Introduction to HRM/HR Planning
to
Contrasting HRM and Personal Management
HRM
1. INPUT INTO
CORPORATE
PLANING
INTEGRETED
First it is argued that workforce management
considerations are fully INTEGRETED with
strategic decision making in the HRM model,
while in
ISSUE SPECIFIC
TPM traditional personnel model the"
Personnel” input is less obvious and is only
noticeable when it comes to issue – specific.
2.TIME AND
PLANING
PROSPECTIVE
LONGTERM PROACTIVE
STRATEGIC
A second contrast is that HRM is seen as
essentiality proactive and long term, while
SHORT TERM REACTIVE
MARGINAL
traditional personal management is more
reactive and adopts short term perspective.
3.PSYCHOLOGICAL
CONTRACT
COMITMENT
In Terms of desire mode Psychological contract,
HRM is seen as facilitating employee
commitment.
COMPLIANCE
While Traditional personnel management
model is more in terms of managerial control
over employees.
4.EMPLOYEE
RELATIONS
UNITARIST INDIVIDUAL
HIGH TRUST
In regard to employee relations HRM is viewed
as essentially in perspective seeing no conflict
between employees and employers trying to
improve a communication and trust between
employees and employers on daily basis.
PLURALIST COLLECTIVE LOW TRUST
In contrast “Traditional Personnel management
is grounded in pluralist traditions (controlling no
unions) involving acceptance that conflict of
interest exists between employers and workers a
related factors or is that HRM is seen as
focusing on relations between (line)
management and the individual worker while
traditional model is seen as operating primarily
through collectivist relations between
management and employee representatives
normally trade unions.
7.AIMS
GOALs
MAXIMAISE HR UTILISATION
The final perceived differences is that HRM is
seen as essentiality focused on maximizing the
HR contribution to overall company
effectiveness
MAXIMAISECOST- EFFECTIVNES
while personnel management focuses on the
more limited goal of improving cost
effectiveness.
----------------------------------------------------------
Despite all the arguing and listing the
differences between HRM and personal
management the true is that HRM is not
necessarily better then personal management
its more likely either HRM or PM
approaches may be more suitable for
particular organization context.
-----------------------------------------------------
Functions of a Human Resource department
in a modern organization.
HRM is an aspect of organizational management
concerned with the management of an
organization's workforce.
It is one of the most difficult aspects of
organizational management as it means dealing
with people who differ physically and
psychologically
There are seven main functions of HRM .
Function 1: Manpower planning
The penalties for not being correctly staffed are
costly.
• Understaffing loses the business
economies of scale and specialization, orders,
customers and profits.
• Overstaffing is wasteful and
expensive, if sustained, and it is costly to
eliminate because of modern legislation in
respect of redundancy payments, consultation,
minimum periods of notice, etc. Very
importantly, overstaffing reduces the
competitive efficiency of the business.
Future staffing needs will develop from:
• Sales and production forecasts
• The effects of technological
change on task needs
• Variations in the efficiency,
productivity, flexibility of labor as a result of
training, work study, organizational change, new
motivations, etc.
• Changes in employment practices
(e.g. use of subcontractors or agency staffs,
hiving-off tasks, buying in, substitution, etc.)
• Variations, which respond to new
legislation, e.g. payroll taxes or their abolition,
new health and safety requirements
• Changes in Government policies
(investment incentives, regional or trade grants,
etc
Function 2: Recruitment and selection of
employees
Recruitment of staff should be preceded by:
An analysis of the job to be done (i.e. an
analytical study of the tasks to be performed to
determine their essential factors) written into a
job description so that the selectors know what
physical and mental characteristics applicants
must possess, what qualities and attitudes are
desirable and what characteristics are a decided
disadvantage;
• In the case of replacement staff a
critical questioning of the need to recruit at all
(replacement should rarely be an automatic
process).
• Effectively, selection is 'buying' an
employee (the price being the wage or salary
multiplied by probable years of service) hence
bad buys can be very expensive. For that reason
some firms (and some firms for particular jobs)
use external expert consultants for recruitment
and selection.
• Equally some small organizations
exist to 'head hunt', i.e. to attract staff with high
reputations from existing employers to the
recruiting employer. However, the 'cost' of poor
selection is such that, even for the mundane day-
to-day jobs, those who recruit and select should
be well trained to judge the suitability of
applicants.
Function 3: Employee motivation
To retain good staff and to encourage them to
give of their best while at work requires
attention to the financial and psychological and
even physiological rewards offered by the
organization as a continuous exercise.
Basic financial rewards and conditions of
service (e.g. working hours per week) are
determined externally (by national bargaining or
government minimum wage legislation) in many
occupations but as much as 50 per cent of the
gross pay of manual workers is often the result
of local negotiations and details (e.g. which
particular hours shall be worked) of conditions
of service are often more important than the
basics. Hence there is scope for financial and
other motivations to be used at local levels.
As staffing needs will vary with the productivity
of the workforce (and the industrial peace
achieved) so good personnel policies are
desirable. The latter can depend upon other
factors (like environment, welfare, employee
benefits, etc.) but unless the wage packet is
accepted as 'fair and just' there will be no
motivation.
Function 4: Employee evaluation:
An organization needs constantly to take stock
of its workforce and to assess its performance in
existing jobs for three reasons:
• To improve organizational
performance via improving the performance of
individual contributors (should be an automatic
process in the case of good managers, but (about
annually) two key questions should be posed:
• what has been done to improve the
performance of a person last year?
and what can be done to improve his or her
performance in the year to come?).
• To identify potential, i.e.
recognize existing talent and to use that to fill
vacancies higher in the organization or to
transfer individuals into jobs where better use
can be made of their abilities or developing
skills.
• To provide an equitable method of
linking payment to performance where there are
no numerical criteria (often this salary
performance review takes place about three
months later and is kept quite separate from 1.
and 2. but is based on the same assessment).
Function 5:Industrial relations
Good industrial relations, while a recognizable
and legitimate objective for an organization, are
difficult to define since a good system of
industrial relations involves complex
relationships between:
(a) Workers (and their informal and formal
groups, i. e. trade union, organizations and their
representatives);
(b) Employers (and their managers and formal
organizations like trade and professional
associations);
(c) The government and legislation and
government agencies l and 'independent'
agencies like the Advisory Conciliation and
Arbitration Service.
Function 7: Employee education, training and
development
In general, education is 'mind preparation' and is
carried out remote from the actual work area,
training is the systematic development of the
attitude, knowledge, skill pattern required by a
person to perform a given task or job adequately
and development is 'the growth of the individual
in terms of ability, understanding and
awareness'.
Within an organization all three are necessary in
order to:
• Develop workers to undertake
higher-grade tasks;
• Provide the conventional training
of new and young workers (e.g. as apprentices,
clerks, etc.);
• Raise efficiency and standards of
performance;
• Meet legislative requirements (e.g.
health and safety);
• Inform people (induction training,
pre-retirement courses, etc.);
From time to time meet special needs arising
from technical, legislative, and knowledge need
changes. Meeting these needs is achieved via the
'training loop’.
Describe the four main stages of the planning
process.
a) Human Resource Planning
Definition
•Meaning – Assessment of Human Resource
requirements and time and stages of
requirement.
•Right person ---At Right place ---At Right time.
•Definition – HRP is defined as the process by
which management determines how an
organization should move from its current
manpower position to its desired manpower
position.
•HRP is also called manpower planning,
personnel planning or employment planning.
Objectives of HRP
•To ensure maximum use of existing HR
•To forecast future requirement for HR.
•To provide control measures to ensure that
necessary HR are available as and when
required.
•To asses the surplus and shortage of HR.
(Downsizing).
•To anticipate the impact of technology on jobs
and HR.
•To determine the level of Recruitment and
Training.
•To estimate the cost of HR and Housing needs
of employees.
•To meet the needs of expansion and
diversification programmers.
•Creates a bridge mechanism that allows
corporate plans to be translated into actionable
HR requirements
•Involves forecasting HR needs (number of
people & KSAs – Knowledge , skills, Abilities.)
for the organization & developing appropriate
plans to achieve those needs
•Should be linked to other organizational
functions e.g. strategic & operational, economic
& market forecasting & investment planning
Arguments in favor of HR Planning
–Facilitating the reduction of HR costs
–Basis for planning employee development
–Improving overall business planning process
–Providing equal opportunities for all categories
of employees
–Promoting greater awareness of the importance
of having well-integrated HR management
policies & activities
Human Resource Planning Process
Stocktaking
•First stage involves the identification of a range
of variables that impact upon organizational
operations
•2 particular categories of influencers
– The external environment
– The internal environment
•Involves developing an accurate HR profile, job
analysis, skills audit & inventory, & a
performance review
Forecasting
•Involves forecasting both the supply of labor
and demand for labor
•Most difficult aspect of HR planning
•Demand forecasting can be improved by
knowledge of:
–Changes in requirements for management
–New subsets of the organization that may be
required or no longer required in the future
–Changes in the number of particular types of
jobs
–KSAs ( knowledge skills abilities)&
experiences required for types of jobs
–Requirements for joint ventures &
collaborative mgt
Changes needed in career structures
human resource manager needs to be able to
forecast the organisation’s future HR
requirements and
determine from where they will be obtained.
Three sets of forecasts are required:
•a forecast of the demand for human resources
•a forecast of the supply of external human
resources
•a forecast of the supply of human resources
available within the organization
These forecasts are an attempt to predict
changes in the organization's needs for human
resources. Sophisticated techniques have been
developed, but HR forecasting is not an exact
science and organizations use extremely varied
forecasting techniques.
Two approaches to HR planning can be
identified
Quantitative forecasting includes trend
projection, econometric modeling and multiple
predictive techniques. Such techniques require
specialized know-how, so the HR manager may
have to rely on staff experts or outside
consultants.
Qualitative approach to HR planning uses expert
opinion (usually a line manager) to predict the
future (for example, the marketing manager will
be asked to estimate the future personnel
requirements for the marketing department).
Labor Turnover
•The survival curve – 3 distinct phases
–The Induction crisis (time wastage/turnover is
very high)
–The differential transit (likelihood of employee
suddenly leaving is reduced as they settle in)
–Settled Connection (employees tend to be
viewed as “quasi-permanent”& perceived
greater incentive to stay with the organization)
Absenteeism
•Function of 2 variables:
–Ability to attend (concerned with illness or
incapacity…usually involuntary absence)
–Motivation to attend (linked with the
employee’s feelings about the organisation &
job itself & whether the employee feels pressure
to attend)
Correlation between absenteeism & labour
turnover
Age Profile
•Creation of an organisational age profile
facilitates:
–Identification of imminent retirement patterns
–Planning recruitment policies
–Identifying career & succession paths
Planning
•On foot of forecasting, the organization can
estimate if it is faced with labour shortage or
surplus
•Labour Shortage: can plan for recruitment or
retraining as appropriate
•Labour Surplus: can plan for redundancies,
redeployment, retraining, lay-offs
•Implications for employee relations, structuring
of work, reward package offered, etc.
Implementation
•Once HR plans are complete, the organisation
implements its decision & the cycle begins again
•HR plans need to be regularly monitored &
reviewed
three factors that may impact on your planning
process and over which you are likely to have
little control.
Factors affecting HR PLANING process
•Environment - :
•Economic factors
•Technological Changes
•Demographic changes
•Political and legislative issues
•Social concerns
Major demographic changes are likely to affect
organizations in the near future? How are these
changes likely to affect organizations? How can
HR planning help organizations successfully
deal with these changes?
Changes in social values and in the demographic
composition of the population can affect the
type and availability of labour. This, in turn, can
have an impact on an organization's
Factors Affecting HRP
1.The type of organization determines the
production process, type of staff, (supervisor and
manager). And the strategy plan of the
organization defines its HR needs.
2.Organizational growth cycle and planning –
start up, growth, maturity, decline
3.Environmental uncertainty – political, social
and economical change affect all organizations.
4.Outsourcing – the process by which
employees transfer routine or peripheral work to
the another organizations.
5.Nature of job – job vacancies, promotions and
expansion strategies.
6.Type and quality of forecasting information -
organizational structure, budgets, production.
7.Time horizons – long term plans and short
term plans, the greater the uncertainty the
shorter the plan.
•Organizational objectives and policies-:
•HR plans need to be based on organizational
objectives.
•Specifics requirements in terms of numbers and
characteristics of employees must be derived
from organizational objectives.
• HR need or demand forecast-:
•The process of estimating the future quantity
and quality of people required.
•The basis of forecast will be annual budget and
long term corporate plans.
•Demand forecasting must consider several
factors like
•Internal (Budget constraints, employee
separations, production level etc.)
•External (Competition, laws, change in
technology).
In response to these types of changes
organizations might choose to introduce
different work practices such as flexible work
hours, job sharing, outsourcing, increased use of
part-time and casual workers, tele-working,
working from home. All of which will have an
impact on a range of HR practices.
Recruitment & Selection
What is a selection interview?
It is a situation in which a personnel selector,
through personal contact provides himself with
behavior to observe - in order to assess the
candidate's suitability for a position.
It is important to remember, however, that there
are two additional objectives of the selection
interview. Thus we may say that the aim of the
interview is three fold:
• To assess the candidates appropriateness for
the position
• To give information to the candidate
• To present the company in a good light to the
applicant
The Selection Interview
–Can be an accurate means of selection
–Structured interviews are more valid than
unstructured ones
–More accurate if based on detailed job analysis
techniques
–Appropriate & fairly reliable method for
assessing job-relevant social skills
–Interviewer accuracy varies & recruitment
decisions should always be validated
Errors & Biases in Selection
• Expectancy effect
• Information-seeking bias
• Primacy effect
• Stereotyping
• Horns/halo effect
• Contrast and quota effects
Questions are asked for a specific purpose and
the questions you are asked will give you an
indication and an insight into the company itself.
Let's look at the types of questions common to
all interviews.
Types of interview questions
1. Open questions
These are questions to which it is impossible to
give a 'yes' or 'no' answer. Candidates will often
not only reply with the facts and issues but also
with their feelings and attitudes. Thus, the
interviewer can form a picture about the person
sitting in front of him/her and can either explore
certain topics further or ask them to expand on
their feelings. The only disadvantage about these
questions is that you could say too much or you
could start to dominate the interview.
Examples of open questions are given below.
What
What are your duties?
Why
Why was that a problem for you?
When
When did that happen?
Where
Where do you expect your next move to be?
Similar open questions might start with
openings such as:
Please explain why that was important to you.
Some useful open-ended questions are given
below.
What prompted this decision?
How much notice do you have to give your
current employer?
What activities are you involved in just now?
How would you respond if you were offered the
job?
Looking back, what would you have done
differently?
What do you think the reason was for your
dismissal?
2. Closed questions
At the other extreme are closed questions, which
usually only produce a 'yes' or a 'no' answer.
These are useful for checking pure facts and
eliciting a direct response. They can also be used
to stop the interviewee doing all the talking, or
they can be used to limit the relevant parts of the
interview.
Examples of closed questions are given below.
I see you worked for ...
I see you have ...
Do you like ...?
3. Probing questions
Probing questions are the interviewer's most
sophisticated and useful tool. They are used to
clarify, to justify or to reveal strengths or
weaknesses - areas that the interviewee may
wish to hide. The questions tend to be quite
specific and predictable, and they are normally
used when the interviewee is being over-
talkative or when the conversation is drifting a
bit.
E.g. of probing questions are given below.
What is your reason for saying that?
Why does that concern you?
Who else affected your decision?
How did you resolve the situation?
How did you react to ...?
4. Hypothetical questions
Interviewers often ask the 'What if?' question. It
may be because this is an actual situation which
you will have to face in the job, or it could be
asked just to test your ability to think on your
feet. Answer the question as best you can and be
able to back up your answer.
|E.g..
What would you do if you were short-staffed?
What would you do if you had to deal with an
angry customer?
What would you do if two important people
demanded your attention at the same time?
5. Leading questions
On the whole these questions suggest the answer
to give. Interviewers may wish you to disagree
with the suggestion in order to hear your point
of view, or the interviewer may be advising you
of the company's rules and expectations. You
can either agree or disagree depending upon
7. Summarizing questions
These are used by the interviewer to clarify and
confirm what you have said.
So what you are saying is ...
I understand that what you have said is ... These
are often used in technical professions, but
remember the summarising question is a tool
that you too can use if you feel that a question
needs further clarification.
8. Reflecting what has been said
The interviewer may reflect back what has been
said in order to encourage less confident or more
reticent interviewees to expand further.
What is a selection interview?
The selection interview takes many forms; it can
be
One to one
Video conference interview
Situational interview- a structured series of
predetermined, hypothetical, job-related
questions Evaluated against a set of example
answers
Biographical interview- this is the traditional
approach which either moves forward through a
candidate’s education and career or backwards
from the present or most recent job. The latter is
often preferred for more experienced candidates.
The biographical interview is logical and easy to
conduct but it may not produce the information
required as effectively as a referenced or
structured approach.
Selection boards (interviewing panel)
Telephone interview
Competency Based Interview a also known as
behaviorally based interview - A structured
series of questions aimed at eliciting behavioral
information against specific job-related
competencies
It is important to remember, however, that there
are two additional objectives of the selection
interview. Thus we may say that the aim of the
interview is three fold:
• To assess the candidates appropriateness for
the position
• To give information to the candidate
• To present the company in a good light to the
applicant
The Selection Interview
Interviews can be more accurate than many
recruiters may believe if :
Structured interviews are more valid than
unstructured ones.
–Interviews are more accurate if based upon
detailed job analysis techniques, where the
interview decision reached is based on the
application of both job description and person
specification.
–Appropriate & fairly reliable method for
assessing job-relevant social skills
–Interviewer accuracy varies & recruitment
decisions should always be validated, that is
interviewers should check their decisions against
subsequent job performance.
All well structured interview can provide very
usefully information of the individuals job
experience job knowledge, cognitive ability and
social/behavioral skills that when combined can
be used to determine person organization fit.
Errors & Biases in Selection
While the central question of whether
interviewers are born not made remains
unanswered, there is considerable evidence to
suggest that the process of interviewing is all too
often subject to number of underlining biases
and errors that adversely affect the selection
decision. While it is untrue to suggest that all
interviews are biased or error-prone, based on
existing research have classified some of the
more common errors and biases, a number of
which are consider below.
•Expectancy effect – interviewers can form
either a positive or negative impression of
candidate based on biographical information
from the application form /CV and this tends to
have a bearing on all subsequent decision( often
termed gut instinct or snap decision)
•Information-seeking bias( prejudge
information) – based on their initial expectations
, interviewers can actively seek information that
will confirm this initial expectation
•Primacy effect – interviewers may form
impression about candidates personality within
the first five minutes of meeting him/her and
tend to be more influenced by what is said early
in the interview
•Stereotyping – can often be ascribed to
particular groups of individuals may be based on
gender, race, family circumstances etc. and
decision based on stereotypes may be breach of
the current Equality Legislation
•Horns/halo effect – based on information
received an interviewer may rate a candidate
either universally favorable or universally
unfavorably. Furthermore, negative information
tends to be more influential than positive
information, and thus, even where there is a
balance between positive and negative
information, the overall impression will tend to
be negative.
•Contrast and quota effects – interviewer
decision can be naturally effected by decisions
candidates have been selected for interview,
those who are interviewed later are invariably
compared with those who went before
them( rather than being assesses specifically
against pre- determined criteria)
There has been a considerable amount of
research undertaken into the selection interview.
Much of the early research was concerned with
the overall outcome of the interview in terms of
its reliability and validity. More recent research
has focused on specific aspects of selection
interviews such as non-verbal behaviour of the
interviewer and interviewee, and the influence
of personal perception on decision making in the
interview.
The following sections in this guide explore the
reliability and validity of selection interviews
and outline factors which influence decision-
making Before, during and after the interview.
Reliability
Reliability refers to the consistency of
judgments made by an interviewer if she/he
were to interview the candidate afresh on a
second occasion or if someone else were to
interview the same candidate. In practice,
greater emphasis is placed on inter-ratter
reliability; that is, the extent to which different
interviewers make the same assessment of the
candidate they have seen, either separately or
together at a panel interview. Studies usually
show quite low levels of consistency between
raters. Reasons for low inter-interviewer
reliability could be that interviewers are not in
fact basing their judgments on the same
information, or that they hold different
perceptions of the candidate requirements. Good
job analysis, providing selection criteria and
interviewer training tend to increase reliability.
Many factors have been found to influence the
decisions made by interviewers. The basis for
many decisions, however, stems from factors
outside the interview as well as those during it.
The following sections examine factors before,
during and after the interview which influence
the resulting decision.
Structured interview guides and note taking -
There is some evidence to suggest that
interviewers who work to a structure and who
takes notes during the interview have more
accurate recall of applicants after the interview.
Considering all the potential problems
associated with selection interviews, it seems
rather surprising that the procedure remains the
most popular method for assessing candidates
for jobs. If it was abolished there would be
chaos: employers want the opportunity to meet
potential recruits prior to making selection
decisions and candidates expect to be
interviewed, feeling cheated if they are not.
Hence it looks like the interview is here to stay,
how can it be improved?
Before the interview
Analyzing the job - In order to conduct an
interview effectively it is imperative to establish
what the job involves and the specific skills and
attributes needed to perform successfully in the
role. (Interviewers working from a good job
description are more likely to focus on key areas
and pay less attention to irrelevant information.)
Structuring the interview - The more structured
the interview the better. Following a structure is
probably the single technique which is most
likely to help in improving the reliability of a
selection exercise. Adherence to a structure
helps to ensure that for each candidate broadly
the same areas are covered. With a structure, the
interviewer can more easily monitor the progress
of the interview, ensuring that the discussion
remains job-related. Moreover, adherence to a
structure exposes gaps in the evidence collected,
which might otherwise be overlooked.
Planning the interview - Careful consideration of
pre-interview information, application forms or
CV’s is critical in identifying relevant areas to
explore further. Some standard questions for all
candidates can be prepared in advance where
this is appropriate.
Training the interviewer - Trained interviewers
will not only be more likely to demonstrate the
appropriate skills of effective interviewing, but
they will also be more aware of the potential
pitfalls of interviewing as a selection technique.
Maintaining a healthy skepticism and an
alertness to the possibility of bias and
stereotyping serves as an excellent defence
against the subjectivity and personal
preferences, which can so easily undermine the
quality of evidence collected.
Overcoming the problem
During the interview
Obtaining evidence - The interview should be
planned and conducted to collect relevant
information about the candidates, in order to
make an assessment against the selection
criteria.
Effective interviewing skills such as questioning
techniques, developing rapport, controlling and
summarising also contribute to ensuring that
sufficient and appropriate information is
collected.
Taking notes - It is difficult for an interviewer to
remember accurately everything that an
interviewee has said during the course of an
interview. If the interviewer relies solely on his
or her memory, points will almost certainly be
forgotten or distorted. In order to limit this risk,
note-taking during the interview is strongly
recommended. This will enable interviewers to
check that they have elicited all the information
they require against their predetermined
interview plan, and to check their understanding
with the interviewee. In addition, gaps in written
information are much more visible (and
therefore difficult to ignore), than gaps in
information which is stored solely in the
memory of the interviewer.
An accurate record of the interview is useful
evidence (of the objectiveness of decisions)
should a candidate challenge the selection
process under Equal Opportunities Legislation at
an industrial tribunal.
More than one interviewer? - In terms of
perceived fairness, involving more than one
interviewer, such as in a panel interview may,
particularly in the eyes
of the candidates, increase their confidence that
the selection decision is not based on one face-
to-face encounter, which may be subject to
interview bias.
Where no other selection techniques are
involved this may be particularly important.
However, facing more than one interviewer can
be a rather intimidating experience for some
candidates.
further interviews-An alternative to panel
interviews is to conduct further interviews with
different interviewers, who may see the
candidates in a different light. In discussion after
the interview, the interviewers should be able to
compare evaluations and challenge each other’s
biases.
After the interview
Recording the evidence - Note-taking during the
interview should be supplemented by note-
taking after the interview. During the interview,
it is of course not possible to fully cover all that
is discussed, and therefore interviewers should
add to their notes immediately after the
interview has finished Evaluating the findings
effectively – Clear descriptions of the selection
criteria, with Bench marks of either detailed
behavioral description and/or numerical ratings,
Therefore, organizations need to direct their
attention more closely to what they expect the
interview to achieve for them in the selection
process. Other selection techniques may focus
on assessing the candidate’s match with the
skills and abilities required to do the job, but the
interview can explore wider issues such as why
the candidate wants this job in your
organization. It also provides an opportunity for
the candidate to meet people in the organization
and seek information from them to help in
his/her decision making.
A professional, well conducted selection
interview can have a significant impact on the
candidates’ perception of your organization and
whether they wish to work for you or even, in
some circumstances, do business with you in the
future.
Reviewing selection interviewing
Consideration of the following will help to
ensure that your interviews are conducted
effectively and that interviewers and candidates
have confidence in them.
Do interviewers have?
Up-to-date job descriptions, selection criteria
or competency frameworks available?
A clear objective for their interview?
Training in interviewing skills?
Awareness of equal opportunities legislation?
Adequate time to prepare: alone or with
others?
An interview schedule which allows time to
explore information thoroughly?
Knowledge of other selection methods being
used?
Interview record forms for interview notes
and final decisions?
Feedback on the outcome of their decisions
Comment on the reasons why an application
form may be used in preference to a CV in
the Recruitment Process.
There are different ways in which a company
can sift through their applicants to determine if
they should go through to the next stage of the
recruitment process. The most common
approach is by requesting CVs from the
applicants or to have a job-specific application
form, which all applicants are required to
complete
Benefits of CVs
CV provides a chance for the candidate to
promote and sell themselves in a creative and
unrestricted way, which is highly appropriate for
some fields where, for instance, creativity and
selling skills are essential
a single CV can be used for many job
applications
Limitations of CVs
although CVs allow for applicants to be
creative in promoting themselves, applicants are
limited by the length of the CV
applicants can include irrelevant and
unnecessary information, which in turn makes it
more difficult to assess all candidates on an
equal basis
CVs can reveal group identities, for example
ethnicity age and so on, which can allow for
discrimination
putting together a CV could in itself
demonstrate a particular skill that might not be
relevant to the job
Benefits of application forms
application forms can provide a more accurate
basis for comparison of candidates and help by
asking candidates to provide appropriate and
relevant information about their various skills
using application forms rather than CVs can
be more appropriate for certain jobs
as with a CV, the applicant's style can give an
insight to their suitability, for example their
presentation skills and writing style. However,
be aware of the possibility of disability
discrimination
applications provide information regarding
the applicant's experiences, capabilities, skills,
and qualifications (see ACAS website)
Limitations of application forms
•they can be used to extract too much
information, which may not be relevant to the
job
•applicants can be put off, due to:
•application forms being too time-consuming
(one CV can be used to apply for many jobs);
thus, candidates find vacancies elsewhere more
quickly
•candidates do not like to fill in application
forms
•application forms can be inadvertently
discriminatory as they require candidates to have
well-developed literacy skills when that might
not be relevant to the job. Also, candidates
whose first language is not English could
struggle with completing application forms
•experienced candidates may find the
application form inadequate, not allowing them
to express all their experience
•less experienced candidates could struggle
completing an application form
•application forms can stifle creativity
Tips
Whether a company uses CVs or application
forms as means of assessing its candidates,
there are points to bear in mind in the
process:
Only information relevant to the job (eg
experience, knowledge, competencies) should be
asked for.
do not ask for information on CVs or
application forms that could lead to
discrimination by ethnicity, religion, gender
(name or title), age, sexual orientation etc;
asking for marital status could suggest
heterosexuality
photographs of candidates should not be
requested, unless relevant to the job (e.g. if the
applicant is applying for a modelling job)
Be aware of discrimination (eg asking for
years of experience in former employment or
year of education, could be interpreted as
discrimination). Requiring such information
should be justifiable, for example if applicants
are working with children (Criminal Records
Bureau checks)
Provide candidates with information
regarding the application process and how it is
related to the company's diversity policy. For
example, how are religious requirements going
to be accommodated?
ensure the equal opportunities form and
candidate's personal information are separated
and handled by those not involved in the
selection process
it is advisable to acknowledge solicited and
preferably unsolicited applications
If application forms are used:
they should be available in multiple formats
e.g. electronic brochure, Braille, large print
guidance regarding how to fill out the
application should be provided as well as
examples of how to address various parts of the
application form (eg person specification)
Be aware that the form could in itself suggest
personal preference by using gendered terms (eg
'caring', 'frontline', 'competitive'). They could
also use other terminology which implies a
cultural/age/class preference (eg 'energetic',
'like-minded'
Induction is :
•The process of helping a new employee settles
quickly into their job so that they soon become
an efficient and productive employee.
•The process whereby people who are new to an
organization are assisted to integrate with the
help of a carefully planned programmed
•May include, but not limited to a training event
•Starts before the person’s first day at work
Why use Induction activities?
•Early days with new employer quite daunting -
sink or swim?
•Require employees to learn about various
aspects of organisational life, to facilitate the
development of useful employees
•Need to learn about the organisation’s values
and culture
•To help newcomers develop a commitment to
their new employer
Why use induction activities?
•Need to avoid expensive mistakes
•May need to minimise staff turnover- try to
maintain the staff we have cause more to retrain
new staff training and cost of loosing new staff
due to not effective induction.
We have all started working at places that just
expect us to "hit the ground running" and
become productive extremely quickly. Many of
us will have worked at places that regard an
induction as a waste of time, or think a quick
tour of the building should be sufficient!
The benefits of induction training
The benefits of induction training are huge and
include: increased retention of newly hire
employees, improved employee morale and
increased productivity. A properly crafted
induction plan will save you time and money in
the long run that might have ended up being
spent on covering absences and hiring
replacements.
An induction is the first point of contact between
you and your new employee, so why not spend
some time making sure you get it right?
Ideally an induction should include:
Make sure to create induction check list to
not omit anything.
Prepare contract of the employment and explain
slowly job duties.
a) Introduction to important staff (not just a
quick hello but sufficient time to get acquainted
and identify their exact job role)
b) Tour of the building, pointing out fire exits,
bathrooms, meeting rooms, boardrooms, useful
offices such as IT support staff, administration
staff etc. Don't forget to show them where to
find office stationery and the position of
photocopiers / faxes.
c) Health and safety training as necessary
dependent on job role; may include items such
as manual handling and where to find the health
and safety notice board.
d) How to complete day to day tasks and where
to find the necessary folders / files
The fourth task is the most important but often
the most likely to be overlooked. It should take
place over a number of days dependent on the
availability of the staff carrying out the training.
Ideally each task should be explained, then the
trainee should be left for a short while to
practice. Following this, the trainer should then
return to check progress, check
misunderstandings and then start the next task.
Induction Trainer Guidelines
1) Give the trainee your details to get hold of
you by any method they choose - telephone,
email, face to face.
2) Provide training materials, at least a quick
reference guide - ideally a full manual
explaining the task.
3) Call back regularly to check on progress. Just
because you haven't hear from them doesn't
mean they are okay - they may just be the type
that doesn't like asking questions.
4) Ensure you ask your manager for sufficient
time to carry out your role effectively - point out
you need to provide training materials and be
available to answer questions at short notice.
Managing Performance
Managing Performance
Employee Motivation/Job Design
Non-analytical Method
The defining feature of non-analytical
evaluation schemes is that whole jobs are
compared with each other without any attempt
to break down and analyse jobs under their
various demands or components. These types of
job evaluation schemes are particularly prone to
sex discrimination because where whole jobs are
being compared (rather than scores on
components of jobs) judgements made by the
evaluators can have little objective basis other
than the traditional value of the job.
Analytical Method
Analytical evaluation schemes are schemes
where jobs are broken down into components
(known as factors) and scores for each
component of the job are awarded with a final
total giving an overall rank order.
Analytical job evaluation is a process for putting
a value on jobs and establishing a job
hierarchy through an objective system assessing
important elements of work
Job evaluation is conducted to compare jobs in
order to provide a basis for determining pay.
It may be part of a sophisticated pay system or it
may be an informal assessment to rank
different positions in a small business in order to
decide how much to pay for a particular
job. The major difference between analytical job
evaluation and non-analytical job
evaluation is that the former measures jobs by
considering a range of factors with
established yardsticks and the latter compares
jobs as a whole based on some pre-set
criteria. In the context of equal pay, analytical
job evaluation is preferred as the
mechanism is more objective (despite the
inherent subjectivity involved in making
judgements). With non-analytical methods,
traditional views on jobs undertaken by men
or women may affect the assessment when jobs
are compared as a whole, sometimes
resulting in undervaluation of female dominated
jobs. Well-defined criteria should be set
when using non-analytical methods.
Types of Non-Analytical Schemes
There are 4 types of non-analytical job
evaluation method
Ranking is the process of comparing whole
jobs with one another and arranging them in
order of their perceived value to the
organisation. Job ranking is a simple process
which reflects what people tend to do when
comparing jobs, but:
• there are no defined standards for
judging relative worth and there is therefore no
rationale to defend the rank order - it is simply a
matter of opinion
• ranking is not acceptable as a
method of determining comparable worth in
equal value cases
• it may be hard to justify slotting
new jobs into the structure or to decide whether
or not there is a case for moving a job up the
rank order, i.e. re-grading
Matching Comparisons
This is also a relatively simple technique. Each
job is evaluated as a whole with each other job
in turn, and points (0, 1 or 2) awarded according
to whether its overall importance is judged to be
less than, equal to, or more than the other jobs.
Points awarded for each job are then totalled and
a rank order produced. This method of job
evaluation has all the advantages of job ranking
and is slightly more systematic. However, it is
best limited to organisations with a maximum of
30 jobs in a particular job population and, like
job ranking; it does not involve any analysis of
jobs nor indicate the extent of difference
between them. Paired comparisons is not
acceptable as a method of determining
comparable worth in equal value cases
Internal Benchmarking or Job Matching
Job evaluation by internal benchmarking or job
matching simply means comparing the job under
review with any internal benchmark job which is
believed to be properly graded and paid and
slotting the job under consideration into the
same grade as the benchmark job. The
comparison is usually made on a whole job basis
without analyzing the jobs factor by factor.
Internal benchmarking is a simple and quick
method of job evaluation, but:
•it relies on judgments which may be entirely
subjective and could be hard to justify
•it is dependent on the identification of suitable
benchmarks which are properly graded and such
comparisons may only perpetuate existing
inequities
•it is not acceptable as a defence in equal value
cases
Job classification is the process of slotting jobs
into grades by comparing the whole job with a
scale in the form of a hierarchy of grade
definitions. It is based on an initial definition of
the number and characteristics of the grades into
which jobs will be placed. The grade definitions
may refer to such job characteristics as skill,
decision making and responsibility. Job
classification is the most used form of non-
analytical job evaluation because it is simple,
easily understood and at least, in contrast to
whole-job ranking, it provides some standards
for making judgements in the form of the grade
definitions. But:
•it cannot cope with complex jobs which will
not fit neatly into one grade
•the grade definitions tend to be so generalised
that they may not be much help in evaluating
border-line cases
•it fails to deal with the problem of evaluating
and grading jobs in dissimilar occupational or
job families where the demands made on job
holders are widely different
•rade definitions tend to be inflexible and
unresponsive to changes affecting roles and job
content
•the grading system can perpetuate inappropriate
hierarchies
•it does not provide a defence in equal value
cases.
TYPES OF ANALYTICAL JOB
EVALUATION Methods
Points Rating
This is the most commonly used method. The
key elements of each job, which are known as
'factors', are identified by the organisation and
then broken down into components. Each factor
is assessed separately and points allocated
according to the level needed for the job. The
more demanding the job, the higher the points
value. This scheme has the following
advantages:
•it provides a rationale why jobs are ranked
differently
•it may be entered as a defence to an equal value
claim
•it will be seen generally as less subjective than
non analytical techniques.
However, it is time consuming to introduce and
can be complex and costly to undertake. In
addition it can be seen to be an inflexible form
of job evaluation in times of rapid change and
can imply an arithmetical precision which is not
justified.
Factor Comparison
Factor Comparison is similar to Points Rating
job evaluation scheme, being based on an
assessment of factors, though no points are
allocated. Use of the Factor Comparison method
of job evaluation is not as widespread as the
Points Rating systems, because the use of points
enables a large number of jobs to be ranked at
one time.
'Tailor Made' or 'Off the peg'
A prime consideration in deciding which
analytical job evaluation scheme to select lies in
the choice of factors and weightings. The benefit
of proprietary 'off the peg' evaluation schemes is
that they normally have been well tried and
tested and there is therefore a saving in time. In
addition, many schemes are linked to
mechanisms for checking salary levels. The
benefit of 'tailor made' schemes is that the
factors and definitions more accurately reflect
the range of jobs to be evaluated and are arrived
at through consensus; consequently they are
more likely to be acceptable to the workforce.
The Hay Guide Chart-Profile Method is the
most widely used evaluation scheme. easy to
defend, equal value claim,
5 suggested factors would I consider
choosing evaluation shame for Large
company
– Skill requirements
– Mental requirements
– Physical requirements
– Responsibility
– Working conditions
• Each factor may then be broken
down into sub-factors
Choosing a job evaluation scheme
•Purpose ? Is it to meet equal pay legislation
requirements ?
•How many jobs to be evaluated ?
•How complex is the pay structure?
•What organisational factors should attract
monetary value?
• scheme intended for market comparison ?
•Advantage in using a computerised scheme?
As well organizations and the Human Resource
Management team need to carefully consider
which job evaluation approach to select before
embarking on the evaluative process.
Firstly, the organization needs to carefully
consider if they are going to implement an
existing commercial package, such as
• Cost
• Effort
• External comparison
and more:
• Hay Guide Chart Profile system – measures
know-how, problem solving and accountability
with each factor being scored on a two
dimensional matrix
• ‘What are the organisation’s objectives in
introducing a job evaluation scheme? Will the
expected benefits outweigh the time and costs
involved?
• What is the size of the organization? As a
general rule the smaller the organization the
easier it will be to implement a simple ranking
system.
• Are the personnel and expertise available to
develop an internal plan? How much can the
organization afford to spend on introducing and
maintaining a plan?
• What do similar organizations in the same
industry do?
• Is the selected job evaluation plan in harmony
with the organization’s culture?’
Describe any two theories of motivation with
which you are familiar.
Motivation is the set of forces that leads people
to behave in particular ways’
People are motivated by many things in the
workplace. The most basic motivation is the
need for money. Many people find their work
uninteresting or worse, but continue because
they need the money. Receiving a raise or bonus
can be a motivator, too.
Additional motivations include co-workers with
whom you have a good relationship, the general
environment of the workplace, tasks that are
interesting or challenging, and recognition by
co-workers or managers that you are
contributing toward reaching a common goal
A manager needs to motivate workers to behave
in ways that are in the best interests of the
organisation
Maslow believed that:
•People have an innate desire to work their way
up the hierarchy
•A need is not a motivator until those before it
are satisfied
•A satisfied need is not a motivator
•Managers need to assess workers’ needs at each
level and then provide incentives that
correspond to those needs
Expectancy Theory (VIE)
Victor Vroom presented the Expectancy theory
in 1964 he proposed the idea that people are
influence by expected results of their actions
Expectancy refers to the belief that effort will
lead to performance
Do you believe that if you work hard enough
you will reach your sales target?
Do you believe that if you study hard enough
you will be able to pass the exams?
Managers need to:
•Understand what rewards employees value
•Ensure that employees trust that they will get a
promised reward if they perform well enough
•Ensure that employees see a link between their
effort and performance
•Ensure that targets are attainable
Herzberg's research proved that people will
strive to achieve 'hygiene' needs because they
are unhappy without them, but once satisfied the
effect soon wears off - satisfaction is temporary.
Then as now, poorly managed organizations fail
to understand that people are not 'motivated' by
addressing 'hygiene' needs. People are only truly
motivated by enabling them to reach for and
satisfy the factors that Herzberg identified as
real motivators, such as achievement,
advancement, development, etc., which
represent a far deeper level of meaning and
fulfillment.
Examples of Herzberg's 'hygiene' needs (or
maintenance factors) in the workplace are:
 policy
 relationship with supervisor
 work conditions
 salary
 company car
 status
 security
 relationship with subordinates
 personal life
Herzberg's research identified that true
motivators were other completely different
factors, notably:
 achievement
 recognition
 work itself
 responsibility
 advancement
What are the motivation Factors?
HERZBERG'S MOTIVATION - HYGIENE
THEORY
Frederick Herzberg studied He concluded that
there were two types of motivation:
Hygiene Factors that can demotivate if they are
not present - such as supervision, interpersonal
relations, physical working conditions, and
salary. Hygiene Factors affect the level of
dissatisfaction, but are rarely quoted as creators
of job satisfaction.
 Supervision
 Working condition
 Interpersonal relationship
 Pay and job security
 Company Polices
Motivation Factors that will motivate if they are
present - such as achievement, advancement,
recognition and responsibility. Dissatisfaction
isn't normally blamed on Motivation Factors, but
they are cited as the cause of job satisfaction.
 Achievement
 Recognition
 The work it self
 Responsibility
 Advancement & Growth
So, once you've satisfied the Hygiene factors,
providing more of them won't generate much
more motivation, but lack of the Motivation
Factors won't of themselves demotivate. There
are clear relationships to Maslow here, but
Herzberg's ideas really shaped modern thinking
about reward and recognition in major
companies.
Absenteeism There are two types of
absenteeism, each of which requires a different
type of approach.
1. Innocent Absenteeism
Innocent absenteeism refers to employees who
are absent for reasons beyond their control; like
sickness and injury. Innocent absenteeism is not
culpable which means that it is blameless. In a
labour relations context this means that it cannot
be remedied or treated by disciplinary measures.
2. Culpable Absenteeism
Culpable absenteeism refers to employees who
are absent without authorization for reasons
which are within their control. For instance, an
employee who is on sick leave even though
he/she is not sick, and it can be proven that the
employee was not sick, is guilty of culpable
absenteeism. To be culpable is to be
blameworthy. In a labour relations context this
means that progressive discipline can be applied.
For the large majority of employees,
absenteeism is legitimate, innocent absenteeism
which occurs infrequently. Procedures for
disciplinary action apply only to culpable
absenteeism. Many organizations take the view
that through the process of individual absentee
counseling and treatment, the majority of
employees will overcome their problems and
return to an acceptable level of regular
attendance.
–Ability to attend (concerned with illness or
incapacity…usually involuntary absence)
–Motivation to attend (linked with the
employee’s feelings about the organisation &
job itself & whether the employee feels pressure
to attend)
Correlation between absenteeism & labour
turnover
While some employees are absent for
unavoidable reasons, such as injury or sickness,
many take time off when they could otherwise
attend. Employees can do much to manage this
form of absenteeism
 Create an absence policy. These
are written guidelines ideally compiled with the
input of line managers, employee representatives
and possibly trade unions. Inform every
employee about the need to comply with the
policy by including it in the staff handbook or
their employment contract. The policy should
include holiday entitlements, procedures for
reporting absence and provision for sick pay.
Consider putting disciplinary measures in place
for frequent absentees. But be sure to act within
the law and ethically.
 Implement "return to work"
interviews for employees who have been absent
for a fixed number of days. This will provide a
platform for employers and employees to talk
about the reasons for absence and uncover ways
to improve the situation.
 Reward excellent attendance.
Some companies give bonuses to employees
with 100 per cent attendance. Or you could let
employees with great attendance leave work
early one Friday of every month.
 Improve the physical working
environment. Nobody likes working in an old,
smelly office or building that is too hot or too
cold. You might consider renovating the
environment so that it is bright, clean and
welcoming. Something as simple as buying an
employee a comfortable new chair might make
them feel valued. This will give them more
incentive to attend. Consider updating old, slow
technology, which can be very frustrating for
employees.
 Improve your management's style.
Often absenteeism is due to stress caused by
poor relations with management. Authoritarian
bureaucratic management styles tend to foster
high levels of absenteeism. Employees under
these managers feel they are being ordered
around and that no one listens to them. Identify
the managers whose teams have high levels of
absenteeism. Send these managers for
management training or give them a job that
does not require people management.
Describe three main approaches that have
traditionally been used in the
area of job redesign and comment on the
potential limitations of adopting each
approach.
 Task Specialization
 Job enlargement
 Job enrichment
Task Specialisation
•Classical approach to job design
•Reflects traditional approach to the organisation
of work to maximise the efficiency of the
technical system
•Scientific management or–
Bureaucratic work structure
– Top-down supervisory control
– Task fragmentation
– Clearly defined jobs
– Payment-by-results
•Suggests employees must be coerced to work
productively
•Org. Advantages
– Improved efficiency–
Promoted systematic approach to
selection, training, work measurement & pay
systems
•Org. Disadvantages
–Led to high turnover & absenteeism
– Low motivation
– Long-term reductions in
organization effectiveness
Job enlargement
•Job enlargement makes one’s job bigger to
make jobs more varied & less repetitive
•It refers to the combination of more than two
tasks into one
•Doesn’t deal with motivation issues
•Job enlargement studies have ignored external
variables & people’s differing attitudes to work
Job enrichment
•Developed for the advancement of the dual-
factor theory of work motivation
•Job enrichment adds something to the job to
increase the employees’ psychological growth
•Suggests employees gain most satisfaction from
work itself
•Vertical loading
•The Job Characteristics Model (Hackman &
Oldham, 1980) is the basis of the expectancy
theorists’ job enrichment strategy
Write a brief note explaining what is meant
by any two of the following approaches
(i) Quality of Working Life
(ii) High Performance Work Systems
(iii) Lean Production
(i) Quality of Working Life - Focuses on the
overall quality of employees’ experiences in the
workplace
– Embraces job design
– Embraces broader issues such as
autonomy, participation, justice, working
conditions, job security
• Seeks to increase employees’
influence & involvement in work organisation &
job design
• Involves the change of role of
supervisor from controlling to advising &
facilitating
Quality of Working Life (QWL)
Low QWL
 Low levels of significance, variety,
identity & feedback
 Little involvement
 Top-down communications
 Inequitable rewards
 Poor terms & conditions
 High WQL
 Fair rewards systems
 Good working conditions
 Opportunities to use capabilities
 Opportunities for personal growth
& development, Pride in work
(ii) High Performance Work Systems
• Motive behind HPWS is desire &
need to improve overall competitive position of
the organization
• Adopts a culture of continuous
improvement and innovation
• Main aim is to generate high levels
of commitment & involvement of employees &
managers
• Progressive HR systems to support
• Involves new/different approaches
to management of employees & structure of jobs
& systems
• Organic and flexible structures
INCLUDES BOTH SYSTEM AND VALUE
CHANGES
• bundles of work practices and
policies that are found more extensively in high
performing organisations
(iii) Lean Production
•Contemporary development associated with
HPWS
•Rests on principle of eliminating anything that
does not add value to the end product
•Main characteristics of “Toyotism”:
–Teamwork with leader who undertakes
assembly work & fills in for absent workers &
does additional jobs e.g. simple machine
maintenance, materials ordering, clean-up
–Zero defect approach to production–Lean
product development techniques reduce time &
effort in manufacturing
–Production in small batches
–Absence of vertical integration
•Berggren (1990) suggests lean production
simply represents another stage in the evolution
of mass production
•Has many of the core characteristics of that
system:
–Pre-defined work processes
–Short job cycles
–Repetitive tasks & intense supervision
–Intense demands on workers in areas such as
working time, flexibility, effort levels &
attendance
Reward Management
Essential characteristics of an effective
reward system by Lawlor (1977).
• Reward level
• Individuality
• Trust
• Internal Equity
• External Equity
Reward Level – The reward package must
satisfying basic needs for surviwal, seciurity and
self development.
Trust –management and employees must
believe in the reward system: employees
accepting that certain rewards will be
forthcoming when the relevant criteria are meet.
Individuality – a part from satisfying basic
needs the reward system must be flexible
enough to meet the varying individual needs of
the organizations employees.
• Internal Equity –
• Internal equity
– Rewards must be seen as fair when
compared to others in the organisation:
Criteria for the allocation of rewards should be
equitable and clear these should be
communicated and accepted by all parties and
applied consistently throughout the organisation
External Equity – External competitiveness
Package must be seen as fair when compared to
those offered for comparable work outside the
organisation
Outline five criteria that should be considered
when choosing a job evaluation scheme
•Purpose? Is it to meet equal pay legislation
requirements?
•How many jobs to be evaluated?
•How complex is the pay structure?
•What organisational factors should attract
financial value?
•Is scheme intended for market comparison?
•Advantage in using a computerised scheme?
Discuss the main purposes to be served by an
effective reward system.
- Attract
- Maintain
- Motivate
Objectives of Reward Package
• It serve to Attract potential
employees: in conjunction with the
organization's human resource plan and its
recruitment and selection efforts, the reward
package and its mix of pay incentives and
benefits serves to attract suitable employees
• It Assist in retaining good
employees: unless the reward package is
perceived as internally equitable and externally
competitive, good employees may potentially
leave.
• It should serve to Motivate
employees: the reward package can assist in the
quest for high performance by linking rewards
to performance i.e. having a incentive element
Contributes to human resources & strategic
business plans: an organisation may want to
create a rewarding and supportive climate, or
it may want to be an attractive place to work
so that it can attract the best applicants. The
reward package ca assist these plans and also
further other organizational objectives such as
rapid growth, survival or innovation
•Advance other organizational objectives e.g.
rapid growth, survival or innovation
•Relevance for employees
–Provides means to satisfy basic needs
–Allows them to satisfy less tangible desires
pay acts as an effective motivator.
Justify your opinion with reference to relevant
theory, where appropriate.
Pay as a motivator
• 4 key issues
–Pay as an incentive will be influenced by
existing pay scale & value placed on money
–If money is valued, employees must believe
good performance will allow them to realize that
reward
–Equity is important
–Employees must believe performance levels
necessary to achieve reward are attainable
•Other issues
–May be a means for managerial manipulation
Herzberg – too little money will demotivate
but more money will not necessarily increase
satisfaction or motivation
– Role of money as a motivator –
questionable after employee has joined
organisation
– Once basic needs are satisfied,
more intrinsic factors become the prime
motivator
Herzberg's research proved that people will
strive to achieve 'hygiene' needs because they
are unhappy without them, but once satisfied the
effect soon wears off - satisfaction is temporary.
Then as now, poorly managed organisations fail
to understand that people are not 'motivated' by
addressing 'hygiene' needs. People are only truly
motivated by enabling them to reach for and
satisfy the factors that Herzberg identified as
real motivators, such as achievement,
advancement, development, etc., which
represent a far deeper level of meaning and
fulfillment.
Outline five factors that may influence pay
levels within an organization.
•Pay Equity: External & Internal
•Competition e.g.
–External comparisons – factors in business
environment
•Economic climate
•Labour turnover
•Labour market (labour unemployment
recession no work)
•Government policy ( legislation min wages)
•Inflation rate National wage agreement
Managing and Appraising Performance
1 Explain the purposes of Performance
Appraisal.
•Performance Appraisal is a systematic approach
to evaluating employee performance,
characteristics and/or potential, with a view to
assisting decisions in a wide range of areas such
as pay, promotion, employee development and
motivation
Performance appraisal is a method used by
management in ascertain that workers are
utilized in achieving corporate objectives
Purpose of performance appraisal
1. Career Development
• This provides an opportunity for discussion of
career objectives, and creation of a strategy
designed to maximize career potential.
• To provide an opportunity for career
counseling
• To help in succession planning.
• To assess training needs
• To plan for career development
• To assess and develop individual abilities
• To provide an objective basis on which to base
decisions about training and promotion
2. Feedback
• As well, feedback is encouraged in both
directions: as such, employees are encouraged to
prepare ratings of their supervisors.
• To provide constructive feedback to the
individual regarding how their performance is
seen.
• This provides a structured format for the
discussion of performance issues
• on a regular basis.
• Feedback either reinforces performance
strengths, or provides the opportunity to discuss
resolution of performance deficiencies.
3. Administrative Uses of Performance appraisal
• Salary
• Promotion
• Retention/termination
• Recognition of performance
• Layoffs
• Identification of poor performers
4. Performance History
• This provides a performance history which is
not dependent upon human memory, and which
may be useful in the full range of personnel
decisions, including compensation decision-
making.
• To review past and present performance,
identifying strengths and weaknesses.
5. Organizational Goals
• To clarify, for the individual, organizational
expectations
• This provides an opportunity to view one’s
performance in the context of broader
organizational goals.
• To assess future promotion prospects and
potential
• To set objectives for the next period
6. Job Standards
This provides an opportunity for clearer
articulation and definition of performance
expectations.
7. Documentation use of of Performance
appraisal
• Documentation for HR decisions
• Helping to meet legal requirements
•As much as possible, judgments and
discussions must be seen to be objective
•Performance appraisal is not for fault-finding
but to find out how and why an employee
performed and to help improve performance
Why carry out a staff appraisal
•measure and judge performance
•relate individual performance to organizational
goals
•foster the increasing competence and growth of
a subordinate
•stimulate subordinate’s motivation •enhance
communication
•serve as a device for organizational control and
integration
•discover training needs
•place staff in the right posts/positions
•Plan for manpower needs and succession.
Functions of Performance Appraisal
•Performance evaluation and target setting
•Establishment of work standards
•Identification of skills gaps
•Facilitation of communications and motivation
Performance of the employees has to be
managed to enable the company to meet its
goals and objectives
•Target setting and evaluation of employees
performance is important in this regard.
•However, in setting performance target you
should:
set targets that are not too high or too low
Set specific ways to measure accomplishment
Make sure that the employees have been trained,
coached and have supplies and equipment to
meet the targets
Give allowance for modifications
Review and evaluate
•But ensure that you follow the target setting
process already stated.
•Lastly, carry out a staff appraisal based on the
reasons already given.
Evaluate two methods of Performance
Appraisal.
Performance appraisal methods
1. Critical incident method
The critical incidents for performance appraisal
is a method in which the manager writes down
positive and negative performance behavior of
employees throughout the performance period
Strengths - Job related more objective
Weaknesses – Needs good observational skills:
time-consuming
Rating method characteristics
Appraiser specifies on a scale to what degree
relevant characteristics (normally related to job
related behavior or personality) are possessed by
appraise
Strength - Easy of comparison range in
complexity from very simple to very involved,
using description of behavior or performance.
Weaknesses – Subjective: personality or
behavioral traits difficult to measure.
3. Performance ranking method Ranking is a
performance appraisal method that is used to
evaluate employee performance from best to
worst.
Manager will compare an employee to another
employee, rather than comparing each one to a
standard measurement.
Strength- Simple facilitates comparisons
Weaknesses – Little basis for decisions degrees
of difference not specified: subjective
Self Assessment
Appraises evaluate themselves using a particular
format or structure
Strength- Participative, facilitate discussion
promotes self analysis
Weaknesses- Danger of lenient tendency:
potential source of conflict between appraiser
and appraise
Management By Objectives (MBO) method
MBO is a process in which managers /
employees set objectives for the employee,
periodically evaluate the performance, and
reward according to the result.
MBO focuses attention on what must be
accomplished (goals) rather than how it is to be
accomplished (methods)
Evaluate three methods of performance
appraisal and comment on the types of job or
organisation they are most suitable for.
Different performance appraisal methods differ
in suitability and effectiveness. Adopt the right
methods for maximum results.
The methods stated here are some of the many
methods used in employee performance
appraisal
• Management by Objectives
Management by Objectives (MBO) is one of the
more popular performance appraisal methods
among organizations.
MBO requires you to establish the objectives of
the job.
The questions asked in performance appraisal is
whether these objectives are achieved by
employees and to what extent.
This method is suitable for assessing the
performance of managers on any level of the
organisation very suitable for Manufacturing
supervisors ,line managers but also Retail
managers and financial institution like banks
credit unions etc.
Critical incident method
The critical incidents for performance appraisal
is a method in which the manager writes down
positive and negative performance behavior of
employees throughout the performance period
Strengths - Job related more objective
Weaknesses – Needs good observational skills:
time-consuming
This is similar to essay appraisal method. It
requires the supervisor to keep a log on
employee’s performance.
The assessor will submit an essay on the poor or
outstanding performance of the employee. The
problem is that he or she may come to one-sided
conclusions.
The most suitable is a small to medium
organizations like Hotels Staff convenience
store or Retail chain where the manger have a
chance to observe the employees performance
the disadvantage is that the manager can be
prejudging and stereotyping employees when
incident happen or poor performance are
noticeable on one occasion.
Self Assessment
Appraises evaluate themselves using a particular
format or structure Strength- Participative,
facilitate discussion promotes self analysis
Weaknesses- Danger of lenient tendency:
potential source of conflict between appraiser
and appraise
This method is used in most big organization
where is large number of staff and it safe time
for managers. My own experience in my work
for store assistant sales assistants with in a big
companies and organization like insurance
companies , retail, factories
9 Common Appraisal Errors
• Contrast effect
• First impression error
• Halo/horns effect
• Similar-to-me-effect
• Central tendency
• Negative and positive skew
• Attribution bias
• Stereotyping
Discuss the possible contributor to the
appraisal process.
Managers
Customers
Suppliers
Co workers
Shareholders
State holders e.g. students
benefits of introducing a performance
management system within the company.
The benefits of using a structured approach for
enhancing employee performance are as
follows:
• Improved business profits
The bottom line of an organization improves
significantly by increasing employee
productivity and quality of work.
• Increased employee responsibility
Communicating realistic but challenging job
expectations and making employees accountable
for their decisions and actions result in
noticeable improvements in employee tardiness,
absences, and organizational commitment.
• Equitable treatment of employees
All employees are treated fairly by
implementing standardized procedures that
promote consistency throughout an organization.
• Enhanced quality of work life
Employees experience greater job satisfaction
because they become more successful. In
addition, employee conflict is kept to a
minimum.
Effective performance management tools help
you get the job done right
• Give employees what they need to
be successful on the job.
• Provide accurate performance
feedback to help employees succeed.
Performance Management and the Performance
Appraisal
Performance management is a critical
component contributing to the success of an
organization. It is a process that sets out to
establish a clear and common understanding of
an organization’s goals and how these goals will
be achieved. The performance appraisal is a
tool used by human resource (HR) departments
allowing them to manage its employees. It is a
mechanism that increases the likelihood of
achieving success.
The performance appraisal should not be
threatening or adversarial. It should not be seen
by employees as a mechanism for discipline. To
have an effective performance management
process, it is important this be clearly
communicated to all employees prior to the
actual appraisal. Employees should view the
performance appraisal process as an opportunity
to discuss and acknowledge their contributions
to an organization and how these contributions
have contributed to successes realized. It is an
opportunity for individual employees to align
their goals closer to that of the organization and
should be seen as an enabler of both career
advancement of the employee and success of the
organization.
If used effectively in the performance
management process, the performance appraisal
will empower employees. It will act as a
catalyst for success. People are motivated to
perform well when they believe the work they
are performing is meaningful and worthwhile.
Using performance appraisals to engage
employees and establishing a direction for their
work in line with that of the organization
improves performance.
Many organizations make the mistake
associating pay increases with their performance
management process. Pay is not a motivator for
all employees. In fact, pay can be seen as a de-
motivator, especially if there is a perception pay
levels are inequitable. In general, employees
feel their contribution is as valuable to the
organization as any ones. Conducting a
performance appraisal to evaluate worthiness for
pay increases will do nothing but contribute to
the stress of employees. If performance is the
only mechanism to evaluate progress in an
organization, many employees will have a
tendency to focus on what they perceive as
being important, rather than what the
organization has identified as being important.
Focusing on money during the appraisal process
interferes with what the employees hear. Talks
of money lessen understanding of feedback
being given.
The performance management process and the
performance appraisal should be kept simple.
Avoid the many formalities traditionally
associated with performance appraisals. Focus
on being clear and concise. Identify objectives
that provide direction for the employee and
enables reaching attainable goals. This will
contribute to the success of the organization.
It is true that a performance appraisal may
identify problems with an employee’s
performance. This should not be seen as a
negative thing nor should it be seen as a reason
not to complete a performance appraisal.
There should be very few things revealed during
the appraisal process that employees have not
heard before. Things uncovered at the time of
the appraisal should never be a surprise to the
employee or to the employer. The performance
management process itself should provide
ongoing feedback throughout the year.
Feedback and improvement opportunities exist
at all times. These should be identified and
utilized to ensure ongoing development and
improvement of employees.
It is important that issues with performance be
identified in a timely fashion. This allows for
both the employer and employee to determine
what actions are required to address and mitigate
the problem. Lack of communication about
organization expectations or misunderstandings
of the task assigned may be resulting in poor
performance. For this reason, continual
feedback throughout the year helps identify and
correct any behaviour not in line with the goals
of the organization.
It is obvious that providing employees with a
clear understanding of what is expected of them
in the organization and how their actions are an
important factor contributing to the overall
success. For this reason, the performance
management process that utilizes performance
appraisals constructively will benefit all parties
involved.
Outline five characteristics of an effective
performance management
system.
Characteristics of an Ideal Performance
Management System
Performance management is a vital part of
ensuring efficiency and stability at the
workplace
Companies use performance management
systems to evaluate employees' efficiency at
work and ability to perform certain tasks, either
by automated or human processes. These
systems come in many varieties, and every
company will tailor its performance
management system to fit its specific needs.
However, there are certain aspects common to
all effective performance management systems.
Characteristics of good Performance
management system
• Tailor - made to fit the particular
needs and circumstances of the organisation.
• Matching with the existing culture
insofar as they support the achievement of high
performance standards but will help to change or
reshape that culture if necessary.
• Support the achievements of the
organisation mission and the realisation of its
values.
• Define the critical success factors
which determine organisational and individual
performance.
• Provide an integrated approach to
increasing motivation and commitment, which
combines the impact of the results - orientated
performance appraisal and PRP system with the
action that management and individuals
managers can take, such as carrier development
and succession planning programmes to develop
attitudes and planning programmes to develop
attitudes and behaviours which lead to better
performance. relationship
Describe the different approaches to the
appraisal interview. In your answer, outline
the advantages and disadvantages of adopting
any of the three approaches.
Appraisal Interview Styles
There are 3 main interviewing styles:
•Tell-and-sell approach
–Directive and authoritative in nature, top-down
–Manager telling employee
–Attempting to convince employee of the
fairness of the assessment
–Little opportunity for the employee to
participate
–Little commitment to follow-up action
–Not recommended as good HR practice
•Tell-and-listen approach
–Similar to above but some attempt made to
involve the employee
–Manager communicates his/her evaluation of
performance to employee & actively encourages
employee’s response
–Still ineffective
•Problem-solving approach
–Appraisal process is jointly conducted by the
manager and the employee
–Manager asks the employee to discuss his/her
performance against agreed targets & to express
any problems that may be affecting work
behaviour
–Evaluation takes place at the end of the
interview & takes account of the employee’s
contribution
–Most effective approach
Ethical Dilemmas of the Appraisal Process
•Problematic use of trait-oriented and subjective
evaluation criteria
•Difficulties in the preparation and writing of
performance standards and measurement
indicators
•Deployment of different appraisal systems in
the same organisation
•How results of appraisal will be used
•Who determines the “objective standards”
Learning, Training & Development
DESCRIBE, USING SUITABLE
EXAMPLES, FOUR STAGES OF
TRAINING EVALUATION AS PROPOSED
BY KIRKPATRICK. (1959)
Levels of Learning evaluation
1. Reaction- seeks opinions of
trainees , How do people feel?
2. Learning – seeks knowledge,
principles and facts learning by trainees before
training, What new things do people know?
3. Behaviour – seeks to determine
positive changes in behavior, how do people act
differently?
4. Results – seeks to determine
contribution to organizational objectives, what is
the effect on the business?
The model has 4 levels, each of which measures
different kind of feedback. Kirkpatrick claimed
that in order to properly evaluate the
effectiveness of training all four levels should be
measured.
There are multiple ways of assessing each level.
1Reactionevaluation is how the delegates felt
about the training or learning experience. 'Happy
sheets', feedback forms.
Verbal reaction, post-training surveys or
questionnaires. Quick and very easy to obtain.
Not expensive to gather or to analyze.
2Learningevaluation is the measurement of the
increase in knowledge - before and after.
Typically assessments or tests before and after
the training. Interview or observation can also be
used. Relatively simple to set up; clear-cut for
quantifiable skills. Less easy for complex
learning.
3Behavior evaluation is the extent of applied
learning back on the job -
implementation.Observation and interview over
time are required to assess change, relevance of
change, and sustainability of
change.Measurement of behavior change
typically requires cooperation and skill of line-
managers.
4Results evaluation is the effect on the business
or environment by the trainee.Measures are
already in place via normal management
systems and reporting
DISCUSS THE PREPERATION THAT
SHOULD TAKE PLACE BEFORE A
TRAINING PROGRAMME IS CARRIED
OUT.
Why the training should be carried out within
the workplace? Training is provided to
overcome change within the workplace. The
need for change could be due to decrease in
sales, increase in accidents at work, high
turnover, new technology. Basically there could
be a any need for any type of changes within the
workplace and managers need to provide staff
with the necessary training, to help them to
overcome the changes needed. To plan
traditional training of work skills and
capabilities that links to organizational
performance improvement you must first
identify the organizational performance needs,
gaps, and priorities
Stage 1 Assessing the need for training,
Determine the type of training your staff needs
and why. There are number of drivers of training
•Customer satisfaction surveys
•Business performance statistics and reports,
financial reports, ratios
•Competitor analysis and comparison, e.g.
SWOT
•Management feedback on employee needs,
including appraisals
•Staff feedback on training needs
•Legislative purposes, qualification and
certification.
Stage 2 Planning the training
Here are things that every manager should do
before training.
•Set out goals that need to be achieved by the
training, do not set out unrealistic expectations
•Develop a budget
•Decide who will run the program
• Give out people necessary information- be
open describe the training that your staff will
undergo. Give them sufficient time to prepare.
Stage 3. Carry out the Training
Stage 4. Measure results. Without measurable
results, it's almost impossible to view training as
anything but an expense. Determine exactly how
you will assess and quantify the return on a
training investment
EVALUATE 2METHODS OF TRAINING
THAT CAN BE USED BY AN
ORGANIZATION
On-the-job training is delivered to employees
while they perform their regular jobs. In this
way, they do not lose time while they are
learning. After a plan is developed for what
should be taught, employees should be informed
of the details. A timetable should be established
with periodic evaluations to inform employees
about their progress. On-the-job techniques
include orientations, job instruction training,
apprenticeships, internships and assistantships,
job rotation and coaching.
Off-the-job techniques include lectures, special
study, films, television conferences or
discussions, case studies, role playing,
simulation, programmed instruction and
laboratory training. Most of these techniques can
be used by small businesses although, some may
be too costly.
Orientations are for new employees. The first
several days on the job are crucial in the success
of new employees. This point is illustrated by
the fact that 60 percent of all employees who
quit do so in the first ten days.
Employee Relations
DESCRIBE 4 FUNCTIONS OF THE
LABOUR COURT. (LR)
The Labor court provides a free, comprehensive
service for the resolution of industrial disputes
and deals also with matters arising under
employment equality, organization of working
time, national minimum wage, part-time work,
fixed-term work and safety, health and welfare
at work legislation.
Key Functions of LC:
–Investigate trade disputes under the industrial
relations acts
–Registration & variation and interpretation of
employment agreements
–Establishment & servicing of Joint Labour
Commissioners ( JLC’s) and deciding on
questions concerning their operation
–Provision of secretaries for JICs
–Hearing appeals against RC’s recommendation
& appeals against equality officer’s decision
DESCRIBE 5FUNCTIONS OF THE
LABOUR RELATIONS COMMISION.
(LRC)
The commission has an advisory role on
industrial relations in general, and provides
conciliation service in the case of trade disputes.
Most importantly is responsible for rights
commission service. LRC also offers the
Workplace Mediation Service, which aims to
resolve disputes and disagreements, particularly
between individuals or small groups.
–Conciliation service, parties are encouraged to
cum up with settlement
–Commission research
–Reviewing & monitoring Industrial Relations
Commissioners (IRQ) developments
–Prepare codes an practices & provide guidance
on them
–Advisory service
–Appoints Rights Commissioners
DESCRIBE FULLY EACH OF THE
PHASES INVOLVED IN THE
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
NEGOTIATION PROCESS.
Collective bargaining is a process of
negotiations between employers and the
representatives of a unit of employees aimed at
reaching agreements which regulate working
conditions. Collective agreements usually set out
wage scales, working hours, training, health and
safety, overtime, grievance, mechanisms and
rights to participate in workplace or company
affairs. There ar 3levels of CB- national, sectoral
or industry, company enterprise.
There are 3 phases in the negotiation process.
Phase 1, PREPERATION
Great preparation is important to achieve great
success in employee relations negotiations. You
must be familiar with the details of the case and
have clear idea of the objectives (they should
include specific targets) before entering the
bargaining area. Flexible objectives are more
appropriate than rigid ones. A central issue in
agreeing negotiating objectives includes
establishing bargaining range, including the
limits within each party. Its good idea to
establish ideal settlement point, realistic
settlement point and fall back settlement point.
Phase2 BARGAINING
Opening Phase normally involves both parties
articulating their respective positions. At this
stage both parties normally attempt to find out
more about each other’s positions and assess the
degree to which movement is possible.
Expectation Structuring
This is a stage where parties attempts the
convincing the other of the logic behind the
logic of their own position and the depth of it.
And tries to convince to accept whatever is
offered.
The offers, concession, movement
Generally follows the process of expectation
structuring, it involves some initial offers and
acknowledgments by their party. This is crucial
stage in the over all negotiating process. You
must make the right offer at right time. After
some time both parties will be in a position to
evaluate the likelihood of reaching agreement, or
extent of implications of a breakdown in
negotiations’.
Outcome
There are two possible outcomes for bargaining
so far. One that the two sides agree on the best
option for both. And the other is that the both
sides walk away from the bargaining table with
some sort of agreement as to how
communication will be started over and by
whom. At this point both parties should be keen
to avoid damaging conflict.
Closing Phase
Both parties normally would recognize and
expect- anticipate the closing phase. Here the
agreement finalizing will happen, issues for
further negotiation. Agreement breakdown and
interpretation.
Phase 3 POST-NAGOTIATION
At the end of negotiations, the parties involved
will usually report back on the outcome, the
employee or union side reporting back to the
workers they represent, and the management
team back to senior. This usually involves
reviewing the implementation of any agreement
reached.
ADVANTAGES of CB
–Seen as more flexible than other methods
–Helps redress the disparity in bargaining power
between the individual employee &his/hers
employer
–Allows works an opportunity to participate in
discussions on the conditions of employment
under which they operate
–Provides mechanism for identifying &
handling grievances & differences
 Employment Law Employment Law
9grounds on which a case for discrimination
may be taken against employer. Support your
answer with at least 3 examples of relevant
case law.
9grounds of discrimination
The Age Ground
This applies to all ages above the maximum age
at which a person is statutorily obliged to attend
school (currently 16).
The Family Status Ground
A parent of a person under 18 years or the
resident primary carer or a parent of a person
with a disability.
The Gender Ground
A man, a woman or a transsexual person
(specific protection is provided for pregnant
employees or in relation to maternity leave).
This works two ways for E.g. If in a store they
want to employ a person that will work there,
they can not employ a man, just for the reason
that he will be able lift to lift the heavy lifting
for all the women that work in the same store.
The other scenario is if it’s a hardware store they
will preferably wish to employ a man because he
would be better at the job because of he’s
gender.
The Civil Status Ground
Single, married, separated, divorced or
widowed.
The Membership of the Traveller Community
Ground
The community of people who are commonly
called Travellers and who are identified (both by
themselves and others) as people with shared
history, culture and traditions including,
historically, a nomadic way of life on the island
of Ireland.
The 'Race' Ground
A particular race, skin colour, nationality or
ethnic origin E.g. We say it is an Italian
restaurant, and they are requiting for a waitress,
they cannot employ her because she’s not
Italian.
The Religion Ground
Different religious belief, background, outlook
or none.
The Sexual Orientation Ground
Gay, lesbian, bisexual or heterosexual. E.g. If an
employer finds out that one ore more of he’s/her
employees has a different sexual orientation than
being straight, they can not discriminate them at
work bully them into leaving, because they don’t
accept their sexual orientation. Also you can not
let them go based on this reason.
Write a brief note on the role of Equality
Tribunal.
The Equality Tribunal is the independent state
body in Ireland set up to investigate or mediate
complaints of discrimination. The Equality
Tribunal deals with all complaints of
discrimination in employment and access to
goods and services which come under the
following equality legislation:
•The Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2008
outlaw discrimination at work including
recruitment and promotion; equal pay; working
conditions; training or experience; dismissal and
harassment including sexual harassment.
•The Equal Status Acts 2000 to 2008 outlaw
discrimination outside the workplace, in
particular in the provision of goods and services,
selling renting or leasing property and certain
aspects of education.
Discrimination occurs when you are treated less
favorably than another person is, has been or
would be treated because of your: 9grounds
Outline the main provisions of the
organizations of Working Time Act 1997
The Organization Of Working Time Act, 1997
transposed the European Council Directive on
certain aspects of working time into Irish law.
The Act is thus to be viewed, primarily, as a
piece of safety, health and welfare at work
legislation, designed to protect and maintain
employees’ health and safety against excessive
hours and to provide for breaks, rest periods and
holidays to allow for rest and recovery. The
majority of organized workers already enjoyed
hours, breaks and rest periods in line with or
better than the Act. The impact has been most
acute, however, in the area of hour’s reductions
and overtime.
The Organization Of Working Time Act, 1997
provides statutory rights for employees in
respect of rest, maximum working time and
holidays. Some of these include -
– Maximum average weekly
working time can not exceed 48hrs. Generally
the average is calculated over minimum 4
months.
– Entitlements of 15min break after
more than 4hrs 30min and to a further break of
15mins after more than 6hrs of work. Also the
employer doesn’t have to pay for such breaks
– Employee is entitling 11
consecutive hours of rest in any 24 hrs that you
work. Alternatively, instead of giving the 1*24-
hr in the 1st rest period in the first 7days, an
employer may grant 2*24hr rest periods
following the seven day period. They don’t need
to be combined. The rest day should include a
Sunday unless you’re your contract says
otherwise.
– Maximum hours of work for night
workers engaged in work involving special
hazards or a heavy physical or mental strain – an
absolute limit of 8 hours in any 24 hour period.
Night work is between midnight and 7a.m.
– A employee is generally entitle to
a premium on a Sunday *reasonable allowance
or *reasonable pay increase *reasonable paid
time off.
Outline the main provisions of the Unfair
Dismissals Act 1977
The Unfair Dismissals Acts were first
introduced in 1977 to provide employees with
statutory protection from being unfairly
dismissed from their jobs, to lay down criteria
by which dismissals are to be judged unfair, and
to provide an adjudication system and redress
for any employee who is found to be unfairly
dismissed.
In action If you are dismissed from your
employment in Ireland you may, under certain
conditions, bring a claim for unfair dismissal
against your employer. Apart from a case
involving constructive dismissal a dismissal is
presumed to be unfair unless your employer can
show substantial grounds to justify it.
If you are dismissed from your job you are
entitled to a statutory minimum period of notice
if you have worked at least 13 weeks for your
employer. Your written contract of employment
may provide for a longer period of notice.
Under the unfair dismissals legislation you may
ask your employer for a written statement of the
reasons for your dismissal. Your employer
should provide this within 14 days of your
request.
Your Employer: In order to justify the dismissal
your employer:
• Must show that your dismissal was
connected with one or more of the potentially
fair grounds set out in the legislation
• Must show that fair procedures
were followed and must have acted fairly
• Will have to disprove any
allegation by you that your case involves any of
the automatically unfair reasons for dismissal
• The main provisions:
It outlines procedures employer must adhere to
if dismissing an employee
Outlines fair reasons and unfair reasons for
dismissals
Offers redress to unfairly dismissed employees
Not all categories of employees are covered by
the act
You must have 12months continuous service to
take a claim, exceptions TU, pregnancy etc
Claim to a Rights commissioner within 6months
of the date of the dismissal, exceptions TU,
pregnancy.
Give two examples of circumstances in which
the dismissal of an employee under the act is
deemed to be fair.
Capability dismissals -
This includes issues such as lateness,
absenteeism and persistent absence through
illness or injury, either short-term or long-term.
If lateness or absenteeism is at issue, your
employer will be expected to have documentary
proof of this allegation, such as clocking-in
records or documented absences on file that are
not medically certified. In addition, your
employer will also be expected to show that you
were made aware of the problem and that you
were warned as to the consequences for your
continued employment.
Incompetence- Competence refers to your ability
to do your job. In the first place, you need to be
made aware of the standards that are expected of
you, and these must refer to the job you were
hired to do.
Secondly, if you fall short of the required
standard, this must be clearly explained to you.
This should be done through a formal set
procedure. Your employer should also specify
what improvements are necessary. These should
be achievable and a reasonable timeframe must
be allowed for the improvement. Ultimately,
your employer should give you a final warning
setting out the likelihood of dismissal.
Qualifications- Fair dismissal on grounds of
qualifications can happen in two ways. One
situation is where you misled your employer
about qualifications you had when applying for
the job. The other is where your employer made
continued employment conditional upon your
obtaining further qualifications and you failed to
achieve this, having been given a reasonable
opportunity to do so.
Breaking another statue- Your employer may
dismiss you if your continued employment
would contravene the law. For example, you
need a current driving license to work, but you
have lost your license on a drunk driving charge.
You cannot continue to work without breaking
the law and dismissal may be justified.
However, your employer might be expected to
look at alternatives depending on all the
Industrial Action- dismissal by lockout is
offered reinstatement or re-engagement from the
date of resumption of work. Must measure equal
treatment. You can only dismiss all employees;
you can not rehire only one back if you do that
you must rehire everyone back.
Other substantial grounds – This category is
designed to include any situations not covered
above. Your employer will be required to
establish that there were other substantial
grounds and that they justify your dismissal.
Redundancy- dismissal caused by either
employer has ceased business, or they no longer
require to work carried out by a particular
employee or are reducing the scope of their
workforce. In this case you get one paid week
for each year you have worked for the employer,
but that only works after 2years of employment.
Conduct- As a ground for fair dismissal the term
conduct covers a very large area of behavior.
Gross misconduct- may give rise to instant
(summary) dismissal without notice or pay in
lieu of notice. Examples of gross misconduct
include assault, drunkenness, stealing, bullying
or serious breach of your employer's policies
and practices. Your contract of employment may
contain further information concerning gross
misconduct.
Explain what is meant by “unfair dismissal”
under the following headings:
A) Provisions under the unfair dismissal
Reasons considered for Unfair Dismissal. These
include:
•membership or proposed membership of a trade
union or engaging in trade union activities,
whether within permitted times during work or
outside of working hours
•religious or political opinions
•legal proceedings against an employer where an
employee is a party or a witness
•race, colour, sexual orientation, age or
membership of the Traveller community
•pregnancy, giving birth or breastfeeding or any
matters connected with pregnancy or birth
•availing of rights under legislation such as
maternity leave, adoptive leave, carer's leave,
parental or force majeure leave
•unfair selection for redundancy
B) The importance of fair procedures.
When dismissal is being considered your
employer is expected to have disciplinary
procedures in place and to follow them.
Disciplinary procedures set out the stages and
process the employer will follow in relation to
alleged shortcomings of an employee. Generally,
the procedure allows for informal warnings
leading to written warnings and ultimately to
dismissal. The Labour Relations Commission
has published a Code of Practice on grievance
and disciplinary procedures
Your employer must follow fair procedures and
is required to give you appropriate warnings,
make you fully aware of the allegations against
you and give you an opportunity to present your
side. You must also be allowed the right to be
represented in any disciplinary procedures by,
for example, your trade union official.
In deciding a case, the body hearing it must take
into account the reasonableness or otherwise of
your employer's conduct. In addition, the
question as to whether or not your employer had
a dismissal procedure in place will also be taken
into account.
In order to justify the dismissal your employer:
•Must show that your dismissal was connected
with one or more of the potentially fair grounds
set out in the legislation
•Must show that fair procedures were followed
and must have acted fairly
•Will have to disprove any allegation by you
that your case involves any of the automatically
unfair reasons for dismissal.
Outline any circumstances in which an
employee with six months continuous service
with an organization would be eligible to seek
protection under the Unfair Dismissals Act
1977.
Normally you must have at least 12 months'
continuous service with your employer in order
to bring a claim for unfair dismissal. However
there are important exceptions to this general
rule. If you have less than 12 months' continuous
service you may bring a claim for unfair
dismissal if you are dismissed for:
• Trade union membership or
activity
• Pregnancy, giving birth or
breastfeeding or any matters connected with
pregnancy or birth
• Availing of rights granted by the
Maternity Protection Acts 1994 and 2004, the
Adoptive Leave Acts 1995 and 2005, the
National Minimum Wage Act 2000, the Parental
Leave Acts 1998 and 2006 and the Career’s
Leave Act 2001
If you wish to make a claim for unfair dismissal
you should do so within six months of the date
of dismissal. This time limit may be extended to
12 months in cases where exceptional
circumstances have prevented the lodgment of
the claim within six months.
DISCIPLINE AND GRIEVANCE
PROCEDURE
As a HR manager it is our responsibility to have
first friendly chat with a employee and find out
the reason why he/she was late on 4 different
occasion sometimes its genuine reason behind
e.g. childcare problems or travel to work
circumstances change or family circumstances
change we have to give the employee a chance
to explain himself so I say the very first stage
will be disciplinary meeting and based on
findings then make decision to fallow the
disciplinary actions or try to resolve problem by
changing employee hours and if there reason
behind is not genuine or he/she just decide to be
late couldn't be better to be on time try to find
out why his her motivation to work in
organization is affected try to solve the issues
carry out investigation issue friendly warning
first and if that not going to help introduce
proper disciplinary action listed below.
DISCIPLINE AND GRIEVANCE
Employers must include within the written
statement of employment particulars details of:-
•Any disciplinary rules;
•The name or description of the person to whom
the employee may apply if dissatisfied with any
disciplinary decision and the name of any person
to whom a grievance may be taken.
•The way in which any grievance will be
proceeded with.
Disciplinary Action
It is important that any disciplinary action taken
against an employee can be demonstrated to
have been carried out fairly. The procedure
used should therefore contain the following
elements
Investigation – The employer must carry out a
proper investigation without unreasonable delay
to establish the facts of the case. This may
involve an investigatory meeting with the
employee.
Information – the employer must notify the
employee in writing of the case against him or
her. This notification must contain sufficient
information about the alleged misconduct or
poor performance and its possible consequences
to enable the employee to prepare to answer the
case at a disciplinary meeting.
Meeting - A meeting with the employee should
be held without unreasonable delay whilst
allowing the employee reasonable time to
prepare his or her case. The employer should
explain the complaint and go through the
evidence. The employee should be given a
reasonable opportunity to ask questions, present
evidence, call witnesses and raise points about
about any evidence provided by witnesses.
Where either party wishes to call witnesses they
must give the other party advance notice of this.
The employee is entitled to be accompanied by a
work colleague or trade union representative.
Decision – This can be the taking of no action,
giving a written warning, a final written warning
or dismissing the employee. The decision should
be given to the employee in writing who should
also be notified of the reason for the dismissal,
the date on which the employment contract will
end, the appropriate period of notice (if any) and
that he or she may appeal against that decision.
Appeal – This will take the form of a further
meeting and should be conducted by a manager
who was not previously involved in the case.
The person conducting the appeal should do so
conscientiously and should look at all of the
evidence and if necessary make further
enquiries. The employee should be notified of
the result of the appeal in writing.
This may lead to:-
• No action;
• Verbal warning;
• First written warning;
• Final written warning;
• Dismissal.
It is not always necessary to follow all of these
stages. Serious misconduct may lead directly to
a final written warning while gross misconduct
could lead to dismissal without notice.
Any employer considering disciplinary action
should take legal advice at the outset.
It is important to keep written records of all
investigations and all disciplinary interviews.
Briefly outline the rights of the employee
which should be observed
by the employer during any disciplinary
process.
If the misconduct where more serious such as
fighting breaking a work rules or sleeping on
duty - going through every stage of the
procedure might be unnecessary.
However the employer would need to observe
the rules of natural justice, which are:
The Employee has a right to be told the facts
of the case against him/her:
The employee has the right to a hearing (to
tell his/her side of story):
The employee has the right to representative
of his/ her choice:
The employee has the right to appeal to higher
level of his/her choice within the company
Outline the main provisions of the Protection
of Young Persons
Employment Act 1996
Purpose Of The Act
This Act consolidates the law on young workers
and gives effect to
international rules on protecting young workers
drawn up by the
International Labour Organisation (I.L.O.) and
the European Union
(E.U.). The law is designed to protect the health
of young workers and to
ensure that work during the school years does
not put a young person’s
education at risk. The law sets minimum age
limits for employment, sets
rest intervals and maximum working hours, and
prohibits the
employment of under 18s on late night work.
Employers must keep
specified records for their workers who are
under 18.
Who Is Covered By The Act?
The Act applies generally to young employees
under 18 years of age.
Under the Act (as amended by Section 31 of the
Education Welfare Act
2000)
– a “child” means a person who has not reached
the age of 16
years.
– a “young person” means a person who has
reached 16 years but
has not reached the age of 18 years.
To make it simpler, this Guide refers to these as
“under 16s and “16 and
17 year olds”.
The Minimum Age For Employment
Employers may not employ those aged under 16
in a regular full-time
job. Employers may take on 14 and 15 year olds
on light work -
• during the school holidays
• part-time during the school term (over 15 years
only) or
• as part of an approved work experience or
educational program
where the work is not harmful to their safety,
health, or development.
Rules on maximum working hours, early
morning and night work, and
rest periods for this age group are set out in
Section 2 below.
Children under 16 may be employed in film,
cultural, sport or
advertising work under licences issued by the
Minister for Enterprise,
Trade and Employment which set out specific
protection for this age
group.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT, HOURS
OF WORK AND
REST PERIODS
Maximum Weekly Working Hours For Under
16s14 15
 Term-time Nil 8 hours
 Work experience 40 hours 40
hours
 Where the maximum week is 35
hours, the maximum day is 7hours. A maximum
40 hours week means a maximum 8 hour day.
 During the summer holidays,
under 16s must have at least 21 days
free from work.
Time off and rest breaks for under 16s
Half hour rest bread after 4 hours work
Daily rest break 14 consecutive hours off
Weekly rest break 2 days off, as far as
practicable to
be consecutive
which premises is used in whole or in part to sell
food or
intoxicating liquor or both for consumption on
those
premises. For the purposes of these Regulations,
"general
duties" does not include supplying intoxicating
liquor from
behind the bar counter in a licensed premises or
supplying it
for comsumption off those premises.
-8-
These Regulations provide that the young person
may be
required to work up until 11p.m. in such
premises on a day,
which is not immediately preceding a school
day, during a
school term where the young person is attending
school.
The regulations also require the young person
not to
re-commence work before 7a.m. on the
following day.
These Regulations also provide that the
employer of a young
person employed on general duties in a licesed
premises
should have regard to the terms of the Code of contraventions can attract a fine of up to Euro
Practice 317.43 (Euro250)
concerning the Employment of Young Persons
in Licensed
Premises. The terms of the Code of Practice are
set out in a
Schedule to the Regulations and are available on
request
from the Department
Write a brief note explaining the
requirements for record keeping
under the two Acts above.
Organization of Working Time Act, [1997.]
Records
An employer shall keep, at the premises or place
where
his or her employee works or, if the employee
works at two or more
premises or places, the premises or place from
which the activities
that the employee is employed to carry on are
principally directed
or controlled, such records, in such form, if any,
as may be prescribed,
as will show whether the provisions of this Act
are being
complied with in relation to the employee and
those records shall be
retained by the employer for at least 3 years
from the date of their
making.
Records.
Refusal by an employee to cooperate with
employer in breaching Act.
Complaints to rights commissioner.
(2) The Minister may by regulations exempt
from the application
(3) An employer who, without reasonable cause,
fails to comply
with subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence.
----------------------------------------------------------
PROTECTION OF YOUNG PERSONS
(EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1996 Records
5. DUTIES OF EMPLOYERS
5.1 Evidence Of Age And Written Permission
Of Parents
Before employing a young person or child, an
employer must see a
copy of the birth certificate or other evidence of
age and, before
employing under 16s, an employer must get the
written permission
of a parent (or guardian)
Records To Be Kept By Employer
An employer must keep a register of similar
record, with the following details in relation to
every employee aged under 18;
1. full name,
2. date of birth,
3. starting and finishing times for
work,
4. wage rate and total wages paid to
each employee.
To show the Act is being complied with, an
employer must keep records for at least three
years at the place of employment.
Summary of Act To Be Given To Workers
Under 18
Regulations made under the Terms of
Employment (Information)
Act, 1994 require employers to give to their
workers aged under 18
a copy of the official summary of the Protection
of Young Persons
(Employment) Act together with the other
details of their terms of
employment within one month of taking up a
job.
Summary Of Act To Be Displayed
Every employer who has employees aged under
18 must display
the official summary (abstract) of the Act at the
work place where
it can easily be read. Copies of the abstract in
both leaflet and
poster format are available from the Information
PENALTIES
Fines
A person guilty of an offence under the Act is
liable on summary
conviction to a fine of up to Euro 1,904.61 (Euro
1,500). Continuing