1.4 Managing People Flashcards
(119 cards)
1
Q
How are staff an asset to a business?
A
They bring knowledge, skills and expertise to the business. They also increase productivity, drive innovation and enhance customer service.
2
Q
How are staff a cost to a business?
A
Cost of hiring and training workers, paying salaries, wages, fringe benefits, redundancy.
3
Q
What is the impact of national minimum wages on staffing costs?
A
Only applies to people with a wage not a salary so businesses that employ workers on a wage basis will face higher labour costs.
4
Q
What is a flexible workforce?
A
The development of a culture where workers are equipped to do different roles or where they work in a range of employment patterns.
5
Q
What are the four ways to develop a flexible workforce?
A
1)Multi-skilling
2)Flexible hours and home working
3)Outsourcing
4)Part-time and temporary
6
Q
What is multi-skilling?
A
the process of training workers to fulfil multiple job roles within a business.
7
Q
What is the advantage of multi-skilling?
A
-Businesses utilise their workforce more efficiently which reduces labour costs and increases productivity.
8
Q
What are the disadvantages of multi-skilling?
A
-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.
9
Q
What is part-time and temporary working?
A
-Someone who works part-time may only work two or three days a week.
-someone who works temporarily shows up to work whenever the business needs them.
10
Q
What are the advantages to a business of part-time and temporary working?
A
-Flexible working arrangements can help businesses to attract and retain talent, especially staff who value work life balance.
-This may improve productivity, as staff can work during their most productive hours and avoid distractions
11
Q
What are the disadvantages to a business of part-time and temporary working?
A
-Flexible working arrangements can create challenges in terms of communication and collaboration.
-Monitoring and managing flexible workers can be more difficult.
12
Q
What is outsourcing?
A
Hiring a party outside a company to perform services or create goods, allowing companies to produce with lower costs and maintain competitive pricing.
13
Q
What are the advantages of outsourcing?
A
-This may allow the business to access specialised skills.
-may reduce labour costs.
14
Q
What are the disadvantages of outsourcing?
A
-This may lead to a loss of control over quality and delivery.
-this may create ethical concerns, especially if the partner is based in a country with lower labour standards.
15
Q
What are flexible hours in a business?
A
Allow employees to schedule working hours around their individual needs and accommodate their commitments outside of work.
16
Q
What are the advantages of home working for the business?
A
-smaller premises may be required
-High quality workers may be attracted to
-workers may be more productive, if they work in isolation away from distractions.
17
Q
What are the disadvantages of home working for the business?
A
-The cost of equipping workers with technology may be significant.
-There may be less opportunity for collaboration between workers, reducing innovation.
-Careful monitoring will be required to ensure remote workers remain focussed on tasks
18
Q
What are the advantages of home working to the employee?
A
-Commuting costs eliminated
-Stress reduced as a result of not having to travel to work.
-Some flexibility in hours may be possible.
19
Q
What are the disadvantages of home working to the employee?
A
-Staff may feel isolated from colleagues
-Household costs such as electricity and heating may increase
-A health work life balance may be difficult to manage.
20
Q
What is dismissal?
A
The termination of employment by an employer against the will of the employee.(Firing or sacking)
21
Q
What is redundancy?
A
When the job is no longer available and the business reduces the size of its workforce.
22
Q
What are the two approaches to employer/employee relationships?
A
-Individual Approach
-Collective Bargaining
23
Q
What are the key parts to the individual approach?
A
-Focuses on the relationship between an employee and their employer.
-Assumes that each employee is unique and has their own goals, motivations and interests
-Emphasises the need for tailored compensation packages that cater to each employees uniques skills and needs
-The employee relationship is a voluntary agreement between two parties
-The employee has the power to hire, fire, and set the terms and conditions of employment
24
Q
What are the key parts to collective bargaining?
A
-A process whereby a group of employees negotiate with their employee for better wages, working conditions and benefits.
-Employee’s have more bargaining power when they negotiate collectively rather than as individuals.
-The employment relationship is seen as a power struggle between two parties with conflicting interests (employer wants to maximise profits by keeping labour costs low but employees want to maximise their wages and fringe benefits)
25
what is recruitment?
The process of attracting and identifying potential job candidates who are suitable for a particular role.
26
What is selection?
The process of choosing the best candidate.
27
What are the 9 stages of the recruitment process?
Stage 1:Identify the vacancy
Stage 2:Write a job description
Stage 3:Write a person specification
Stage 4:Advertise the vacancy
Stage 5:Candidates apply
Stage 6:Candidates shortlisted
Stage 7:Shortlisted candidates interviewed
Stage 8:Other recruitment activities
Stage 9:Successful candidate is offered the job
28
What is internal recruitment?
It means selecting and hiring an employee from within a business.
29
What are the advantages of internal recruitment?
-The business already knows the candidate and is aware of their strengths and capabilities.
-Very cost effective as there are no advertising or agency fees to pay.
-Increases morale if other staff see there are promotion prospects in the job.
-Less time consuming as references do not need to be applied for
30
What are the disadvantages of internal recruitment?
-Smaller pond of candidates to choose from.
-Staff who are not hired may be discontented and demotivated.
-Lack of new ideas in the business.
-Causes another internal vacancy to arise as staff are moved from one job to another.
31
What is external recruitment?
The selection and hiring of staff from outside of the business.
32
What are the advantages of external recruitment?
-Attracts a wider pool of candidates to choose from.
-May need to attract a candidate with a specific skill set.
-Recruitment agencies are very experienced at finding the right people with the right skill set for the business.
33
What are the disadvantages of external recruitment?
-Candidates fired from outside the business will require training.
-Hiring external candidates can be demotivating for staff who feel there are no promotion prospects.
-External recruitment agencies can be very expensive and charge thousands to find candidates.
-External recruitment takes longer than internal recruitment.
34
What are the three types of training?
-Induction
-On the Job
-Off the Job
35
What is induction training?
Training that occurs when an employee starts working for a new business.
36
What are the advantages of induction training?
-Many employees make their mind up if they are staying-The first week of employment.
-Induction training will help to inspire the employees and integrate them with the company culture.
-Good induction training will help reduce the numbers of employees that leave.
37
What is the disadvantage of induction training?
Induction training can cause information overload for an employee trying to find their feet in a new organisation.
38
What is on the Job training?
coaching or mentoring while doing the job.
39
What are the advantages of on the job training?
-Specific training needed for the job.
-Less expensive than off the job training.
-learning can be put in practice immediately.
-Trainees can see relevance to the job more clearly when skills are taught in the workplace.
40
What are the disadvantages of on the job training?
-Taking time away from employees job for them to be trained.
-Reduces efficiency of both the person giving the training and new employee.
-some workers have bad habits they could pass on to the trainee.
-The new worker may not pick up the skills straight away, may be worries about asking for help.
-Workers which are badly trained may make expensive mistakes or be a safety hazard.
41
What is off the job training?
This involves trainings outside of the workplace usually at home or courses at company training centres.
42
What are the advantages of off the job training?
-more focused environmental with less distractions.
-Increases a workers motivation as they feel valued by the company to have money spent on their improvement.
-Less stressful compared with on the job.
-Individuals teaching the courses are trained to train.
-More chance to gather specialist skills.
43
what are the disadvantages of off the job training?
-More expansive than on the job training.
-Employees may fail to see the link between training and workplace.
-employees are taken away from production so the business loses their productivity for that day.
44
What is an organisational design?
Organisational design refers to a diagram or chart which shows the lines of authority and layers in the hierarchy of the business.
45
What is decentralisation?
Where a business divides up the organisation into areas.
46
What is centralisation?
Where a business has its organisation of management and administration at one central head office.
47
What are the key features of a centralised structure?
-Less delegation, the management at head office will make all the key decisions.
-All recruitment is carried out at head office, all accounts are made here.
-Only small decisions such as rotas and stock merchandising can be made at branch level.
-Branches follow direction from head office.
48
What are the key features of a decentralised structure?
-Authority and power is given to the divisions to make decisions that affect that division.
-Quicker decisions can be made as they do not have to go through a central office for approval.
49
What is a hierarchy?
A system in a business where employees are ranked due to their status and authority.
50
What is a chain of command?
The flow of information and authority through the organisation.
51
What is the span of control?
This is the number of subordinates that they can delegate to.
52
What does an organisational chart show?
1)Names of departments.
2)Job roles.
3)Responsibilities and accountability.
4)Lines of authority.
5)Lines of communication flow in the organisation.
6)Chains of command in the organisation.
53
What are the three types of organisational structure?
-Tall structure
-flat structure
-Matrix structure
54
What is a tall structure?
Tall structures are characterised by multiple levels of management and a more centralised decision making process, with a long chain of command.
55
What are the advantages of a tall structure?
-Supervisors have a small span of control so they can get to know their subordinates really well.
-Knowing subordinates means they can delegate the right tasks and make sure their team is well trained.
-There are more opportunities for promotion.
56
What are the disadvantages of a tall structure?
-Lots of layers and a long chain of command can mean that the business is very inflexible.
-It can also mean that communications within the organisation are slow.
-This is an expensive way to structure a business as there are more managers and supervisors.
57
What is a flat structure?
a flat structure is characterised by fewer levels of management and a more decentralised decision making process, and a short chain of command.
58
What are the advantages of a flat structure
-In a flat structure there are fewer layers of hierarchy between the bottom and the top of the organisation, this may mean that communications within is fast.
-Lots of delegation means that staff are given grater responsibility, which might mean more opportunities to use their abilities.
59
What are the disadvantages of a flat structure?
-In a flat structure staff can become ever stretched or overworked as there is less supervision, this can cause stress and be demotivating.
-Can create a power struggle if the manager is rarely around as subordinates compete for roles and responsibilities.
-Wide span of control means managers have too many staff to manage and may lose touch with them.
60
What is a matrix structure?
Matrix structures are usually built around specific products or projects. They combine functional areas of a business with a specialist team that operates inside the business.
61
What are the advantages of a matrix structure?
-Matrix structure is ideal for a business that works on a project by project basis.
-Very flexible structure means that staff from different departments can jump in and out of different job roles.
-Perfect to exploit the specific skills of staff.
62
What are the disadvantages of a matrix structure?
-In a matrix organisational structure there may be possible coordination problems between departments.
-Employees can have conflicts of interest across projects.
-staff can become stretched across different projects, not spending time in their own departments.
63
What is the benefit of motivation?
Having motivated staff leads to greater productivity which means less wastage and higher profitability for a business.
64
What are the 4 motivation theories?
1)Taylor (scientific management)
2)Mayo (human relations theory)
3)Maslow (hierarchy of needs)
4)Herzberg (two factor theory)
65
What was Taylor’s theory?
-He believed in a fair days pay for a fair days work.
-He also believed that employees would do the minimum amount of work if not supervised.
-He carried out time and motion studies.
66
What were the implications of Taylor’s theory?
-The main form of motivation is high wages, higher wages = higher output
-A manager’s job is to tell employees what to do.
-A worker’s job is to do what they are told and get paid accordingly.
67
Where did Mayo base his theory?
Research undertaken with workers at the Hawthorne factory of the western electric company in Chicago.
68
What were Mayo’s findings?
-When he changed the working conditions such as break times and duration he found that the employee’s level of motivation increased.
-He found that working in teams was more important than money.
-non financial motivators were the most important.
-Boring and repetitive work can be a demotivator.
69
What did Mayo conclude from his theory?
The concept that the employees purely work to earn money and living is totally false.
70
What was Maslow’s theory?
that we all have a pyramid of needs. We start by meeting our needs at the bottom. We then look for a secure job to meet our safety needs, we then look for teamwork and a social job, we then look for responsibility and promotion. When all of these are met we start to self actualise which is where we reach our potential.
71
What is the hierarchy of needs pyramid?
-Physiological needs
-Safety needs
-Love/belonging needs
-Esteem Needs
-Self-actualisation needs
72
What are some examples of physiological needs?
Food, water, warmth.
73
What are some examples of safety needs?
Having a roof over our head, job security, correct clothing/tools for job, first aid, risk assessment.
74
What are some examples of Love/Belonging needs?
Social groups, clubs, community groups, staff party, team building days.
75
What are some examples of Esteem needs?
Cars, furniture, gym membership, credit cards, bonuses, promotional opportunities, shares in business.
76
What are some examples of Self-Actualisation?
Learning programmes, perusing leadership roles, funding a hobby
77
What was Herzberg’s two factor theory and what did I he find out?
-He interviewed accountants and engineers to find out what motivated them.
-His theory was that employees have motivating factors; interesting work, recognition and personal achievement, responsibility and scope to develop.
-He also found that there were hygiene factors which if not met would dissatisfy the employees, but if they were met did not motivate the employees any more than before.
78
What were the hygiene factors in Herzberg’s two factor theory?
-Salaries
-wages
-other employee benefits
-Job security
-Working conditions
-Work life balance
79
What were the motivating factors in Herzberg’s two factor theory?
-Status
-Recognition
-Responsibility
-Challenging work
-Promotion
-Growth
80
What are the 5 financial methods of motivation?
1.Piecework
2.Commision
3.Bonus
4.Profit share
5.Performance related pay
81
What is Piecework?
When employees are paid per finished item or unit.
82
What are the advantages of piecework?
-Experienced and efficient workers can earn more
-Incentive to complete the work
-Employees may work more hours to get the work done
-Home workers can start and finish when they want which means the work fits around a family.
83
What are the disadvantages of piecework?
-As workers speed up they may cut corners.
-Quality may suffer.
-Slower workers may fall under the national minimum wage.
84
What is a commission?
Salespeople may be paid commission only, or low basic salary and commission. The commission may be paid as a percentage of unit price or per unit sold.
85
What are the advantages of a commission?
-skilled salespeople can make very good money.
-Employer is not paying for down time when the employee is not selling.
-Motivates employees to sell more.
86
What are the disadvantages of a commission?
-Salespeople on commission could earn no money at all.
-Not a steady income.
-Risky in a recession.
-Employees are selling rather than meeting needs of customers.
-Temptation to pressure sell or oversell.
87
What is a bonus?
An employee bonus is a lump sum paid on top of a salary or wages.
88
What are the advantages of a bonus?
-A bonus payment to an employee can be used as an incentive, especially in a field where employees must make sales or meet specific goals.
-A bonus payment can also be used as a means of appreciation for an employees hard work throughout the year.
89
What are the disadvantages of a bonus?
-A cash bonus can be costly for any company, so a business may offer gift cards instead.
-When an employee receives a bonus, it becomes part of his total income at the end of the year i which they will also be paying tax on the bonus they receive.
90
What is profit share?
-Employees may be paid an annual dividend based on the level of profits made by the firm.
91
What are the advantages of profit share?
-Brings employees together to work towards a common goal.
-Motivation levels will be high and it encourages teamwork.
-The employee focus will be on profitability.
-Increases commitment to the organisation among the employees.
92
What are the disadvantages of profit share?
-The salaries of the individuals go up equally, not on the basis of merit or promotion.
-The focus of the employee may be on the profit share rather than on quality customer service.
93
What is performance related pay?
A system of motivation where a line manager sits with a worker in an appraisal and decides to set a criteria or objectives that the employee must fulfil.
94
What are the advantages of performance related pay?
-There is a direct link between performance and how much employees are paid.
-Easy for the business to rank their staff when they look at who to promote.
95
What are the disadvantages with performance related pay?
-Critics say it causes jealousy and unrest.
-Those that don’t meet the targets blame the line manager and can become demotivated.
96
What are the 8 non-financial methods of motivation?
1.Delegation
2.Consultation
3.Empowerment
4.Team working
5.Flexible working
6.Job enrichment
7.Job rotation
8.Job enlargement
97
What is delegation?
Allocating more complex tasks to employees. The manager or supervisor delegating must have the authority to delegate.
98
What are the advantages of delegation?
-gives managers self confidence, empowers managers to make decisions and allocate tasks to most appropriate member of staff.
-Makes sure the teams potential is maximised
-Builds trust between the manager and the employees.
99
What are the disadvantages of delegation?
-Managers sometimes allocate tasks when overloaded with work and not when they want to motivate an employee.
-Managers may not always choose the most suitable employee to delegate to.
100
What is consultation?
Gives employees the chance to be part of the decision making process through discussions with management on certain topics.
101
What are the advantages of consultation?
-Effective consultation can help avoid any minor issues in the business becoming larger.
-Consultation can help avoid any minor union action.
-Consultation can help the employees feel motivated as their views are asked for certain matters.
102
What are the disadvantages of consultation?
-employees may not know what it needs to run a successful business.
-Employees may come up with grudges against the company or amongst themselves.
103
what is empowerment?
Allowing employees more authority to delegate asks to others.
104
What are the advantages of empowerment?
-Staff that are recognised for their ability, trusted and given control over their decisions, therefore are less frustrated with the business and have increased productivity levels.
-Empowered employees are close to issues and problems, so may be more effective at problem solving at this level.
-Great involvement means grater loyalty to the business.
105
What are the disadvantages of empowerment?
-Sometimes regarded as cost cutting, a way of delayering, making management redundancies.
-Some see this as giving employees more to do for the same pay, so that managers can be made redundant.
-Lack of experience in the job can increase risk of mistakes.
106
What is team working?
Grouping employees to work in teams.
107
What are the advantages of team working?
-Team working means pooled talents.
-Individuals can specialise.
-Shared responsibility.
-Fresh business ideas can be gained through brainstorming sessions.
-Well managed workplace teams can produce better results.
-Peer pressure in the group can help to keep motivation levels high.
108
What is flexible working?
Offering a variety of working patterns so that employees can achieve a work life balance.
109
What are the advantages of flexible working?
-Greater cost effectiveness and efficiency, such as savings on overheads when employees work from home.
-The chance to have extended operating hours.
-More job satisfaction and better staff motivation.
-Reduced levels of sickness absence.
110
What are the disadvantages of Flexible working?
-It can be difficult to fit shifts and schedules to suit everyone.
-some staff may take advantage of the flexible system and not work as hard or when they should.
111
What is job enrichment?
giving the employee a greater variety of tasks of a higher responsibility.
112
What are the advantages of job enrichment?
-The employee benefits from having a more interesting job role which can be very motivating and improve employee productivity and lower absents.
-The employee will feel more loyal to the organisation and they get the sense of achievement.
-Prepares the employee for possible promotion in the future.
113
What are the disadvantages of job enrichment?
-Some employees may just feel that the job has become harder.
-May mean the employee will need to be trained on new machinery, in ICT or other job skills to perform the new tasks.
-Not all jobs can be enriched.
114
What is job rotation?
Involves moving employees from one task to another.
115
What are the advantages of job rotation?
-The business gets multi-skilled employees who can carry out more than one task.
-The job can be less repetitive and boring for the employees.
-It is an easy and cost effective way to motivate employees and improve productivity.
116
What are the disadvantages of job rotation?
-Convincing employees that job rotation is a good thing can be a time consuming process, they may be unwilling to leave a job they know well or work with a different team.
-It also takes time for employees to learn new skills and get up to speed.
117
What is job enlargement?
Giving an employee more tasks of the same level of responsibility?
118
What are the advantages of job enlargement?
This method can make the job less boring, less repetitive, and can get the maximum use out of an employee.
-Employee productivity may be improved.
-Improves employee retention and absenteeism.
119
What are the disadvantages of job enlargement?
-May be seen as more of the same if the employee regards it as just more tasks to get done in a working day.
-Needs to be linked to a clear career progression to make scenes to the employee.
