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HR business > Changes in working practices > Flashcards

Changes in working practices Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 8 methods of flexible working ?

A
  1. Multi-skilling
  2. Part-time staff
  3. Temporary staff
  4. Flexible hours
  5. Zero hour contracts
  6. Home-working
  7. Job sharing
  8. Hot desking
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2
Q

What is multi-skilling ?

A

Training employees to do several different jobs within the business to have a range of skills

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3
Q

What are 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of multi skilling ?

A
  1. Ability to cover many different roles
  2. Can respond to rises and falls in demand
  3. Training is expensive
  4. If training not efficient, staff will not be efficient in different roles
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4
Q

What are part-time staff ?

A

Staff that work shorter hours than full time staff, less than 30-35 hours a week

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5
Q

What is an advantage and disadvantage of part-time staff ?

A
  1. Hours can be tailored to suit times of higher customer demand
  2. Takes longer to train part-time staff
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6
Q

What are temporary staff ?

A

Staff employed by a business for a specific period of time to cover periods of higher demand / staff absence

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7
Q

What is an advantage and disadvantage of temporary staff ?

A
  1. They help the business to keep costs low
  2. It will take time for the new members of staff to become productive
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8
Q

What are flexible hours ?

A

It allows staff to vary the hours they work to meet the needs of the business and their own personal needs

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9
Q

What is an advantage and disadvantage of flexible hours ?

A
  1. Business can match working hours of staff to periods of demand from customers
  2. If staff given too much flexibility in deciding hours the business may not have sufficient staff to cope with demand
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10
Q

What are zero-hour contracts ?

A

Contracts where the business does not guarantee any work to the employee until demand means they are needed

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11
Q

What are 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of zero-hour contracts ?

A
  1. Business can match demand with employees’ hours
  2. Demand is met very precisely
  3. Costs are reduced
  4. Demotivated workers if they feel undervalued by refusal to guarantee regular hours
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12
Q

What is home-working ?

A

The employee does all or part of their job at home without needing to attend business premises

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13
Q

What is an advantage and disadvantage of home-working ?

A
  1. Costs for providing workspace are reduced
  2. Staff may be less productive as work is not supervised
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14
Q

What is job sharing ?

A

Allows two employees to share the responsibilities and benefits of a full time member of staff

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15
Q

What are 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of job sharing ?

A
  1. Allows employer to keep expertise and experience of valued employees
  2. Staff may be more motivated
  3. Increased costs as there are two employees who need managing
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16
Q

What is hot desking ?

A

Where desks in an office are not allocated to a specific member of staff but allocated only when a member of staff needs to work at a desk

17
Q

What are 2 advantages and a disadvantage of hot desking ?

A
  1. Lower costs from space being left empty due to staff absence
  2. Lower overhead costs
  3. Poor management of staff schedules can mean too many staff and not enough workspace
18
Q

What are 3 impacts of new technology on working practices ?

A
  1. Improved productivity and quality - machines speed up manufacturing processes without error
  2. Flexible working and emphasis of higher level thinking skills = improved motivation, recruitment and retention
  3. Many businesses see technology as way to cut costs rather than improve worker experience
19
Q

What are 3 impacts of changes in working patterns on employees ?

A
  1. More flexible working - WFH
  2. Move away from heavy industry to service-sector roles
  3. Manufacturing jobs easier - machinery
  4. Little job security and low wages - ‘gig economy’
  5. Staff always ‘switched on’ to jobs = stress, higher absenteeism and labour turnover
20
Q

What are 3 impacts of changes in working patterns on employers ?

A
  1. Decreased costs - mechanisation reduced number of manufacturing staff
  2. Staff more motivated - technology enables flexible working
  3. Staff may have less loyalty and less productivity - flexibility seen as only benefiting employers business

HR business (11 decks)

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