Investing in People

People Investment Planning Factors Succession planning Skill sets of current employees Staff training-on-the-job training and off-the-job training Future needs of the organisation

Succession Planning Issues Analysing the current employment situation Forecasting employee demand Forecasting the future supply of employees Predicting labour turnover

Advantages of People Investment Planning Management can: Plan for the future Identify future skills shortages Identify training needs Retain and motivate employees by demonstrating career paths

Problems with People Investment Planning Changes in the external environment can make it difficult to accurately predict requirements Changes in the economic climate can result in periods of boom or recession Need to be very careful that future plans do not demotivate staff or cause industrial relations difficulties Does not take into consideration the future commitment of employees to the organisation

Recruitment Process Job Analysis Job Description Person Specification Job Advertisement Application Shortlisting Selection Process Job Offer Contract of Employment

Job Analysis Task Analysis – this requires the human resource department to examine all of the individual tasks that an employee needs to carry out to complete the overall job Activity Analysis – this involves looking at all of the physical and intellectual activities that make up an individual task Skills Analysis – this looks at the skills required to do the overall job. These skills may be physical skills but they may also include intellectual and mental skills Role Analysis – this examines all of the duties, responsibilities and behaviour expected from a job Performance Analysis – this sets the criteria that can be used to assess how well an employee has performed

Job Description A job description is a document which outlines the duties and responsibilities associated with a particular job It is sometimes difficult to achieve the correct level of detail Can be used to settle disputes regarding employee duties

Person Specification Drawn up from the job description and outlines the physical and mental attributes that are required for a particular job. For example: –Intelligence –Attainments –Knowledge –Experience –Aptitude –Personality –Physical appearance These may be listed as essential or desirable criteria

Job Advertisement A job advertisement should: –Attract suitable applicants –Be made up using the information from the job description and the person specification

Application Letter of application Application form Online application CV

Selection Process Interviewing Head hunting Aptitude tests Assessment centres Psychometric tests

Appointment Process Job offer Contract of Employment Induction Training

Internal Recruitment Advertised on: Notice boards, Sending memos, Internal news sheets Advantages: Applicants familiar with business Opportunity to gain internal promotion Improved staff morale Cheaper than external advertising Takes shorter time to recruit Management familiar with employee skills Disadvantages Range of applicants limited Lacks introduction of new skills Lacks introduction of new ideas Possible staff jealousy if they do not get the job

External Recruitment Advertised on: Media, Internet, Private Recruitment Agencies, Department for Employment and Learning Advantages: Wider variety of candidates Might not have existing employees interested in job Introduction of new skills Disadvantages: More expensive to advertise More time consuming to short list and interview Do not know the candidate Possible dissatisfaction of existing staff

Training Training requirements of new and current staff On-the-job Off-the-job Future needs of the organisation

Training Methods On-the-job training Induction training Cascade training Work shadowing Off-the-job training Training courses

On-the-Job Training Advantages –Relatively cheap method of training –Time off is not required as training takes place in the workplace Disadvantages –It may be difficult to find a suitable employee to conduct the training –The trainer may neglect their own duties while training the new employee –The trainee might make a mistake which could be costly for the organisation

Off-the-Job Training Advantages –Employees should be properly trained as the courses are run by experienced instructors –The trainee can learn at his/her own pace –The costs of training are easy to calculate –In some situations the employee can receive a formal qualification Disadvantages –Off-the-job training is more expensive than on-the-job training –The learning is not taking place in the environment where the employee will be utilising the skills and knowledge –The equipment used off-the-job may not be the same as the employee is used to

Appraisal Provide feedback on performance Motivate employee performance Identify future training needs Career development Identify potential promotion candidates Set targets