Business Management

Subdecks (8)

Cards (120)

  • Elements of HRM
    • HR Planning
    • Recruitment and Selection
    • Training and Development
    • The Role of Human Resources
    • Record Keeping/Maintenance of Personal Records
    • Legislation
    • Development and monitoring of policies and procedures
    • Employee Relations/Grievance and Discipline
  • Workforce Planning
    • Planning internal and external supply of staff- promotions vs labour available
    • Analysing skills of current staff
    • Forecasting staffing required to meet demand
    • Review current labour available (check for shortages)
    • Consider appropriate training to plug skill gaps
    • Consider flexible working patterns
  • Benefits of Workforce Planning
    • Reduces recruitment costs
    • Reduced risk of understaffing - continuity of production and customer deadlines
    • Workload spread appropriately- reducing stress of existing staff
    • Planning means managers are not reacting to changes, so less rash decisions are made
    • Aids forecasting for periods of high demand, restructuring etc - so outsourcing/job enlargement etc can be organised in advance
    • Training kept up-to-date can increase the flexibility
    • Skilled staff produced better quality work which makes the firm more competitive
  • Internal Recruitment Advantages
    • Less expensive than external advertising
    • Employer already knows the candidates' abilities
    • Employee is already familiar with the company and has received training
    • Emphasises promotion routes raising motivation of employees
  • Internal Recruitment Disadvantages
    • Does not allow fresh talent to enter the company
    • Favouritism can occur and rivalry between employees
    • Limited pool of candidates
  • External Recruitment Advantages
    • Wider pool of candidates and therefore a better chance of getting the best person
    • Introduces new skills and fresh ideas to the organisation
    • Can target specialist sources for the specific type of candidate needed
  • External Recruitment Disadvantages
    • May be more expensive for adverts and the use of job centres
    • New employee will need more training and a longer induction
    • May upset existing employees
  • Selection Process
    1. Read application forms/CVS completed by applicants
    2. Choose long-leet
    3. Interview Applicants/testing/assessment centres
    4. Short-leet
    5. Interview Applicants/testing/assessment centres
    6. Offer Post/Inform Unsuccessful Applicant(s)
  • Application Forms
    • The most common notification of interest in a post
    • All applicants given the same questions and opportunities to describe themselves. Easier to compare information than CVs
    • Compared against the Person Specification. The HRM department will then decide which applicants to reject at this stage
    • From the applications that appear to be suitable, a decision is made on how many should be interviewed and references sought from existing or previous employers
  • Interview Formats
    • one-to-one interview
    • Successive interviews
    • Panel interviews
  • Other Selection Techniques
    • Intelligence (IQ) test
    • Aptitude test
    • Attainment test
    • Psychometric (personality) test
    • Medical test
  • Because of the problems of interviews, other selection techniques have been devised
  • Autocratic leadership style

    • The manager would direct workers in all activities
    • There will be very close supervision of the workers
    • There will be clear divisions between Managers/Directors and the workers
    • There will be little or no consultation or participation in any decision making by the workers
    • Used in workplace situations when there is no time for group discussions
    • Where workers are low skilled
  • Democratic leadership style
    • The managers will share the decision making with the workers
    • The workers will be consulted and their input into decision making will be valued
    • This will increase the motivation and morale of the workforce as they feel valued
    • This can lead to better ideas and more creativity within the workforce
    • Employees are more likely to be highly skilled and personally motivated
  • Laissez-faire leadership style
    • Managers will give full power of decision making in certain situations to the workers
    • Managers will delegate tasks to the workers and leave them to complete the task
    • A high degree of autonomy exists
    • Works well when employees are highly skilled and experienced in their jobs
    • Employees will have a pride in their work and a personal drive to succeed
  • Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
    • Physiological needs
    • Safety needs
    • Social/love needs
    • Esteem needs
    • Self-actualisation needs
  • Hygiene factors (Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory)

    Factors that cause dissatisfaction
  • Motivating factors (Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory)

    Factors that result in satisfaction
  • Hygiene factors

    • Company policy
    • Work relationships
    • Security/safe working conditions
    • Fair Pay eq NWW/Living Wage required by law
    • Working conditions
  • Motivating factors
    • Achievement/Recognition
    • Flexible working
    • Target setting
    • Promotion opportunities
    • Profit sharing/Bonus schemes
    • Empowerment
    • Challenging/Interesting work
    • Working Machinery
  • Trade union
    An organisation that represents employees' interests in negotiations
  • Trade union
    • Represent employees with regard to pay, working conditions, dismissal, grievance, contracts etc
    • Participate in collective bargaining on behalf of employees power in numbers strong negotiating position. Agreement can be reached on a national level
    • Will organise Industrial action eg strikes if necessary
    • Supports equality and harassment claims
    • Gives legal advice to employees
    • Are totally independent of employers during negotiations
    • Will discuss the viewpoint of employers with its members
  • Quality circles
    Participative management
  • How an organisation can encourage positive employee relations
    • Empowerment, job enlargement and rotation
    • Regular appraisals/one to one meetings- set targets. Financial rewards and promotion opportunities
    • Regular team meetings
    • Recognise and work with Trade unions
    • Survey staff to gather feedback
    • Have an open door policy
    • Strive for awards
  • Positive employee relations
    • Can reduce staff turnover meaning reduced costs of recruitment and selection
    • Reduced spending of training on new staff
    • Employees will feel motivated and more secure in the workplace as effective communication gives opportunities to discuss changes
    • Increases productivity
    • Can improve quality if standard of work improves
    • Less likely to resist changes
    • Disputes are less likely to arise as workers are consulted regularly
    • Regular team meetings allow opportunities to raise concerns to minimise stress as they feel supported
    • Can reduce the likelihood of employees taking industrial action by working with Trade unions
    • Regular appraisals/one to one meetings means targets can be set and training and development needs can be identified to support staff
    • Gaining awards for employee relations may attract new staff to the business due to the positive image
    • Awards may reduce the likelihood of discrimination in the workplace
  • Role of the Human Resource department in employee relations
    • Recognition of trade unions
    • (Written) procedures for dealing with staff complaints
    • (Written) terms and conditions for all staff
    • Make use of worker directors
    • Use of works councils to allow employees and managers to discuss any suggestions for change and changes being introduced before being implemented
    • Ensure employees are aware of the goals and objectives of the organisation
    • To participate in the role of appraisal of staff within the organisation
    • Work with ACAS and take part in collective bargaining process
    • Take part in conciliation process
    • Take part in arbitration process
  • Policies used by the Human Resources department
    • Grievance
    • Absenteeism
    • Dismissal
    • Redundancy
    • Discipline
  • Grievance policy
    Outlines the steps an employee can take if they wish to make a complaint regarding a work-related issue
  • Absenteeism policy

    A process for monitoring employee absences so that action can be taken against poor attendance
  • Dismissal policy

    The process for legally terminating an employee's contract
  • Redundancy policy
    A form of dismissal when employers need to reduce their workforce. Legal procedures to follow when making staff redundant and must usually make redundancy payments to those people being laid off
  • Discipline policy

    Outlines actions which can be taken by employers if there are concerns about an employee's work
  • Disciplinary actions
    • Verbal warning
    • Written warning
    • Suspension
    • Demotion
    • Referral to police
    • Dismissal
  • Video-conferencing
    • Allows the candidate to demonstrate in a presentation
    • Body language and facial expressions can aid communication
    • Saves the organisation (or candidate) funding travel and accommodation
    • Inexpensive method as it can be carried out using a tablet or smartphone
    • Can interview candidates abroad who otherwise may not have applied
    • Can access a large worldwide audience online means a wider pool of candidates can apply
  • Websites for job advertising
    • Advertising online eg through own website reduces advertising expenses not paying external companies
    • Can use specialised websites to attract the right calibre of candidate
    • Website requires constant updating - may need to hire IT staff
  • Online application forms
    • May save on printing and postage costs if done electronically
    • Avoids handwritten application forms which can be illegible
    • Can be accessed anywhere from the internet which is convenient for the HR Manager
    • Candidate details can be compared electronically initially to reduce time for selection
  • Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)
    • Employees can access training remotely so more likely to complete it
    • May simulate scenarios online which is cheaper than recreating them in person
    • Lack of supervision in the training mean employees may feel unsupported
    • Saves on hiring a member of staff to train employees in person
  • You must list the key features of the HR technology activities carried out in the HR department
  • Do not provide generic answers, focus on the use of technology
  • Impact of Employment Legislation