Human Resources Flashcards
What is span of control?
The number of employees for whom a manager is responsible for.
What is delayering?
Reducing the number of levels in the hierarchy of an organisation
What are advantages of a centralised organisation?
Decisions are made quicker
In a crisis there is strong leadership
What are the disadvantages of a centralised organisation?
Lack of motivation for employees
State features of a tall structure?
High number of levels of hierarchy
Smaller span of control
Explain the term ‘organisational structure’
A diagram that shows the hierarchy of the business, usually from top to bottom, showing the span of control at each stage.
State four pieces of information that can be found about a business by looking at its organisation structure?
Span of control
Number of layers
If its centralised or decentralised
(Tall or flat)
Explain why a flat organisational structure is more likely to motivate employees?
There are less layers in a flat structure meaning, its easier to provide ideas and prove creativity to managers, resulting it easier to be able to reach higher hierarchy in the business resulting in increased motivation due to higher chance of promotion.
More span of control resulting in more delegation from the manager of the span, resulting in more chances to for staff to be promoted as well as one person cannot manage everything giving employees chances to show their skills.
What is meant by the term decentralization?
Removing layers of a organisational structure allowing, increased span of control removing all the decisions from the head office as it allows employees to give their voice.
What are the benefits of internal recruitment?
Recruitment will take less time because the candidate is already known to the business
There is no need to spend time or money on advertisement
There will be less induction training
Less risk
Motivation
What are the benefits of appointing an external candidate
He or she is likely to bring new ideas and enthusiasm
More selection of applicants
You won’t have to advertise for a place of the old job(from internal)
What are the advantages of on the job training?
It is likely to be much cheaper, as it will likely be provided by the businesses staff.
It can be tailored to specific requirements of the business
What are the disadvantages of on the job training?
It can be regarded as less valuable, especially if it is delivered by people who work within the business.
It can be seen as a waste of time and tedious, demotivating employees as they feel less valued.
What are the advantages of off the job training?
Many workers regard this as a perk, involving time away from work in a pleasant surrounding, resulting in motivation as they feel valued.
It is an opportunity to spend time with people in a different environment, which can break down barriers between managers and other workers, resulting in an increased productivity due to less conflicts.
What are the disadvantages of off the job training?
It is more expensive than on the job training
If not all employees get the same training, other employees may feel less valued.
State four elements of the recruitment process.
Job specification, Personal Profile, Advertising, Interviews, Shortlisting.
What is an appraisal?
A formal assessment of an employee’s performance.
What will make an appraisal ineffective?
A lack of commitment by senior staff, a proper system of appraisal can be expensive.
A failure to respond to employee concerns or goals, e.g. if an employee acknowledges that he or she needs trained but doesn’t receive it will create a lack of confidence in the process.
Unrealistic targets being set. Employees may have unrealistic expectations of what can be achieved.
If they are not SMART targets
What will make appraisal effective?
Senior managers ensure that all managers are committed to the process.
Ensuring that employees understand the system
Ensuring that all target set are SMART
What is self-assessment?
Self-reflection on how they think the year went, usually used a starting point in appraisal.
What is a 360 degree appraisal
A 360 degree appraisal is receiving feedback from several people, however it can be used to get back at your workers if the comments are anonymous.
What is peer assessment?
The assessment of a staffs work over the year by another peer.
What is the formula for labour turnover?
Average no. of employees leaving per year /
Average no. of employees employed per year
What is the formula for absenteeism?
Total days absent in the month/
Total available working days in the month
What is the formula for lateness?
Total number of late arrivals/
Total number of scheduled attendances
What is the formula for productivity?
Output(Per week/month/year)/
Average number of employees
Why are average labour turnover for a business misleading?
Different sections of a business can have different number of employees, e.g. Human Resources may only have 2, so if 1 left it would be a 50% labour turnover that could rise the overall average of the business.
What are the benefits to employees of improving performance?
Job security
Higher pay
Bonuses
More holiday entitlement
What do managers or leaders do?
Communicating Controlling Co-ordinating Decision making Evaluating progress Leading Motivating Planning
What are the different types of management and leadership?
Autocratic
Democratic
Laissez-faire
Paternalistic
What is a autocratic leader?
Sets the work and expects it to be performed as directed, doesn’t involve employees, very strict.
What is a democratic leader?
Encourages employee input into decision making, believes in employee autonomy.
Allows employees to use initiative
Believes that motivation from employees is not just financial..
What is a Laissez-faire leader?
A leader that is remote from employees, providing little direction to employees.
Adopts a ‘let them get on with it’ approach
Requires employees to set their own tasks and objectives.
What is centralisation?
The amount of control exercised by senior executives over decision making. The business is highly centralised when middle managers and employees have little autonomy.
What is Theory X?
Theory X states that managers view employees as inherently lazy, disliking work and responsibility. They lack the will and ability to work unsupervised, having no initiative.
Largely motivated by money
What is Theory Y?
A theory Y manager views employees as enjoying their work if the correct conditions are created. Willing to accept responsibility and challenges, creative and willing to contribute. Able to exercise self discipline.
Motivated by many factors not just money.
What are the different types of managers there are?
Senior managers, middle managers, Junior managers, Line and Staff Managers.
What is the job of senior manager?
Top of the organisation, led by a CEO, working with the board of directors. They are more concerned with the long term planning, rather than the day to day work in the business.
What are middle managers?
These managers will have more operational, day to day control, they are responsible for implementing the strategy chosen by the senior managers.
What are junior managers?
They are managers destined for higher positions in the future, who have a degree of authority, generally supervisory work.
What is a line manager?
Line managers have direct input and responsibility for policy on the businesses products. Has control in their department to perform appropriate tasks.
What are staff managers?
Staff managers exist to provide advice and support to the line managers.
What are the characteristics of a manger?
Minimises risks
Sets an example
Not very outgoing
Tells employees to follow procedures.
What are the characteristics of a leader?
Risk-taker Embraces change Creative Inspirational Charismatic
What does Carlyle and Galton’s theory relate to?
Leadership traits.
What is organisation by system?
This refers to the business having specialist areas, that operate together to contribute towards the input of the product.
What is a line manager?
The personal who has direct input into the policy and responsibilities of the businesses products.
What is Taylors Theory of scientific management?
This refers to the fact that employees are motivated mainly by pay, thus by implementing piece rate into a business this will increase productivity and result in increased profits and increased wages. As they become specialised there productivity would increase further, as they jobs are broken down into separate sections.
What is Mayo’s Theory?
Psychological factors were also important as was teamwork, communication and interest from management . This could motivate staff.
What is McClelland’s Theory?
Three needs theory, states the need for achievement, The need for affiliation and the need for power.
What is Herzberg’s theory?
The two factory theory states that staff need hygiene factors and motivating factors such as responsibility and recognition.
What is Maslow’s theory?
The hierarchy of needs states that a employees have a variety of needs to stay motivated, including Physiological needs, Safety needs, Social Needs, Esteem needs and Self actualisation needs.
What are the limitations of Maslow’s theory?
Was not designed for use in the business world
General- self-actualisation may be met by the employee himself from leisure activities.
What theory actually is right at motivating?
There is not a definitive answer, its nevertheless apparent that certain factors ‘motivators’ work, such as fair pay, managers taking genuine interest in employees, work and development, social needs.
State the difference between motivation and morale?
Motivation is when the employee behaviours in a certain way to increase the rate of which goals and objectives are reached, where as morale is the feelings and behaviours of an employee the feeling of being part of a team with a purpose.
What is the basic premise of trade unionism?
Unity is strength
What does ACAS stand for?
Advisory and Conciliation Arbitration Service
What is meant by ‘employee/employer’ relations
The relationship between the employee and employer.
Outline two possible benefits to a business of good employer/employee relation?
Increased motivation as if the employee feels their views count, they are more likely to be motivated resulting in increased productivity reducing the costs of the business.
Increased quality in decision making, as if the employer knows the employees opinion, they will take that into consideration before making a decision
Outline two costs of a business of having bad employer/employee relation?
High labour turnover- due to poor motivation resulting in more induction process, reducing productivity and increased cost of training.
Absenteeism- they don’t feel as they are valued by the business resulting in days missed reducing the productivity
Outline two reasons for a dispute between employees and management
Changes to pay, resulting in shareholders getting a greater share of dividends due to greater profits from reduced costs, resulting in employees feeling used and not treated well.
Employee’s being absent on purpose raising the absenteeism rates, reducing the productivity of the firm.
What is industrial action?
Putting pressure on employers to change a decision made by management that affects the employees negatively or unjust e.g. striking.
What is the function of ACAS?
To provide support on employee/employer relations
Publishes good practises for businesses to do to improve relations between employers and employees.
What are the three sectors of employment law?
Laws relating to recruitment process
Laws relating to employees in the work place
Laws relating to the termination of employment
What is the Act referring to a minimum wage?
The Minimum Wage Act 1999, ensuring that employees aged 18 get paid at least a minimum.
What is the 2010 Equality Act?
Women and men are entitled to be paid equal amounts for the work of equal value. The same reasoning applies to provision of any benefit, e.g. company car.
What is the Data Protection Act 1984?
The act is designed to prevent harm resulting from the misuse of any data that is held. Information about an employee’s sickness or disciplinary record ford example could be misused especially if the information e.g. criminal conviction has become outdated. This also now from 2003 applies the businesses customers.
What is the Working Time Directive?
It states that an employee may not work more than 48hours a week on average.
In the human resource department area of the business what is it important to have a balance of?
Age-Older more skilled
Innovation- fresh ideas
Skills-Most businesses need a range of skills
What are strategies that are adopted by businesses to meet their human resource needs?
Outsourcing
Flexible working practices
What are factors that affect the ability of a business to meet its human resource requirements?
Availability of potential workers Skills of the workers Nature of the work Demand for workers Location of the business Cost of living in the area Government legislation-e.g. minimum wage
What is outsourcing?
Outsourcing refers to contracting jobs to external labour instead of the business producing the good itself.
Why may a business outsource?
Saves the business the difficulty of hiring staff and time.
Saves the cost of hiring staff on a permanent basis
What are flexible working practices?
Flexible working describes a range of employment options designed to help employees balance work and home life, such as flexi-time giving the employees some degree of the hours they work. E.g. Term time working Job sharing Zero hour contracts Remote working Compressed hours Annualized hours
What is job sharing?
Job sharing involves dividing a single full-time job between two people who share the responsibility, pay and benefits.
What are the benefits of operating a job sharing scheme?
If one of the job sharers is absent the business still can cover some of the tasks by the other job sharer.
Allows the business to recruit skilled workers who cannot work full time employment
What are the drawbacks of operating a job sharing scheme?
Additional admin costs for having two workers instead of one.
If they have managerial roles, some employees may find it difficult to work for two people.
What is remote working?
This involves allowing the employee to work away from the business premise.
What is the advantage of remote working for the business?
The productivity of employees may increase as they have less interruptions and distractions.
Can cause low level of absenteeism as employees.
What are the disadvantages of remote working for the business?
It is harder to check if the employees are actually working.
There is an initial set up cost of providing the necessary technology.
What are zero hour contracts?
Zero hour contracts allow employees to hire staff with no guarantee of work. Staff only work when they are needed, which can be at short notice however they don’t have to accept it.
What are the advantages to a business of hiring on zero hour contracts?
It may be cheaper than using agency staff
It reduces the admin costs of employing labour on a full time basis
Not having to accept the work allows greater employee flexibility.
What are the disadvantages to a business of hiring on zero hour contracts?
There is no certainty of employment
Limited job security for employees
What are compressed hours?
Employees working their hours over fewer days with more hours per day instead of it being spread out.
What are the advantages of compressed hours?
Employees will pay less commuting costs.
It may reduce the congestion on the roads.
Staff morale may improve due to ‘extra’ day off and therefore productivity may increase.
What are the disadvantages of compressed hours?
Productivity may fall as employees working day is longer. Due to employees getting burnt out.
What is annualized hours?
This is where employees work a total number of hours for the year as a whole, with a degree of flexibility as to how these hours are undertaken.
What are the advantages of annualised hours?
It allows employers to use the workforce when needed
Allows employees flexibility
Reduced overtime costs for the business, reducing the overall costs helping the business stay more competitive.
What are the disadvantages of annualised hours?
Being on call may be restrictive for employees
Uncertainty when the employees will be called
The opportunity to overtime is lost.
What is workforce planning?
The process used to plan the number and quality of employees that will be required, both in the short term and the long term.
What is a job description?
The first part of the recruitment process setting out the job requirements, including duties and responsibilities of the job.
What is a person specification?
This includes skills and experience required to succeed in a specified job application it may include: qualifications previous experience ability to work with a team ability to use initative flexibility
What are the benefits of internal recruitment?
Recruitment will take less time because the candidate is already known.
There will be less need for induction training
The candidate will already know the business
The opportunity of promotion may encourage good workers to stay and try and work harder to try and gain a promotion themselves.
What are the downsides of internal recruitment?
It will create a gap in the business that will have to recruit a new employee for.
May be less skilled than potential external candidates
What are the benefits of external recruitment?
He or she is likely to bring new ideas and enthusiasm.
The field of applicants will be bigger with more skills.
What is the recruitment process?
Job description Person specification Advertising Applications Short list applications Interviews Tests-E.g. psychometric test
What are psychometric tests?
Tests may measure aptitude, personality or interests
What are the advantages of on the job training?
It is likely to be much cheaper especially if it is provided by business’s staff.
It can be tailored to the specific requirements of the business
First hand experience of the equipment the business has.
What are the disadvantages of on the job training?
It may be regarded as less valuable, especially if it is delivered by the people who work within the business, this could make employees feel not valued by the business that could cause a rise in labour turnover.
What are the advantages of off the job training?
For many workers this may be regarded as a perk, involving time away from in a pleasant surrounding.
The person receiving the off the job training can pass some of the training onto other staff.
What are the disadvantages of off the job training?
It will be more expensive that on the job training
Employees may regard it as a waste of time and money by employees.
What other training can a business perform that is not on or off the job training?
Learning by watching and doing.
Apprenticeships
E-learning
Courses
Academic training
Vocational training.
What government training initiatives are there?
Investors in people-Developing skills in the workforce e.g. customer service
The skills funding agency- funds training.
What is trading needs analysis?
TNA is a tool to identify gaps employees actual performance and the required performance.
How can a business conduct training needs analysis?
Observations Interview Questionnaires Focus groups Document review
What factors must be considered as part of Training needs analysis?
The firm must first decide what it wants to achieve in the future, e.g. better customer service etc.
Important to involve the employees being trained so they have an input into what training they need.
Decisions must be made about how the training is delivered, e.g. external internal?
External providers need to be chosen carefully to match the business
The cost of the training must be considered to see if its worth undertaking the training.
The number of whom need training must be considered, if it is a lot of people it may be better to deliver a course in house.
After training is completed by a business what do they need to do?
Do an evaluation of the training to see if the training has delivered value for money.
It is important to do cost benefit analysis on any training provided to enable better decision making in this area in the future.
What is the appraisal process?
Set objectives - decide what is needed from employees and agree these objectives with them. If appropriate, set timescales for achieving them.
Manage performance - give employees the tools, resources and training they need to perform well. If appropriate, set timescales for achieving objectives.
Carry out the appraisal - monitor and assess employees’ performance, discuss those assessments with them and agree on future objectives.
Provide rewards/remedies - consider pay awards and/or promotion based on the appraisal and decide how to tackle poor performance.
What is Blake’s Management style grid?
Blake’s grid is a method of identifying the actions, priorities and therefore leadership style of a manager.
On Blake’s grid what is a low people needs and a low tasks need leader called?
Impoverished.
On Blake’s grid what is high people needs but low task needs leader called?
Country Club
On Blake’s grid what is a high task needs but low people needs leader called?
Authoritarian
On Blake’s grid what is a high task needs and high people needs leader called?
Team leader
What is a middle of the road leadership style, on Blake’s grid?
Compromises between both the task needs and people needs, neither set of needs is truly met and less than optimal outcomes for each are achieved.
What are the four leadership styles in Tannenbaum and Schmidt theory?
Tell-Autocratic
Sell-Try to persuade employees
Consult-Ask employees for opinions
Participate-Involve employees in decisions.
What Is Adairs leadership theory state?
It highlights the three elements for all leadership situations, which are:
Achievement of task
Team or group involved in task
Individual members of the group involved in task.
What are the four different areas with managers in a business?
Production
Marketing
Personnel
Financial
What is a production manager concerned with?
Making the products Production scheduling Purchasing Stock control Quality control Maintenance`
What is a marketing manager concerned with?
Market research
Pricing policies
Promotion campaigns
Distribution
What is a personnel manager concerned with?
Organisation of people Recruitment Training Performance appraisal Advice on motivation Dismissal
What is a financial manager concerned with?
Receipts Payments Raising finance Analysis of costs General housekeeping of the business accounts
Why is motivation important?
Motivated employees are less prone to absenteeism and have lower labour turnover
Motivated employees are more willing to go the extra mile for the business
Motivated employees present a better image of the business to external bodies.
What are monetary methods of motivating staff?
Piece work pay Commission per product Profit sharing Share ownership Bonus for reaching an objective
What are non monetary methods of motivating staff?
Interesting and challenging work
Working as part of a team
Been giving responsibility
Receiving praise from management for work completed
What is Herzberg’s two factor theory?
He claimed that staff dissatisfaction occurred if hygiene factors were not adequate , hygiene factors such as a good working environment reduced discontentment.
Continually, factors that motivate staff are responsibility, recognition, meaningful and rewarding work and the opportunity for promotion.
Limitations of Herzbergs two factor theory?
It is not easy to enrich unskilled, repetitive jobs.
The work was a product of its time, the main working force when the theory was created is white male now the working force has changed significantly so the factors may not affect the current workforce.
What are Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
Employees have a variety of needs at work that have to be satisfied and until the lower order needs are met the higher ones cannot be.
The order of needs goes in Physiological Safety Social Esteem Self Actualisation
Limitations of Maslow’s theory?
The theory was not designed for use in the business world.
It can be argued that needs can be met without completing the previous need.
What is Vroom’s theory?
Vroom theory suggests that individuals decide to behave in a certain way because they are motivated to choose that particular behavior instead of another type of behavior due to what they expect the result of their choice to be.
What was the main point of Drucker’s Goal setting theory?
Decentralise and delayer the business as much as possible to allow freedom
Take an interest in employees and value their contribution
Offer ongoing training to create and nurture knowledge workers
Keep a sense of perspective when it comes to reward.
What is employee participation?
Employees have the ability to participate in the decision making process at work.
What are the benefits of employee participation?
Increased levels of motivation
Better communication
Improved quality of decision making
Complying the law
Reduced labour turnover-Reduced recruitment costs
Fewer days lost through work related injuries and illnesses.
Ability to manage change more easily giving the business a competitive advantage.
What are quality circles?
These are regular short meetings of a group of employees during working hours. The objective is to discuss and resolve work-related problems.
What are works councils?
A works council is a formal meeting of managers and employees in a particular factory to discuss pay and working conditions or grievances, and negotiate on issues such as changes in working practices.
What are teh costs to a business of recognising a trade union?
Slowing decision making as employees will want to be involved in the decision making
Trade unions will press for better wages
Better working conditions demanded.
What is industrial action?
Industrial action the measures that can be taken by a union to put pressure on management over a decision that has been made or is about to be made
What are examples of industrial action?
Strikes
Work to rule-Working to the extract hours contracted.
Refusal to work overtime
What is the main way businesses try to avoid conflict with employees?
Using ACAS guidelines.
What is ACAS?
Advisory Conciliation Arbitration Service, it gives advice on industrial relations to employees and managers, offers them a service of conciliation and finally it will provide arbitration an independent ACAS assessor will decide between two conflicting claims who is right.
What are the three main sectors of employment law?
Laws relating to the recruitment process
Laws relating to employees in the workplace
Laws relating to termination of employment.
What does the Equality act of 2010 outline?
The act sets out the different ways in which it is unlawful to treat someone.
