Unit 3 People

Question 1

The purpose of human resources function

Answer 1

Businesses create a personell plan including:
- how many workers it needs to employ
- the type of workers it needs - skilled or unskilled, managers, full time or part time, where they will work and what time they will work
- how the business will get the best out of its workers

Question 2

Tall and Flat Organisational Structure Definition

Answer 2

Tall: structures that have many layers of staff from top to bottom

Flat: will only have a few layers, maybe as little as two or three. There may be a board of directors at the top, one layer of management and the shop floor workers

Question 3

Advantages and Disadvantages of tall organisational structures

Answer 3

Adv:
- Clear lines of communication from the people at the top to the people at the bottom of the organisation
- Managers tend to have only a few people that they are responsible for
- There will be more opportunity to gain promotions in the organisation, can be good for motivation

Disadv:
- subordinates may feel they are too controlled by their line manager which can stifle creativity and motivation
- workers may only talk to immediate colleagues and may be less sympathetic or supportive to workers in other areas of the business

Question 4

Advantages and Disadvantages of flat organisational structures

Answer 4

Adv:
- Managers tend to delegate responsibilities to the workers they have responsibility for, good for motivation
- Workers are likely to talk to a wider range of colleagues, which is good for developing new ideas

Disadv:
- Not always clear lines of communication meaning workers may miss out on key information
- Managers have a large span of control, making it difficult to manage them all
- Promotion opportunities may be few, reducing motivation

Question 5

Subordinate Def.

Answer 5

Workers that a line manager is responsible for

Question 6

Delegation def.

Answer 6

A process where a manager gives a subordinate responsibility to make certain decisions, but the manager is ultimately responsible for

Question 7

Chain of command def.

Answer 7

The link in authority from those at the top (most authority) to those at the bottom (least authority)

Question 8

Span of control

Answer 8

The number of subordinates that a manager has authority over

Question 9

Full-time working
(def, adv, disadv to the business)

Answer 9

def:
when a person works 35 hours or more per week

adv:
The worker is permanently available for the business

disadv:
The business may have to pay a worker at a time when no work needs to be done

Question 10

Part-time working
(def, adv, disadv to the business)

Answer 10

def: When a person works less than 35 hours a week

adv: The worker can be asked to work at specific times needed by the business

disadv: The business may have to train many more workers than if it employed only full-time workers

Question 11

Flexible working
(def, adv, disadv to the business)

Answer 11

def: The practice of people working partly at their place of work and partly elsewhere (e.g at home or while they are moblie)

adv: The business may benefit from motivated workers who like the flexibility of when they will work

disadv: The worker may not be available to work when needed by the business

Question 12

Temporary working
(def, adv, disadv to the business)

Answer 12

def: when a person only works for a short period of time for an employer, sometimes on a short-term contract or on day-to-day basis

adv: business only needs to employ workers for the length of time they need them (e.g harvesting time)

disadv: The business may find it difficult to recruit enough workers at times when they are needed

Question 13

Working from home
(def, adv, disadv to the business)

Answer 13

def: when a person completes work for a business or themselves in their home

adv: the business may save costs by not having to provide office space

disadv: workers may not communicate with each other very well, reducing their efficiency

Question 14

Working while mobile
(def, adv, disadv to the business)

Answer 14

def: when people work while they are on the move, travelling or on holiday

adv: the business benefits from the increased productivity of the worker

disadv: the business may not be able to monitor that the worker is working as much as he or she should

Question 15

Self-employment
(def, adv, disadv to the business)

Answer 15

adv: businesses often like to use self-employed contractors to do work for them because they only need them for a specific joband they do not need to pay national insurance or pension contributions for them

disadv: the self-employed person may not work in the way that the business’ own employees are trained to

Question 16

Full-time working
(adv, disadv to the worker)

Answer 16

Adv: The worker is paid for a full working week

Disadv: The worker is tied to working a full working week throughout the year (except for holiday periods)

Question 17

Part-time working
(adv, disadv to the worker)

Answer 17

Adv: The worker can work when it suits them, for example, during the hours their children are in school

Disadv: The worker will only get paid for the hours they worl and this may mean less money than they need or want. May have to get a second job

Question 18

Flexible working
(adv, disadv to the worker)

Answer 18

Adv: The worker can work at times that suits them, for example, they can work four long days and take the fifth day off as flexi-time

Disadv: The worker may not be offered as much work as they want

Question 19

Temporary working
(adv, disadv to the worker)

Answer 19

Adv: The worker can work and earn for a period and then have time to do other things they want to, such as going on long holidays

Disadv: The worker may find there are times of the year where there is no work for them

Question 20

Working from home
(adv, disadv to the worker)

Answer 20

Adv: The worker saves time and money by not having to travel to work

Disadv: - The worker may find there are distractions at home such as noisy children
- They may miss socialising with other workers

Question 21

Working while mobile
(adv, disadv to the worker)

Answer 21

Adv: The worker can make full use of their time, even when they are travelling

Disadv: The worker may feel under pressure to work a lot, even while on holiday

Question 22

Self-employment
(adv, disadv to the worker)

Answer 22

Adv: The worker may like being in control and may be highly motivated because their earnings depend on how much they produce

Disadv: There is much less job security for the worker as there may be times when there is no work and no income

Question 23

Adv. and Disadv. of communicating with phone/landline

Answer 23

Adv:
- Good for discussion of ideas or problems and making arrangements
- It is immediate, providing the communicators are available to speak
- Can be done anywhere in the world

Disadv:
- No record of the discussion (unless it is recorded)
- Can be difficult with long waiting times to get through a call centre

Question 24

Adv. and Disadv. of communicating with meetings

Answer 24

Adv:
- It is a good way to exchange ideas and to check understanding
- Minutes (a written summary) provide a record of the meeting

Disadv:
- Can be expensive to get people together
- If it is a formal meeting, it can take time to arrange

Question 25

Adv. and Disadv. of communicating with presentations

Answer 25

Adv:
- The speaker has time to prepare in advance what they wish to say and then to explain clearly
- It is often possible to ask questions to help understanding

Disadv:
- There may be a lot of listeners and it may be difficult to check they all understand
- Presentations take time to arrange and can be expensive

Question 26

Adv. and Disadv. of communicating with letters

Answer 26

Adv:
- Provides a record of the commmunication
- The sender can take time to make sure ideas are clearly expressed while the reader can read the message more than once

Disadv:
- It takes time for letters sent in the post to be delivered
- If the meaning of the message is unclear, it i difficult for the reciever to check

Question 27

Adv. and Disadv. of communicating with emails

Answer 27

Adv:
- A very fast method of communicating
- Good for short messages although attachments are a way of adding more information

Disadv:
- A person may not check their emails regularly
- Bulk emails are often ignored and deleted or lost in spam

Question 28

Adv. and Disadv. of communicating with texting

Answer 28

Adv:
- A very fast method of communicating that can include a lot of people
- The receiver can save the text to remember details in the message

Disadv:
- Only limited information can be given
- Not good for discussing ideas

Question 29

Adv. and Disadv. of communicating with social media

Answer 29

Adv:
- The message can be sent to selected groups in bulk to large numbers cheaply
- Sometimes pictures can be added to the message

Disadv:
- Somebody in the business needs to manage the communications, for example, responses from receivers
- It is not always easy to judge how successful the message has been

Question 30

Adv. and Disadv. of communicating with websites

Answer 30

Adv:
- It saves money because information does not need to be printed and posted
- Customers can order online so the business may not need to have a shop or office accessible to customers

Disadv:
- Customers cannot ask for information easily (unless a ‘chat’ facility is available)
- Customers cannot view the goods

Question 31

Advantages of Internal recruitment

Answer 31

• It is cheaper to advertise internally
• Often quicker to recruit than external recruitment
• The worker will already be known to the managers so they can be confident about the work he or she will do
• The worker knows the business already so there will be no problems settling in
• It can motivate workers if their colleagues are promoted

Question 32

Advantages of external recruitment

Answer 32

• It can fill a skills gap when there is no one already employed who can do the job
• People from outside can bring new ideas
• Avoids workers becoming unhappy if they are not selected but another colleague is
• It is necessary when the business is growing and additional workers are needed
• It saves habing to recruit someone to replace a worker promoted internally

Question 33

What is a job description?

Answer 33

A list of the main duties, tasks and responsibilities of a worker

Question 34

What is a person specification?

Answer 34

A list of the qualities, qualifications and knowledge that a person should have to do a particular job

Question 35

What are internal methods of recruitment?

Answer 35

• Notice boards
• Word of mouth
• Company website
• Emails to staff

Question 36

What are external methods of recruitment?

Answer 36

• Websites
• Newspapers
• Social media
• Specialist magazines
• Job centres

Question 37

Why are job descriptions and person specifications important?

Answer 37

The information in these documents makes it more likely that only workers able to do a job will apply, saving time for the business and applicants

Question 38

Methods of selection

Answer 38

• Application form
• Letter of application
• CV
• Interview
• Group activities
• Reference
• Tests and presentations

Question 39

Non financial methods of motivation: Praise

Answer 39

Def: Workers are thanked and praised for the (good) work they have done
How it motivates: Makes workers feel appreciated and valued. Those not praised may feel that they need to do better to earn praise
Adv: It doesn’t cost the business anything and helps create a positive climate
Disadv: Sometimes if there is no financial reward , workers may feel that they are not truly valued

Question 40

Non financial methods of motivation: Award Scheme

Answer 40

Def: Workers are presented with rewards for their work. Might include vouchers for days out, holidays or ceritficates of achievement
Adv: Cost of these awards varies but not all are expensive
Disadv: There is some cost to them. They need to be given fairly or workers who do not receive an award may be upset

Question 41

Non financial methods of motivation: Working environment

Answer 41

Def: Improving the workplace so that it is a pleasant place to work
Adv: If workers feel valued they will respect the businessand their colleagues, creating a positive attitude to work
Disadv: There is cost to some of this, e.g imporving furniture or facilities in building or paying for activities.

Question 42

On-the-job training adv and disadv

Answer 42

Adv:
- It is specific to the individual and the business
- It saves on the cost of travel ro a course
- The worker produces something as he or she trains
- The business can teach the person exactly how they want the job done

Disadv:
- The work done as the learner starts to train may not be of a good enough quality
- The trainer may be good at their job but not at training others how to do it
- The worker may only learn how to do the work in the way the business does it
- It is not easy to train a group of trainees

Question 43

Off-the-job training adv and disadv

Answer 43

Adv:
- Training is often given by experts
- The trainee may be motivated by a day away from work
- A worker can feel valued because the business is paying for training
- Some types of training, e.g safety, are better carried out by experts

Disadv:
- It can be expensive - the employer will have to pay travel and training fees
- The business loses output while the worker is away from work
- Improving a worker’s skills may make it possible for them to get work in another business

Question 44

What are the discrimination laws?

Answer 44

The Equality Act 2010 - a person cannot be treated differently on the grounds of their gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, religion or beliefs

A business must not:
- pay workers differently for doing the same work
- favour certain types of people when recruting workers unless an exception in law has been made
- discriminate when promoting or training workers or making them rednundant
- allow workers to be mistreated by other workers because of, for example, their skin colour, sexual orientation or religion.