The Workforce Flashcards
1
Q
Explain what is meant by Workforce Planning?
A
The process used to plan the number and quality of employees that will be required, both in short and long term.
2
Q
Importance on Workforce Planning?
A
- business world is constantly changing.
- The best businesses are those that plan ahead and see what their needs will be.
3
Q
Evaluate the impact and importance of workforce planning?
A
- Costly
- Too much planning - Can plan for too many workers to undertake a certain job
4
Q
Recommend and justify a workforce plan for a business.
A
- Ensuring the right staff are employed is vital to avoid a high staff turnover
- Without an appropriate skill level or correct number of employees the business will not be efficient.
5
Q
Explain what is meant by Flexible Working Hours.
A
- flexible hours schedule that allows workers to alter workday start and finish times.
6
Q
Explain what is meant by Term-Time Working.
A
Where working hours mirror term-time days.
7
Q
Explain what is meant by Job Sharing.
A
share the work and pay of a single full-time job.
8
Q
Explain what is meant by Remote Working.
A
Involves letting employees to work away from the business premisis
9
Q
Explain what is meant by Zero Hour Contracts.
A
Allows employers to hire staff with no gaurantee of work. Staff only work when they are needed which can be at short notice.
10
Q
Explain what is meant by Compressed Hours.
A
allow employees to work their contracted hours over a fewer number of days.
11
Q
Explain what is meant by Annualised Hours.
A
This is where employees work a total number of hours for the years as a whole, with a degree of flexibility as to how these hours are undertaken.
12
Q
Explain what is meant by Structured time off in Lieu.
A
Is where employees are asked to work longer hours during busy periods, the additional hours are recorded and so the employee can take time off.
13
Q
Evaluate the impact of Flexible working hours on a business and its stakeholders.
A
- Can be expensive to operate because the place of work may need to be open for more hours.
14
Q
Evaluate the impact of Term-Time Working on a business and its stakeholders.
A
- Expensive for a business because the employee is still classed as an employee.
- Not solid working hours for employees.
15
Q
Evaluate the impact of Structured time off Lieu on a business and its stakeholders.
A
- Can be more expensive because firms may pay more for employees to work during busier periods
16
Q
Evaluate the impact of Job Sharing on a business and its stakeholders.
A
- Additional costs of employing two people instead of one
- If the jab sharing has managerial responsibilities, different leadership styles may confuse staff under their supervision.
17
Q
Evaluate the impact of Remote Working on a business and its stakeholders.
A
- Harder to check if employees are actually working
- There is initial set up cost of providing the necessary technology.
18
Q
Evaluate the impact of Zero Hour Contracts on a business and its stakeholders.
A
- No certainty of employment
- No guarantee of job security
- Employers cannot be certain offers of employment will be accepted
19
Q
Evaluate the impact of Compressed Hours on a business and its stakeholders.
A
- Longer working days for employees which could demotivate employees and lower productivity
- Greater loss of production if staff have a day off
20
Q
Evaluate the impact of Annualised Hours on a business and its stakeholders.
A
- Being ‘on-call’ may be restrictive for employees
- Oppertunity for employees to do uvertime is lost.
21
Q
What are the Advantages of Flexible Working Hours?
A
- Business may actually save money by gaining and keeping good staff.
22
Q
What are the Advantages of Term-Time Working Hours?
A
- Can be perfect for people who want flexible working hours, or people who have other commitments such as children
23
Q
What are the Advantages of Structured Time off in Lieu Hours?
A
- Suit businesses because they will have enough employees for certain periods
- Can be more flexible than a contract
24
Q
What are the Advantages of Job Sharing?
A
- Employees are able to work the hours that suit them
- If one of the job sharers is absent, the business still has some of the tasks covered by the other job sharer.
25
What are the Advantages of Remote Working?
- Better employee productivity, because there are fewer distractions
- Saves valuable commuter time and allows the employee to chose when to work.
26
What are the Advantages of Zero Hour Contracts?
- Reduces business costs of employing labour on a full time basis.
- More cost efficient for employers as labour is only hired and paid when needed
- Allows employees to have greater flexibility.
27
What are the Advantages of Compressed Hours?
- Working fewer days reduces commuting costs for the employees
- Improve staff morale as there may be greater days off
28
What are the Advantages of Annualised Hours?
- Allows employers to use the workforce when it is needed
- Allows employees flexibility
29
Explain what is meant by Recruitment.
the process of finding people to work for a company.
30
Explain the reasons for recruitment.
- Ensures that staff levels are correct and the right person for the job is found.
31
What is a Job Description?
Produced by the human resources department or its equivalent, and sets out the job requirements.
32
Contents of a Job Description.
- Role
- Who you report to
- Duties and Responsibilities
33
Explain what a Person Specification is?
Looks at the ideal characteristics of the person to perform the job.
34
Contents of a Person Specification.
- Qualifications
- Previous Experience
- Ability to work with a team
etc
35
Explain what a Job Advertisement is?
- Job advert should contain enough information to attract suitable candidates and seter unsuitable ones
- Must be put in the right place to attract applicants
36
Explain what is meant by Internal Recruitment.
is when the business looks to fill the vacancy from within its existing workforce.
37
Explain what is meant by External Recruitment.
is when the business looks to fill the vacancy from any suitable applicant outside the business.
38
Benefits of Appointing an Internal Candidate.
- Recruitment will take less time because the potential candidate is already known to the business.
- No need to spend money on costly advertisements
- Opportunity of promotion within a company may encourage good workers to stay rather than look for promotion elsewhere.
39
What are the Disadvantages of Appointing an Internal Candidate?
- Fails to bring new ideas into the business
- Narrow range of people to choose from
40
Benefits of Appointing an External Candidate.
- Likely to bring new ideas and enthusiasm into the business
- Larger field of Applicants
41
Explain what is meant by Selection?
process of choosing the most suitable candidate for the vacant position in the organization.
42
What is the difference between an Application Form and a CV?
Application Form - employer designs it and sends it to applicants
CV - Is created by the employee
43
Why is an Application Form better than a CV?
a business is able to tailor it to their exact needs and ask specific questions.
44
Explain what is meant by Training.
a process whereby an individual acquires job-related skills and knowledge.
45
What is Induction Training?
a process whereby an individual acquires job-related skills and knowledge.
46
Why do business practise Induction Training?
- To make sure that recruits stay in the business.
- Should give information to new employees gradually and not bombard new employees as this may have the opposite effect.
47
Explain what is meant by On-the-Job Training?
employees receive training whilst remaining in the workplace.
48
What are the Advantages of On-the-Job Training?
- Cheaper for the business, because it's the business staffs time which is the cost
- Can be tailored to the specific requirements of the business
49
What are the Disadvantages of On-the-Job Training?
- Quality depends on ability of trainer and time available
- Bad habits might be passed on
- Potential disruption to production
- Maybe less valuable as its not delivered by professionals
50
What is Off-the-Job Training?
employees are taken away from their place of work to be trained.
51
What are the Advantages of Off-the-Job Training?
- A wider range of skills or qualifications can be obtained
- Can learn from outside specialists or experts
- Employees can be more confident when starting job
52
What are the Disadvantages of Off-the-Job Training?
- More expensive than on-the-job training
- Lost working time and potential output from employees
- New employees may still need some induction training
53
What is meant by Academic Training?
Employees sit tests
54
What is Vocational Training?
Is the instruction on the practical skills needed for certain jobs.
55
What is meant by Apprenticeships?
Method in which trainees learn a craft or trade by hands-on experience while working with a skilled worker.
56
Explain what is meant by Training Needs Analysis?
When a business ensures that its workers are given the skills that they need to do their job effectively.
57
The importance of TNA to a business and its stakeholders.
- Skill shortages are filled, training is therefore appropriate and not a waste of time and money
- TNA is conducted by aslong questions to employees so they may feel more valued
- Workers can also do their job more effectively
58
Evaluate the importance of TNA to a business and its stakeholders.
- Can be hard to measure the outcome of Training, this is because some industries such as service sector dont actually produce any physical output
- Businesses can overspend on the training courses.
59
Benefits of Training to a Business.
- Better Productivity
- Higher Quality
- Less supervision required
- Improved motivation - through greater empowerment
60
Disadvantages of Training.
- Costly to the business
- Takes time to have the desired effect
- Benefits are difficult to measure.
61
Explain what is meant by and the purpose of appraisal.
a formal assessment of an employee's performance
- To help improve an employees performance
62
What is meant by Peer Assessment?
Is were an employees performance is assessed by its work colleagues.
63
What is meant by Managerial Assessment?
Is were the manager assesses the performance of the employee
64
What is meant by 360-degree appraisal?
Involves the appraisee receiving feedback from several people and collects a broader view of the employees reputation.
-
65
What is meant by Self-Assessment
is the evaluation of oneself
- Employees can be biased
66
What is meant by Target Setting?
Is the process of deciding what you want to accomplish and devising a plan to achieve the result you desire.
67
Measures of Work Force Performance.
- Number of units of output produced
68
What is Labour Turnover?
Measures the number of employees who have left the business, relative to the number employed in that period.
69
What is the LABOUR TURNOVER equation?
( Number of employees leaving / Average number employed ) X 100
70
Interpret the Labour Turnover Figure?
The higher the Labour Turnover figure the more likely it is that motivation is low.
71
Evaluate Labour Turnover.
- Employees may not be leaving due to low motivation
- Employees may be leaving due to retirement or personal reasons
- A labour turnover figure of zero could show that a business is stale and very resistant to change
72
What is meant by Absenteeism?
Employees are absent from work minor medical issues, can be an indicator of low morale and motivation levels.
73
What is meant by Long-term Absence?
Where an employee is off work for a lengthy period, usually due to illness.
74
What is meant by Short-term Absence?
Where an employee is absent from work for a day because of a minor disease.
75
What is the Absenteeism Equation?
( Number of days taken off (unauthorised) / Total number of working days (shifts) ) X 100
76
Evaluate the impact and importance of Redundancy to a business and its stakeholders.
- Imposes a one-off cost on a business, redundancy payments totalled £4.4 billion in 2010
77
Evaluate the impact and importance of dismissal to a business and its stakeholders.
- Have to find a new employee, the costs involved with recruitment
78
Define a Grevience.
Exists when an employee has a concern, complaint or problem.
79
Why is a Grievance important?
Grievances can escalate and become very unplesant, which can negatively affect motivation and productivity.
80
Evaluate the effectiveness of dismissal procedures to a business and its stakeholders.
Dismissals which are unfair can lead to tribunals which are expensive and time consuming for employers.
81
Evaluate the effectiveness of grievance procedures to a business and its stakeholders.
If managers do not deal with a grievance quickly and impartially it can impact negatively on employer-employee relations.
82
Explain what is meant by an Employment Tribunal.
A special sort of court dealing only with employment law, for example unfair dismissal, discrimination etc.
83
Explain the purpose of employment tribunals.
If the tribunal rules in favour of the employee, it will order the business to make a payment to the employee to compensate or what has occured.
84
Evaluate the significance of employment tribunals for a business and its stakeholders.
- Most cases are settled before they reach an employment tribunal.
85
Is a high absenteeism good?
No!
86
What is Lateness?
Is measuring the number of employees arriving late to work, this needs to be investigated and monitored properly.
87
What is the Lateness Equation?
(Total Number of Late arrivals X Total Number of scheduled attendances) X 100
88
Describe a lateness figure...
High Percentage
- Means Low Motivation Levels
- Managers could look into this and see what the cause is... maybe individuals
Low Percentage
- High levels of motivation
89
Define Productivity
A measure of output per employee in a particular period of time, is a key indicator of employee Performance.
90
What is the Workforce Productivity Equation?
Output over a certain time period / Average Number of Employees
91
In what Sector is it difficult to measure Productivity and why?
The tertiary sector, because there is no physical product being produced.
92
Is a increasing Productivity good?
Yes! It shows the worker is being more efficient.
93
How many Holidays is an Employee entitled to in a year?
5.6 weeks
94
Evaluate the usefulness of measurements of workforce performance to a business.
- Averages can be misleading - A figure for the whole business does not represent individual departments
- Not all the departments employ the same number of people - Lower the number of employees in a department, if one of them leaves it will have a greater effect on the data.
- Numbers do not explain the situation - Could be unsafe working environments rather than pay affecting figures
95
Evaluate the importance of measurements of workforce performance for a business and its stakeholders.
Employees
- Higher pay
- Bonuses
- Improvement in conditions of work
Owner
- Better efficiency lower unit output costs, higher profit margins
96
Evaluate the usefulness of methods of appraisal for a business and its stakeholders.
- Lack of commitment by senior staff, treating appraisals as a cost may not bring the desired results
- Inconsistent approaches by managers, managers need to be equal in their assessments as some employees will complain managers are being unfair
- Inadequate timing allowed for appraisal process
97
Evaluate the impact and importance of appraisal to a business and its stakeholders.
- Owners - Expensive & is it necessary
- Employees - Effectiveness depends on the motivation of employees
98
Methods of Appraisal used by a business.
- Employees fill out a question and answer sheet relating to targets previously set, employee comments on the extent to which they have been met.
- Section for ‘other achievements’ and a section for employees to comment on development needs, so employees take ownership of their targets
99
Define Redundancy.
the state of being no longer in employment because there is no more work available.
100
Define Dismissal
is the termination of employment by an employer against the will of the employee.
101
Why might a Redundancy arise?
Job becomes mechanised or factory is closed down
102
What are Employees legal required if made redundant?
Are entitled to a redundancy payment which varies according to how long they have been working at the firm.
103
Explain what is meant by Incapacity. (Justifies Dismissal)
Being too ill to work at all or taking time off work when genuinely ill on a regular basis
104
Explain what is meant by Capability / Capacity. (Justifies Dismissal)
Repeated inability to do the work required, or a major incident such as losing the business a very valuable customer
105
Explain what is meant by Poor Conduct. (Justified Dismissal)
Repeated poor conduct such as lateness or failing to comply with reasonable requests (to perform tasks) from a manager.
106
Explain what is meant by an unfair dismissal.
Where an employee is dismissed without a valid reason or the employer fails to follow the proper procedures.
107
What are the guidelines that should be followed if there is to be a fair dismissal?
- Manager gives verbal warning
- Followed by written warning
- There should be a final written warning
108
What are some reasons for Unfair Dismissal?
- Joining a Trade Union
- Pregnancy
- Discrimination
- Whistle Blowing
109
Define an Employment Tribunal.
A special sort of court dealing only with employment law
110
Explain the procedure for a Grievance.
- Raise the issue with the employer
- Notify ACAS, who will work impartially on both sides to settle the issue
- This is the taken to a tribunal
