2.3 Recruitment, selection and training for employees (knowledge)

Question 1

Why do businesses recruit ?

Answer 1

1. Expand - businesses may need more employees to produce more output / work in new stores
2. New business start-up - needs employees to work & operates the business
3. Death/promotion - if employee passes away/advanced, business will need to hire someone to fill their role
4. Staff leave - need to recruit new employee to replace them
5. Maternity - Need to recruit temporary staff to cover employee’s absence

Question 2

What are the methods of selection (tests in selection process) ?

Answer 2

1. Skills tests - to show the ability of the candidate to carry out certain tasks
2. Aptitude tests - show the candidate’s potential to gain additional skills; either general intelligence tests or more specific tests
3. Personality tests - used if a particular type of person is required for the job
4. Group situation tests - give tasks to applicants to complete in group situations and the group is observed. Each member will be assessed on the way they work as a member of the team & the way they tackle the tasks themselves

Question 3

Advantages & disadvantages for internal recruitment (reverse this to get the advantages & disadvantages for external recruitment)

Answer 3

Advantages:
- Quicker & cheaper than external recruitment due to expensive advertising
- The person knows how the organisation works, its structure & expectations from employees
- The person is known to the business, their reliability, ability & potential are known
Disadvantages:
- No new ideas / experience come into the business
- May be rivalry among existing employees and jealousy towards the worker who gains promotion
- The quality of internal candidate might be low

Question 4

Main stages in recruitment and selection of employees

Answer 4

Vacancy arises => job analysis => job description => job specification => job advertised in appropriate media => application forms & shortlisting => interviews and selection => vacancy filled

Question 5

Where can businesses advertise a vacancy ?

Answer 5

1. Local newspaper - jobs don’t require high skill level
2. National newspapers - for senior positions where there are few (highly paid) => people are willing to move
3. Specialist magazines - usually for specialist technical employees
4. Online recruitment (e.g LinkedIn) - can be searched by job seekers through their networks
5. Recruitment agencies - approached by large companies need to employe a particular type of worker
6. Job centres - usually for unskilled and semi-skilled jobs e.g cleaning, medical, production work

Question 6

Factors to consider when recommending which workers to employ

Answer 6

• Work experience: how important that worker has direct experience of job
• Educational / other qualification: are these essential for filling the post
• Age: is youth of experience of life more important; not to break “age discrimination laws”
• Internal: How important that applicant has a good understanding of how business operates
• External: How important that new worker has experience & skills gained outside of the business

Question 7

Benefits and limitations for part-time employees (for full-time employees, just use the opposite to this)

Answer 7

Benefits:
- More flexible in the hours of work
- Easier to ask employees just to work at busy times
- Fits in with looking after children, therefore employee is willing to accept low pay
- Easier to extend business opening/operating hours by working evenings/ at weekends
Limitations:
- Less likely to seek training as employees see the job as temporary
- Takes longer to recruit 2 part-time workers than 1 full-time worker
- Can be less committed to the business & more likely to leave
- More difficult to communicate when they are not in work

Question 8

Importance of training to a business ?

Answer 8

• Introduce a new process/ equipment
• Improve the efficiency of the workforce
• Decrease the supervision needed => lowers the costs
• Improve the opportunity for internal promotion => motivating

Question 9

Importance of training to employees ?

Answer 9

• Increase skills
• Increase knowledge
• Improve employee’s attitudes => encourage them to accept change & raise awareness e.g improve service

Question 10

What are the advantages and disadvantages for induction training

Answer 10

Advantages:
- Help new employees settle into job quickly
- May be a legal requirement to give health & safety training at the start of a job
- Workers less likely to make mistakes
Disadvantages:
- Time-consuming
- Wages are paid, but no work is being done by the worker
- Delays the start of the employee commencing their job

Question 11

What are the advantages and disadvantages for on-the-job training

Answer 11

Advantages:
- Individual tuition is given & in the workplace => employees don’t need to be send away (reduce costs)
- Ensures some production from workers while they are training
- Usually costs less than off-the-job
Disadvantages:
- Trainer will not be as productive as usual as they are showing what to do
- If trainer has bad habits, they may pass on to the trainee
- Not lead to training qualifications recognised outside the business

Question 12

Advantages and disadvantages for off-the-job training

Answer 12

Advantages:
- Broad range of skills can be taught
=> can be moved around the company when needed
- If taught in evening after work, employee will still carry out their normal duties during the day
- Expert trainers have up-to-date knowledge of business practices
Disadvantages:
- Costs are high
- Wages are paid but no work done
- Additional qualifications => Easier for employees to find another job

Question 13

Why businesses will need to downsize the workforce ?

Answer 13

1. Introduction of automation
2. Falling demand for their goods or services
3. Factory/shop/office closure
4. Relocating their factory abroad
5. Business has merged / been taken over => some jobs become surplus

Question 14

How can business reduce the number of employees ?

Answer 14

• Dismissal
• Redundancy
• Workers may also leave as they retired
• Workers resign (have another job)

Question 15

What factors help a business to decide which workers to make redundant ?

Answer 15

1. Some workers volunteer and be happy to be made redundant - another job/retire/start own business
2. Length of time employed by the business - workers worked for long time are often retained (experience)
3. Workers with essential skills needed by the business / could be transferable between departments are retain
4. Employment history of worker - good/poor attendance, punctuality/appraisal record
5. Which departments need to lose & which need to retain workers

Question 16

Impact of employment contracts on employers and employees

Answer 16

• Both know what is expected of them
• Provides some security of employment to the employee
• If employee does not meet conditions => legal dismissal is allowed
• If employer fails to meet conditions of the contract => employee can seek compensation

Question 17

Impact of unfair dismissal on employer and employee

Answer 17

• Employer must keep very accurate records of a worker’s performance if they want to claim employee has broken their contract before dismiss
• Employees have security of employment - as long as they fulfil contract & not made redundant
• Employees can take employer to an industrial tribunal if they feel they have been treated unfairly
• Business less likely to treat employees unfairly - may have to pay compensation

Question 18

Impact of discrimination on employers and employees

Answer 18

• Employees should be treated equally in workplace; be paid equal amounts for similar work
• Man & woman are equally well-qualified for job => should be treated equally
• Employees have disability, different races/religions should be treated as other workers
• Employers have to be careful when wording an advertisement for a job
• When selecting an employee, employer must treat all applicants equally
  => Following theses laws help to increase motivation at work

Question 19

Impact of healthy and safety on employers and employees

Answer 19

• Cost to employer of meeting the healthy & safety regulations
• Time needs to be found to train workers in health&safety precautions
• Workers feel “safer” & more motivated at work
• Reduces accident rate & cost of compensation for injured workers

Question 20

Impact of legal minimum wage on employers and employees

Answer 20

• Prevent strong employers from exploiting unskilled workers
• Many unskilled workers will receive higher wages => encourage them to train & become more productive
• Encourage more people to seek work => fewer shortages of workers
• Increases business costs & prices
• Employers who can’t afford make workers redundant => unemployment rise
• Other workers just above minimum wage ask for higher wages => business costs increase

Question 21

When it has been decided how many employees and the skills needed, the HR department can plan how to reduce the workforce by:

Answer 21

1. Finding out the skills of all current employees
2. Not include anyone who will be leaving soon
3. Consult with existing staff => identify who could & would want retrain to fill the new jobs
4. Prepare a recruitment plan => show how many new staff needed & how they should be recruited

Question 22

What are the functions of a job description ?

Answer 22

1. Given to the applicants for the job so they know exactly what the job entails
2. Allow a job specification to be drawn up, to see if applicants’ match up to the job => people with right skills be employed
3. It can show whether someone is carrying out the job effectively when employed

Question 23

What are the requirements job specification usually include ?

Answer 23

• The level of educational qualifications
• The amount of experience and type of experience
• Special skills, knowledge or particular aptitude
• Personal characteristics e.g type of personality