Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Chinese proverb
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KEY TOPleS
Supply of human resources and demographic
Domestic and internationallabour
changes
mobility
Workforce planning
Recruitment, appraisal, training and dismissal
Changes in work patterns and practices: homeworking,
portfolio work
teleworking
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and
UCTION
. theorists argue that people are a firms most
~-a...t:ableresource. Employing the right people
:'e ps businesses to achieve their aims and
objectives. To do this, a firm needs to use human
se ~ rce planning (or workforce plannng) - the
management process of anticipating an
organization's current and future staffing needs.
Anticipating the human resource needs of a firm
can be carried out by looking at:
Historical data and trends - such as the change
in the size of the workforce over the past few
years or the shift to part -time and flexible
working hours.
Exam Tip!
The term 'Iabour force' (or 'workforce') ca
mean one of two things, so it is irnportant tc
put the term in the correct contexto
'Workforce' can refer to the nation's labouforce, i.e. all those people available for vso:
(the employed, the self-employed and the
unemployed). It can also refer to the peop :.=
employed in a particular organization, i.e. _ ::
firm's workforce.
The net birth rate is the difference between -number ofbirths and deaths per period of tr;
Countries with a high net birth rate will, in ~=
long term, have a larger supply ofhuman
resources.
The net migration rate measures the dfferez,
between the number of people entering a
UNIT2.1: HUl\".ANRESOURCE
PLA
UNIT2.1: HUMANRESOURCE
PLAN
T e rate of unemployment
resources.
At times, there may be surplus human resources.
For example, during off-peak seasons many
temporary or part-time workers are not required.
Thus, businesses will have two choices: make sorne
workers redundant (their services are no longer
required so their job disappears) or redeploy
(relocate) staff to other departments or parts of the
organization that may be in need of extra staffing.
One distinct demographic change in modern
societies is the increasing longevity of the
population which has led to an ageing population
(when the average age of the population increases).
The effects of this indude:
Question
300 million Americans
150
UNIT 2.1:
WORKFORCE PLANNING
Workforce
(or human resource
planning) is the process of anticipating the current
and future demand for workers in an organization.
It can be short term or long term:
Short -term workforce planning deals with the
existing and upcoming demands of an
organization, such as employing workers to
cover for staff who are about to resign, retire or
go on maternity leave.
Long-term workforce planning looks at the
human resource needs of the business in the
foreseeable future. For example, Disney
recruited and trained employees up to two years
before the Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai
Disneyland theme parks were opened.
Planning the human resource needs of an
organization requires consideration of the demand
for labour, which depends on several factors:
Historical data of changes in staffing allows a
business to identify trends. For example, labour
turnover rates will inform a business of the
number of people that leave the firm each year
(expressed as a proportion of the workforce).
Hence, a business can plan its recruitment needs
better if employment patterns can be identified.
However, past data is not always indicative of
what will happen in the future.
The flexibility and workload of staffhelps
businesses to determine the demand for labour.
For example, a highly flexible workforce may be
able to cope if there is a sudden shortage of staff.
In a firm where people are over-specialised and
where workload is soaring, it might be necessary
to employ more staff. The skills and expertise of
existing workers may mean that they can be
reassigned to different jobs, as and when
necessary, thereby reducing the need to recruit
new staff. A restructuring of human resources,
such as smaller hierarchical structures (see
Unit 2.2), will also affect the demand for labour.
Capital intensity measures the amount of
capital usage in comparison to other factors of
production. An automated business, such as
computer manufacturing, might be able to raise
productivity without the need to hire more
workers. A change to automation will result in a
- ':<1 - ons
2.1.2
Trump International
Golf Links
When American tycoon Donald Trump announced a f1 billion ($1.6 billion) golf development at Balmedie,
near Aberdeen, Scotland, the local community were understandably excited about the prospects of the 6,000
jobs that would be created. Trump's plans included two championship golf courses, a five-star hotel and
hundreds of holiday homes. Trump, who popularised the phrase 'You're fired!' on reality television programme
The Apprentice, said that labour turnover is not a problem at the Trump Organization.
a Define the.meaning of 'Iabour turnover:
[2 marks]
b Explain two reasons why a business might need to hire new workers.
[4 marks]
[4 marks]
152
e:
UNIT 2.1:
process
NG
Question 2.1.3
Fonthill Primary School job advertisement
Fonthill Primary School is seeking to hire an Educational Assistant ($18 per hour) to work for up to 17 hours a
week in the Learning Support Department. The successful candidate will be required to facilitate specially
designed educational activities working in collaboration with a classroom teacher and the Head of
Department. Applicants should demonstrate patience, initiative and preferably have previous experience
working with children who present specific learning difficulties. This position involves working specifically
with a single child on a one-to-one basis.Closing date: Frtday, 18 May.
l
[4marks1
[6 marks}
153
rocess
_- .z z>: -~::.;
_- r
'Iesting
Although testing is time consuming, it increases
the chances ofhiring the best candidate for a jobo
This reduces the costs incurred if the wrong
applicant is hired. The four main types of testing
used in recruitment are:
Psychometric tests ssess a candidate's
personality. The tests help to gauge the attitude
of potential recruits and their level of
motivation. As it is important to recruit people
who will fit into the culture of the organization,
man)' large companies use psychometric tests,
especally for more senior positions.
Aptitude tests examine the ability and skills of
potential employees, For example, applicants for
a secretarial job might be tested on the speed
156
UNIT2.1: Hu
of an employment
contract
1 Job title
2 Job role and job specification
3 Date the job starts (and ends, if the agreement is
a finite contract)
4 Hours and days of work
5 Rate(s)and method of pay
6
lnductlon
~- - . o
- "' lthout external recruitment, it
- -:-~ be difficult to get new ideas introduced to
tae organization. Businesses do not benefit from
haring stale and outdated working practises
Lillown as dead wood) because staffhave been
there for too long. Quite often, management
discover that their staff lack the necessary skills
to take up an internal position, so they use
external recruitment.
Internal politics - There could be resentment
and conflict amongst fellow workers who were
unsuccessful for the internal position. This can
create an uncomfortable working environment
for the people involved. Also, f no internal
candidates are suitable then the business will
still have to use external recruitment.
External recruitment
External recruitment is the process of hiring
employees from outside the business. The various
methods inelude:
Newspaper advertising - a common method as it
has a wide audience. However, targeting the
right people can be difficult and the advertising
costs are high.
Specialist trade publications - used to better
target the right audience, e.g. management jobs
in the supermarket industry are advertised in
The Grocer and teaching jobs are published in
the Times Educational Supplement.
Internet advertising - growing in popularity as
more business es use websites to advertise their
jobs. They may use specialist recruitment
websites (such as www.stepstone.com) or their
own corporate website to advertise vacancies.
Internet advertising can have a global reach yet
only incurs relatively low costs.
Commercial employment agencies - advertise
and interview suitable applicants for a job and
make recommendations for selection to the
hiring firmo Using agencies costs money (as they
charge afee for their services) but saves a huge
amount of time for the employer who might
prefer to rely on the recruitment expertise of the
employment agency.
Job centres - non-profit organizations funded by
the government to help people find
employment Businesses can advertise their
posts at job centres free of charge. However, job
158
-=~
of external recruitment
UNIT 2.1:
HUMANREso
CEP
Advantages of appraisals
They are used to set targets to make changes that
should lead to progress.
They allow managers to objectively praise staff
on their strengths and their contributions.
Managers can use appraisals to provide
constructive criticism to employees, thereby
allowing staff to focus on improving particular
areas of weakness.
Appraisals are a useful method of getting
feedback from staff.
159
Disadvantages of appraisals
Appraisals are a time consuming and costly
exercise.
Formal appraisals tend to take place annually, so
regular monitoring of targets can be difficult.
It can be a daunting experience for both the
employee and the appraiser, especially with
upwards appraisals (where a worker appraises
his or her line manager).
By their very nature, appraisals can be rather
subjective as personal feelings and relationships
at work can interfere with the process.
Staff may get offended by comments from the
appraiser, especially about are as of weakness.
Many appraisers lack the experience and
confidence to carry out appraisals. This
diminishes the credibility of the process and
results.
The employee can experience unnecessary
anxiety and stress if appraisals are linked to payo
There must be confidential feedback (which
lengthens the exercise) and follow-up action
which requires funding and monitoring;
otherwise the process will be pointless.
Managers often aggregate the findings of
appraisal meetings to identify common strengths
and weaknesses. This can help them to identify
areas in need of improvement and the training and
development needs of the workforce.
Methods of appralsal
Essay appraisal involves the appraiser preparing
a written statement about the appraisee,
describing specific strengths and weaknesses in
terms of job performance. It is cornmon for the
appraiser to suggest strategies for dealing with
any shortcomings. The appraisee wilI usually get
to review the statement and any necessary
amendments are made before a final copy of the
tatement is produced; a copy of which is kept
bv the employer and another copy given to the
employee, The key advantage of the essay
ap rasal is that it is very flexible as it allows the
appraiser to inspect any relevant issue regarding
jOD performance. Other methods that compare
WOL-ertraits to predetermined scales or criteria
are more rzid, Ho- -eyer, essay methods can be
Yery time-cons
. g to conduct and
160
individual employees.
360 degree appraisal involves collecting
evidence about the appraisee's job performance
from peers, subordinates, Iine managers or other
parties (such as suppliers or customers) who
have direct contact with the appraisee. Opinions
and comments are usually obtained by the use of
questionnaires. The questions are mainly
focused on the core competencies of the
appraisee. A 360 degree appraisal is a popular
method of appraising managers, with the aim of
providing useful and practical feedback to
improve managerial effectiveness. However,
such appraisals rely heavily on opinions rather
than factual evidence. Hence this is not suitable
for all business es and it is important for
managers to consider group norms and
corporate culture before embarking with 360
degree appraisals.
Rating system is a highly structured appraisal
method that examines the different components
of a job and then rates each specific part of the
job on a scale, such as from 'poor performance'
to 'outstanding performance'. Almost any aspect
of an ernployee's job performance can be scaled,
including traits such as communication skills,
punctuality, competence, technical knowledge
and initiative. Rating systems get around the
problems of more flexible appraisal methods
such as essay appraisals. They are carried out in
a structured and standardised manner, thereby
making it easier to conduct appraisals and to
compare results with those of other workers.
The method also allows for the equal treatment
of employees in the appraisal process. A
drawback of rating systems is that sorne traits
chosen for assessment may not be directly or as
relevant to the jobs of all employees. The use of
initiative, for example, would be more relevant
to the appraisal of managers than the appraisal
of machine operators. The latter are likely to
score low on their use of initiative, but not
necessarily because they lack initiative but
because their jobs do not give as many
16_
-~
oi fue
TRAINING
Training is the process of providing opportunities
for workers to acquire employment-related skills
and knowledge. The amount and nature of training
and development (T&D) required for a job will
vary from one job to another. Sorne jobs require
constant training or updating of skills and
qualifications (such as those in the IeT or medical
professions). Other jobs will only require basic
training to be carried out (such as unskilled
machine operators in a factory).
Whilst training tends to be specfc to the tasks
and responsibilities of a certain job, development
focuses on enhancing the personal skills of a
persono Developing these personal skills helps the
employee to be more effective and flexible in their
jobs. Examples of personal skills development
162
UNIT2.1:
HUMAN
REso
Question 2.1.4
Northern Ireland's hotel industry
In a recent report on the recruitment situation in Northern Ireland's hotel industry, it was found that workers
suffered from low wages (earning little much more than the.national minimum wage), very limited career and
promotion prospects and a lack of training and professional development. ProfessorTom Baum and Frances
Devine's report also showed that most hoteliers felt that staff training and development was a burden rather
than a benefit, and so should be kept at a minimum.
a Explain why lowwages and few opportunities for promotion may create problems for
hoteliers.
[4marks]
b To what extent do you agree with the commonly heId view of Northern Ireland's hotel businesses that
training and development is a burden and so should be minimised?
,[8 marks]
lnductlon training
On-the-job training
On-the-job training refers to training carried out
whilst at the workplace. For example, the training
can be delivered by a head of department or other
specialists. The trainees learn from the skilled
colleague delivering the training at the place of
work. As part of their on-the-job training, junior
managers might shadow (observe and learn from)
more senior managers. Essentially, this type of
training involves 'learning by dong' As Confucius
said, "1hear and 1forget. 1see and 1remember. 1 do
and 1 understand,"