Recommending which workers to
employ
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Work experience
Educational and other
qualifications
Age
Internal recruitment- how
important is it that an applicant
knows how the business
operates
External- how important is the
candidate’s experience gained
from outside the business
Training is important as it may be used to:
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Introduce a new process/new
equipment
Improve efficiency of workforce
Provide training to unskilled
making them valuable
Decrease the supervision needed
Improve opportunity for internal
promotion
Decrease chances of accidents
Induction training- introduction given to new
employees, explaining everything about the
business
On the job training- occurs by watching a more
experienced worker doing a job
Off the job training- involves being trained
away from the workplace usually by specialized
trainers
Through training, the following is achieved:
 Increases skills
 Increases knowledge
 Improves employees’ attitudes to
encourage them to accept change
and raise awareness
Rejecting unsuccessful applicants
When the suitable applicant has been offered the job, and has
accepted it, the unsuccessful applicants should be informed that they
have not got the job
Part time and full time employees
Part time- employment between 1 and 30-35 hours a week
Full time- employees usually work 35hours or more a week
Benefits to a business of employing part time employees
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More flexible in hours of work
Easier to ask employees to work on busier times
Easier to extend operating hours e..g 24hour service
Employee gets lower pay as compared to a full time employee
Easier to make part time employees redundant (in some
countries)
Limitations to a business of having part time employees
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less likely to seek training as employees consider themselves as
temporary
takes longer to employ two part time than one full time employee
less likely to be promoted
difficult to communicate with part time employees when they are
not at work
Advantages- Induction training
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Helps the new employee to settle in
May be a legal requirement to give health and safety training
at the start of a job
Means workers are less likely to make mistakes
Disadvantages
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Time consuming
Means wages are paid but no work is being done
Delays the start of the employee commencing the job
Advantages- on the job training
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Individual tuition is given
Some production from the worker while hes getting trained
Usually costs less than off the job training
Training tailored to the specific needs of the business
Disadvantages
 Trainer will not be as productive as they will be showing the trainee how to
do the work
 The trainer may have any bad habits that may be passes to the trainee
 May not lead to any training qualifications recognized outside the business
Advantages- off the job training
 Broad range of skills can be taught
 If these courses are carried out after work, workers office time wont be
affected
 Workers can become more multi skilled
 Expert trainers who have up to date knowledge of business practices
HR department plans about
the employees needed for the
company by:
 Finding out the skills
of present employees
 Not including anyone
who will be leaving
soon
 Consulting with the
existing staff
 Preparing a
recruitment plan to
show how many new
staff would be needed
and how should they
be recruited
Disadvantages
 Costs may be high
 Wages are being paid but no work is being done by the worker
 Additional qualifications may also mean that employee might leave and
find another job
Workforce planning- When a business decides on the type and number of employees
needed in the future
Depends on the business’s future plans, automation, and objectives
Workforce might be reduced because:
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Introduction of automation
Falling demand for goods and services
Factory/shop/office closure
Relocating factory abroad
A business has been merged or been taken over
Business can reduce the number of employees in two ways:
 Dismissal
 Redundancy
Workers may also leave the job:
 Retire
 Resign
Dismissal- Where a worker is
asked to leave the job because
their work or behaviour is
unsatisfactory
Redundancy- When employees
are no longer needed , through
NO fault of their own
Which workers to make
redundant?
 Some workers may
volunteer
 Length of time
employed by the
business
 Workers with
essential skills
 Employment
history of the
worker
 Which
departments need
to lose workers and
which need to
retain
Unfair dismissal- when employer ends a worker’s contract
of employment for a reason not covered by the contract
Industrial tribunal- type of law court that makes
judgments on disagreements between companies and
their employees
LEGAL CONTROLs OVER EMPLOYMENT ISSUES
Impact of unfair dismissal on employer and employee
Contract of employment- legal agreement between an
employer and employee, listing the rights and
responsibilities of workers. It has to be signed by the
employee. It contains
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Name of employer and employee
Job title
Date when employment is to begin
Hours to be worked
Rate of pay and other benefits
Holiday entitlement
When payment will be made
Amount of notice that employer or employee needs
to give to end the employment
Impact of employment contract
 Both employer and employee know what is
expected of them
 Sense of security for employees
 If employee doesn’t meet the conditions of
contract then legal dismissal allowed
 If the employer fails to meet the conditions of
the contract, then employee can seek legally
binding compensation
Health and safety
Laws have been passed in many countries regarding
health and safety of workers. Such as:
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Protect workers from dangerous machinery
Provide safety equipment and clothing
Maintain reasonable workplace temperatures
Provide hygienic conditions and washing facilities
Provide breaks, do not insist on long shifts
 Employer must keep accurate records of workers
performances before dismissing them
 Employees have security of employment
 Allows employees to take their employer to
industrial tribunal if they have been treated
unfairly
 Makes a business less likely to treat employees
unfairly
Discrimination- when employer makes decisions that are
based on ‘unfair’ reasons. Reasons include:
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Different race/color
Different religion
Are of opposite sex
Considered too old or young for the job
Are disabled in some way
Impact on employer and employees
 Employees should be treated equally, in every
way
 If a man and woman are equally qualified they
should be treated equally
 Employees who have a disability should be
treated in the same way as all other workers
 Employers have to careful when advertising
for the job
 Business should promote merit at workplace
Legal minimum wage
A minimum wage is set by the government which makes it
illegal for the employer to pay an hourly rate below the
minimum wage
Impact of health and safety on employer and employee
Impact of legal wage on employer and employee
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Cost to employer of meeting these conditions
Train workers in health and safety precautions
Workers feel safer in such environments
Reduced accident rate and cost of compensation
for workers injured
 Unskilled workers cant be exploited by employers
 Unskilled workers now receive higher wages which
would encourage employer to train them
 Encourage more people to seek work
 Higher living standards
 Cost of business rise leading to high prices
 Businesses might make employees redundant
Chapter 9- Internal and External communication
Effective communication and its importance
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The process of effective communication
Communication occurs when a message is
transferred from one person to another,
who understands the content of the
message
Information or message sent should be
received, understood and acted upon
Internal communication are the messages
communication within businesses
External communication is when the
message is sent between one organization
to another or people other than employees
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Choosing the appropriate communication method
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One way and two way communication
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Transmitter or sender of the message
Medium of communication
Receiver of the information
feedback
One way communication occurs when the
receiver of a message has no chance to reply
or respond to the message
Two way communication is when there is a
reply or a response from the receiver
Direction of communication
 Downward- top to bottom
 Upward- junior to senior level
 Horizontal- communication
with colleagues/people in the
same ranking
Benefits of two way communication
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it becomes absolutely clear to the sender if
the message has been received or not
Both people are now involved in the
communication process
Verbal communication methods
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Face to face
Telephone conversation
Video conferencing
Meetings and team briefings
Disadvantages of verbal
communication
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Advantages of verbal communication
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Information given out quickly
Immediate feedback
Message can be reinforced by
seeing the speaker
Body language and facial
expressions
Speed
Cost
Message details
Leadership style
The receiver
Importance of a written record
Importance of feedback
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In a big meeting, there is
no way of telling whether
everybody is listening or
has understood the
message
It can take longer to use
verbal methods when
feedback occurs
No permanent record
Written communication
methods
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Business letters
Memos
Reports
Notices
Text messages
Email, social
networking sites,
twitter, facebook,
instagram, youtube
Advantages of written communication
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Visual communication methods
 Films, videos, microsoft power point
displays
 Posters
 Charts and diagrams
 Photographs and cartoons
Hard evidence of the message
Complicated details can be explained properly
A written message can be copied and sent to many people
Electronic communication is a quick and cheap way to
reach a large number of people
Disadvantages of written communication
Advantages of visual communication
 Direct feedback is not always possible
 Not easy to check that the message has been received and
acted upon as with verbal messages
 Language can be difficult to understand
 No body language
 These methods can present
information in an appealing way
 Used to make a written message
clearer by adding a chart or diagram
Disadvantages of visual communication
Formal and informal communication
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Information provided through formal channels like memos,
notices, emails
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Information received through information channels is also
referred to as grapevine for example meeting with friends at
break time/lunch time
 Charts and graphs are difficult for
some people to interpret
 There is no feedback and the sender
of the message may need to use
other forms of communication to
check that the message has been
understood
Barriers to effective communication
How can barriers be removed/reduced?
Problems with the sender-
Sender problems
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 Difficult language should be avoided
 Sender should make the message as clear as
possible
 Sender must ensure that the right person is
receiving the right message
 Message should be brief
Difficult language
Sender speaks quickly
Sender communicates the wrong message
The message is too long
Problem with the medium Message may be lost so receiver doesn’t see it
 Wrong channel has been used
 If message is sent down through a long chain of
command
 No feedback received
 Breakdown of the medium
Medium problems
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Problems with the feedback itself There is no feedback
 It is received slowly or is distorted
Problems with the receiver•
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Might not be listening
The receiver may not trust the sender
Important to insist on feedback
The sender must select the appropriate channel
Shortest possible channel should be used
A meeting should be held preferably to get a
feedback
Other forms of communication should be
available
Feedback problems
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Feedback should have been allowed
Direct communication needed
Receiver problems
Importance of the message should be emphasized
There should be trust between the sender and receiver