Human Resource Management

Question 1

Human Resource management

Answer 1

The strategic approach to the effective management of employees so they help the business gain competitive advantage

Question 2

Workforce planning

Answer 2

Forecasting the numbers of workers and the skills that will be required for an organisation to meet it objectives.

Question 3

Labour turnover

Answer 3

Measures the rate at which employees are leaving an organisation

No. of employees leaving in 1 year
—————————————— X 100
Avg no. of people employed

Question 4

Benefits and limiations of high labour turnover

Answer 4

Benefits
-Low skilled and unproductive workers may leave who can be replaced by more competent ones
-New ideas and practices brought into the business by new recruits
-Labour turnover can help business reduce employee numbers and costs

Limitations
-Costs of recruiting, training, and selecting new staff are expensive
-Poor output levels due to staff vacancies before new recruits are appointed
-Difficult to establish customer loyalty due to lack of familiar contact

Question 5

Recruitment

Answer 5

Process of identifying the need for new employee, defining job and type of person needed to fill it and attracting suitable candidates for job

Question 6

Stages of Recruiting and Selecting Employees.

Answer 6

-Establishing the nature of the job and making a job description
-Making a person specification
-Preparing job advertisement
-Shortlisting applications
-Selecting between applicants

Question 7

Job description and person specification

Answer 7

-A detailed list of the key points about the job, stating its key tasks and responsibilities

-A detailed list of the qualities, skills, and qualifications a successful candidate must have

Question 8

CV and resume

Answer 8

-Curriculum vitae is a detailed document containing personal and academic achievements, work experience, and awards

-Résumé is a less detailed document than the CV, which includes work experience, educational background, and specific skills for the job

Question 9

Assessment centre

Answer 9

A place where a range if tests is used to judge job applicants on their potential ability to perform a particular role

Question 10

Internal recruitment

Answer 10

When a vacancy is filled by someone in the existing organisation

Benefits
-Applicants are already known
-No need for induction training
-Culture of the organisation is understood
-Quicker and easier

Question 11

External recruitment

Answer 11

When. vacancy is filled by someone outside the organisation

Benefits
-New ideas enter the business
-Wider choice of applicants
-Higher standard of applicants
-Avoids resentment between employees

Question 12

Employee contract

Answer 12

A legal document that sets out the terms and conditions governing a workers job

-Employees work and responsibility
-Working hours
-Temporary or permanent
-Holiday entitlement

Question 13

Redundancy

Answer 13

When a job is no longer required by the organisation

Question 14

Dismissal

Answer 14

Being fired due to incompetence or breach of discipline

Question 15

Fair and unfair dismissal

Answer 15

Fair
-Inability to do the job
-Negative attitude at work
-Disregard of required health and safety
-Deliberate destruction of property
-Bullying of other employees

Unfair
-Pregnancy
-Discriminatory reason
-Being a part of a union

Question 16

Equality policy and its impact

Answer 16

Practices and processes aimed at achieving a fair organisation where everyone is treated the same way

Impacts of equality policy
-High morale and motivation
-Developing good reputation
-Measuring employees performance by achievements

Question 17

Diversity policy and its impact

Answer 17

Practices and processes aimed at creating a mixed workforce

Impact
-Consumers attracted by a diverse sales force
-Employing more qualified workforce based on merit
-Increasing creativity as individuals from different backgrounds
-Achieving cultural awareness
-Promoting diverse language skills

Question 18

Types of training

Answer 18

Induction- Introductory tannin programmes to familiarise new recruits with business systems and layout

On-the-job- Instruction at the work place on how the job should be carried out

Off-the-job- Training undertaken away from the workplace

Question 19

Employee appraisal

Answer 19

The process of assessing the effectiveness of an employee judged against preset objectives

Question 20

Benefits of cooperation between employer and employees

Answer 20

-Fewer days lost due to industrial action
-Easier for management to bring change
-Agreement in effective operations will increase the business’s competitiveness
-Workers insights lead to more successful decisions

Question 21

Reasons to join a trade union

Answer 21

-To engage in collective bargaining
-Collective industrial action to influence employers
-Legal support for unfair dismissal
-For all legal requirements to be met

Question 22

Collective bargaining

Answer 22

The process of negotiating terms of employment between employer and a group of workers who are represented by trade union official

Question 23

Benefits of collective bargaining

Answer 23

-Easier for employers to negotiate w one trade union officer
-Union officials act as a useful channel of communication for workers
-Unions can impose discipline on this who take hasty industrial action
-These discussions led to increased productivity

Question 24

Industrial action and types of it

Answer 24

Measures taken by workforce or trade union to put pressure on management to settle an industrial dispute

-Collective bargaining
-Go slow
-Work to rule
-Overtime bans
-Strike action

Question 25

Ways to resolve an industrial dispute

Answer 25

-Negotiations -Public relations campaign -Threats of redundancies -Change of contract -Lock outs -Closure