soft v hard HRM

Question 1

what does hard hrm say?

Answer 1

• employees are seen as a resource like any other
• employees are hired on a short-term basis
• manages believe that employees are mainly motivated by money and think they will do as little work as possible
• appraisals are judgemental
• training is only done to meet production needs

Question 2

what does soft hrm say?

Answer 2

• employees are the most important resource
• employees are managed on a long-term basis
• managers motivate employees through empowerment and development and think that working is natural for employees
• appraisals are developmental
• training is done to meet development needs

Question 3

hard hrm advantages

Answer 3

• mangers keep control of the workforce, so people are less liekly to make mistakes. sine employees are seen as just another resource,its easy for the business to replace them.
• more cost-effective workforce particularly if labour is used efficiently
• quicker decision making by senior managers

Question 4

hard hrm disadvantages

Answer 4

• don’t use employees to their full potential, so could be missing out on chances to increase profits
• demotivatonal for the workforce. boring, repetitive jobs can make employees feel undervalued. unlikely to be loyal, leading to high staff turnover
• higher absenteeism; higher labour turnover, difficulties with employee retention
• potential damage to business reputation

Question 5

soft hrm advantages

Answer 5

• increase staff morale as employees will feed valued. so itll be easier to retain staff
• encourages commitment and good performance from its workers because they feel loyalty towards the organisation
• higher levels of motivation and productivity
• lower absenteeism; lower labour turnover and higher employee retention
• benefit to business of reputation as a great place to work

Question 6

soft hrm disadvantages

Answer 6

• isn’t always appropriate - employees might not be interested in development or empowerment and soft hrm usually involves more costs for businesses because it encourage investment in employees
• extra training is time-consuming. always a risk that employees who have completed all the training might want to leave for a better job
• higher employee costs may leave business as a competitive disadvantage