6.1 Setting human resource objective notes.

Question 1

What are human resource objectives?

Answer 1

They are the goals or targets that a business’s HR function or department seeks to achieve.

Question 2

What are some HR objectives?

Answer 2

• Labour productivity
• The number and location of the businesses workforce.
• Labour turnover.
• Employee engagement.

Question 3

Why is the number and location of a businesses workforce an objective?

Why is it essential?

Answer 3

• Labour needs for a business will change over time- business may grow, move overseas, replace employees with technology etc
• Each of these options- means business requires a different workforce.
• Essential- business needs to have sufficient employees to ensure that it can meet the needs of its customers and to provide the best-quality goods or services as possible.

Question 4

What does having a workforce of the correct size and in the right place assist the business in providing?

Answer 4

Providing high-quality customer service!

Question 5

What three dimensions does the CIPD believe employee engagement has?

Answer 5

Intellectual engagement: Thinking hard about the job and how to do better.

Affective engagement: Feeling positively about doing a good job.

Social engagement: Actively taking opportunities to discuss work related improvement with others at work.

Question 6

What has The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) defined employee engagement as?

Answer 6

“Being positively present during the performance of work by willingly contributing intellectual effort, experiencing positive emotions and meaningful connections to others.”

Question 7

KT: Employee engagement. What is this?

Answer 7

It describes the connection between a business’s employees and its mission, goals and objectives.

Question 8

KT: Employee involvement. What is this?

Answer 8

Employee involvement: Exists in a business in which people are able to have an impact on decisions and actions that affect their working lives.

Question 9

Employee involvement.

What does it seek to achieve?

What can it also be know as?

Answer 9

• Seeks to enable employees to contribute to the continuous improvement and performance of the business in which they are employed.
• Also referred to as “employee voice”

Question 10

How can employee involvement be achieved?

Answer 10

• Considering employees’ ideas and opinions.
• Employee representatives.

Question 11

Employee Involvement

• Considering employees’ ideas and opinions- How can this be achieved?
• Who is this between?
• What may this simply be? What has made this a simpler process?

Answer 11

• Using two- way communication channels or by establishing systems for employees to express their voice.
• Communication- directly between managers and employees.
• Use of suggestion schemes or regular meetings between managers and employees to gather employees’ opinions.
• Technological developments- electronic media- have made this a simpler process and communication often takes place through email.

Question 12

What are some further HR objectives?

Answer 12

• Training
• Task development
• Diversity
• Alignment of values

Question 13

KT: Training?

Answer 13

The process whereby the an employee gains job-related skills and knowledge.

Question 14

Why is training an important HR objective?

What do learning and development policies set out?

Answer 14

• Improving work-related skills & knowledge of employees - effective way of improving employee performance.
• Set out the workforce capibilities, skills or competencies required and how these can be developed to ensure a sustainable, successful organisation.

Question 15

KT: Talent development?

Answer 15

Refers to the development and guidance of outstanding or star employees who have the potential to make a major contribution to an organisation’s performance and success.

Question 16

Talent development objctives

Why is there an increased interest in talent- what reasons ?

Answer 16

• Overcoming the pressures of succeeding in increasingly competitive global markets.
• Coping with shortages of certain skilled employees.
• Growing need for highly specialist and creative employees.

Question 17

What will diversity as an HR objective aim to do?

What could employee diversity be based upon?

What other objectives may be alongside this?

Answer 17

• Aim to treat people as individuals and will value the benefits that diverse individuals and groups in a workplace may offer to a business.
• Gender, race and ethnicity, disability, religion, sexuality, class and age.
• Objectives for equality.

Question 18

Diversity & equality objectives

The Equalities Act 2010- protected employees against what?

Answer 18

• Direct and Indirect discrimination.
• Harassment
• Victimisation

Question 19

What are the benefits of setting HR objectives for equality and diversity?

Answer 19

• Drawing on all people- in local community when recruiting- offers the best opportunity to employ the most talented employees.
• This will enhance the performance of the business.
• Promoting most able employees, regardless of personal characteristics- secures greatest level of talent for the business.
• Diverse workforce- allows business- understand the needs of a market- comprised of diverse consumers. Will assist the organisation- meeting the needs of consumers more effectively.
• Business- good reputation of offering an effective diversity&equality policy- become attractive to potential employees- ‘employer branding’ - can help to attract highly skilled and talented employees.

Question 20

HR objective- alignment of values. What is this?

What do they assist and support the business in?

Answer 20

A businesses core values.

• Can assist the business in establishing and maintaining a competitive advantage.
• Support the business in attempting to fulfil its vision.

Question 21

What are the internal influences on HR objectives and decisions?

Answer 21

• Corporate or overall objectives.
• Attitudes & beliefs of the senior managers.
• Hard HR approach.
• Soft HR approach.
• Type of product.

Question 22

Internal influences- HR objectives- corporate or overall objectives.

What must they assist the business in in achieving?

Answer 22

Achieving its overall objectives.

Question 23

Internal influences- HR objectives- Attitudes and beliefs of senior managers.

• How do they influence decisions of human resource- what may they do if they consider the workforce to be a valuable asset?
• What if they consider the workforce to be a expendable asset?

Answer 23

• If managers consider the workforce to be a valuable asset- they may want a long-term relationship with employees & may set objectives such as developing the skills and of the workforce to their fullest extent.
• Alternatively- may see employees as an expendable asset to be hired when necessary and to pay the minimum rate possible.

Question 24

‘Hard’ HR approach

What is the philosophy behind this?

Answer 24

They treat employees as a resource - and regard them to be another resource to be deployed as efficiently as possible in pursuit of strategic targets.

Question 25

‘Hard’ HR approach

Time scale?

Answer 25

HRM seen as a short-term policy: employees hired and fired as necessary.

Question 26

‘Hard’ HR approach

Key features?

Answer 26

• Employees paid as little as possible.
• Leaders have Theory X view of workforce.
• Employees only have limited control over working life.
• Communication mainly downward in direction.
• Employees recruited externally to fulfil human needs- giving short term solution.
• Judgemental appraisal.

Question 27

Associated leadership ‘Hard’ HR approach?

Answer 27

Autocratic

Question 28

‘Hard’ HR - what motivational techniques are used?

Answer 28

Mainly motivated by pay, with limited use of techniques such as delegation and teamworking.

Question 29

‘Soft’ HR approach

What is this approach?

Answer 29

The approach is based on the notion that the employees are the most valuable asset a business has and they should be developed to maximise their value to the organisation.

Question 30

‘Soft’ HR approach

What is the time scale?

Answer 30

Takes a long-term view of using the workforce as efficiently as possible to achieve long-term corporate objectives.

Question 31

What are the key features of ‘Soft’ HR approach?

Answer 31

• Managers consult with employees.
• Managers give control over working lives to employees through delayering and empowerment.
• Emphasis on training and developing employees.
• Employees promoted from within reflecting long-term desire to develop a workforce.
• Development appraisal.

Question 32

Higher rates of productivity are prefereable- however it is important that it not achieved through the expense of what..?

Answer 32

Lower quality!