123-133 HR

• Human resources department


  Responsible for all aspects of managing people who work in a business, including pay and rewards, recruitment, selection, training, and dealing with disputes
• Flexible workforce


  • Workforce does not work the traditional pattern of 5 days per week, work pattern is designed to meet changing demand patterns and provide labour specifically when it is required, includes flexible working methods such as part time, flexi time, zero hours contracts etc
• Flexible working


  There is some flexibility as to when and where employees work, may include flexi-time where workers can choose which hours they work, so long as they work their quota of hours
• Part time working


  Someone who works fewer hours than a full time worker, no specific number of hours that makes someone full or part-time, but a full-time worker will usually work 35 hours or more a week
• Multi skilling


  Businesses training their workforce to be able to work effectively across a wide range of tasks, for example through job rotation
• Hot-desking

  An employee has no fixed work space, often booking work desks when required, reduces the need for office space
• Zero hours contracts


  Where an employee has to be available to work but is not guaranteed work, provides employers with total flexibility, employees may be given no hours or full-time hours depending on demand, workers have no income security
• Workforce planning


  Determining the labour needs of the company, now and in the future, including the number of workers required (recruitment/redundancies) and their skills
• Recruitment process

  Job analysis, job description, person specification, selection methods (interviews, work trials, testing, selection exercises, telephone interviews, video), induction training
• On the job training


  Training that occurs at the employer's place of work while the employee is doing the job, usually supervised by a more experienced employee or trainer
• Off the job training


  Where the employee attends college to study for qualifications or through the use of internal (in-house) courses structured directly for the needs of the business, takes place outside of the employee's normal work environment
• Non-financial methods of motivation


  • Management by objectives (MBO)
  • Leadership styles
  • Consultation
  • Job design
  • Job enlargement
  • Job enrichment
  • Empowerment
  • Team working
  • Flexible working
• Apprenticeships


  A form of training for young people whilst undertaking paid employment, often combines workplace training with attendance at college on day release or evenings, qualifications are attained on completion of the apprenticeship programme, can be supported by government funding, remuneration could be less than the minimum wage
• Management by objectives (MBO)


  A way of management where objectives are defined within an organisation so that the management and workers agree to the objectives and understand what they need to do in order to achieve them
• Appraisal


  The process whereby the performance of an employee is evaluated against targets set, feedback is provided usually by their manager, and new targets for the next cycle are set, examples are peer, self, superior and 360 degree
• MBO


  • Involves the breaking down the aims and goals of an organisation into targets and objectives for divisions, for departments, for managers and finally for workers to meet
  • If all levels meet their targets, then the business should perform better
• Superior's assessment

  When a worker's performance is assessed by his/her line manager (immediate boss) who comes up with future targets and training needs
• Leadership styles

  • Autocratic
  • Democratic
  • Paternalistic
  • Bureaucratic
  • Laissez-faire
• Peer assessment


  When a worker's performance is assessed by other colleagues who work at the same level in the hierarchy and who do similar job roles
• Autocratic leadership


  The leader makes all of the decisions and does not require input from the workers. This means decision making could be fast.
• Self assessment


  When workers reflect on their own recent performance and set their own targets and consider their own training needs
• Democratic leadership


  This leadership style encourages employees' participation in decision making. The leader still makes the decision but could consider the workers' opinions. This makes decision making slower than autocratic or laissez faire.
• 360 degree feedback


  When a worker's performance is assessed and feedback is provided by their line manager, colleagues, subordinates, self assessment, and sometimes from customers and suppliers
• Paternalistic leadership

  The leader is autocratic but makes decisions in what they believe to be the best interests of the workers (like a parent).
• Labour productivity


  Can be measured by dividing the output by the number of workers over a period of time
• Bureaucratic leadership


  Decisions can only be made if rules and procedures are followed. This makes decision making slow but clear.
• Laissez-faire leadership


  The leader allows the workers to make their own decisions and trusts the workers to work without direction.
• Absenteeism


  The number of working days lost due to employees not attending work, for example calling in sick
• Labour turnover


  A measurement of the rate at which employees are leaving an organisation, calculated using the formula: Number of leavers / Average number of staff employed x 100
• Leadership styles have advantages and disadvantages - there is no one best style.
• Contract of employment


  An agreement that sets out an employee's employment conditions, rights, responsibilities and duties. A written statement of the terms and conditions must be given to an employee within 2 months of the employment starting.
• Authority and responsibility

  Authority is the power to make decisions and take action, while responsibility is the obligation of the subordinate regarding a specific duty or task assigned by the superior
• Employment laws

  • Minimum wage
  • Equal opportunities
  • Trade unions
  • Collective bargaining
  • Industrial action
  • ACAS
• Chain of command

  Describes the lines of authority (reporting system) in the business/communication path, orders/instructions are passed down and feedback is passed up
• Trade unions


  An organisation that represents workers in a particular role, industry or occupation. The purpose is to protect and improve the conditions of employment for members.
• Span of control

  The number of workers a manager is responsible for, could be wide (manager is responsible for many employees) or narrow (manager is responsible for a smaller number of employees)
• Delegation

  Where a manager passes authority onto employees for particular functions, tasks, and decisions, can allow subordinates to gain more autonomy and become empowered
• Collective bargaining


  The official process by which representatives of the trade unions negotiate with employers on behalf of their members.
• Hierarchy


  Shows the levels of management from the top to the bottom, indicates who is responsible to whom, the way authority is organised
• Industrial action


  When employees are in a dispute with the employer and have failed to reach an agreement. This includes actions like work to rule, overtime bans and strikes.