Topic 2 Flashcards
What is Human Resources department (HR)?
A group of people who look after the employees of a business. E.g hiring training.
What is the purpose of HR?
-To recruit new employees
-organising training for new employees
-Make sure employees are happy
Why is it important for a business to look after employees?
-so they’re more productive
-good reputation
-employee retention
-good feedback
What is organisational structure?
The way that employees and their job roles are organised in a business.
Why do we have a structure?
-To organise what they do
-Clear structure makes it easier to see who has which job role
-make communication easier
What is span of control?
The number of subordinates that a person has control of.
What is a subordinate?
An employee who is lower in rank or job position than their manager.
What is delegation?
Where a task is given to a subordinate employee in the hierarchy.
What is authority?
When someone gives an employee the power to make decisions.
What is chain of command?
This is the flow of information and communication through the business.
What is tall structure?
-where each superior is responsible for a few subordinates
-many layers in the hierarchy
-narrow span of control
-long chain of command
What are some advantages of tall structure?
-lots of opportunities for promotion due to many layers
-small span of control so they can get to know their subordinates
-delegate the right tasks and make sure their team is well trained
What are disadvantages or tall structure?
-long chain of command can mean that the communication is slow
-expensive as there are more managers and supervisors
-long time for decisions to be made
What is flat structure?
-each superior is responsible for a large number of subordinates
-wide span of control
-short chain of command
-less layers in the hierarchy
What are advantages of flat structure?
-fewer layers of hierarchy means communication is fast
-lots of delegation means that staff are given greater responsibility
-workers know where to talk to due to less layers
What’s the most recent law that stops discrimination when hiring employees?
-Equality act 2010
What’s the minimum days off per year an employee is entitled to?
-28 days a year
What are disadvantages of flat structure?
-managers can be overworked causing stress and demotivation
What is full time work?
A person who works 35 hours or more a week
What’s the maximum hours an employee can be required work per week? (Not including overtime)
-48 hours a week
What are benefits of full- time work?
-less spent on recruitment
-less spent on training
-reduced span of control
What are drawbacks of full- time work?
-workers may feel overworked
-limited number of skills
-more money spent on wages
What is part time work?
Someone who works less than 35 hours a week
What are benefits of part time work?
-keeping valued workers
-increased flexibility
-reduced absenteeism
What are some benefits of staff development and business
-Higher productivity
-Higher quality of work
-Employees make less mistakes
What are drawbacks of part time work?
-higher recruitment costs
-time consuming
-larger span of control for managers
What are staff development types?
-On the job
•Apprentice
-Off the job
•Training centre
What is zero- hour contacts?
-an employee is not set an amount of hours to work a week. Some weeks they may not work at all, some weeks they may work 40 hours
What is self- employment?
-tend to be freelance
What are benefits of self- employment and zero- hour contracts?
-decide when and where they work
-don’t have to pay expenses all the time
-skilled in the sector
What are drawbacks of self- employment and zero- hour contracts?
-can be irregular work
-they don’t have to turn up to work
What is temporary working?
-an employee who works certain periods of a year E.g. cover teachers
What is on the job Training and how does it work?
-An apprenticeship
-When employee gets trained from another employee who is already in the business
What are benefits of temporary working?
-more flexible for both employee and business
-only increase wage expenses at certain points of a year
What are drawbacks of temporary working?
-reduced job security for employees
-time needed to train
-reduced chance of gaining skilled workers
What’s off the job training and how does it work?
-When a trainee goes to a specialist training centre to learn about their job
What is flexible working?
A way of working that suits an employees needs e.g having flexible start and finish times
What is working when mobile?
The ability to continue to work whilst on the move e.g builder, electrician
What’s an induction day?
-When a new employee goes in for a day just to have a look at how everything works and to get to know people
What is working from home?
The ability to work from home rather than travelling into the workplace
Why does a business train their workers?
-More efficient and faster
-Don’t have to employ new people (employee retention)
-Helps the company to grow
Benefits of working from home, working when mobile, flexible working
-job sharing so business will be able to retain workers.
-workers more motivated due to freedom.
-save costs from rent and utility bills.
Drawbacks of working from home, working when mobile, flexible working
-workers may need supervision to ensure high productivity.
-harder to communicate.
What is employee retention?
-How long an employee stays in the company
What is communication?
The exchange of ideas from one person to another- requires a sender and a receiver.
Why does employee retention do?
-Train less employees / cheaper
-Workers stay in the company longer do more experienced
What is internal communication?
Between people who work in the same organisation
What is external communication?
Between people in and out of the business
What is formal communication?
Using official channels e.g letter, reports
What is informal communication?
Just as important as formal e.g a conversation
What is the benefits of motivation?
-More efficient
-Higher quality
-Higher satisfaction
List some types of communication
-letter
-email
-text
-social media
What’s the drawbacks of motivation?
-Employees might rush
-Can cause argument’s
What’s the definition of motivation?
The drive/desire to achieve a goal with a benefit attached
What is oral communication?
This allows for immediate communication e.g face to face meetings and presentations, telephone
What are the types of financial motivation?
-Bonus
-Pay rise
-Profit sharing
-Fridge benefits
Advantages of verbal communication
-the person can check that the message has been understood by asking for feedback
-the speaker can use diagrams, pictures and slides to help explain something
Disadvantages of verbal communication
-if there are a lot of people listening to a message it may not be clear that they all have heard or understood it
-if the receiver of the message doesn’t like what they hear they may disrupt the meeting
What are the types of non-financial motivation
-Praise
-Awards (Employee of the month)
-Better working environment
Advantages of written communication
-there is a record of the message
-a written message can avoid confrontation
Disadvantages of written communication
-emails may get lost in spam
-the success of the message depends on how clearly it’s been written
What is visual or non verbal communication?
This is likely to be combined with oral or written communication.
What are the 7 steps of recruitment?
1.Identifying a vacancy
2.Writing a job description
3.Write a person specification
4.Advertise
5.Shortlist the candidates
6.Interview
7.Appoint the new job
Advantages of communication through social media
-there are a huge number of users
-information can be updated regularly
Disadvantages of communication through social media
-social media has to be managed- updating and feeding back regularly
-it can be different to measure the effect liveliness of they business
What are the different methods of selection?
-Group activities
-Tests
-Interviews
-Curriculum vitae (CV)
-letter of application
Advantages of using websites
-sales can be made online
-websites open 24/7
Disadvantages of using websites
-risk of website crashing
-a business can receive a lot spam
What are impacts of poor communication?
-reduced efficiency
-reduced productivity
-increased mistakes made
-reduced quality
-low motivation
-increased absenteeism
What’s internal recruitment?
When the company hires someone from inside the company
What’s external recruitment?
When the company hires from outside of their business
What’s a person specification?
Something the business writes to show what kind of person they are looking for a job
What a job specification?
A job specification describes what the job will involve doing and other things like hours working
