The work of the Human Resources department

Recruitment and selection
Involves attracting and selecting the best candidates for vacancies that arise
Training Programmes
Involves assessing and fulfilling the training needs of employees.
Health and safety
The business needs to make sure that it complies with all the laws on health and safety
Redundancy and dismissal
This involves shedding employees either because the business changes in some way or because the employee is not satisfactory.
Industrial relations
There must be effective communication between representatives of the management and of the workforce  
Wages and salaries
These must attract and retain the right people and be sufficiently high to motivate employees

Recruitment

The process from identifying that the business needs to employ someone up to the point at which applications have arrived at the business.

Job analysis

Identifies and records the responsibilities and tasks relating to a job. sometimes it also contain information about:
  • The conditions of employment 
  • training that will be offered
  • Opportunities for promotion

Job description

Job specification
Outlines the responsibilities and duties to be carried out by someone employed to do a specific job
A document which outlines the requirements, qualifications, expertise, physical, characteristic, etc. for a specified job.The listed requirements will usually include:
  • the level of educational qualifications
  • the amount of experience and type of experience
  • special skills, knowledge or particular aptitude
  • personal characteristics, such as type of personality

Internal recruitment

when a vacancy is filled by someone who is an existing employee of the business
=> advantages
  • It saves time and money, compare with recruiting someone from outside the business
  • The person is already known to the business and their reliability, ability and potential are known
  • It can be very motivating for other employees to see their fellow workers being promoted
=> disadvantages
  • No new ideas or experience come into the business
  • there may be jealousy and rivalry amongst existing employees

External recruitment

When a vacancy is filled by someone who is not an existing employee and will be new to the business. There are several places the advertisement cn be placed:
  • Local newspaper
  • National newspaper
  • Specialist magazines and journals
  • Recruitment agencies
  • Centres run by the government

Application forms and CVs/ resumes

A Cv or resume is a summary of a person's qualifications, experience and qualities, and is written in a standard format. A curriculum vitae( CV) or resumes must be well laid out and clear.It should usually contain the following details:
  • Name
  • address
  • telephone number
  • date of birth
  • nationality
  • Education and qualification
  • work experience
  • positions of responsibility
  • interests
  • name and addresses of referees ( for references)

Interviews

Purposes of an interview are to access , in the shortest possible time:
  • the applicant's ability to do the job
  • any personal qualities that are an advantages or a disadvantages
  • the general character and personality of the applicant - will they fit in ?
Some businesses include tests in their selection process, for example:
  • Skills test - to show the ability to carry out and certain tasks
  • Group situation test - to show the ability of working in a group

The contract of employment

An agreement entered into between an employer and an employee at the time the employee is hired that outlines the exact nature of their business relationship, specifically what compensation the employee will receive in exchange for specific work performed . It usually include the following information :
  • Name of employer and name of the employee
  • job title
  • date when employment is to begin
  • hours to be worked
  • Rate of pay and any other benefits such as bonus, sick pay, pension
  • When payment will be made
  • holiday entitlement
  • amount of notice to be given to terminate the employment that the employer or the employee must give to the end the employment

Part-time

Employment is often considered to be between 1 and 30-35 hours a week

Full-Time

Employees will usually work 35 hours or more more a week

Training

Training is important to a business as it may be used to:
  • introduce a new process or new equipment
  • improve the efficient of the workforce
  • Decrease the chances of accidents
  • Decrease the supervision needed
Training is usually trying to achieve one or more of the followings:
  • Increase skills
  • increase knowledge
  • change people attitudes/ raise awareness

Induction training

An introduction given to a new employee explaining the firm's activities ,customs and procedures and introducing them to their fellow workers
=> Advantages
  • helps new employees to settle into their job quickly
  • May be a legal requirement to give Health and Safety training at the start of a job
  • means workers are less likely to make mistakes
=>Disadvantages
  • Is time consuming
  • means wages are paid but no work has been done
  • delays the start of the employee commencing their job

On the Job Training

Occurs by watching a more experienced worker doing the job

Off the job training

Involves being trained away from the workplace, usually by specialist trainer

Workforce Planning

Establishing the workforce needed by the business for the foreseeable future in terms of the number and skills of employees required. sometimes they will need to downsize the workforce.This can be because:
  • Introduction of automation
  • Falling demand for their goods or services
  • factory / shop / office closure
  • relocating their factory abroad
  • a business has merged or been taken over and some jobs have become surplus to requirements in the newly combined business
The Human Resources department can plan how this will be achieved by:
  • finding out the skill of all the employees
  • counting out anyone who will be leaving soon
  • consulting with existing staff