Unit 6 - HR Improvement

Question 1

Job enlargement

Answer 1

an increase in the number of responsibilities that an employee has

Question 2

Job enrichment

Answer 2

an increase in the level of responsibility that an employee has (horizontal loading)

Question 3

Job rotation

Answer 3

varying the tasks that an employee does to reduce boredom

Question 4

Empowerment

Answer 4

enables staff to have a greater power and control over their working lives

Question 5

Hackman and Oldmans model

Answer 5

underpinned by the belief that the task undertaken by an employee (job design) is the key to motivation, they also made the five job characteristics:
- skill variety
- task identity
- task significance
- autonomy
- feedback
this then leads to the three critical psychological states then to the personal and work outcomes

Question 6

orginisational design

Answer 6

the frame work that provides a business with a structure to achieve its objectives

Question 7

organisational structure

Answer 7

the way a workforce within a firm is organised, including job roles and communication flows

Question 8

organisational design includes:

Answer 8

• authority
• span
• hierarchy
• delegation
• centralised and decentralised

Question 9

authority (organisational design)

Answer 9

the power of an employee to instruct subordinates, it can be:
- centralised ie maintained by a few at the centre of an organisation
- decentralised ie spread across the organisation

Question 10

delegation (organisational design)

Answer 10

the process of distributing or entrusting work to another person

Question 11

Employee representation

Answer 11

the systems put in place to aid communication between employers and employees

Question 12

Trade unions

Answer 12

national organisations with a remit to protect its members and improve their economic and working conditions

Question 13

Key objectives of trade unions

Answer 13

• securing jobs
• maximising pay
• ensuring safe and acceptable conditions
• fair treatment of members by employers

Question 14

Unions can work with employees/employers to

Answer 14

• enhance business performance
• improve international competitiveness
• implement change
• lower labour turnover
• increase motivation

Question 15

Industrial action

Answer 15

• employees work to rule
• lobbying
• strikes

Question 16

avoiding disputes

Answer 16

• early involvement of employee representatives
• clear communication
• ACAS , an independent body that can be called in to help avoid or resolve disputes

Question 17

work councils

Answer 17

a group made up of managers and representative employees who meet regularly to discuss issues relating the business and work force
- employees have legal rights to request a work council if working in a business with over 50 employees

Question 18

advantages of employee representation

Answer 18

• medium for effective way for communication
• reduces feeling of them and us
• employees kept informed
• employers have some perspective on employee feelings
• improved motivation
  -less risk of industrial disputes

Question 19

disadvantages of employee representation

Answer 19

• takes time
• can cause conflict due to different agendas
• slows down decision making
• employer may not be able to respond to employee requests
• non homogeneous employees (non are the same)