The Workforce - Workforce Planning Flashcards
what is flexi-time?
employees must work between stated hours but within those hours there is flexibility provided as long as the minimum hours of work are completed
what are the advantages and disadvantages of flexi-time?
+ retention of highly skilled workers
+ economic benefits - ‘rush hour’ staggered
- may be more expensive to administrate and operate as the place of work may have to be open for longer
what is term-time working?
working within the school term time and having school holidays off
what are the advantages and disadvantages of term time working
+ employee can look after children –> motivated
- here to find someone to do their job during school holidays
what is structured time off in lieu?
employees may be asked to work longer hours during bust periods with number of additional hours being recorded to enable employee to take time off in compensation
what are the advantages and disadvantages of time off in lieu?
+ employed may work harder to get more hours
+ lowers cost for business
- may be a limit on ‘lieu’ hours
- employees may be overwhelmed and feel demotivated
- could cost business
what is job sharing?
employees may switch on a morning-afternoon basis, while others may do a day-to-day one
what are the advantages and disadvantages of job sharing
+ employees are able to work hours or days they need - business can gain staff it needs
+ if one job sharer is absent, the business still has some tasks covered by the other sharer
- additional administrative costs employing 2 people
- careful planning may be required to ensure job shares take a similar approach to maintain consistency
- if different leadership styles could create confusion
what is remote working?
employees work away from business premises
what are the advantages and disadvantages of remote working
+ employee productivity increased, fewer distractions and interruptions than at place of work (DEPENDS)
+ save commuting time and allows employees to choose when to work
+ lower level of absenteeism
- harder to check employees are actually working
- initial set up cost of providing necessary technology
what are compressed hours?
provides an alternate working week in terms of number of days per week actually worked by employees - longer days
what are the advantages and disadvantages of compressed hours
+ working one less day potentially reduces commuting costs
+ ease congestion, reduced childcare costs
+ greater flexibility
+ improved staff morale
- longer working days for employee
- productivity may fall as a result
- greater loss of production/service provision if staff have a day off
what is a zero-hour contract?
allows employers to hire staff with no guarantee of work. only work when needed
what are the advantages and disadvantages of zero-hour contract
+ reduces administrative costs of employing full time labour
+ more cost efficient for employers as labour is only hired when needed
+ cheaper than using agency
- no certainty of employment
- no guarantee of job security
what are annualised hours?
employees work a total number of hours for the year as a whole
what are the advantages and disadvantages of annualised hours
+ allows employers to use the workforce when needed
+ no need for employers to pay expensive overtime rates, therefore reducing costs
- being ‘on-call’ may be restrictive for employees
define workforce planning?
deciding how many employees and what type of skills are required for a project
what factors need to be considered when deciding on a type of resource?
- age
- skills
- experience
- qualifications
what are the 3 steps of workforce planning
- analyse current workforce
- assess future need
- identify if a gap exists and close it
why is it important to get the right number and type of workers?
- meet customer needs
- achieve aims and objectives
- be financially efficient
- avoid high levels of staff turnover
- to support progression planning
what are the ways to handle a labour shortage?
- overtime and additional shifts
- review whether current pay is competitive
- training workforce to fill gaps
- recruit aggressively
- offer flexible working
what are the ways to handle a labour surplus?
- delayering
- zero-hour contracts
- redundancies
- offer part-time, job sharing, etc
- temporary shutdowns
- relocate employees to recover gaps elsewhere
