Management of people

Question 1

what is the role of human resources manager?

Answer 1

• providing a safe working space
• recruitment and selection
• monitoring and training staff
• promoting good working relationships
• ensuring fair pay

Question 2

m

Answer 2

m

Question 3

what is the selection process

Answer 3

short list

collect references

interviews

testing (if applicable)

appointing

Question 4

corporate culture meaning?

Answer 4

beliefs and behaviours of employees inside and outside of the business

Question 5

workforce planning meaning?

Answer 5

deciding how many and what type of workers are required and when

Question 6

what are work based qualifications?

Answer 6

SVCs in Scotland apprenticeship

Question 7

Why may companies need more workers?

Answer 7

employees may be promoted and have to be replaced

workers move to another job

workers may decide to resign/quit

Question 8

appraisal meaning?

Answer 8

a two way meeting between an employee and a line manager

Question 9

what is employee participation?

Answer 9

involving employees in decision making

Question 10

what is external recruitment?

Answer 10

involves hiring staff from outside the organisation. They will bring fresh ideas with them but they are unknown to the company

Question 11

what is internal recruitment?

Answer 11

Involves appointing existing staff. A known person is recruited.

Question 12

what are benefits of internal recruitment?

Answer 12

• internal candidates abilities are already known
• they know the culture
• they need less training
• process is quicker and cheaper
• internal promotion is good for overall staff morale

Question 13

what are the disadvantages of internal recruitment?

Answer 13

• the pool of candidates is limited
• no new ideas are brought in
• creates another vacancy that needs to be filled
• unsuccessful candidates may be resentful or demotivated

Question 14

what are the advantages of external recruitment?

Answer 14

external candidates can bring in new ideas

external candidates may have wider range of experience

large pool of candidates to choose the best one from

Question 15

what are the disadvantages of external recruitment?

Answer 15

no prior knowledge of how candidates perform on the job

process is expensive as job adverts cost money

process is slow and lengthy

Question 16

what are some recruitment methods?

Answer 16

Application forms
Interviews
References
Tests

Question 17

what is a benefit of good employee relations?

Answer 17

The organisation will have a positive image for treating staff well. This may lead to a higher standard of employee applying to work for the business.

Disputes between employees and employers are less likely because employees feel they have been consulted.

Implementing changes in the business is easier for management as employees will be more flexible.

Employees will be more committed to the organisation resulting in the business being more likely to meet its objectives.

Question 18

what can poor employee relations lead to?

Answer 18

workers not co-operating

industrial action

a bad reputation for the organisation

Question 19

what is the equality act?

Answer 19

The Equality Act 2010 aims to prevent discrimination in the workplace. It is illegal to discriminate against workers based on nine protected characteristics

Question 20

what are the nine protected characteristics (equality act)?

Answer 20

age
disability
gender reassignment
marriage and civil partnership
pregnancy and maternity
race: can refer to colour, nationality, ethinic or national origins
religion or belief: can refer to religious or philosophical beliefs, including a lack of belief
sex: refers to a person's gender
sexual orientation

Question 21

impact of the equality act?

Answer 21

Policies and procedures – organisations need to have policies and procedures in place to ensure that there are equal job opportunities for all. They must also prevent discrimination across all aspects of the organisation.

Employee training – staff must be trained on the requirements of equal opportunity legislations.

Recruitment procedures – organisations may have to revise their recruitment policies to ensure there is no discriminatory wording in job adverts and no discrimination during the recruitment process.

Accessibility – the business needs to ensure it is accessible to all. This may require investment in equipment such as ramps or the installation of lifts.

Prosecution – the organisation may be prosecuted if they fail to comply with regulations resulting in a fine.

Investigation – an organisation must investigate any accusations of discrimination or harassment against employees or customers.

Question 22

what is a job description? (workforce planning)

Answer 22

Job descriptions explain the work to be done and typically set out the following:
job title
location of work
main tasks of the employee

Question 23

why is a person specification useful during workforce planning?

Answer 23

Person specifications list individual qualities of the person required, eg:
qualifications
experience
skills
These elements are arranged into two categories:
essential
desirable
From this a view of the ideal candidate will be formed.

Question 24

what are some examples of selection methods?

Answer 24

CV
Interview 
Tests 
Assessment Centres 
References
Trial Periods

Question 25

why are CVs beneficial?

Answer 25

CVs answer all the same questions which makes it easier for the business to compare CVs and decide who is the best candidate for the job

Question 26

what are the benefits and costs of an interview as a selection method?

Answer 26

advantages:
interviews find out how applicants act under pressure
interviews give an indication of the applicants personality and character

disadvantages:
some candidates can train for interviews and know what to say to make themselves seem like the best candidate when they arent
interviews are stressful and the business may miss out on good employees who underperform due to the pressure of the interview

Question 27

what are the costs of testing?

Answer 27

can be time-consuming to carry out
may put applicants under too much pressure
candidates may be more prepared for the test than actually being a good employee

Question 28

advantages and disadvantages of assessment centres?

Answer 28

advantages:
assess how applicants interact with each other
reduces the chance of interviewer bias as results are a true reflection of the candidate’s abilities
assess how applicants will react to real-life situations

disadvantages:
a venue will need to be hired
several managers will need to be sent to assessment centres to assess candidates
tests require planning and preparation which takes a lot of time

Question 29

costs of trial periods?

Answer 29

if the company hires someone who isn’t suited for the job, they may have to go through lengthy disciplinary and dismissal procedures

Question 30

why are references beneficial?

Answer 30

as the company can confirm what the candidate is saying is the truth and not lies.

Question 31

what are the benefits of an appraisal?

Answer 31

can motivate employees as employers have a chance to acknowledge any good work or improved performance
training needs can be identified which will lead to a higher standard of work
targets can be set for employees which will lead to increased motivation and purpose
good practice can be identified and shared across the organisation
improved employee relations as managers and employees have time to have a professional discussion and resolve any problems
opportunity for wage increases and promotions may occur through using appraisals

Question 32

what are the costs of an appraisal?

Answer 32

can be time consuming to carry out appraisal with all members of staff
negative appraisals can lead to demotivated staff
employees may feel under pressure during an appraisal and take on too many development tasks

Question 33

what is a 360 apprasial?

Answer 33

This is an evaluation of an employee’s performance that considers feedback and opinions from:

line managers
peers
subordinates
the employee themselves

Each person asked to take part in a 360-degree appraisal will be given a set of identical questions about the employee. The answers will be used to compare and analyse how the employee is performing. This will help them with self-evaluation and improvement.

Question 34

what is a one-to-one appraisal?

Answer 34

This is a regular and formal review of an employee’s performance by their line manager, which normally takes place at least once a year.

One-to-one appraisals involve a review on an employee’s progress towards their targets. Time is taken to set targets for the coming year.

Question 35

what is a peer-to-peer appraisal?

Answer 35

This type of appraisal excludes an employee’s line manager. Other workers in the same or similar position are asked to provide feedback on different aspects of an employee’s performance.

Question 36

what are some way employee motivation can be imporved?

Answer 36

Employee relations can be improved by involving employees in the decision-making process. Some ways to do this are through:

Works councils
Consultative committees
Worker directors

Question 37

what are works councils?

Answer 37

Works councils are made up of employees and managers that come together to discuss factors that may impact the business. Work councils can be used to promote discussion between managers and employees or to set up policies and procedures that are then implemented in the business. Due to employees being involved in decisions and policy making they may be less resistant to change.

Question 38

what are consultative committees?

Answer 38

Consultative committees are similar to works councils and are set up to discuss issues that will affect the business. These committees are made up of employees and managers but may also involve other stakeholders such as customers or members of the local community

Question 39

what are worker directors?

Answer 39

A worker director is an employee that is elected to sit on the board of directors to represent the interests of the workers. This can lead to employees feeling they have some representation and influence in the decision making process.