff turnover refers to the separation of employees from the employer, both voluntary and involuntary.
This is a key indicator of the effectiveness of HR management. When staff stay with an employer, the employer is likely to be highly regarded.
qantas staff turnover stat
Qantas observed a 11.2% voluntary staff turnover in 2021, the highest in the past 3 years.
how can unions help business success?
Through representing worker interests, they can help improve turnover and increasing employees’ commitment to business success as they are more motivated and productive due to job satisfaction, pay and working conditions.
enterprise agreement
an employment contract protected under the legal framework are a key influence contributing to the performance of a business.
employment contract
voluntary and negotiated agreement between employees and their employer
tailored specifically for their workplace and their environment
opportunity to negotiate with employers, significantly increasing productivity
enterprise agreement qantas
In may 2021, Qantas announced it will introduce a 2 year wage freeze on all new enterprise agreement across the Qantas group
as it seeks to reduce its annual cost by $1 billion by the 2023 financial year.
qantas wage freeze effects
led to a significantly poor business performance among employees, dramatically affecting the success of Qantas.
Many workers are primarily motivated by compensation thus, to accept that their hard work and years of performance and dedication will be rewarded would inevitably lead to dissatisfaction and potentially the loss of valuable employees, meaning Qantas will risk losing a competitive advantage.
what is worker satisfaction indicator and how to promote
Worker satisfaction is the sense that one’s work is meaningful and deserving of appreciation
In order to promote worker satisfaction, HR will implement a rewards strategy in which workers are rewarded on their contribution to the company, specifically performance pay would prove an effective mechanism
benefits of WHS act
employees feel safe and protected - achieve business goals effectively
staff turnover low as employees have low risk of injury due to increased safety awareness
positive relationship between employer and employee
injury frequency rate qantas stat
In 2019, Qantas recorded a 24.4 total recordable injury frequency rate
accident indicator and how is it improved
A reduced accident rate will lead to a happier, more productive workplace
can thus be improved through the strategy of training and development in which an employee’s ability to complete work will be improved thus preventing future injuries.
how does anti-discrimination help business performance
promotes a formation of unity within the workplace, allowing employees to feel comfortable and secure within the work environment
increasing productivity rates as employees are motivated to achieve business goals
healthy relationship Qantas has formed with its employees, sustaining the business’s competitive advantage and thereby leading to success.
discrimination absenteeism and how to improve
a business will note the absenteeism of employees due to conflict in the workplace
the business must implement T&D
qantas absenteeism stat
Qantas’ absenteeism rates have decreased in recent years and average about 9 days per year. High levels of absenteeism at qantas are a strong indicator of dissatisfaction in their workplace.
discrimination absenteeism and how to improve
If there is discrimination in the workplace, a business will note the absenteeism of employees due to conflict in the workplace
It is then the role of the HRM to ensure discrimination does not occur again through effective use of training and development.
qantas economy influence
Covid-19 and the associated collapse in air travel has profoundly affected the human resources division at Qantas. The airline was forced to reduce staff members to cut costs and initially stood 25000 staff, with 15000 remaining until international flying resumes. Additionally, Qantas made 6000 staff redundant, equating to 20% of the workforce.
effect of economy on employees
a decrease in the business’s productivity
enhancing low staff morale
employees will feel unprotected and unsecure within their role
affecting their motivation to achieve business goals
staff turnover due to economy
during times of high economic activity employers may witness changes in staff turnover due to possibilities of high paying jobs to accommodate for the increased prices of products due to inflation.
qantas technology
new security systems in response to terrorism threats,
new planes
new online check in and self-service kiosks.
Qantas’ staff have had to learn new skills
positions have been made redundant.
influence of technology
adjust its internal environment and spend excess expenditure in training staff in the use of this technology
tasks can be done with much more efficiency
focus more on core business tasks and revenue-generating activities
benchmarking key variables
process of comparing one business standard’s against a competitor or an industry average.
If this is investigated and unsatisfactory then technology must then be improved through the strategy of performance management.
performance management and outcomes
monitor, control and improve the performance of the human resources within each of the key business functions
satisfaction of manager and employees with the process
proportion of employees participating in appraisal processes
training and development activities are aligned with performance appraisal outcomes
acquisition
process of attracting and recruiting the right staff for roles in a business
recruitment
process of locating and attracting the right quantity and quality of stadd to apply for employment vacancies or anticipated vacancies
development
process of developing and improving the skills and knowledge of staff through indication, ongoing training and further professional development
induction
induction program allows new employees to be introduced to the job, coworkers and th businesses culture
training under development
seeking long term changes in employees skills knowledge attitudes and behaviour in order to improve work practice
focus on acquiring new skills and knowledge which assists business in adapting to change and gaining competitive advantage
organisational development
to encourage, management structures are flatter and encourage the use of teams to develop and share ideas and solutions to improve efficiency of the organisation
mentoring and coaching
motivating and developing staff who exhibit leadership potential
personal appraisal
process of assessing the performance of an employee, generally against a set of criteria and standards
maintenance
managing the needs of staff for health and safety, industrial relations and legal responsibilities including compensation and benefits of all staff
communication and workplace culture
poor communication can lead to conflict and high turnover
business must implement effective communication methods (meetings, social functions) so employees feel motivated at work
employee participation
businesses encourage employee participation to improve communication, empower employees and develop their commitment to improving quality and efficiency
benefits under maintenance
offering monetary or non-monetary benefits to reflect the business’ core beliefs and values
another benefit it increased work life balance (1/3 of Australians look at this when choosing a job)
legal compliance and corporate social responsibility under maintenance
employers are required to ensure HR procedures and policies comply with laws to avoid compliance costs
separation
process of employees leaving voluntarily or involuntarily through dismissal, or retrenchment processes
dismissal
instant form of dismissal for employees involved in serious misconduct
unfair dismissal
when an employee is dismissed by their employer and they believe the action is harsh, unreasonable or unjust
