1.4.1 Approaches to staffing

• Effective human resource management is important to business as it ensures the business has the right people, in the right roles with the right support with opportunities to succeed.
• Human resource management focuses on employees that are...

  • Effectively recruited
  • Effectively deployed (used)
  • Effectively developed and trained
  • Effectively motivated
  • Effectively managed and led
• Staff as a cost

  • Hiring & training
  • Managing workers as managers have to be hired.
  • Paying salaries of full time workers.
  • Paying wages of hourly staff.
  • Perks like business cars, pension, healthcare
  • Redundancy payments
• Staff as an asset

  • Increase productivity, drive innovation & enhance customer service. - contributes to profitability & success.
  • Bring knowledge, skills & expertise.
  • Helps build a positive reputation of the business through interaction with customers, suppliers & stakeholders.
• Impact of increase in minimum wage on business...

  • Businesses employing workers on wage basis will have higher labour costs.
  • Businesses with workers on salary basis will be less affected, they pay a fixed amount.
• Flexible working

  Flexible working is the development of a culture where workers are equipped to do different roles or where they work in a range of employment patterns (full-time, part-time, zero hours contracts, work from home, etc)
• Multi - skilling

  • Process of training workers to fulfil multiple job roles within a business.
• Advantages of multi-skilling

  • Business can utilise their workforce more efficiently, reducing labour costs & increasing productivity.
  • Helps improve outcome in healthcare industries as workers with broader skills can provide more comprehensive care.
• Disadvantage - multiskilling

  • Requires significant investment in training & development.
  • May not be appropriate for jobs that require high expertise.
• Part-time

  • Someone who works part-time may only work two or three days a week.
• Temporary working

  • Someone who works temporarily shows up for work whenever the business needs them.
• Advantages - part-time/temporary

  • Flexible working arrangements help business attract & retain talent, especially staff who value work-life balance.
  • May improve productivity as staff can work during their most productive hours & avoid distraction.
• Disadvantages - Part-time/temporary

  • Flexible working arrangements can create challenges in communication & collaboration.
  • Monitoring & managing flexible workers can be difficult.
• Outsourcing

  • When a business process is contracted out to another company.
• Advantages - Outsourcing

  • Allows business to produce at lower costs, maintaining competitive advantage.
  • Allows business to access specialised skills.
• Disadvantages - Outsourcing

  • Leads to a loss of control over quality & delivery, especially if outsourcing partner is in another country.
  • May create ethical concerns, if partner is based in a country with lower labour standards & human rights abuses.
• Flexible hours

  •  Allows employees to schedule working hours around their individual needs and accommodate their commitments outside of work.
  •  Usually involves working some set hours, with the remainder of hours organised according to the employees' needs.
• Work from home

  • Employees use tools such as email, instant messaging, collaborative software, scheduling apps and videoconferencing to carry out work remotely.
• Advantages of home working for business..

  • Smaller/ fewer premises required = reduced costs.
  • High quality workers attracted from a wide geographical area.
  • Workers may be more productive if working away from distractions at home & extra hours taken from travel.
• Disadvantages of home working for business..

  • Cost of equipping workers with correct technology is expensive.
  • Less opportunity for collaboration = reducing innovation.
  • Careful monitoring required to ensure employees are productive.
• Advantages of home working for employee

  • Commuting costs are eliminated.
  • Reduced stress.
  • Flexibility, allowing workers to manage other commitments.
• Disadvantages of home working for employee

  • Staff may feel isolated from colleagues.
  • Household costs like electricity & heating will increase.
  • Healthy division between work & home life may be difficult to manage.
• Dismissal

  The termination of an employee by an employer against the will of the employee.

  • Employees are usually terminated due to their 

  misconduct or poor performance.

  • Employer may choose to dismiss them immediately (without notice or compensation) or provide a notice period.
• Redundancy

  Employees are made redundant when the job is no longer available & business reduces size of workplace.

  • Termination is not because of any faults of the employee.
  • Employer must follow legal procedures - providing notice & paying redundancy compensations.
• The nature of the employer/employee relationship is influenced by whether there is an individual approach or a collective agreement.
• Individual approach to employee - employer relationship

  • Focuses on relationship between employee/ employer.
  • Assumes each employee is unique & has their own goals, motivations & interests.
  • Emphasises need for tailored compensation packages that cater to each employee.
  • employment relationship is a voluntary agreement between two parties in which both negotiate their respective roles, responsibilities and benefits.
  •  employer has the power to hire, fire, and set the terms and conditions of employment.
• Collective bargaining

  • Approach where a group of employees (trade unions) negotiate with employer for better wages, working conditions & benefits.
  • Employees have bargaining power.
  • Employment relationship is seen as a struggle with conflicting interests.
  • employer wants to maximise profits by keeping labour costs low.
  • employees want to maximise their wages and benefits.
  • union acts as the collective voice of the employees and bargains with the employer on behalf of all workers.