Lecture 6

Human Resources Lecture 6 Work and jobs Recruiting people to the organisation

Organising work and designing jobs Work is what people are employed to do, and jobs are the units or structures used to organise that work. Work organisation and job design balance the search for operational efficiency and organisational effectiveness with considerations of personal satisfaction and motivation. Job analysis is an important part of the job design process. While job analysis has many uses, it most commonly leads to the preparation of job descriptions (which set the roles and responsibilities of a job) and person profiles (which describe the skills and other characteristics a person needs to carry out the job’s requirements successfully). But job description are critised because corporate change makes them obsolete very quickly.

Approaches to job design According to F.Taylor (1911) scientific management it is necessary to: -Break down complex jobs into their component parts and decide the optimum degree of task fragmentation; -Carry out studies to find the one best way to do each part of the job; -Design the workplace so that unnecessary movements are eliminated; -Select and train employees to carry out the fragmented tasks in the one best way, and reward them for better-than-average performance. In 1920-ies studies showed that Taylorism could adversely affect labour productivity and costs. Workers engaged on simple, repetitive tasks found their work boring – and their productivity could be increased by 20% simply by shifting them to different tasks every half hour. Job rotation this became the first antidote to fragmentation and specialisation. -

JOB ROTATION JOB ENLARGEMENT JOB ENRICHMENT WORK REFORM

Job design in theory The most complete job description theory was developed by Hackman and Oldham (1980). It sets out five core dimensions which contribute to a job’s motivating potential. -Skill variety. Does the job have a variety of activities which use the different skills and talents of the job holder?

-Task identity. Does the job require the completion of a whole task or unit of work? -Task significance. Does the job have a significant impact on the life and work of other people?

-Autonomy. Does the job provide the job holder with freedom and discretion in the organisation of the work?

-Task feedback. Does the job holder receive direct and helpful feedback while working, or from performing the range of tasks in the job?

JOB ANALYSIS It is a process of gathering, assessing and recording information. It provides a foundation for many HR activities, including: -Writing job descriptions and person profiles for recruitment and selection; -Defining job responsibilities and performance criteria for performance planning and reviews; -Designing training and development programmes to meet individual and organisational needs; -Assessing organisational and individual needs, abilities and potential for HR planning; -Gathering data for job evaluation and remuneration management; -Analysing work and structural relationships for job design and organisational reviews. Job analysis methods -Interviews -Questionnaires -Position Analysis Questionnaire (see next page)

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Information input. Where and how does the worker get the information he or she uses in performing the job? Mental process; Work output (physical activities); Relationships with other people; Job context (physical and socials contexts) Other job characteristics. Discuss the Position Analysis for a position of: a bus driver; a teacher of English as the second language; a pilot of Boing – 747. -

i. j. k.

Functional job analysis Data People Things What would be the functions of the position of a Mayor’s personal assistant?

JOB DESCRIPTION Job description is an integral part of most HR systems. Developing a job description, HR manager should remember that jobs and positions are different. Job. Generic term for a set of activities or tasks. Position. Job role held by a particular individual. Characteristics of effective job descriptions -Job descriptions should be simple; -Job description should not overstate or exaggerate; -Job descriptions should not be confused with person profiles; -Job descriptions should be produced jointly and agreed.

Contents of job descriptions -Job title -Purpose of the job -Reporting relationships -Administrative information -Authorities -Key results areas.

PERSON PROFILES Person profile sets out skills, knowledge and other personal characteristics required for acceptable job performance. Education Training Skills and experience Personality and intelligence Environment Physical demands.

Rodger’s seven-point plan: Person profile for HR officer:

Features sought Physical make-up Attainments Intelligence Aptitudes Interests Disposition Circumstances

Essential

Desirable

Fraser’s fivefold framework: Person profile for HR officer

Aspects of

Essential

individual to consider

Impact of others Acquired knowledge or qualifications Innate abilities Motivation Adjustment

Desirable

Why recruitment is important? HR practitioners have always known how important it is to attract and choose people who can do their jobs well and be good organisational citizens. Which is why recruitment and selection have traditionally been central HR activities. However, changes in the organisation’s external and internal environments, and different work force expectations and aspirations, and making effective recruitment even more important and challenging. Recruitment’s aims The general aim of recruitment is to provide the organisation with a pool of aspirants from which to select people to fill specific positions. But in reality the situation is more complex. Effective recruitment is essential if the organisation is to attract and engage the people it needs to achieve its objectives. Also, recruitment plays a significant part in shaping, maintaining or changing the organisation’s culture – since culture is very much the product of the people the organisation employs.

HR managers are: Gatekeepers; First people in a company future employees interact with; Recruitment issues and policies ‘Organisations must be sure that their recruitment efforts are consistent with their other HR strategies’. Internal appointment or external recruitment Looking for employees in the company

Looking for new employees from the outside

As organisations continue to change these possible changes should be taken care of while recruiting new staff: -Job descriptions and person profiles will need to take a wider, organisational view. In other words, a narrow focus on the activities and skills of a specific job should give way to a broader statement of functional activities and competencies. -Recruitment and selection interviews will need to be conducted with the new goal of hiring for the organisation rather than just for a specific job vacancy. -Selection procedures and instruments will need to assess how well individuals match the characteristics of the organisations, not just the recruitments of a particular job.

The recruitment process The set of activities and process used to legally obtain a sufficient number of the right people at the right place and time so that the people and the organisation can select each other in their own best short and long term interests. Key assumptions - Recruitment is primarily job-centred - Recruitment to fill a vacancy is not automatic - Recruitment and selection procedures must be monitored. Preparing to recruit Attracting potential recruits in-house advertising employee referrals educational institutions

recruitment agencies executive search consultants

Media advertising - What is the objective? What are the recruitment goals? - Who are the people you want to reach? Who are the likely applicants? What are their characteristics and motivations? - What is the appropriate advertising message? What information about the job and the organisation will persuade suitably qualified people to apply? - How should the message be presented? What media should be used? Successful recruitment advertising should: -Tell people about the job, describe its main roles and responsibilities, and say how it fits into the organisation; -Encourage interest in the job and the organisation; -Be clear and accurate in its descriptions, so that unsuitable or unqualified people are deterred from applying; -Encourage people with the desired attributes to respond because they see the advertised job as an improvement on their present situation.

Selecting media Recruitment literature E-recruitment (internet job advertising) Home work: find 10 different recruitments agencies in Auckland which advertise their services on –line and offer vacancies. Find out the names of those companies and their specialisation Candidates and applications Application forms -Allows you to assess how well an applicant meets a job’s knowledge and skills requirements; -Helps you draw conclusions about an applicant’s personal and professional development and progress; -Offers tentative clues about the individuals’ stability, based on the previous employment record; -Might be useful in predicting how well the individual will perform in the job.

Written applications The limitations of the information: Personal information – surname or family name, given names and preferred title, contact address and telephone number. Education and training – secondary and/ or tertiary institutions and programmes attended; qualifications gained; trade and / or professional qualifications; special training or skills; other on-job or off-job education and training; Employment history – present and previous employers, dates employed, brief descriptions of jobs, reasons for leaving, and current remuneration; other work experience. Discrimination and other legal issues Medical conditions Privacy