Human resources Flashcards
1
Q
What is the function of the human resources department ?
A
Hire & train staff & keep records of performance at work
2
Q
What are full time hours ?
A
42 hours a week
3
Q
What are 8 methods of working ?
A
- Multi skilling
- Part time staff
- Temporary staff
- Flexible hours
- Zero hour contracts
- Homeworking
- Job sharing
- Hot design
4
Q
What is multi skilling ?
A
Training employees to do several different jobs within the business
5
Q
What are 2 advantages of multi skilling ?
A
- Respond to demand
- Cover many different roles
6
Q
What is a disadvantage of multi skilling ?
A
Good training essential = expensive
7
Q
What are part time staff ?
A
Working shorter hours than full time staff
8
Q
What is an advantage of part time staff ?
A
Hours can be tailored to times of higher customer demand
9
Q
What is a disadvantage of part time staff ?
A
Longer to train
10
Q
What are temporary staff ?
A
Employed for a specific period of time to cover higher demand or staff absence
11
Q
What is an advantage of temporary staff ?
A
Helps to keep costs low
12
Q
What is a disadvantage of temporary staff ?
A
Take time for new staff members to become productive
13
Q
What are flexible hours ?
A
Allows staff to vary hours they work to meet business needs & personal needs
14
Q
What is an advantage of flexible hours ?
A
Match staff hours to period of higher demand
15
Q
What is a disadvantage of flexible hours ?
A
Too flexible = may not have sufficient staff to cope with demand
16
Q
What are zero hour contracts ?
A
Business does not guarantee any work to employee until demand means they are needed
17
Q
What is an advantage of zero hour contracts ?
A
Reduces costs
18
Q
What is a disadvantage of zero hour contracts ?
A
May feel undervalued = demotivated
19
Q
What is homeworking ?
A
Employee does all or part of job at their home without needing to attend business premises
20
Q
What is an advantage of homeworking ?
A
Reduce costs for workspace
21
Q
What is a disadvantage of homeworking ?
A
Work not supervised = lower productivity
22
Q
What is job sharing ?
A
Allows two employees to share responsibilities & benefits of a full time member of staff
23
Q
What is an advantage of job sharing ?
A
Keep expertise & experienced workers = motivating
24
Q
What is a disadvantage of job sharing ?
A
Increased costs = two employees need managing
25
What is hot desking ?
Desks in an office aren't allocated to specific staff member but allocated when someone needs to work at that desk
26
What is an advantage of hot desking ?
Fewer costs
27
What is a disadvantage of hot desking ?
Poor management of staff schedules = too many staff & not enough workspace
28
What are 3 impacts of new technology on working practices ?
1. Improved productivity & quality
2. Improved motivation for staff
3. Many businesses seen as way to cut costs over improve worker experience
29
What are 3 advantages of changes in working patterns on employees ?
1. More flexible working hours
2. Move sway from heavy industry to service-sector roles
3. Manufacturing jobs easier = machinery
30
What are 2 disadvantages of changes in working patterns on employees ?
1. Move to short term contracts = no job security
2. Staff always 'switched on' for jobs
31
What are 2 advantages of changes in working patterns on employers ?
1. Decreased costs for staff = mechanisation
2. Staff more motivated
32
What is a disadvantage of changes in working patterns on employers ?
Staff have less loyalty = less productivity
33
What is workforce planning ?
Employing correct number of staff with right skills, in right place at right time to deliver aims & objectives
34
What are the 4 steps of workforce planning ?
1. Establishing vacancies
2. Create job descriptions & specifications
3. Advertising
4. Training new staff members
35
What are 3 advantages of workforce planning ?
1. More able to meet objectives
2. Able to respond to external factors more effectively
3. Gains competitive advantage
36
What is a disadvantage of workforce planning ?
Need for businesses to manage reduction of staff effectively
37
What is recruitment & selection ?
Finding & hiring best qualified candidate for a job in timely & cost effective manner
38
What is the recruitment process ?
Steps taken to advertise & choose right employee
39
What is internal recruitment ?
Looking to fill job vacancy from within its existing workforce
40
What are advantages of internal recruitment ?
1. Cheaper
2. Already know skills
3. Worker feels valued
41
What is a disadvantage of internal recruitment ?
Smaller pool of applicants
42
What is external recruitment ?
Looking for external applicants for a vacancy
43
What are 2 advantages of external recruitment ?
1. Wider pool of skill
2. Competitive advantage
44
What are 2 disadvantages of external recruitment ?
1. Expensive
2. Time consuming
45
What are the 3 steps of recruitment & selection ?
1. Job analysis
2. Job description
3. Personal specification
46
What is a job analysis ?
Analysing the skills needed for the job
47
What is a job description ?
Outlines responsibilities & requirements of job role
48
What is a personal specification ?
Profile of type of person needed
49
What are the methods of selecting employees for a job ?
1. Interviews
2. Work trials
3. Testing
4. Selection exercises
5. Telephone interviews
50
What is an interview ?
Chance for employer to meet applicants & obtain information about character, experience & suitability
51
What is an advantage of an interview ?
Candidate can found out more about job & suitability
52
What are 2 disadvantages of an interview ?
1. Time consuming
2. Effectiveness depends on skills of people conducting them
53
What are work trials ?
Potential employees spend time working in business to assess suitability
54
What is an advantage of work trials ?
Realistic evaluation of applicants undertaking actual role
55
What is a disadvantage of work trials ?
May not be tested realistically enough to make process effective
56
What is testing ?
Applicants complete range of written tests to assess qualities & skills
57
What is an advantage of testing ?
Minimises risk of recruiting wrong candidate
58
What is a disadvantage of testing ?
Creates anxiety = excludes actual good candidates
59
What are selection exercises ?
Range of activities that test candidates for key skills required
60
What is an advantage of selection exercises ?
Employer gains greater level of detail on candidates
61
What is a disadvantage of selection exercises ?
Expensive to design & administrate
62
What are telephone interviews ?
Candidates asked set of questions through phone to assess suitability
63
What is an advantage of telephone interviews ?
Used in initial stage of process = easy to conduct
64
What is a disadvantage of telephone interviews ?
Less effective in establishing suitability = not meeting face to face
65
What are the 3 reasons recruitment is important ?
1. Reduce costs & problems with staff turnover
2. Right set of skills
3. Time consuming & expensive
66
What is training ?
Individual acquires new skills & knowledge or improves existing knowledge & skills base
67
What are the 4 types of training ?
1. Induction training
2. Job specific training
3. On the job training
4. Off the job training
68
What is induction training ?
Introduces to a business
69
Why is job specific training ?
Improve abilities to contribute to business needs
70
What is on the job training ?
Employees trained while carrying out activity often at workplace
71
What are 3 types of on the job training ?
1. Demonstration
2. Coaching
3. Job rotation
72
What is demonstration ?
Showing task by someone who is proficient
73
What is coaching ?
Helping an employee learn & develop skills
74
What is job rotation ?
Employee given different jobs in succession
75
What is an advantage of on the job training ?
Cost effective = employee learns while working
76
What is a disadvantage of on the job training ?
May be reliant on time another employee has available
77
What is off the job training ?
Employees trained away from job
78
What is an apprenticeship ?
Person works for a business to gain skills over time, usually for lower rates of pay
79
What is an advantage of an apprenticeship ?
Gain highly motivated staff for lower level jobs
80
What is a disadvantage of an apprenticeship ?
Misused as way of gaining cheap labour
81
What is an advantage of off the job training ?
Offers wide range of skills using own expertise
82
What is a disadvantage of off the job training ?
External training = expensive
83
What are 3 advantages of training ?
1. Introduces employees to business
2. Higher productivity & effective
3. Motivates staff
84
What is a disadvantage of training ?
Expensive
85
What is an appraisal ?
System used by business to review performance of individual staff members
86
What are 3 methods of appraisal ?
1. Peer assessment
2. Self assessment
3. 360 degree feedback
87
What is peer assessment ?
Another employee assess performance of colleague against agreed standards
88
What is an advantage of peer assessments ?
Encourage empowerment & team based approaches
89
What is a disadvantage of peer assessments ?
Person undertaking assessment may not have skills to carry out task effectively
90
What is a self assessment ?
Employee assesses own performance
91
What is an advantage of self assessment ?
Creates empowerment = motivation
92
What is a disadvantage of self assessment ?
Difficult to be self critical or balanced
93
What is 360 degree feedback ?
Gathers feedback from number of people in organisation
94
What is an advantage of 360 degree feedback ?
All parties feel its fair & balanced
95
What is a disadvantage of 360 degree feedback ?
Time consuming
96
What is workforce performance ?
Methods used by business to assess employees & work processes to increase productivity & profitability
97
What is labour productivity ?
Measure of efficiency of person or machine in converting inputs into useful outputs
98
What is the equation for labour productivity ?
Output per time period / number of employees at work
99
What is labour turnover ?
Proportion of firms workforce that leaves during a year
100
What is the equation for labour turnover ?
Staff leaves per year / average number of staff x100
101
What is absenteeism ?
Proportion of employees absent from work on given day
102
What is an organisational design ?
Process of aligning the structure of a business with aims & objectives to improve efficiency & effectiveness
103
What is authority ?
Power of a person to use & allocate resources in order to achieve business objectives
104
What is responsibility ?
Duty or obligation to perform & complete a task to the required standard
105
What is the hierarchy of a business ?
Levels of management from the highest to lowest rank
106
What is the chain of command ?
The way the authority to take decisions is organised
107
What is the span of control ?
Number of employees working directly under a manager
108
What is delegation ?
Passing authority down the hierarchy
109
What 3 things does delegation allow ?
1. Free up time for management
2. Motivate workers = job enrichment
3. Decisions made closer to roots
110
What is a tall organisational structure ?
Top down management structure with many levels of hierarchy & a narrow span of control
111
What is an advantage of a tall organisational structure ?
High prospects of promotion
112
What is a disadvantage of a tall organisational structure ?
Communication through layers can take longer
113
What is a flat organisational structure ?
Modern management structure with few levels of hierarchy & a wide span of control
114
What is an advantage of a flat organisational structure ?
Shorter communication = more responsive
115
What is a disadvantage of a flat organisational structure ?
More decisions delegated = motivation
116
What is a matrix organisational structure ?
Individuals work across teams & projects as well as their own department
117
What are 4 advantages of a matrix organisational structure ?
1. Communication across functional areas
2. Range of view points considered
3. Functions supper & understand each other
4. Motivational
118
What are 4 disadvantages of a matrix organisational structure ?
1. Potential loss of control
2. Dependent upon effective delegation
3. Teams may take time to work together effectively
4. Can cause conflict
119
What is a centralised structure ?
Decision making kept at centre of business
120
What are 2 advantages of a centralised structure ?
1. Senior managers have more control
2. Helps cost efficiency = bulk buying
121
What are 2 disadvantages of a centralised structure ?
1. Little flexibility to make adjustments
2. Junior staff may be driven to look for other jobs
122
What is a decentralised structure ?
Business gives authority to make decisions to operating units
123
What is an advantage of a decentralised structure ?
Local managers given scope to make decisions
124
What is a disadvantage of a decentralised structure ?
1. Local decision maker only looking at small part of business
2. Less cost effective = bulk buying
125
What is delayering ?
Reducing levels of hierarchy
126
What is empowerment ?
Delegating responsibility to employees to have greater say in decision making process
127
What are 2 advantages of empowerment ?
1. Faster problem solving = employees closer to problems
2. Increased motivation
128
What are 2 disadvantages of empowerment ?
1. May lack experience
2. Lack of co ordination = not take into account wider context of business activities
129
What are the 6 motivational theories ?
1. F.W Taylor
2. Mayo
3. Maslow's hierarchy of needs
4. Herzberg's two factor theory
5 . Vroom's expectancy theory
6. Porter & Lawler's expectancy theory
130
What is Taylor's theory of scientific management in 3 statements ?
1. Employees motivated by pay
2. Need close supervision & strict rules
3. Only be paid piece rate
131
What is piece rate ?
Amount paid for each task
132
What is an advantage of Taylor's theory ?
Workers encouraged to increase productivity
133
What is a disadvantage of Taylor's theory ?
Demotivated by boring jobs
134
What is Mayo's human relations theory in 4 statements ?
1. Seen as members of group not individuals
2. Had 'social needs'
3. Motivation improved by consultation, paying workers interest, team work & autonomy
4. Emphasised informal work group
135
What is an advantage of Mayo's theory ?
Builds more motivated workforce
136
What is a disadvantage of Mayo's theory ?
Staff don't always have same objectives as business
137
What is Maslow's hierarchy of needs ?
1. Five levels = physiological, safety & security, love & belongingness, self esteem & self actualisation
2. Each need has to be fulfilled to move onto next
138
What is an advantage of Maslow's theory ?
Creates environment to satisfy needs
139
What is a disadvantage of Maslow's theory ?
Self esteem & self actualisation cannot be fulfilled in lower skill roles
140
What is Herzbeg's two factor theory in 2 statements ?
1. Motivating factors if present lead to job satisfaction & motivation
2. Hygiene factors if present doesn't lead to motivation but if absent lead to dissatisfaction
141
What is an advantage of Herzberg's theory ?
Focusing on meaningful tasks promote motivation
142
What is a disadvantage of Herzberg's theory ?
Presumed link between job satisfaction & productivity
143
What is Vroom's expectancy theory in 4 statements ?
1. Motivated to behave in set manner based on what they believe the outcome will be
2. Valence = reward & degree for desire of reward
3. Expectancy = belief in relationship between cause & effect
4. Instrumentality = belief that desired outcome is obtainable & will be rewarded
144
What is Porter & Lawler's expectancy theory in 3 statements ?
1. Developed based on Vroom
2. Intrinsic = personal feelings
3. Extrinsic = material rewards
145
What is an advantage of expectancy theory ?
Based on self interest of worker
146
What is a disadvantage of expectancy theory ?
Ignores reality that businesses offer rewards that aren't just linked to performance, may be linked to position
147
What is an advantage of motivational theories ?
Give managers set of tools to help increase quality, productivity & efficiency
148
What is a disadvantage of motivational theories ?
Doesn't provide guidance as to when & what circumstances they should be used
149
What are 6 financial incentives ?
1. Piecework
2. Commission
3. Bonuses
4. Profit share
5. Performance related pay
6. Share ownership
150
What are 8 non financial incentives ?
1. Delegation
2. Consultation
3. Empowerment
4. Teamworking
5. Flexible working
6. Job enrichment
7. Job rotation
8. Job enlargement
151
What 4 reasons does the appropriateness of methods of motivation depend on ?
1. Cost
2. Nature of business
3. Nature of employees
4. Ethical position
152
What are 3 advantages of a motivated workforce ?
1. Less supervision
2. Provide higher quality products
3. Better customer service
153
What is a disadvantage of a motivated workforce ?
Shouldn't underestimate importance of getting other key elements of offering right
154
What is management ?
Creating, controlling & directing businesses resources in order to achieve objectives
155
What is management by objectives (MBO) ?
Improving business performance through clearly defined objectives
156
What are SMART objectives ?
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Timely
157
What are 2 advantages of MBO ?
1. Clear objectives = measure performance
2. Clear idea of priorities
158
What are 2 disadvantages of MBO ?
1. Costly & time consuming
2. Objectives not usually SMART = demotivation
159
What is McGregor's theory X & theory Y ?
1. Theory X = pessimistic view of workers, believe they are motivated by rewards & punishments, & dislike work and avoid responsibility
2. Theory Y = positive view of workers, trust based & encourage collaboration & support idea that workers should take on responsibility
160
What is autocratic leadership ?
Leader makes all decisions independently of employees
161
What is paternalistic leadership ?
Leader acts in fatherly way towards workforce as making decision is based on workforce needs
162
What is democratic leadership ?
Consults team but leader makes final decision
163
What is bureaucratic leadership ?
Leadership based on formal hierarchy & strict following of rules & procedures
164
What is laissez faire leadership ?
Leader allows team to make decisions
165
What is Fielder's contingency theory in 5 statements ?
1. Style leadership depends on situation
2. Based on personality & characteristics of leader
3. Leadership style & situation considered
4. Step 1 = identify leaders 'fixed' style = relationship or task orientated
5. Step 2 = identify situation in terms of level of trust, degree of structure & relative power
166
What is Wright & Taylor's theory in 5 statements ?
1. Leadership around behaviour & not power
2. Leaders should be willing to adapt to needs of subordinates & develop own interpersonal communication skills
3. Requires leaders to prioritise activities & eliminate unnecessary activities & delegate
4. Important for achievement of long term goals
5. 'Good leader is the one that adapts to the needs of the employees'
167
What are employer-employee relationships ?
Individual & collective relationship employer had with employees in workplace
168
What are 5 duties & rights of employers & employees ?
1. Contract of employment
2. Health & safety
3. Minimum wage
4. Living wage
5. Dismissal
169
What is a contract of employment ?
Oral or written agreement between employer & employee stating duties, terms & conditions of employment in return for payment
170
What is health & safety ?
Employer & employee have legal obligations to ensure the workforce & methods used to undertake work are safe
171
What is living wage ?
Minimum hourly rate for people aged 25 +
172
What is dismissal ?
Employer makes someone leave job due to dissatisfaction with their performance
173
What are equal opportunities ?
Right to be treated without discrimination
174
What is the Equality Act 2010 ?
Law that protects people from discrimination in the workplace
175
What are 2 advantages of equal opportunities ?
1. Awarding jobs on employees merits alone = access to skills & experience
2. Most stakeholders see it as positive aspect
176
What are disadvantages of equal opportunities ?
1. Short term = costs of conducting interviews & training of staff may increase
2. Risk of unbalanced view of what equal opportunities mean
177
What is a trade union ?
Association of workers in a trade or profession, formed to defend & advance rights & interests
178
What is collective bargaining ?
Representatives of employees, negotiations around gaining similar benefits for all employees
179
What are 2 advantages of collective bargaining ?
1. Save time & money = negotiating with small number of representatives from trade union
2. Gives employees more bargaining power
180
What is a disadvantage of collective bargaining ?
Lessen benefits for experienced staff = ensure all staff receive similar benefits
181
What is a trade dispute ?
Workers & employer arguing or negotiating over conditions of employment
182
What is industrial action ?
Employees protest over some element of working conditions
183
What are 3 methods of dispute resolution ?
1. Negotiation
2. Consultation
3. Arbitration = Advisory, Conciliation & Arbitration Services
184
What are 3 advantages of good employer-employee relations ?
1. Smooth running business
2. Staff who feel involved more likely to accept difficult decisions
3. Lower costs & more flexible workforce
185
What is a disadvantage of employer-employee relations ?
Lack of involvement with own agenda can be counterproductive & disputes = strikes
