3.1 The role of HR

Match the change with its effect on business

• perhaps reduce the number of workers

• A family activity centre decides to close on a Wednesday & open at the weekends instead

• some workers may lose their jobs

• A car manufacturer introduces high-tech robotic equipment

• more workers needed

• A kitchen fitting business increases its sales as a result of the growth of incomes & employment in the economy

• workers asked to work different hours

• A bicycle manufacturer decideds to switch production to a factory abroad

• skilled workers - program equipment

• Next plc has to pay its shop assistants more as the government raises the national living wage

_____ ________ are the workers employed by a business

________ are different types of work that need to be done in business, including production, finance & marketing

Which of these statements is false?

• an analysis of human resource needs will help a business to decide how many

  workers it requires.

• an analysis of human resource needs will help a business to decide if it needs to

  recruit workers with different skills.

• an analysis of human resource needs will help a business to decide if it is producing

  the right product for its customers.

• an analysis of human resource needs should be done when the business starts up

  and regularly after that.

A business has an order to make 7,200 T-shirts. It has three weeks to get the order ready. The business operates five days each week and for eight hours each day.

A worker can sew 20 T-shirts in an hour on average.

The number of workers it needs to employ to make the T- shirts to meet this order is:

• 3

• 4

• 300

• 8

Which of the following statements are false?

• Human resources are the people who do work for a business.

• Human resources are the people the business sells its goods to.

• Human resources can help to make a business succeed.

• Human resource needs may change as technology changes.

Which of the following is not a function of the human resources department of a

business?

• Overseeing the motivation of workers

• Recruiting new workers

• Researching new products

• Planning future human resource needs.

Businesses have many different ​ (a)   and responsibilities and need ​ (b)   to carry them out. The role of human resources is to identify the ​ (c)   of the business and ensure that they are met. Businesses need staff to carry out their day-to-day activities. Human resources refers to the ​ (d)   of all issues relating to the people a business employs, to ensure that the business is able to ​ (e)   .

• roles
• staff
• needs
• coordination
• operate

Considerations of the HR department

• The number of staff needed

• the amount of money available may affect the salary or wage that is offered during the recruitment process

• The staffing budget

• human resources must ensure that sufficient staff, with the right skills, are recruited to meet the needs of the business. This involves knowing when staff are leaving and whether they need to be replaced

• How relevant legislation will be met

• human resources is responsible for ensuring that the business complies with all relevant employment law

• Consider organisational structure

• staff might be offered a range of contracts to make the workforce more flexible. Examples include full time, part time, temporary and permanent

• The types of contract staff are offered

• human resources needs to know the structure of the business, so that it is able to identify who will manage and supervise staff