The Internal Business Environment Flashcards
What is the Equality Act 2010 and it’s protected characteristics?
- prohibits any business from discriminating against, harassing, or victimising any current or future employee on the basis of these nine protected characteristics
- age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex, sexual orientation.
What is direct discrimination?
- when an employee or candidate fee;s that they are being treated less favourably because of one of the nine protected characteristics
What is discrimination by perception?
- discrimination against someone because they associate with another person who possesses a protected characteristic
What is indirect discrimination?
- when a business has a rule or policy that’s plies to everyone but disadvantages a particular protected characteristic
What is harassment?
- jokes, negative stereotyping, hostile acts, thoughtless comments
What is victimisation?
- when someone is treated badly because they have made/supported a complaint or grievance under the equality act
Employees right to complain after experiencing victimisation and harassment
- employees have the right to complain about behaviour they feel is discriminatory or in the case of unfair harassment
If they feel their complain hasn’t been taken seriously or dealt with they a right to make a claim in an Employment Tribunal. Employment Tribunals can be lengthy and expensive.
Impact of the Equality Act on recruitment and selection
- don’t advertise in magazines aimed at a specific gender - indirect discrimination
- don’t only use images of young people in your adverts - indirect discrimination
- format of the advert must be accessible to read for everyone
- a business should encourage as many applicants as possible
- a business must legally make reasonable adjustments to ensure it doesn’t discriminate against disabled applicants
- an employer must only ask questions relevant to the application either on the form or at the interview
- ## tests can’t discriminate against the applicant - a test in English given to an applicant that had English as a second language
What is the glass ceiling?
- experience that women go through in an organisation where find it more difficult them to get promoted than it is for men. This can also include racial minorities.
Why does the glass ceiling exist?
- female college graduates often end up working in fields that offer lower wages. Women typically choose college majors with less overall potential
- women are much less likely to take risks in the workplace than men
- women are still expected to deal with outside responsibilities such as childcare and housework which makes it harder for women to focus on their careers
- sexism
How can the glass ceiling be overcome?
- set a target for 20% of FTSE 350 board-level executive directors to women by 2025. Step towards achieving equal gender representation on boards by 2030
- make the provision of an action plan a mandatory element of gender pay gap reporting if the quality of organisations’ narrative reporting hasn’t improved since April 2020
- make sure the Equality and Human Rights Commission has the resources to prevent sexual harassment and discrimination at work by investigating and taking action against employees breaking the law
- update parental leave policies to better effect the changing nature of modern families which will help to progress gender equality at work
- give women family-friendly work policies such as longer maternity leaves, flexible hours, and remote working options
- new technologies may make it easier for women in the work-place
Fayol’s management
- planning
- organising
- commanding
- co-ordinating
- controlling - all employees working towards a common goal on time and within budget
Mintzberg’s management
- interpersonal relationships - relationships with people
- informational relationships - handling and passing on information
- decisional relationships - manager’s choice of course of action
Interpersonal roles
- figurehead - representing business during conference
- leader - motivating staff through the appraisal process
- liaison - coordinating with other departments
Informational roles
- monitor - checking organisation’s sales figures
- disseminator - producing the monthly production report for directors
- spokesman - speak about new product development at board meeting
Decisional roles
- entrepreneur - identify new markets
- disturbance handler - resolves conflict amongst staff
- resource allocator - allocates budget to departments
- negotiator - represents department during union talks
What are the stages of change?
- preparation - change shouldn’t be rushed
- unfreezing - breaking down beliefs and assumptions that already exist
- changing (transforming) - business implements the process of change required to achieve the desired outcome
- refreezing - consolidation of the new state begins once changes have been successfully implemented
- evaluation - has the change has the desired effect? Are further adjustments required?
What are the reasons for resistance to change?
- employee fear - believe it may lead to job losses, technology advancements
- resource limitations - business might not have the necessary capital
- uncertainty - fear of the unknown
- resistance - enough of the workforce needs to be behind the change