Bst. Staffing

What's staffing primarily concerned with?

Staffing is primarily concerned with finding the right person for the right position at the right time.

What is staffing?

Staffing refers to that part of process of management which is concerned with obtaining, utilising and maintaining a satisfactory and satisfied workforce.

“The scope of staffing is not restricted to just filling the job position.” Explain.

It also includes a series of activities like manpower planning, recruitment, selection, placement, promotion, appraisal, and development of personnel to fill the roles designed into the organization structure.

Explain staffing in terms of organization structure.

Staffing fills the organization structure. An organization structure is only an empty shell without the right kind of persons. Staffing aims to fill these empty shells with the right people.

How is staffing needed in both new and existing operations?

In new enterprise, it is performed after planning and organization, and organizing. After making the plans and creating the organization structure, the management gets to know the human resource requirement. After that, management starts with the activities relating to recruiting, selecting, and training people to fulfill the requirements of the enterprise.

In an existing enterprise, staffing is a continuous process because new jobs may be created and some of the existing employees may leave the organization.

Headings of Importance of Staffing.

1. Filling jobs with competent personnel
2. Better performance
3. Survival and growth
4. Optimum utilization of human resources
5. Improves job satisfaction and morale

Management must efficiently perform the staffing function. Why?

If right kind of employees are not available it will lead to wastage of time effort and energy resulting in lower productivity and low quality of products.

So it is essential that right kind of people must be available in right number at the right time.

They must also be induced to show higher productivity and quality by offering them proper incentives.

Define HRM. (Human Resource Management)

HRM may be defined as the art of procuring developing and maintaining competent workforce to achieve the goals of an organization in an effective and efficient manner.

Give any 4 specialised activities to be performed by Human Resource Personnel?

Recruitment, Selection, Placement and Orientation ,Performance Appraisal

What is the evolution of Human Resource Management?

1. Labour Welfare Officer

2. Personnel Manager

3. Human Resource Manager

How is staffing both a line as well as a staff activity?

Staffing is a line activity because being a management function it is performed by all managers.

Staffing is a staff activity because of the advisory role played by the HRD. It is a distinct functional area of management just like marketing management and financial management.

What are the steps involved in the Staffing Process?

1. Estimating the Manpower Requirements

2. Recruitment

3. Selection

4. Placement and Orientation

5. Training and Development
   These below are for firms without separate HRD, so line manager is also required to do:

6. Performance Appraisal

7. Promotion and Career Planning

8. Compensation

What do the manpower requirements involve?

The manpower requirements involve two kinds of analysis:

1. Workload analysis

2. Workforce analysis

What is workload analysis?

It involves determining number and type of human resources required to perform various jobs and to achieve organizational objectives.

What is workforce analysis?

It shows the number and type of human resources working with the organization.

What are the aspects of staffing?

1. Recruitment

2. Selection

3. Training

What is recruitment?

Recruitment is a positive step which aims at attracting number of candidates to apply for a given job.

What is selection?

Selection is a negative process which aims at selecting the most suitable person out of the various candidates who have applied for the job.

What is training?

Training is concerned with upgradation of the knowledge and skills of the employees so that their ability to perform can be enhanced

What is the definition of Recruitment?

Recruitment refers to a process of searching for prospective employees and encouraging them to apply for jobs in the organisation.

What does the recruitment process involve?

1. Identify different sources of labour supply

2. Evaluate the validity of different sources

3. Choose the most suitable source or sources

4. Attract and motivate prospective candidates to apply for the vacant jobs

What are the two sources of recruitment?

1. Internal sources

2. External sources

What are the internal sources of recruitment?

1. Promotion

2. Transfer

What are the external sources of recruitment?

1. Direct recruitment

2. Casual callers

3. Advertisement

4. Employment exchange

5. Placement agencies and management consultants

6. Campus recruitment

7. Recommendations of employees

8. Labour contractors

9. Advertising on television

10. Web publishing

What are the merits of internal sources of recruitment?

1. It motivates the employees to improve their performance.

2. It simplifies the process of selection and placement.

3. Through transfer employees get training, there is no need for induction training as employees are already familiar with the organization.

4. Shifting surplus workforce because transfer can do that, where there is shortage of staff.

5. It is economical or cheaper because no money is spent on searching for sources of recruitment.

What are the demerits of internal sources of recruitment?

1. Prevents induction of fresh talent.

2. Employees may become lethargic.

3. A company cannot use internal sources of recruitment.

4. It reduces the spirit of competition.

5. Employees may often reduce the productivity of the organization.

What are direct recruits also called?

Direct recruits are also called casual workers or badli workers.

What are the merits of external sources of recruitment?

1. Qualified personnel

2. Wider choice

3. Fresh talent

4. Competitive spirit

What are the demerits of external sources of recruitment?

1. Dissatisfaction among existing staff

2. Lengthy process

3. Costly proces

What is the meaning of selection?

Selection is the process of identifying and choosing the best person out of a number of prospective candidates for a job.

What are the steps in the selection process?

1. Preliminary screening

2. Selection tests

3. Employment interview

4. Reference and background checks

5. Selection decision

6. Medical examination

7. Job offer

8. Contract of employment.

What is the difference between training and development in terms of orientation?

Training is job-oriented and development is career-oriented.

What is the meaning of training?

Training refers to a process of increasing the knowledge, skills, and abilities of employees for doing a particular job.

What are the importance or benefits of training and development to the organization?

1. Systematic learning

2. Increased productivity

3. Prepare future managers

4. Boost morale of employees

5. Better response to fast-changing environment.

What are the importance or benefits of training and development to the employees?

1. Career growth

2. Increased earning

3. Safety of employees

4. High morale.

What are the two methods of training?

1. On-the-job training method

2. Off-the-job training method.

What is the on-the-job training method?

On-the-job training method refer to methods that are applied to the workplace while the employee is actually working. This method involves learning while doing.

When should on-the-job training methods be avoided?

In case of expensive and sophisticated machinery, these methods should be avoided.

What is the off-the-job training method?

Off-the-job training method refer to the methods in which training is provided to the employee away from his job. This method involves learning before doing. Trainee is separated from the job and his attention is focused on learning the material related to his future job performance. This is most suitable for managerial jobs as employees are trained by professionals in conferences and seminars.

What are the on-the-job methods of training?

1. Induction training, also called orientation training

2. Apprenticeship programs

3. Internship training.

What is the off-the-job method of training?

Vestibule training

Give 2–3 points about Human Resource Management.

1. Number of human resource specialists and the size of this department gives an indication of the size of the business as well.

2. It is a specialized area which requires expertise of many people.

Shine light upon the heading "Filling jobs with competent personnel" under the importance of staffing.

Staffing helps in discovering and obtaining competent personnel for various jobs.

Talk in detail about the heading "Better performance" under the importance of staffing.

Proper staffing ensures high performance by putting the right person on the right job.

Delve into the heading "Survival and growth" under the importance of staffing.

Staffing ensures continuous survival and growth of the enterprise through succession planning for managers.

Give details about the heading "Optimum utilization of human resources" under the importance of staffing.

Staffing process helps to ensure optimum use of human resources by avoiding overstaffing. It prevents the underutilization of personnel and high labour cost. It also helps in avoiding disruption of work by indicating in advance the shortage of personnel.

What can you say about the heading "It improves job satisfaction and morale" under the importance of staffing?

Proper staffing improves job satisfaction and morale of employees through objective assessment and fair rewarding of their contribution

Delve into the evolution of the Labour Welfare Officer in evolution of HRM

1. During Industrial Revolution, trade unions emerged and felt the need of a person who could act as a mediator between owners and workers.

2. It resulted in appointment of Labour Welfare Officer.

3. However, this role was limited to welfare activities of employees, and he was looked down by both the workers and owners.

Shine light upon the emergence of the Personnel Manager evolution of HRM

1. With introduction of factory system, number of persons began to be employed under one roof.

2. So there was a need for a person who could assume the responsibility of recruitment, selection, and placement of personnel.

3. This led to the emergence of Personnel Officer in the first place, and Personnel Manager later on.

Talk in detail about the emergence of the Human Resource Manager evolution of HRM

1. The fast-changing technological developments necessitated the need for new skill development and training for employees.

2. People came to be recognized as a valuable resource.

3. Increase in the scope of work led to replacement of Personnel Manager with Human Resource Manager

Delve into the details of estimating the manpower requirements.

1. Manpower requirements involve forecasting and determining the future manpower needs of the organization.
2. It aims to determine the number and type of employees required.
3. Here, type refers to specific qualifications, skill, or experience to be possessed by the employees.
4. While assessing the manpower, the type of manpower required, companies should also make policy to appoint women, persons from backward communities, and people with special disabilities, such as physically challenged, visually, and hearing impaired.

What should manpower requirements be translated into?

1. Manpower requirements should be translated into specific job description and the desirable profile of its occupant, the desired qualifications, experience, personality, characteristics, and so on.<br>2. This information becomes the base for looking for potential employees.

What would the manpower analyses reveal?

1. Such analysis would reveal whether we are understaffed, overstaffed, or optimally staffed.<br>2. A situation of overstaffing would require removal or transfer of employees.<br>3. A situation of understaffing would necessitate the starting point of recruitment process.

What is the aim of estimating manpower requirements?

The aim is to have right number and right kind of people in the right place at the right time.

Information generated about what in recruitment may be used for developing which advertisement?

Information generated in the process of writing the job description may be used for developing the situation's vacant advertisement.

What does the recruitment step involve?

1. This step involves locating the potential candidate or determining the resources of potential candidates.<br>2. The aim of recruitment is to create a pool of applicants by a large number of qualified candidates.

What is the difference between internal and external sources of recruitment in terms of choice and talent?

1. Both internal sources and external sources may be used for recruitment.<br>2. Internal sources give limited choice whereas external sources give wide choice and fresh talent

Give details about the selection process in staffing.

Selection involves choosing the best person out of the pool of prospective candidates developed through recruitment.
Selection is done through a process which serves two purposes:

1. Ensures that organization gets the most suitable candidate out of various applicants.
2. It enhances the self-esteem and prestige of those selected and conveys to them the seriousness with which the things are done in the organization.
Applicants who cross all the hurdles of selection process are offered an employment contract mentioning terms and conditions of joining date.

What happens after applicants cross all the hurdles of the selection process?

Applicants who cross all the hurdles of selection process are offered an employment contract mentioning terms and conditions of joining date.

Delve into the details of placement and orientation in the staffing process.

1. After selection, candidate is assigned a suitable job.
2. Placement refers to assigning specific job to candidates selected for appointment.
3. After placement, the employees need induction or orientation.
4. Orientation refers to introducing the selected employee to other employees and familiarizing him with the rules and policies of the organization.
5. The employee is given a brief presentation about the employees and is introduced to his superior, subordinates and colleagues.

What is the purpose of training and development in the staffing process?

1. This step involves improving the job knowledge and competence of employees in order to enable them to perform their jobs efficiently.
2. Training and development not only improves the knowledge and skill for present jobs, but also improves their competence for career growth.
3. It motivates employees to contribute more to **organizational effectiveness and efficiency.
4. Organizations have either in-house training centers or have tie-up with some institutions to provide training to their employees.

What are the further steps in the staffing process performed by line managers when there is no separate HRD?

In certain firms, there is no separate HRD, which is Human Resource Department. In such cases, line manager is also required to perform the following steps:
1. Performance appraisal
2. Promotion and career planning
3. Compensation**

Delve into the details of performance appraisal in the staffing process.

1. After training of employees and performing for the job for some time, there's a need to evaluate their performance.
2. Performance appraisal refers to systematic evaluation of employees' current and/or past performance against predetermined standards and their potential for development.
3. The standards are known to the employees in advance and superior is to provide feedback on their performance.
4. The aim is to determine potential of an employee for better assignments, promotion, and transfers.
5. All organizations have some formal or informal means of appraising their employees' performance.
6. The process of performance appraisal will include defining the job, appraising performance, and providing feedback.

What does promotion refer to in the staffing process?

Promotion refers to the advancement of an employee in management hierarchy.
Promotion is generally accompanied by greater job responsibilities, more pay, higher status, and greater prestige.

What does compensation refer to?

Compensation refers to all forms of pay or rewards given to employees.

What are the two forms of direct financial payments under compensation?

1. Time-based — daily, monthly, or weekly.
2. Performance-based — according to the number of units produced or sold.

What are the forms of compensation?

1. Direct financial payments like wages, salaries, interest, commissions, and bonuses. They can be either time-based or performance-based.
2. Indirect payments which can be in the form of rent-free home, free car, etc.