Chapter 2

Question 1

Meaning of Recruitment

Answer 1

*The process used by a business to identify certain vacancies in the business and attract suitable candidates for them
*Businesses may choose to use an external or internal method of recruitment
*Recruitment is an ongoing process because employees leave their jobs for other jobs/achieve promotions/retire/as new technical skills are required

Question 2

Recruitment Procedure

Answer 2

*Place advertisement in the selected media that will ensure that the best candidates will apply
*External recruitment should be considered if internal recruitment was unsuccessful
Vacancies can be internally advertised via internal email/word of mouth/posters/office notice boards etc

Question 3

Meaning of Job Analysis

Answer 3

*Consists of job description and job specification
*A tool used by the hUman resources function to source and analyse information about the businesses workforce. This information is then used to place/recruit the right person in the right job

Question 4

Difference between Job Description and Job specification

Answer 4

*Job description describes duties/responsibilities of a specific job
*Job Specification describes the minimum acceptable personal qualities/skills/qualifications needed for the job
*Job Description is written description of the job and its requirements/Summary of the nature/type of the job
*Job Specification is written description of specific qualifications/skills/experience needed for the job

Question 5

Internal recruitment

Answer 5

*Refers to the use of internal sources to advertise vacancies inside the business

Question 6

Advantages of Internal Recruitment

Answer 6

*Staff morale and productivity increases if suitable staff members are promoted regularly
*Current employees understand the operations/functions of the business
*Opportunities for promotion rewards good work and motivates current employees

Question 7

Disadvantages of Internal Recruitment

Answer 7

*Promoting a current employee may cause resentment amongst existing/other employees
*The number of applicants is limited to current staff only./Limited pool of applicants
*Employees who do not have the required skills for the new job may be promoted

Question 8

External Recruitment

Answer 8

*Refers to the use of external sources to advertise vacancies outside the business

Question 9

Advantages of External Recruitment

Answer 9

*New candidates bring new talents/ideas/experiences/skills/knowledge into the business
*It may help the business to meet affirmative action/EEA and BBBEE targets
*There is a larger pool of candidates from which to choose
*Overall efficiency/productivity may occur if the new worker actively adds value to the business

Question 10

Disadvantages of External Recruitment

Answer 10

*New candidates generally take longer to adjust to a new work environment
*Information on CVs/referees may not be reliable/may be falsified
*The selection process may result in an ineffective/incompetent candidate being chosen

Question 11

Selection Procedure(option 1)

Answer 11

*Determine fair assessment criteria on which selection will be based
*Make a preliminary list of all applicants who qualify for the post
*Conduct preliminary interviews to identify suitable applicants
*Inform all applicants about the outcome of the application
*Compile a shortlist of approximately 5 candidates

Question 12

Selection Procedure(Option 2)

Answer 12

*Evaluate CVs and create a shortlist/screen the applicants
*Check Information in the CVs and contact references
*Conduct interviews with shortlisted candidates

Question 13

Screening as part of Selection Procedure

Answer 13

*Candidates/applicants who meet the minimum requirements are separated from others
*Prepare a shortlist of suitable candidates after screening

Question 14

Purpose of an interview

Answer 14

*Gathers information about the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate
*Matches information provided by the applicant to the job requirements
*Verifies to a certain degree, the accuracy regarding the information presented on the CV

Question 15

Role of the interviewer when preparing/before the interview

Answer 15

*Book and prepare the venue for the interview
*Inform all shortlisted candidates about the date and place of the interview
*Notify all panel members conducting the interview about he date and place of the interview

Question 16

Meaning of employment Contract

Answer 16

*Establishes both the rights and responsibilities of the employer and the employee
*Specifies the duties that would be carried out by the employee in exchange for remuneration from the employer

Question 17

Aspects that should be included in an employment contract

Answer 17

*Job title/position
*probation period
*Personal details of the employee
*Signatures of both employee and employer
*Benefits/fringe benefits/perks/allowances

Question 18

Legalities of Employment Contract

Answer 18

*The employer and employee must agree to any changes to the contract
*No party may unilaterally change aspects of the employment contract
*The employer and the new employee must both sign the contract
*The remuneration package including benefits must be clearly indicated

Question 19

Meaning of Induction

Answer 19

*Induction is the process of introducing new employees to a business/work environment/organisation
*Information regarding the processes/procedures/methods of the business is communicated to new employees

Question 20

Purpose of Induction

Answer 20

*Familiarises new employees with organisational structure/their supervisors/direct managers
*Communicates information about the products/services offered by the business
*Ensures that employees understand their roles/responsibilities so that they will be more efficient

Question 21

Aspects to be included in induction programmme

Answer 21

*Safety regulations and rules
*Overview of the business
*Tour of the premises
*Information about the business products/services

Question 22

Benefits of Induction

Answer 22

*MInimises the need for ongoing training and development
*Increased productivity/efficiency and quality of service/performance
*New employees may feel part of the team resulting in positive morale/motivation
*Reduces staff turnover as new employees have been inducted properly

Question 23

Meaning of Placement

Answer 23

*A specific job is assigned to the selected candidate
*Selected candidates are placed/positioned where they will function optimally and add value to the business
*The qualifications/skills/personality of the selected candidate are matched with the requirements of the job

Question 24

Placement Procedure

Answer 24

*Determines the relationship between the position and the competencies of the new employee
*The business should outline specific responsibilities/expectations/requirements of the new position

Question 25

Importance of training/skills development in HRM

Answer 25

*Overall profitability of the business will improve because of effective/regular training *An effective training program allows employees to strengthen/improve/enhance their skills

Question 26

Link between salary determination and the BCEA

Answer 26

*Payment of salaries should be based on whether the employee is permanent or employed on a fixed contract *According to the BCEA, businesses may use different remuneration methods to pay their employees *The BCEA outlines legalities of the employment contract such as work hours/overtime, which may affect salary determination

Question 27

Examples of fringe benefits in the workplace

Answer 27

*Pension Fund *Provident Fund *Medical Aid Fund *Funeral Benefits *Issuing of bonus shares

Question 28

Advantages of fringe benefits on businesses

Answer 28

*Improves productivity resulting in higher profitability *Businesses save money as benefits are tax deductible *Fringe benefits van be used as leverage for salary negotiations Attractive fringe benefit packages may result in higher employee retention/reduces employee turnover/low attrition rates

Question 29

Disadvantages of fringe benefits on businesses

Answer 29

*Businesses have to pay advisors/attorneys to help them create benefit plans that comply with the law *Decreases businesses profits because incentive/package/remuneration costs are higher *Creates conflict/leads to corruption if fringe benefits are allocated unfairly

Question 30

Unemployment insurance fund(UIF)

Answer 30

*UIF assists the dependants of a contributing worker who has died *By law, employees are required to contribute 1% of their basic salary towards UIF *Employers are also required to contribute 1% of an employees basic salary towards UIF *Employers pay the 2% directly to the UIF on behalf of the employees

Question 31

Implications of LRA on the Human Resource Function

Answer 31

*Promotes orderly negotiations and employee participation in decision making in the workplace *Employees cannot be easily dismissed as bargaining council/CCMA processes need to be correctly followed *Protects the rights of employees/employers as outlined in the constitution *Advances economic development/social justice/labour peace

Question 32

Implication of the BCEA on Human Resource Function

Answer 32

*Ensures that employees receive double their rate if they work on public holidays/Sundays *Ensures that employees have a 60 minute break after 5 hours of work *The HRM must ensure that all employee contracts are aligned to the provisions of the BCEA *Ensures that employees are entitled to take 6 weeks of paid sick leave during a 36 month cycle

Question 33

Implications of the SDA on the Human Resource Function

Answer 33

*Use the NQF to assess the skills levels of employees *Interpret/Implement the aims/requirements of the framework for the NSDS *Ensure training in the workplace is formalised/structured *The business should contribute 1% of its salary bill to the SDL

Question 34

Implications of the EEA on the Human Resource Function

Answer 34

*The HRM must promote/provide equal opportunities/promote equality in the workplace *Ensure that affirmative action promotes diversity in the workplace *Assign a manger to ensure that the employment equity plan will be regularly monitored