Management Of People

Question 1

Outline the definition of recruitment.

Answer 1

• This is the process of finding people to work for a company. Ie: attracting applicants to apply for a job vacancy

Question 2

Outline the definition of selection.

Answer 2

Refers to the methods used to choose the best or most suitable candidate for the vacancy

Question 3

Describe the stages of the recruitment process. (4)

Answer 3

1. Identify a job vacancy
   This could be because someone has left an organisation, or during periods of high demand
2. Carry out a job analysis
   Looking at the role of a job within an organisation, and the responsibilities and skills that will be required of an applicant.
3. Prepare a job description
   A job description is a document that states the tasks and responsibilities of the job.
4. Prepare a person specification
   A person specification gives information about the personal criteria required for the job. They can be classified as essential or desirable
5. Advertise the job
   An organisation will need to make applicants aware of a job either internally, within the organisation, or externally, outwith the organisation.
6. Distribute application forms or request CVs
   Application forms consist of pre-prepared questions set by the organisation. CVs are a summary of the person’s education, qualifications, employment history etc

Question 4

Discuss internal recruitment. (4)

Answer 4

ADVANTAGES:
• Cheaper than external recruitment
• Employees more motivated if they have a chance for promotion
• Applicant will already be known in terms of skills and qualities they possess
• No need to follow as many processes when appointing someone

DISADVANTAGES:
• A lack of new ideas or new systems being brought in
• There may not be anyone who is right for the job
• There is still a job vacancy to fill

Question 5

Define training and when it can be given.

Answer 5

Teaching employees new skills or updating existing ones.

Can be given when starting a new job and throughout working life

Question 6

What are the three main types of training?

Answer 6

• induction
• on the job
• off the job

Question 7

Discuss the overall advantages and disadvantages of training.

Answer 7

Advantages

• employees will be more skilled at their jobs and will provide a higher-quality product or a higher-quality service to customers
• Fewer errors made, resulting in less wastage.
• A business can gain a good reputation and attract high quality staff
• Employees will feel more valued if a business is seen to be investing into them

Disadvantages

• Employees have to spend more time away from their workplace
• Can be time-consuming
• Can be expensive for an organisation if it has to pay for training
• Employees may receive training then leave for another organisation

Question 8

Define induction training.

Answer 8

Induction training is given to new staff when they start at an organisation.

Question 9

Discuss external recruitment. (4)

Answer 9

ADVANTAGES:
• New employees can bring in new ideas or new systems knowledge
• More applicants to choose from
• There is no follow-on job vacancy to fill as the person is coming outwith the business

DISADVANTAGES:
• Can be expensive to advertise on job websites
• Internal applicants may feel undervalued if they don’t get it
• The person is not known to the organisation and may not be the correct person for the job
• Can be a more time-consuming process as there may be a more through process to go through

Question 10

Identify the topics that induction training can cover.

Answer 10

• company policies and procedures

• health and safety (eg: fire drill procedures)

• a tour of the business

• introduced to key people and teams

• an introduction to their tasks and duties

Question 11

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of induction training.

Answer 11

Advantages

• helps employees settle into the job quickly

• employees will be made more aware of important health and safety issues before starting the job

• employees will understand who the main personnel in the organisation are

Disadvantages

• Can be **time-consuming ** for the person doing the training therefore decreasing output

Question 12

Define on-the-job training.

Answer 12

Training undertaken in the workplace.

Question 13

Outline the stages of the selection process. (4)

Answer 13

○ Reading application forms, CVs and references
○ Shortlisting candidates
○ Interviewingcandidates
○ Testing candidates
○ Choosing the successful candidates
○ Notifying unsuccessful* candidates

Question 14

Describe the different types of on-the-job training.

Answer 14

• Coaching: an experienced member of staff will work through a task:step-by-step with an employee.

• Role play: involves acting out a scenario to see how an employee performs under certain conditions.

• Job rotation: members of staff can be rotated or moved through different jobs within the organisation.

• Shadowing - an employee observes another to gain a better understanding of how they do their job.

• Demonstration - is when an employee watches a task/process being carried out and then attempts it.

Question 15

Discuss the advantages + disadvantages of on-the-job training.

Answer 15

• employees are in the workplace and can continue with work;
• cheaper than off-the-job training as no courses have to be paid for;
• less time-consuming than off-the-job training.

Disadvantages

• employees that provide training may not be qualified instructors;
• employees that provide training may have picked up bad habits which will be passed on;
• training may be interrupted due to it being in the workplace.

Question 16

Define off the job training.

Answer 16

Training which takes place outwith an organisation.

Question 17

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of off the job training.

Answer 17

Advantages

• training is given by qualified instructors;
• employees can receive recognised qualifications;
• fewer interruptionscompared to on-the-job training.

Disadvantages

• employees are away from the workplace which will result in lower production;
• more expensive than on-the-job training as courses have to be paid for, which can be
  expensive;
• can be time-consuming as some courses may last longer than a year.

Question 18

Identify the types of incentives that an organisation uses with employees.

Answer 18

Financial and non-financial incentives.

Question 19

Describe methods of selection. (4)

Answer 19

• Reading CVs and application forms:
  • These can be used to compare the candidate’s skills and qualities against those listed in the person specification. This will make it easier to shortlist candidates based on those whose skills match those who are required to do the job.

Shortlisting candidates:
- After reading through all of the application forms, CVs and references, an organisation will make a shortlist of the most suitable candidates which will be put through to the next stage.

Interviews:
- A meeting between a candidate and an organisation where the candidate is asked a series of questions. This means each candidate can be compared and the organisation can assess the candidate’s appearance and personality

Testing:
- Involves testing skills and abilities of candidates possibly through aptitude tests or practical assessments etc. which allows firms to see real skill

Choosing the most suitable candidate:
- An organisation will choose the most suitable candidate(s) and will organise a start date and training dates.

Notifying unsuccessful candidates:
- Letting unsuccessful candidates know and giving them feedback on how to improve

Question 20

Discuss the various type of financial incentives that a business can use for its employees.

Answer 20

Salary: A salary is when an employee’s annual wage is divided up into twelve equal payments which are made every month. This allows employees to have a guaranteed monthly income. However, it does not encourage employees to work harder or for longer.

Piece rate: when employees are paid per item produced. This can motivate employees to produce more items, but does not mean that they will produce items to a high standard.

Time rate: when employees are paid per hour they work. This encourages employees to work longer hours, but does not reward them for hard work.

Question 21

Outline what the Equality Act 2010 ensures.

Answer 21

It ensures that employees and customers are not discriminated against in the workplace

Question 22

Identify the protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010. (4)

Answer 22

Age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnerships, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion, sexual orientation

Question 23

Describe non-financial incentives that a business can offer to its employees.

Answer 23

Home working: employees work from home all the time or part of the time.

Teleworking: employees work away from the workplace and use ICT to communicate,
e.g. a sales rep.

Flexi-time: employees can choose their start and finishing times as long as they work contracted hours and an organisation’s ‘core time’, which is the time at which all
employees must be in the workplace.

Condensed hours: employees work their contracted hours but can so over less days than a usual work week of 5 days, for example.

Job share: two (or more) people sharing one full-time job, e.g. one employee works mornings and another employee works afternoons.

Question 24

Describe what the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 ensures.

Answer 24

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 ensures that employers and employees have
responsibilities for health and safety in the workplace. This covers all aspects of health and safety within the workplace

Question 25

Identify why employees might take industrial action.

Answer 25

Pay and conditions

Working conditions

Pension terms and conditions

Question 26

Describe the employer responsibilities in the Health and Safety at Work act. (3)

Answer 26

• Provide health and safety training to all employees - this can be done through induction
training.

• Provide protective clothing to employees if required, e.g. hi-viz vests and safety goggles.

• Provide toilets and clean drinking water.

Question 27

Describe the employee responsibilities according to the Health and Safety at Work act

Answer 27

• Ensure all accidents are reported and written into up with an accident report form.

• Ensure that they adhere to all health and safety training.

• Look after their own and others health and safety in the workplace, e.g. reporting any spillages
or hazards.

Question 28

Define the National Minimum Act 1988.

Answer 28

The National Minimum Wage Act 1998 sets the minimum hourly rate at which employees must be paid. This depends on the age of employees and usually changes every April.

Question 29

Explain what types of industrial actions employees can take and how that affects an organisation.

Answer 29

Strike: employees temporarily stop working altogether. This means that production will stop for a significant amount of time.

Go-slow: employees complete tasks as slowly as possible. This means that production slows down and customer orders are delayed.

Sit-in: employees go into the workplace but refuse to do any work. This means that potential applicants decide against applying because they don’t want to be treated badly.

Overtime ban: employees refuse to work any more than their contracted hours. This means that an organisation will receive bad publicity if news like this is leaked.

Boycott: employees refuse to carry out new duties or use new pieces of equipment. This means that a business can’t advance in production and will fall behind competitors because they can’t use new tech.

Question 30

Outline the role of a Human Resources department.

Answer 30

A human resources department is responsible for all staffing matters and will use a variety of
different technology

Question 31

Describe how an HR department uses word processing.

Answer 31

• creating job descriptions and person specifications;
• creating letters to send to unsuccessful candidates;
• creating staff newsletters.

Question 32

Describe how an HR department uses e-mail.

Answer 32

• sending applicants details of interview dates, times and venues
• receiving application forms and CVs from applicants

Question 33

Describe how a HR department uses databases.

Answer 33

• keeping records of employee details
• keeping records of interview times and dates
• keeping records of all vacant posts available
• creating reports, e.g. who are the first aiders within an organisation.

Question 34

Describe how an HR department uses videoconferencing.

Answer 34

• interviewing candidates worldwide;
• carrying out training remotely.

Question 35

Describe how a HR department uses spreadsheets.

Answer 35

Creating staff rotas

Question 36

Describe how an HR department uses websites.

Answer 36

Advertising job vacancies online.

Question 37

Describe how a HR department uses presentation software.

Answer 37

• providing training to employees such as health and safety updates;
• used during induction training for new employees.