Workforce Planning

Advantages and Disadvantages.

Definitions.

Workforce planning - structures of the organisation. 

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  • Created by: Farah
  • Created on: 27-04-13 13:26
What is workforce planning in your own words?
Forecasting the future staffing needs of the business in terms of the number of employees, the skills - and setting out actions to meet these.
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What are the 5 components of workforce plans?
1) Info of the current workforce, 2) Changes in demand, 3) Factors effecting the demand for labour, 4) Factors affecting the supply of labour, 5) Recommendations on actions needed for the desired workforce.
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What are the internal and external factors affecting workforce plans?
External: Level of demand, population trends, wage rates, technological change, and changes in the law. Internal: Company objectives, decisions on how goods will be produced, finance and industrial relations.
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What are the benefits and limitations of workforce plans?
Benefits: Ensures enough staff with the right skills, avoids wasting money on employing too many staff. Limitations: It depends on accuracy of demand & calculation on how many staff are needed to meet that demand and it can be inflexible.
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Name 2 organisational structures and 2 factors within them?
1) Formal or Traditional structures, 2) Matrix Structures, 3) Span of control 4) Chain of Command
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What are the 6 factors determining the choice of organisational structure?
1) Number of employees, 2) skills, 3) culture, 4) nature of products, 5) environment operating.
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What is centralisation?
Means that decision making powers are kept at the top hierarchy.
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of Centralisation?
Advantages: important decisions are taken on by experienced, able staff. Consistant decions and procedures. Disadvantages: Lower level managers have better knowledge, it can be demotivating for lower level managers.
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What is decentralisation?
Means that decision making powers are passed down the hierarchy to empower junior managers.
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of decentralisation?
Advantages: Sometimes lower level managers have better knowledge, this is motivating. Disadvantages: Lower level staff may lack experience - leading to inconsistency of decisions and procedures.
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What is delayering?
Involves reducing the number of levels of hierarchy within an organisation's structures.
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of delayering?
Advantages: lower costs due to fewer staff, quicker decisions - lower level staff motivated. Disadvantages: Loss of valuable knowledge and experience, loss of job security, bigger workloads and more stress for the remaining employees.
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What are flexible workforces?
Exists when businesses place less reliance upon permanent full-time employees and make greater use of part-time and temporary workers. There is a distinction between core workers and peripheral workers. Organisations may also introduce home working.
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What are core workers and peripheral workers?
Core workers: Are permanent full-time employment with job security. They are often highly qualified and well-trained. Peripheral Workers: are only hired when necessary. They may be low skilled or have highly specialised skills that are not required.
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What is Homeworking?
refers to anyone who works from home for a significant part of their working week.
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of Homeworking?
Advantages: Lower costs as smaller premises are needed. Disadvantages: It is harder to supervise people working at home.
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What is outsourcing?
means finding people or businesses outside the organisation to compete part of the production process.
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of Outsourcing?
Advantages: Lower labour costs due to less permanent staff and savings on National Insurance, savings and paid holidays. Disadvantages: Level of motivation of outsources workers may be low.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

1) Info of the current workforce, 2) Changes in demand, 3) Factors effecting the demand for labour, 4) Factors affecting the supply of labour, 5) Recommendations on actions needed for the desired workforce.

Back

What are the 5 components of workforce plans?

Card 3

Front

External: Level of demand, population trends, wage rates, technological change, and changes in the law. Internal: Company objectives, decisions on how goods will be produced, finance and industrial relations.

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

Benefits: Ensures enough staff with the right skills, avoids wasting money on employing too many staff. Limitations: It depends on accuracy of demand & calculation on how many staff are needed to meet that demand and it can be inflexible.

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

1) Formal or Traditional structures, 2) Matrix Structures, 3) Span of control 4) Chain of Command

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
View more cards

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