1.4.1 approaches to staffing

• staff as an asset


  how is staff an asset to a business?

  • staff are an asset to a business as they bring knowledge and skills to the business

  they can:

  • increase productivity
  • drive innovation
  • enhance customer service

  this improves brand reputation and customer loyalty
• staff as a cost


  how is staff a cost to a business?

  • staff generate on of the highest costs to a business
  • costs include recruitment, training, remuneration, welfare and even severance
  • employers may just pay for the legal national minimum wage or a low salary
• flexible workforce


  workers are equipped to do different roles or where they work in a range of employment patterns (full time, part time, zero hour contracts, work from home etc.)

  • developing a flexible workforce can bring many benefits to a business
• various ways to develop a flexible workforce


  1. multi-skilling
  2. part-time staff/temporary workers
  3. flexible hours/home working
  4. outsourcing
• multi-skilling- evaluation


  the process of training workers to fulfil multiple job roles within a business

  advantages:

  • improves productivity as employees can do a range of tasks - addresses issues around staff absence
  • increase skill set of workers - increase motivation

  disadvantages:

  • worker has more tasks to do = worker becomes easily tired, burnt out or overwhelmed
  • May require significant investment in training and development
  • May not be appropriate for all job roles, especially those that require a high level of expertise
• part-time staff/temporary workers- evaluation

  part-time: someone who may work two/three days a week

  temporary: employed for a limited period only

  advantages:

  • Flexible working arrangements can help to attract and retain talent, esp. staff who value work-life balance
  • will improve productivity, as staff can work during their most productive hours and avoid distractions 
  • employers dont have to recruit full time jobs for part time roles
  • employees can choose roles/hours that suit their lifestyles

  disadvantages:

  • difficult communication
  • Monitoring and managing workers can be more difficult 
• flexible hours/home working


  flexible hours: an employee could start early and finish late and vice versa; by working an hour or two extra each day

  home working: undertake regular work from home
• flexible hours- evaluation


  advantages:

  • better job satisfaction and higher staff morale
  • makes it easier for businesses to offer extended opening hours

  disadvantages:

  • The potential loss of customers if key employees reduce their working hours
  • Lower employee productivity
  • Managers finding it difficult to manage or administer the flexibility
• home working - for the business- evaluation


  advantages:

  • Smaller or fewer premises may be required, reducing costs
  • High quality workers may be attracted from a wide geographical area
  • Workers may be more productive if they work in isolation, away from distractions

  disadvantages:

  • The cost of equipping workers with technology to work remotely may be significant
  • There may be less opportunity for collaboration between workers, reducing innovation
  • Careful monitoring will be required to ensure remote workers remain focused on tasks
• home working - for the employee- evaluation

  advantages:

  • Commuting costs, such as train fares, are eliminated
  • Stress reduced as a result of not having to travel to work
  • Some flexibility may be possible, allowing workers to manage other commitments

  disadvantages:

  • Staff may feel isolated from colleagues
  • Household costs such as electricity and heating may increase
  • A healthy division between work and home life may be difficult to manage
• outsourcing - evaluation

  getting other people or businesses to undertake work that was originally done in-house

  advantages:

  • This may allow businesses to access specialised skills that may not be available in-house
  • May reduce labour costs

  disadvantages:

  • This may lead to a loss of control over quality and delivery, especially if the outsourcing partner is based in another country
  • This may create ethical concerns, especially if the partner is based in a country with lower labour standards or human rights abuses
  • outsource company can steal business' ideas
• Dismissal (firing/sacking)


  Termination of employment of an employer against the will of the employee

  • Due to misconduct or poor performance
  • Dismissal can be immediate or notice given
• Redundancy 


  The business has to reduce its workforce.

  Employees made redundant because their job is no longer available

  • Not due to any fault of the employee
  • Redundancy compensation (payment) is given - can increase short term costs
  • Sometimes it is to reduce costs in the long term
  • In short term, give compensation
• Two approaches in conflict 


  • Individual approach
  • Collective bargaining
• individual approach


  • refers to when a single worker negotiates their working conditions and pay with management
  • pay and other conditions vary between employees
  • individuals with good bargaining skills may get a ''better deal''
• collective bargaining


  • refers to the negotiation between employers and workforce representatives, such as trade union representatives
  • a representative body would have more strength (as they represent a larger body of workers) to negotiate with management compared with a single employee
• trade union


  an organisation of workers that exists to promote the interests of their members. it looks after their interests at work by doing things like:

  • negotiating agreements with employers on pay and conditions
  • discussing big changes like large scale redundancy
  • discussing members' concerns with employers