Human Resources Flashcards
Organisational structure
The way in which a business arranges itself internally to carry out its activities.
Role
Fulfilling a task or duty within a business.
Span of control
The number of employees a manager is directly responsible for.
Delayering
The removal of one or more levels of hierarchy from a business’s organisational structure.
Communication
The exchange of information between 2 or more people.
Centralised
Businesses where important decisions are made by senior managers.
Directors
Most senior - strategic decisions
Managers
- Oversee employees
* Run the business day to day
Team Leaders
Oversee a small group of workers.
Workers
Day to day tasks.
Hierarchy
The levels of importance in an organisation chart
Delegate
Passing over responsibility to a subordinate
Subordinate
A person in a lower level of hierarchy
Chain of command
How communication gets passed down the business
Span of control
The number of people you are responsible for
Authority
Having power over other employees
Line manager
Where one employee is in charge of another less important employee
Function
Where the business is organised according to what each department does
Organisation chart
The internal structure of a business
Flat structure
- Few layers of hierarchy
* Wider span of control
Tall structure
- Many layers of hierarchy
* Narrow span of control
Benefits and drawbacks of flat organisational structure
Benefits:
• Quicker communication as there are fewer layers for messages to pass through
• Cheaper as few managers employed
Drawbacks:
• Employees may not be very well controlled and quality of work could suffer
• Training costs in ensuring workers can cope with additional responsibility
Benefits and drawbacks of tall organisational structure
Benefits:
• Managers can closely supervise quality of work
• Responsibility is kept in the hands of senior managers so less risk of costly mistakes
Drawbacks:
• Communication can easily be distorted and misunderstood
• Slow decision making as the chain of command is lengthy
Decentralised
All staff are empowered to make decisions
Benefits and drawbacks of centralised
Benefits:
• Decisions are made by experienced people
• Decisions are taken for the benefit of the whole business
Drawbacks:
• No ideas or suggestions from staff
• Some senior managers may abuse their position of power and influence decisions
Benefits and drawbacks of decentralised
Benefits:
• Reduces the stress on senior team
• Quicker decisions are made
Drawbacks:
• Decisions may be made that do not fit with the business aims
• Poor Decisions made could harm the entire business
Recruitment
The process of finding and appointing new employees
Job description
Outlines the tasks and duties of the role
Shortlisting
How a business selects who to interview based on who best matches the job description/person specification
Internal recruitment
Looking within the business to fill the position
Person specification
Outlines the desirable qualities a person must possess for a role
External recruitment
Appointing someone externally to fill the position
Part time
Where employees work less than 35 hours a week
Job share
Where two or more people share a single full time job
Full time
Where employees work often over 35 hours a week
Zero hours
The employer is not obliged to give the employee a minimum number of hours
Benefits of full time
- Fewer staff required in total
- Employees may feel more secure and motivated
- Lower recruitment and selection costs
Benefits of part time
- Staff can be employed just to cover busy times
* Two workers may be more flexible than one
Reasons new recruitment is required
- Someone left
- Business expands
- New position
- ill
Benefits of recruiting the best staff
- Motivated staff
- Increased productivity
- Save costs
- Loyalty
- Easier to recruit
Recruitment process
- Identify the vacancy
- Undertake job analysis
- Draw up a job description
- Draw up a person specification
- Advertise the vacancy
- Short list applicants
- Select applicants
- Appoint a candidate
Methods of selecting the best employees
x2
- Physchometric tests - a test to find out whether someone’s personality is suitable for a job/ who will fit best in the team
- Assessment Centres - A group of participants undertake a series of job-related exercises under observation, so that skills, competencies, and character traits can be assessed
Benefits and drawbacks of external recruitment
Benefits:
• New ideas and fresh outlook could assist the business in moving forward
• Minimises jealously from other existing employees as an outsider is appointed
Drawbacks:
• Could find it difficult to fit with the business’s culture
• Much more expensive form of recruitment
Benefits and drawbacks of internal recruitment
Benefits:
• Provides workers with an incentive for promotion that can be motivating
• Quicker and cheaper form of recruitment
Drawbacks:
• Creates a vacancy that has to be filled
• Can create internal conflict
Motivation
Desire to complete a task
Importance of motivation
- Staff retention
- Increased productivity
- Increased quality
- Enjoy job
Financial and non-financial methods of motivation
Financial:
• Training
• Salary
Non-financial:
• Greater responsibility
• Style of management
Wages
Paid per hour that you work, normally weekly
Fringe benefits
Benefits on top of your pay e.g. mobile phone, health insurance or company car
Commission
A sum of money given to employees when they have sold their target amount of the product
Job rotation
Giving employees different tasks to do to keep it interesting
Training
A method of increasing the skills of an employee
Profit sharing
Given a small % of the profit a business makes
Working environment
Ensuring employees have a pleasant place to woke with adequate facilities
Share options
Giving employees shares within the company at a reduced rate
Praise
Telling employees they have done a good job
Empowerment
Allowing employees to make decisions
Bonus’s
Given a sum of money for good work, sometimes at Christmas
Salaries
An annual sum given to employees, normally paid at the end of the month
Promotion
Giving employees a position or higher responsibility, normally with a wage increase
Team working
Allowing employees to work together
Management style
The way in which a senior member of staff leads their business, how they treat people
Job enrichment
Giving employees more interesting and challenging tasks
