Flexible Workforce

Question 1

What are 4 ways of a flexible workforce?

Answer 1

1. Multiskilling
2. Flexible Hours
3. Outsourcing
4. Zero Hour Contracts

Question 2

Flexible Workforce (Flexi-time / Homeworking) - Benefit (5)

Answer 2

1. Flexible Working like Flexitime or Homeworking
2. Will allow other employees to work around other commitments
3. Ensuring their love and belonging needs are Met
4. If they’re met according to Maslow employees will be more motivated
5. Link to Benefit of Motivated Workforce

Question 3

Flexible Workforce (Flexitime / Homeworking) - Drawback

Answer 3

1. Flexible Working like Flexitime / Homeworking
2. This will mean employees could work at different times of the day or in different teams
3. This may mean team working is difficult to maintain
4. Difficult to create a task culture
5. Unable to generate innovative ideas and products will be less differentiated
   Link to PED

Question 4

Multiskilling - Benefit & Drawback

Answer 4

Multiskilling Benefit - Investment into staff training - valued - link to motivated workforce

Multiskilling Drawback - Significant Cash into HR Budget - Opportunity cost of R&D - products likely to be poorly designed - demand will decrease - link to income statement or EOS

Question 5

Outsourcing - Benefit & Drawback

Answer 5

Benefit - Can Outsource production and allows business to respond to sudden increases in demand -> without investment into NCA > can keep capacity utilisation high > without new capacity and lower unit costs

Drawback - Outsourcing production means a loss of control > lack of consistency > damage brand reputation > lose competitive advantage and link to PED