Business studies OCR: People

Define functions

Define functions

The different types of work that need to be done in a business

Define Human Resources

the workers employed by a business

Identifying Human Resources needs

The cat of thinking about the purposes of Human Resources and how many and what types of workers will be needed

Personnel plan

A plan detailing the employees business needs-how many whether they will be full-time or part-time workers, the skills they should have and when they should work

Define organisational structure

how people and departments are arranged within a business

Define an organisation chart

a diagram that shows how the workers are organised in a business, and who is in charge of whom

Define authority

The power that one person has to make decisions and to give instructions to the workers they are in charge of. A lie manager is a person who is in charge of other workers

Define subordinates

Workers that the line manager is responsible for

Define delegation

A process where a manager gives a subordinate responsibility to make certain decisions, for which the manager remains ultimately responsible

Define chain of command

The link in authority from those at the top to those at the bottom

Define span of control

The number of subordinates that a manager has authority over

Why do businesses choose different organisational charts?

• Effective communication

• Different job roles and responsible

• Different ways of working

Define flexible working

The practice of people working partly at their place of work and partly elsewhere at times that suit them

Full-time working

When a person works 35+ hours per week

Part-time working

When a person works 35- hours per week

Self-employment

When people work in their own business, selling their work to buyers who may be consumers or other businesses

Temporary working

When a person only works for a short period of time for an employer sometimes on a short-term contract or on a day-to-day basis

Working from home

When a person completes work for a business in their home

Working while mobile

When people work while they are on the move, travelling or on holiday

Importance of communication

• Marketing communication

• Communications about finance

• Business operations communications

• Communications with government

• Communications with Human Resources

Why businesses recruit

• To start up a business

• When a business grows

• To fill a skills gap

• To replace employees who leave

External methods of recruitment

Includes websites, newspapers, social media and specialist magazines

Internal methods of recruitment

Includes notice boards, word of mouth, company website and emails to staff

Methods of selection

1. Application form

2. Letter of application

3. CV

4. Interview

5. Group activities

6. Reference

7. tests and presentations

Financial methods of motivation

• Pay

• Bonus

• Fringe-benefit

• Profit sharing

Define bonus

an additional payment to workers for achieving their target

Define fringe benefits

additional benefits that workers may receive in addition to their pay, such as health insurance, gym membership and childcare vouchers

Define profit sharing

When workers receive some of the profits made by the business

Non financial motivation

• Award scheme

• praise

• a good working environment

Benefits of long term employees

• Business needs to recruit new people less often

• Training costs are lower

• Recruiting is easier due to good reputation of how they treat their workers

Define labour turnover

a measure of the number or proportion of staff who leave an organisation each year and therefore need to be replaced

Define induction

Training to introduce a new worker to an organisation, including how to do the job, how it fits within the operation of the business and an introduction to others in the organisation

Off the-job training definition

Occurs away from the job. It may still be at the place of work or the employee may be sent elsewhere for training

On-the-job training definition

Occurs at the place of work and while the worker is doing their job

Off the-job training

• Lectures

• Demonstrations

• Team. building activities

• Reading and reflecting on online materials

• Role play or simulation

Why a business trains its employees

• Introduces new recruits to the business and their work

• Gives workers technical skills

• Develops workers personal skills and leadership

• Informs workers of health and safety procedures

• Informs employees of employment laws

• Teach workers to manage others

• Teach workers to function together as a group

• Tell workers about the functions of new products that they will be selling

• Training workers to be flexible so they can do different jobs

• Teach workers new skills if old skills are no longer needed

Benefits to business of training their employees

• Improves workers productivity

• Improves quality goods and services

• Helps growth and development of businesses

• Solves skill shortages of employers

• May improve motivation and retention

• Ensures goods and services are produced safely

Define apprenticeship

A long-term development programme for workers t learn job skills while they work

Define profesional development

Involves developing long-term potential of workers

Define staff development

Includes apprenticeships and professional development programmes

Benefits to employees of staff development

• Staff develop skills and gain qualifications

• Staff are paid while they develop new skills

• Staff may receive promotion or other benefits as a result of developments

Benefits to businesses of staff development

• Can improve staff retention, saving on the costs of recruitment

• Can help the business to meets its future staffing needs

• Can aid recruitment if workers believe the business will help them to develop

• Can help overcome a skill shortage

Discrimination laws

Discrimination is illegal. The equality act 2010 says a person cannot be treated differently on the grounds of their gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief

A business must not:

• pay workers differently for doing the same work

• favour certain types of people when recruiting workers

• discriminate when promoting or training workers or making them redundant

• allow workers to be mistreated by other workers because of skin colour, sexual orientation, religion etc…

A business that does discriminate may find:

• staff become less motivated, which may effect the performance of the business

• workers decide to leave, so the business must recruit workers

• it develops a poor reputation, which could reduce sales and affect recruitment

• it can be fined and made to pay compensation to employees

A business that takes action to stop discrimination may find:

• it increases costs

• it needs to rewrite recruitment and training policies to prevent discrimination

• it needs to monitor what goes on in the business to prevent discrimination taking place

Define contract of employment

A legal agreement between an employee and an employer

Define discrimination

Treating one worker differently to another for no acceptable reason

Define employment law

regulations and rules put in place to protect workers from employers who may treat them unfairly

Define statement of employment particulars

Part of a contract of employment, it gives details of the terms of employment