Investing In People

Question 1

What is succession planning?

Answer 1

Ensuring the organisation has the correct staff to enable it to perform effectively.
Analysing the current employment needs of the organisation.
Forecasting the future demand for employees.
Forecasting the future supply of employees.
Predicting labour turnover.

Question 2

What are the advantages of succession planning (people investment planning)?

Answer 2

The business can put in place strategies and courses of action to meet these needs, e.g. training.
The business can examine the current employee needs of the organisation.
This information will provide the human resource department at the business with a clear picture of the current employees situation within the organisation.
Identifies skills shortages.
Identifies training needs.
Customer care should be maximised.

Question 3

What are the disadvantages of succession planning (people investment planning)?

Answer 3

Doesn’t take into consideration the behaviour of employees. It simply seeks to predict the numbers of staff that may be needed in the future.
Changes in external environment can make it difficult to predict future human resource requirements.
The HRM need to be careful that future plans don’t de-motivate staff or cause industrial relations difficulty.

Question 4

What is the formula for predicting labour turnover?

Answer 4

Number of staff leaving per period / average number of staff in post during the period x100

Question 5

What is the objective of recruitment?

Answer 5

To ensure that the best candidates are chosen and retained for a job.

Question 6

What is a job analysis?

Answer 6

A job analysis will allow them to identify the skills, training and tasks performed in this role.

Question 7

What is a job description?

Answer 7

Involves putting together a detailed description of the tasks, responsibilities and working conditions of the post available.

Question 8

What is a person specification?

Answer 8

The personal characteristics of the employee. It sets out the desired qualities the ideal candidate should possess.

Question 9

What is internal recruitment?

Answer 9

Promoting from within the business.

Question 10

What are the advantages of internal recruitment?

Answer 10

It is cheaper and quicker.
Motivates existing staff.
Know the culture and policies of the business.
No need for induction training.

Question 11

What are the disadvantages of internal recruitment?

Answer 11

No new blood and new ideas.
Can cause resentment.
De motivation. The person who doesn’t get it is demotivated.
Ignores outside candidates who may be more suitable.

Question 12

What are the advantages of external recruitment?

Answer 12

Larger pool of candidates.
Higher calibrate of candidates.
Brings in new ideas and thinking.

Question 13

What are the disadvantages of external recruitment?

Answer 13

Slower and most costly than internal.
Some people can sell themselves in an interview but not great in practise.
Takes time for a new candidate to settle in.
Existing employees may see this as no oppurtunities for internal promotion.

Question 14

What are all the methods of external recruitment?

Answer 14

Media advertising.
Private employment agencies.
Department for employment and learning.
Headhunting.
Milk round.

Question 15

What are psychometric testing?

Answer 15

They measure the characteristics and attitudes that an individual might have in relation to working with the general public.

Question 16

What should a contract of employment include?

Answer 16

Must be given within 8 weeks of starting employment.
Name of employer
Name of employee
Jon title
Place of work
Rate and frequency of pay
Holiday arrangements
Date the job commences

Question 17

What are the advantages of training?

Answer 17

Workforce should be more skilled and flexible.
Accidents and injuries should be reduced.
Training can improve the overall image of the company.
Employees should be more motivated.

Question 18

What are the disadvantages of training?

Answer 18

It is very costly.
Employees may ,eave their current job and go to a competitor, therefore the competition benefits.
It may take time out of work.
People are reluctant to change.

Question 19

What are the advantages of off the job training?

Answer 19

Courses are carried out by qualified instructors.
Can learn at their own pace.
Costs of training easy to calculate.
Employees can receive a formal qualification sometimes.

Question 20

What are the disadvantages of off the job training?

Answer 20

More expensive than on the job training.
Learning not taking place in an environment where the employee will fully utilise skills and knowledge.
Equipment used in off the job may not be similar to what they are used to in their own environment
Employee has to leave work to train, therefore loss of production.

Question 21

What are the advantages of on the job training?

Answer 21

Cheap and easy to carry out.
Specific to job.
Doesn’t take time away from work-more economical.
Employees feel at home in their own surroundings and know each other.
Usually given on an individual basis-may gain more from the training.

Question 22

What are the disadvantages of on the job training?

Answer 22

Other workers can suffer.
Not trained by a specialist.
Need to pick a suitable, experienced employee to ensure training is effective.
The experienced employee giving the training may neglect their own work.
Trainee may make mistakes which can be costly to the business.
May slow down production/sales.
Can impact on the image of the business.

Question 23

What are the advantages of appraisal?

Answer 23

It identifies employees strengths and areas for training.
It allows employees an opportunity to discuss with their manager their progress.
It helps to identify if an employee should get a pay rise.

Question 24

What are the disadvantages of appraisal?

Answer 24

It can put an employee under pressure. Not a true reflection.
It will take time out for both the employee and supervisor to observe then meet to discuss the appraisal outcomes.
It can demotivate employees if there are a lot of issues, or if they don’t get a pay rise.

Question 25

What are the advantages of online recruitment?

Answer 25

Lower costs to organisation. Posting inline is relatively cheap.
No intermediaries.
Reduction in time for recruitment.
Improved efficiency of recruitment process.
Gives a 24/7 access to an online collection of resumes.

Question 26

What are the disadvantages of online recruitment?

Answer 26

Screening and checking the skill mapping and authenticity of millions of resumes is a problem and time consuming exercise.
There is low internet penetration in many third world countries.
Organisations cannot depend solely on the online recruitment methods.