Role of Human Resources Flashcards
Who are human resources
Anyone who works for the business including the owner if he/she works and contractors
Why are Human Resources included in the business plan and what changes could happen
Plans what workers they will need and anticipate changes they will need to make
1replace workers who retire
2 if business grows or shrinks
3 if business changes method of production may need fewer workers or different skills
4 business may relocate
Wages may go up if there is a change in law
What considerations does a business need to include in its plan about human resources
1 Number of workers needed
2 number of full/part time
3number do 0 hrs contracts
4number of contractors
5 times workers are needed
6 where they will work
7 skills required
What is an organisation structure
how people and departments are organised in the business
What does an organisation chart show
Displays organisation structure and how responsibilities are divided between departments and people are organised in layers - higher thei layer the more responsibility and authority
What is span of control
Number of subordinates a manager is responsible for
What is delegation
Giving a person a specific responsibility
How do organisation charts help a business
show
1 who is responsible for tasks
2 what an individual is responsible;e for
3 what jobs are delegated to others
4 who.a worker is managed by
5 lines of communication
6how departments are linked
What does the height of the chart tell us
What are the 2 types of structures
Height tells us how many layers there are
There are tall and flat structures
What is the difference between tall and flat structure
Tall structures - triangle shape are more opportunities for promotion
Flat structures are a line with one dot on top
What are the advantages of tall structures
1 clear lines of communitication
2managers only responsible for a few people
3 opportunities for promotion
What are the disadvantages of tall structures
Which business do they best suit
1 employees feel controlled
2 workers only talk to immediate colleagues
3 suitable for large organisations and non creative businesses
What are the advantages of flat structures
1 managers delegate which motivates employees
2 workers talk to a wide range of colleagues
3 communication is quicker
4 people at the bottom more likely to share ideas with people at the top
What are the disadvantages of flat structures
Which businesses do they best suit
1 no clear lines of communication
2 managers responsible for a lot of people
3 ltd opportunities for promotion
Suitable for small and creative businesses
Why do businesses have different structures
Structure depends on size and nature of business
What is definition of full and part time work
No definition generally FT is 35 hours per week and part time less than 35 hours per week
What is a 0 hours contract who is it more popular with
A person is employed but not guaranteed work, they are contracted when needed and at short notice - more popular with females
What are the advantages of 0 hours contracts for worker
1 flexibility to employee
2 creates more jobs
3 suits semi retired and students
For the worker name the Disadvantages of 0 hours
1lower income
2no certain income
3 hours can be inconvienient
Advantages of 0 hours for the business
1 retired experienced workers can still contribute
2 business can react to demand
3 reduce overtime cost
4employee costs kept down
Disadvantages of 0 hours for business
1 recruitment and training costs higher
2 time consuming to look after more staff
What are the different types of flexible working hours
1 zero hours - employee called when needed by business
2 flexi time - work set weekly hours in as few or as many days as employee likes
3 shift working - work times change
What is the law on flexible working
Everyone is entitled to request but business doesn’t have to grant if it doesn’t suit them
What is temporary or casual labour
Which business are they common in
Workers work for a business for a short period - may have a fixed term or no contract
Seasonal eg farming and tourism
What are the advantages of temporary contracts
Disadvantages
1 business save money as only employed in busy periods
2 some prefer heavy workload for a short term and then a long period off
1 may be a shortage of workers when you need them
2workers are often unskilled
3 life unsecure for workers
What are the advantages and disadvantages for business of working from home
1 worker can work longer as save time on travel
2 worker more motivate by the freedom
3 workers may work better with fewer distractions
1 business may need to invest in technology
2 workers can be distracted at home
3 collegues can’t share ideas
4 employees may need structure to be productive
5 employees may struggle with technology
What are the advantages and disadvantages for the worker of working from home
1freedom of where and when to work
2 save money on travel
3 less stressed by comute
1 may miss social side
2 added bills
What does the term working while mobile mean give examples and why has it become popular
What are the advantages
Working when not at place of work, more popular because of improvements in technology and communications
1 on train
2 in cafe
3 on holiday
1 productivity is increased as people work when travelling
2 business costs are reduced
What is self employment and when are they common
People are their own boss
Common in construction
What are the advantages and disadvantages of self employment
1 reduced costs for business as only pay for work done
2 no on costs for the business eg pension and JIS
3 self employed usually highly motivated don’t take sick or doll days
1 employees have no rights
2 have to work long hours
What is communication
how a message gets from sender to receiver
List categories of communication
1 one way - message sent but no reply required eg announcement
2 2 way communication - receiver replies to message eg conversation
3 internal communication - between people in same organisation can be vertical with people at different levels or horizontal people at same level
4 external communication - someone inside organisation communicates with someone outside the business
5 formal communication- through official channels eg minutes
6 informal communication - conversation in a break
Give examples of the type of internal and external communication used by each area of business
marketing - external - market research and advertising
Internal - panning a ad campaign
Finance - external - explain business plan to bank
Internal - explain income expenditure to board
Human Resources external - external - to advertise a job
Internal - resolve problems between workers
Operations external - to enquire about deliveries
Internal - to discuss quantities required
Government/trade external - to apply for gov grants
Describe verbal ways to communicate, when used and their advantages and disadvantages
Phone, texting
Used in presentations and meetings formally
Advantages
1 can check message has been understood
2 can emphasise points through body language
3 visual aids can be used to aid explanations
1 if talking to a large audience the message may be lost
2 if they don’t like the message they may disrupt the meeting
3 there is no permanent record if not minuted
4 can be expensive
Describe written communication, when it is used , advantages and disadvantages
letters and emails, usually formal
Advantages -
1 record of meeting
2 receiver can reread
3 message can be sent to more than one person at a time
4 can be communicated quickly
5 avoids confrontation
Disadvantages
1 can’t immediately check it has been understood
2 needs to be clearly written to be understood
3 can be infected by virus
4 Emails get lost in spam
5 people get overwhelmed by amount of emails
Types of social media used for communication, outline advantages and disadvantages
facebook and twitter good for advertising
Advantages
1 huge number of uses
2 can update your info regularly
3 can use visuals and text
4 cheap to advertise
5 encourages customer to leave feedback
6customer can help to promote by forwarding
Disadvantages
1 costly to manage
2 difficult to measure effectiveness
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using websites to communicate
Advantages
1 sales made on line
2 products promoted worldwide
3 operate 24/7
4provides detailed and specific information
5 customers can use chat to answer questions
6 customers encourage others by leaving feedback
Disadvantages
1 risk of crashing - halting activity
2 business can receive lots of spam
3 not everyone likes to use websites
4 need to be maintained and updated regularly
What is digital communication and its impact on business advantages and disadvantages
Electronics exchange of information eg text video
1 can promote goods through websites
and target more people
2 selling online reduces need for shops
3profits increase
4 increase in goods available
Disadvantages
1 need storage facility before goods are shipped
2 increased competition as customers can compar and have more choice where to buy
How much do research by oxford economics say it costs to replace an employee
£30,614
Which 2 factors make up the costs of replacing new employee
1 cost of lost output - how long it takes new employee to do the job with the experience of the old (28 weeks)
2 cost of the recruitment process - time to interview advertise and process
Why do businesses recruit
1 company starting or growing
2 replace staff who leave
3 skill shortage
What is recruitmemt process
1 advertise
2 selection - shortlisting
3 interview - test presentation
- Documents useful when recruiting
1 job description - lists tasks and responsibilities
2 person specification - knowledge qualifications experience skills and qualities
What is the difference between internal and external recruitment advantages and disadvantages of each
internal - job fillled by someone already working for compnany advertised on notice board
Advantages
1 quicker to recruit someone already employed
2 save money on induction
3 person will already have proved themself
Disadvantages
1 not bringing in fresh ideas
2 restricting who can apply
3 can cause resentment
4 you have to backfill
External - posts filled from outside advertised in media
Advantages
1 new ideas and skills
Disadvantages
Takes longer and costs mor
Candidate is unknown
What should a job advert include
1 duties
2 Tasks
3 qualifications
4 salary
5 experience
6hours
7 place of work
8 how to apply
List methods to apply advantages of each
1 letter of application - letter by applicant saying why they believe they are suitable - shows punctuation, grammar and communication skills
2 application form - answer questions on a form - business gets the answers to direct questions
3 CV - applicant provides information about themselves - shows ability to organise information
4 Interview - applicant meets people from the firm and answers questions - can judge how well they will fit in
5 tests and presentations - present ideas - provide specific information and shows communication skills
6 group activitities - applicants work together in a group - reveals their interpersonal skills
7 references - someone known to the applicant provides information about their personal qualities - honest assessment
What does a recruiting agency do
do the work involved in recruiting staff externally saving business time, they know where to advertise
What do employment agencies do
they have lists of people willing to do certain jobs and can supply short term staff who a company sometimes will pay to take on
What is motivation and what are the benefits
motivation is the encouragement given to workers to work well
1 better employment performance
2 higher retention lower turnover
3 recruitment easier
4 less need to supervise workers
5 low absentism
6 reduce waste
7 better service
8increase in customers
What are the methods of motivation
financial and non financial
Financial
1 pay
2 profit sharing
3 bonus
4 fringe benefits - pension, private medical care
Non financial
1 praise
2 awards
3 working environment
4 atmosphere and culture of workplace
What is the difference between training and development
Training is specific and short term teaching skill knowledge to do a Job and is short term
Development is growing a worker teaching knowledge and skills for future , improving potential
Identify the different training required for different reasons
1 technical skills- upgrade skills to use new machinery
2 personal skills - develop communication
3 health and safety - reduce risk of injury
4 diversity on workplace - knowledge to deal with sensitive situations
5 management skills - for promotion and managing people
6 induction training - new workers
How does a business benefit from training worker to improve knowledge sills and abilities
1 development of business - new products
2 improve productivity - more produced at a lower cost sales and profits increase
3 solve skill shortage
4 improve customer service = increased sales
5 improve motivationa and recruitmanet - workers feel valued so perform better
List 3 types of training advantages and disadvantages
1 on the job
Advantages
1 improved performance
2 Cheaper
3 company still earning
4 being trained to do the job
Disadvantages
1 trainer needs to leave their work
2 quality of work may suffer
3 quality of training depends on trainer
4 skills specific so hard for trainee to find work else where
5 no qualification
2 off the job
Advantage s
1 experts provide high quality training
2 training with specifically designed training equipment
3 workers enjoy change of environment
4 workers feel valued
Disadvantage s
1 expensive
2 absent from work so not producing
3 may leave once gained new skill or qualification
3 inducution trining
Advantages
1 get to know colleagues
2 made feel welcome
3 get to know facilities
3 learn expectations and cultural
4 learn how to work safely
5 learn skills relevant to job
Name 2 types of staff development
Apprentrship long term leads to formal qualification mix college and work place
Advantages for business
1 good way to recruit
2 cheaper to train than hire experienced
3 subsidy from gov
4 learn on job to meet needs of business
5 avoids skills shortage
Disadvantages for business
1 if drop out business has wasted money
2 costs to business eg college fees
3 apprentice may make mistakes
Advantage to worker
1 gain qualification to progress career
2 earn whilst learning
3 variety of learning activities
Disadvantages
1 low pay
2 qualifications are specific
3 degree long term earn more
Professional development
Advantages
1 builds long term potential
2 helps meet future staffing needs
3 workers motivated as feel appreciated
Disadvantages
1 can be expensive
2 workers away from work
3 may leave firm once developed
What does the law say about discrimination
No one should discriminate a worker because of gender, sexual orientaion, age, marital status, disability, race, colour, ethnicity or religion. If law is broken can be fined
Why does employment law existi
To protect rights of worker and control behaviour of employer
What is an employment tribunal
Body a worker goes to if their rights are breached
Panel which includes a legally qualified chairperson and others with experience relevant to the case
They hear evidence and come to a decision
They can impose fine, award compensation and costs
Employees are supported by union who pay for legal advice
What id the equality act 2016 do
Brough 16 pieces of legislation into 1 act as a framework to protect rights.
It effects recruitment
Pay
Terms and conditions
Promotion
Training
Dismissal
what does uk law say about holiday
all workers entitled to 5-6 weeks holiday per year including bank holidays paid
What controls how many hour a week someone can work
working time directive limits number of hours employer can ask adult to work 48 hour 40 hours below 18 year over an average of 17 weeks -
Employees can not opt out of the law
Exceptions emergency services armed services, seamen and security
Must have 20 minute break every 6 hours
What is a contract of employment and what does law say about it
a legal agreement between employer and employee
Employment Rights Act 1996 states a business doesn’t have to give written contract but with in 8 weeks of starting make it clear what both agree too
What costs are there to a business to comply to the law
1 wage costs - cost to cover holidays
2 court costs - if legal action take
3 fines - if found guilty
4 publicity
