1.4.1 Approaches to staffing

What are the 2 ways employees can be viewed?

Asset or resource

What does viewing employees as an asset mean?

Seen as a benefit

Useful

Valuable

Irreplaceable

Want to keep staff

Long-term view

What does viewing employees as a resource mean?

Seen as a cost

Value the output they provide

Replaceable

Short-term view

What factors differentiate employers viewing staff as an asset or cost?

Pay

Long-term vs 0 hour contract

Training

Promotion opportunities

Minimum possible employee rights (sick leave, holiday pay, working conditions)

Effective leadership

Professional relationships

Opportunities to collaborate/be creative/ solve problems

What are the pros of multi-skilling for employees?

Higher pay

More variation

Less boring

Feel more valued/motivated

Can take more shifts

What are the cons of multi-skilling for employees?

Harder

Lots of training

Not very good at any skill

Expected to take more shifts

What are the pros of multi-skilling for management?

Need fewer employees

Wages total to less

Flexible planning

What are the cons of multi-skilling for management?

Can only do 1 task at once

Low-level skills

Higher employee pay

Rotas are tight when people are sick

Easy for employees to find jobs elsewhere?

What are the types of contracts?

Zero-hours

Full-time

Part-time

Short-term

Permanent

What are the features of a zero-hour contract?

Employees don’t have to be given any shifts

Good for students

Irregular income

Little hours if you are bad

What are the features of a full-time contract?

Maximum hours

Usually 9-5

Usually stay longer

What are the features of a part-time contract?

Work less than maximum hours

Often 2-3 days a week/just mornings

What are the features of a short-term contract?

Fixed period of time

e.g. Christmas staff in retail

What are the pros of contracts for workers?

Legal protection

Flexibility with some contracts

Secure income with some contracts

What are the cons of contracts for workers?

Harder to leave job

Inflexible with some contracts

Unsecure income with some contracts

What are the pros of contracts for managers?

Flexible with some contracts

Save costs with part-time/zero-hours

Quickly get workers in with zero-hours/short-term

What are the cons of contracts for workers?

Hard to get rid of workers (legal process)

What are the pros of outsourcing?

Specialised at the role

No training needed

Less to control/plan/manage

More cost efficient

What are the cons of outsourcing?

Quality may be lower than expected

Poor quality reflects badly on you

What are the pros of working from home for employees?

Flexible hours

No commute

No travel costs

Less time travelling

Productivity could improve

May be fewer distractions

Can look after children more

Suits lifestyle

Office is less busy

What are the cons of working from home for employees?

Isolating

Family are distracting

Unfair for other employees if they don’t work the whole time

What are the pros of working from home for employers?

Smaller office needed

Hot desks (that aren’t assigned to one person, saves costs)

Attractive for potential employees

Employees are happier and more productive

What are the cons of working from home for employers?

Less collaboration

Only have meetings and work chats in core hours

Hard to monitor worker hours

What is collective bargaining?

The negotiation of employment conditions by an organised body of employees (unpaid on strike, legal in come occupations)

What is individual bargaining?

The negotiation process between a single employee and their employer (less effective alone)