Solved Question Bank

Human Resources Management

Anuran Bordoloi | MBA 2nd
Date: 04/05/2020

Unit 1:
Q1. Define HRM.
Ans.
Human Resource Management is the process of recruiting, selecting, inducting
employees, providing orientation, imparting training and development, appraising
the performance of employees, deciding compensation and providing benefits,
motivating employees, maintaining proper relations with employees and their trade
unions, ensuring employees safety, welfare and health measures in compliance
with labour laws of the land and finally following the Orders / Judgements of the
concern High Court and Supreme Court, if any.

Q2. What are the scopes of HRM?

Ans.
The different activities that come within the scope of human resource
management are discussed below:
Scope # 1. Human Resource Planning (HRP):
It is the first step of human resource management. HRP is a process through which
the company makes an assessment of the present manpower-the number of people
employed, number of post vacant, whether there is excess or shortage of staff and
prepares plans and policies to deal with them accordingly. It also estimates the
future man power requirement. It matches the supply and availability of manpower
with the company’s purpose and makes the best person available for the job.
Scope # 2. Job Analysis:
An important task of HRM is job analysis. It provides the basis for recruitment,
training and development of staff. Every job is analysed to identify the inherent
requirement of the job – “what the job demands of a worker”. Job analysis
provides a detailed picture of the nature of job, the skill and abilities required to
perform the job, the duties and responsibilities of the worker required for the job.
This helps in the process of recruitment and selection, to appoint the appropriate
person for the job and also facilitates arranging training and development
programme for the employees to match their skill and abilities with the job
requirement.
Scope # 3. Job Evaluation:
It forms the basis of wage and salary determination. Different jobs are compared
and evaluated to determine the relative importance of different jobs within the
organization. The jobs are compared, graded and ranked. Job evaluation
determines how much pay to be affixed to the particular job on the basis of their
importance in the organisation functioning. This helps to determine a fair wage and
salary and to determine a rational pay structure.
Scope # 4. Recruitment and Selection:
The company on the basis of human resource planning and job analysis identifies
the requirement of personnel and explores different internal and external sources
from where manpower can be acquired. This process is called recruitment. The
right person is selected and put to work.
The selection process involves steps like receiving applications, tests, interviews,
medical examination and final selection. Right selection and placement provides
employee satisfaction which improves their productivity and efficiency and
benefits the organization.
Scope # 5. Performance Appraisal:
It is a systematic method of evaluating the performance of employees. This helps
to assess the efficiency, strength and weakness of the employees. It is a controlling
process whereby the employees’ performance is matched with the standard level of
performance and remedial measures taken in case actual performance does not
meet the standard.
It helps the management in their decision-making relating to promotion, pay hike
that may be rewarded if the employee meets standard or outperforms the standard.
It also helps the management to decide about the training and development needs
for employees, who needs up gradation and development of skill.
Scope # 6. Training and Development:
Human resource management is concerned with arrangement of training and
development programme for the newly appointed staff as well as for existing
employees. This helps to enhance the qualitative and quantitative performance of
the work force.
Training helps the employees to cope up with the changing technological and other
internal and external work situations. Training and development make employees
excel in their present post as well as make them competent for future higher job
responsibilities.
Scope # 7. Employee Compensation:
Human resource management performs the function of determining the pay
structure for different employees on the basis of qualification, efficiency,
experience, nature of the job. It also determines rewards and incentives to be paid
for their contribution towards the organisation.
Scope # 8. Employee Motivation:
Motivation of employees is essential for retention and sustenance of employees
within the organisation. Motivation plays an important role in management of
personnel. It helps to improve productivity of personnel. There are different ways
by which employees may be encouraged. Recognition and reward for performance,
promotion, pay-hike, and other monetary and non-monetary rewards motivate the
employees.
Scope # 9. Employee Welfare:
Human resource management focuses on the welfare of employees by providing
canteen facilities, creches, rest and lunch rooms, housing, transport, medical
assistance, education, health and safety, medical care, sickness benefits, recreation
facilities.
It aims at improving the quality of work life by providing a better environment
worth working, job security, flexible working hours, eliminating workplace
hazards, which will have a positive impact on the productivity and quality of work.
Along with monetary benefits provided to employees these non-monetary benefits
improves the morale of the employees and motivates them.
Scope # 10. Industrial Relation:
Labour unrest, conflicts between the work groups and between workers and
management over issues like low wage, bad work environment are common
problems that must be handled carefully by establishing a balance between the
worker’s interest and interest of the organisation and management. Human
resource management considers establishment and maintenance of harmonious and
cordial relation between employer and employees.

Q3. What is the importance of HRM in modern day environment?

Ans.
Importance of Human Resource Management:
Human resources are the valuable assets of the corporate bodies. They are their
strength. To face the new challenges on the fronts of knowledge, technology and
changing trends in global economy needs effective human resource management.
Significance of HRM can be seen in three contexts: organisational, social and
professional.
Organisation Significance:
HRM is of vital importance to the individual organisation as a means for achieving
their objectives.
It contributes to the achievement of organisational objectives in the following
ways:
1. Good human resource practice can help in attracting and retaining the best
people in the organisation.
2. Developing the necessary skills and right attitudes among the employees
through training, development, performance appraisal, etc.
3. Securing willing cooperation of employees through motivation, participation,
grievance handling, etc.
4. Effective utilisation of available human resources.
5. Ensuring that enterprise will have in future a team of competent and dedicated
employees.
Social Significance:
Social significance of HRM lies in the need satisfaction of personnel in the
organisation. Since these personnel are drawn from the society, their effectiveness
contributes to the welfare of the society. Society, as a whole, is the major
beneficiary of good human resource practice.
i. Employment opportunities multiply.
ii. Eliminating waste of human resources through conservation of physical and
mental health.
iii. Scare talents are put to best use. Companies that pay and treat people well
always race ahead of others and deliver excellent results.
Professional Significance:
Professional significance of HRM lies in developing people and providing healthy
environment for effective utilisation of their capabilities.
This can be done by:
1. Developing people on continuous basis to meet challenge of their job.
2. Promoting team-work and team-spirit among employees.
3. Offering excellent growth opportunities to people who have the potential to rise.
4. Providing environment and incentives for developing and utilising creativity.

Q4. What are the skills and competencies of an HR manager?

Ans.
HR Management Key Skill #1- Organization
HR management requires an orderly approach. Organized files, strong time
management skills, and personal efficiency are key to HR effectiveness. You’re
dealing with people’s lives and careers here, and when a manager requests help
with a termination or a compensation recommendation or recognition program, it
won’t do to say, “I’ll try to get to that if I have time.”
HR Management Key Skill #2—Multitasking
On a typical HR day, an HR professional will deal with an employee’s personal
issue one minute, an intermittent leave question the next, and a recruiting strategy
for a hard-to-fill job the minute after. And that’s to say nothing of social media,
wage/hour, engagement, retention, and a whole host of other things, every one
critical to someone.
In HR, if it’s not one thing, it’s another. Priorities and business needs move fast
and change fast, and manager A who needs someone hired doesn’t much care if
you’re already helping manager B who needs someone fired. You need to be able
to handle it all, all at once.
HR Management Key Skill #3—Dealing with Grey
A surprisingly large percentage of the issues HR managers face are in “the grey
area.” Is it discrimination? Is it harassment? What’s a “reasonable”
accommodation? How far over backward do you have to lean to approve
intermittent leave? HR managers have to be able to act with incomplete and “best
available” information, and they have to know when to seek the professional help
of colleagues, attorneys, and other experts.
HR Management Key Skill #4—Negotiation
Along with grey comes the need to negotiate—there are often two or more
opposing views, and the successful HR pro can find an acceptable middle ground.
Remember, the goal of negotiation is to end up with two parties that are satisfied
with the outcome, and that’s not often easy to achieve.
HR Management Key Skill #5—Communication
HR professionals have to communicate up to management, over to managers, out
to potential employees, and down to all levels of current employees. And they have
to do it in writing, while speaking to large and small groups and, increasingly,
through social media. They have to be convincing, caring, and believable.
HR Management Key Skill #6—Discrete and Ethical
HR professionals are the conscience of the company, as well as the keepers of
confidential information. As you serve the needs of top management, you also
monitor their actions toward employees to be sure that policies and regulations are
followed. You need to be able to push back when they aren’t in order to keep the
firm on the straight and narrow. Not an easy responsibility!
Of course, you always handle confidential information appropriately, and never
divulge it to any unauthorized person.
HR Management Key Skill #7—Dual Focus
Employees expect human resources professionals to advocate for their concerns,
yet you must also enforce top management’s policies. The HR professional who
can pull off this delicate balancing act wins trust from all concerned.
There are times you must make decisions to protect the individual and other times
when you protect the organization, its culture, and values. These decisions may be
misunderstood by some, and you may catch flak because of it, but you know that
explaining your choices might compromise confidential information. That’s
something you would never do.
HR Management Key Skill #8—Conflict Management and Problem Solving
News flash! Everyone doesn’t always get along with everyone else. High
productivity demands that people work together at least civilly. HR has to find
ways to allow that to happen. And that’s to say nothing of the myriad other
problems that hit HR’s in-box—you can’t be effective without problem-solving
ability.
HR Management Key Skill #9—Change Management
Most companies today are in a constant state of flux. Task forces, matrices, and
teams spring into being, do their jobs, and disband as others form. Hierarchies have
been squashed, and companies have four or five generations working side by side.
A lot of people are freaked out by what’s going on. HR has to help everyone cope
with the constant changes.
HR Management Key Skill #10—Budgeting Skills
Compensations and benefits all go through HR. The same goes with training and
development, social activities, performance appraisals, etc. These activities have to
be incorporated into their organization's strategic planning and budgeting, taking
into account each department's projects and their individual functions. The primary
role of the HR manager is to limit expenditures and not overspend on unnecessary
activities.

Q5. Highlight the HRM practices in Indian companies.

Ans.
1. Employment Contracts
India does not mandate a written employment contract for local employees.
However, it is advisable for companies to use contracts to limit risk and define the
terms and conditions of employment.
Indian employment laws are diverse and form a complex framework that
employers must navigate carefully when constructing contracts. Apart from labor
laws, there are industrial laws, The Companies Act, and the Contract Act, 1872 that
govern employment conditions in India.
Both the state and federal governments create and enforce laws pertaining to
employment, which can complicate compliance for those that are unfamiliar with
the country. HR managers should keep themselves updated and develop
employment contracts in accordance with these to prevent future legal
complications.
2. Wages
Employers should seek to periodically audit their wage structure to ensure it
remains competitive within the local labor market. However, it is perhaps more
important to ensure wages are compliant with prevailing laws.
Under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, all employers in the organized sector must
provide ‘the basic cost of living’ to employee categories specified within the act.
The Code on Wages Bill, 2019 further enables the federal government to fix
minimum statutory wage for millions of workers.
The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 mandates non-discrimination for payment of
wages to men and women, while The Payment of Wages Act, 1936 orders the
timely disbursement of wages to employees.
Payment of wages below the minimum wage limits amounts to forced labor. This
is prohibited under the Bonded Labor System (Abolition) Act, 1976.
Companies should ensure that employment contracts consider this while defining
the terms and conditions for the remuneration for employees.
3. Termination of employment
Employees in India may only be terminated as per the terms and conditions within
their employment contract.
However, companies should note that all employers must adhere to the federal and
state labor laws when laying off or terminating workers – the conditions drafted in
company contracts cannot supersede these legal statues.
Finally, termination without notice is prohibited in India. Termination periods vary
by function and length of employment.
4. Maternity and paternity leave
The Maternity Benefits (Amendment) Act, 2017 applies to all shops and any
establishments that employ over 10 workers. Under the Act, 26 weeks of paid
leave is available for women for the first two children, and 12 weeks subsequently.
Companies employing more than 50 people must also provide crèche services.
The Paternity Benefits Bill, 2017 is set to be up for discussion in the next
parliamentary session. However, a significant number of organizations, especially
foreign companies like Microsoft and IKEA, already include a mutually decided
paternity leave clause within their company policy.
This practice has been well received by the Indian workforce and lauded as a good
HR move.
5. Prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace
The Indian government has brought the safety of women in the workplace to the
forefront of its law making.
An Internal Complaints Committee must be set up by all organizations with more
than 10 employees in accordance with the norms laid out in the Sexual Harassment
of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013. All
complaints should be actively pursued, evidenced, and redressed immediately.
To guarantee employee safety, companies must draft appropriate HR policies
within the firm, and ensure they are clearly communicated to all personnel.
HR personnel should organize workshops or sensitization programs and encourage
communication to promote an organizational culture that provides for a fair and
safe working environment for all its employees.
6. Public holidays and work weeks
India observes three national holidays – Republic Day (January 26), Independence
Day (August 15), and Gandhi Jayanti (October 2).
On these days, all institutions, whether public or private, must remain closed.
Government approval is necessary for any organization to function on these days.
Only certain establishments, such as factories, and industries where the work
process is considered to be continuous, including hospitals, and travel agencies,
are allowed to operate over 24 hours across 365 days. However, establishments
that operate on these days are subject to provide additional wages for staff working
on those days.
Additionally, firms must inform the annual list of holidays and weekly offs
available to employees each year. The number of leaves and categories of leave
must ideally be explained in the employee contract.
Many laws in India, such as the Factories Act, 1948, also provide for the maximum
number of work hours and the amount of overtime wages to be paid to labor
employed.
7. Restrictive clauses in employment contracts
Employers should note that including restrictive clauses into a contract might not
be enforceable through the Indian courts. The Contract Act, 1872, necessitates the
fundamental right of all citizens to carry on any profession, trade, or business.
Non-compete, non-disclosure, non-solicitation, and ‘garden leave’ clauses are
examples of restrictive clauses that can only be imposed by the courts if plausible
grounds – with respect to time-period and nature of activities involved – are
provided.
The best way to ensure enforceability is to restrict the scope of the clauses as much
as possible within these dimensions. However, this does not guarantee legal
protection to employers.
8. Gratuity and Provident Fund
The Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 provides the guidelines for gratuity owed to an
employee.
The number of years of service of the employee is the criteria for deciding the
amount of gratuity owed, and this payment by the company is obligatory by law.
The minimum amount (more may be approved) must be given to an employee in
case of the following circumstances:
 • Retirement;
• Resignation;
• Disablement due to accident or illness; or,
• Death of the employee (gratuity paid to employee’s nominees).
However, if an employee is dismissed for proven criminal or moral reasons, no
gratuity is owed to him.
Similarly, the Employees Provident Fund Organization of India (EPFO) oversees
and regulates the Employee’s Provident Fund (EPF).
Under this scheme, the employer and employee contribute an equal amount to the
fund every month, which is accessible to the employee at certain points in their
career.
The EPF scheme is mandatory for a salary below Rs 15,000 (US$220) and
voluntary thereafter.
9. Impact of digitalization
Workplaces are becoming increasingly virtual. Firms and employees both require
real time employee information to improve critical efficiencies and maintain core
compliances within the organization.
The scope of work for HR departments has expanded to include the use of digital
technology, through apps and in-house databases, especially in the service and
consultancy sectors. This includes the use of online platforms and applications for
processes such as recruitment, learning and development, and even day-to-day
administration.
Business leaders should consider increasingly affordable integrated software
solutions that automate aspects of HR administration and payroll. This often allows
back offices to focus on providing value added services, allowing front offices to
invest more into growth, services, and innovation.
10. Adaptive work culture
Job seekers in India are moving away from traditional work modes – such as a ‘9
to 5’ time pattern – to a more holistic view of career development.
Organizations are also gradually incorporating the idea of work-life balance into
their corporate culture.
Responsive and adaptive HR departments are key to cultivating these
organizational values, and fostering a balance between employee satisfaction and
productivity.
Working conditions in Indian multinational companies are also changing to
incorporate flexi-time or work from home options into employment contracts to
boost employee retention and loyalty.

Q6. Differentiate between Personnel Management and Human Resources

Management.
Ans.

Basis of Personnel Management Human Resource

Difference Management

Meaning It is traditional approach It is modern approach of

of managing people at managing people at
workplace and is workplace and is concern
concern of personnel of managers of all level
department. (from top to bottom).

Nature It is a routine function. It is a strategic function.

Focus Efficient management is Human values and

given priority. individual needs are
given priority.

Function Personnel Acquisition,

administration, labor development, utilization
relation and employee and maintenance of
welfare are major human resource are major
Basis of Personnel Management
Difference
functions of personnel
management.
Objective It manages people in
accordance with
organization’s goal.
Perspective It regards people as
basic input to make
desired output.
Job design Jobs are designed on the
basis of division of
labor.
Interest Organization’s interest
is valued the most.
Orientation It is discipline, direction
and control oriented.
Communication Communication is
limited, or even
restricted.
Human Resource
Management
functions of human
resource management.
It determines human
resource needs and
formulate policies by
matching individual’s
needs with organization’s
needs.
It regards people as
strategic and valuable
resource to make desired
output.
Jobs are designed on the
basis of teamwork.
Interest of organization
and interest of employee
is harmonized.
It is development
oriented. It provides
space for employee
involvement,
performance and growth.
Communication is open.
 Basis of Personnel Management Human Resource
Difference Management

Emphasis It emphasizes on It emphasizes on

adherence of rules and combination of human
regulations and their energies and
implementation. competencies.

Benefits ▪ Disciplined ▪ Committed human

employees resource
▪ Increased ▪ Readiness to
production change
▪ Increased
production
▪ Increased profit
▪ Quality of worklife

Result Organizational goal is Organizational goal is

achieved and employers achieved and both
are satisfied. employers and employees
are satisfied.

Q7. Discuss the roles played by a HR manager.

Ans.
Role of HR manager is discussed in brief as under:
1. Advisory Role:
One of the major roles of HR manager is, to advise the top management in the
matter relating to management and development of human resource, in order to
achieve organizational objects. Looking to the company’s vision, mission and long
range planning, HR executive advises the higher management to formulate
appropriate HR policies, procedures which may create a perceptible change in the
minds of the workers’ to help the transformational process of dynamism.
2. Pro-Acting Role:
HR manager ascertains the probable areas of conflict and differences between
workers and management, identifies the factors that may create problems in future,
forecasts the extent, quantum of loss that may occur and the department may suffer
loss and takes remedial measures beforehand by way of developing organizational
culture, climate, introducing system, mechanism, and does not leave any room to
crop up problems, grievances.
3. Welfare Role:
HR executive looks to the welfare aspect of the employee’s viz., canteen, creche,
rest-room, hospital, transportation, housing accommodation, school, etc. His one of
the principal roles is to provide welfare facilities to the employees for their
betterment and well-being.
4. Developmental Role:
Development of workers for attaining company goals is made by the HR manager
through improvement of knowledge, skill, abilities, aptitude, attitude, value, beliefs
etc. A dynamic organization needs dynamic employees and transformation of
employee’s mind-set to the process of dynamism is possible only when all the
potential areas for growth and development are reinforced.
HR manager takes all possible measures for growth and development of employees
through formulation of HR policies in the matter of training, career planning and
development, counselling etc.
5. Mediator’s Role:
HR manager works as a link personality between trade unions and top management
in order to eliminate the differences of opinions cropped up in process of
settlement of disputes. He takes initiative to sort out problems through collective
bargaining/ bipartite negotiation process.
6. Social Upliftment Role:
Organization is part and parcel of the society. As a societal member it has ethical
and moral obligation to contribute to the society for its growth and development by
way of taking necessary measures like creating and improving infrastructure,
spreading learning institutions, providing medical facilities, generating
employment opportunities. HR executive plays a vital role to give a proper shape
in the formulation of suitable HR policies for the people in the society.
7. Counsellor’s Role:
Because of illiteracy and ignorance workers cannot take decision in their personal
problems and they need advice to sort out such problems, viz. education of
children, medical treatment, marital matter, family problems, etc. HR manager, as
he comes close to the workers because of his nature of work, develops
understanding between them and advises, guides the workers in right direction.
8. Spokesperson Role:
HR executive works as a spokesperson of the company especially, in the matter of
depicting organization health, condition, strength etc. to the employees while
negotiating for settlement of industrial disputes. He also acts as a representative of
the workers when they are non-unionized/unorganized and cannot represent their
case properly to the top management. Under such circumstances HR manager
places their grievances, problems, demand to the top management for
settlement/redressal.
9. Motivator’s Role:
One of the functions of HR manager is to motivate the employees to achieve their
own goals, as well as organizational goals HR manager performs such role by way
of introducing reward schemes. HR manager’s role of establishing mutual
understanding, mutual confidence and mutual trust helps to motivate the
employees to excel in the level of their performance.
10. Procurer’s Role:
HR manager helps to procure the right number and right kind of people at the right
time, to enable the company to run smoothly, effectively and efficiently and to
achieve its goals. He facilitates formulation of a dynamic recruitment policy,
designs and develops Test/Interview techniques, selection process, suiting
individuals and organization requirement in order to find out the right persons for
the required jobs. He makes a systematic, problem free procurement exercise when
workers express happiness, satisfaction and a state of contentment.
11. Change Agent Role:
In changing scenario, workers are required to change their attitudes, belief,
perceptible state, values to meet organization needs, requirement and expectation.
In the age of stiff competition organization can survive and develop only if the
workers are adaptive to change requirement. It is the HR executive who through
establishment of sound human relation convinces the workers about the necessity
of changing attitude, values to accept change role, as reinforced by introduction of
OD programme, TQM concept, quality circle etc.
12. Maintenance Role:
HR manager plays a pivotal role to retain the dynamic, excellent, highly skilled
workers by providing attractive compensation package, introducing reward
management, career planning and development, welfare, fringe benefits and social
security schemes. Suitable policies are formulated, programmes are designed,
necessary measures are taken to implement schemes for growth and development
of employees, with and through the active efforts of the HR manager.
13. Disputes Prevention Role:
HR manager takes remedial measures-curative and prophylactic to redress and
prevent grievances, disputes in order to bring harmony and peace in an
organization through introducing, grievance handling machinery, collective
bargaining process, rational approaches to discipline management, quality of
working life, participative concept and the like.
HR executive creates congenial and conducive climate in the company by
eliminating differences between management and workers and developing
understanding on the basis of mutuality.
14. Executive Role:
HR manager plays an important role to execute the policies, programmes,
decisions. Formulation and execution tasks are interwoven and equally important
for achievement of organizational goals. HR manager acts as an executor of the
policy decisions in the company, for smooth functioning and effectiveness of the
organization.
15. Decision Maker’s Role:
HR manager is the supreme person to make decisions in respect of management
and development of human resource. Organizational policies, programmes
objectives concerning human resource are formulated by him.
16. Coordinator’s Role:
HR executive coordinates the task of developing, interpreting of HR programmes,
policies which are put into operation by the line people, and develops a team spirit
amongst them.
17. Strategist Role:
HR manager helps to accomplish business strategy of the organization through
introducing and implementing HR strategies.
18. Monitoring Role:
HR manager acts as regulator/monitor to ensure, that HR policies, procedures,
programmes, so formulated are monitored effectively to meet the objectives.

Q8. What is meant by Workforce Diversity?

Ans.
Workforce diversity “is the bringing together of a variety of people to one
workplace.” It’s a concept that does something that many other business-related
concepts don’t – it diverges from the professional and fundamentally concerns
the personal.
Some of the key characteristics of workforce diversity include race, ethnicity,
gender, age, religion, ability, and sexual orientation. A company that embraces
diversity can broaden its skill base and become more competitive and innovative.
Workforce diversity also brings with it a number of issues and challenges.
Workforce diversity means the heterogeneous composition of employees of an
organization in terms of age, gender, language, ethnic origin, education, marital
status, etc. Managing such diversity is really a challenge to HRM professionals.

Q9. What are the technological changes that have made their presence felt in
modern day human resource management practices?
Ans.
~ Transformation in Recruitment process
Before the internet and email, contacting applicants was done via letter, personal
interview and over the telephone. There were not many options left for them.
While in current time, organisations are using multiple platforms to share their
openings, and applicants can apply through their online portal or career page from
where they can track all applications. It optimises the time an HR spends on a
paper resume and personal calls.
Yet, these HR practices don’t consider how helpful technology is for job seekers.
Portal forms have standard formats making it difficult to identify if the job seeker
is a perfect fit for the job or not. Technology gives an advantage to not only
optimise your time and efforts but it also increases productivity if designed well. A
badly designed system that is slow and has low response time might actually turn
away a fit applicant from the organization.
~ Ease Of communication
Human Resource department is all about communicating effectively with
employees, through Messaging apps, texting or emailing as it makes it is easier
than staying in contact with all employees. If a team manager wants to share new
updates related to a project with the project team, it can be done easily by attaching
details and sending emails to the entire team via Slack. It saves times and people,
knows what needs to be discussed in the next meeting. They can also keep their
questions ready to save time and enhance productivity.
~ Data Analysis
Performance and appraisal is not a very easy task. It took to much of your time
when you were analysing an employee based on discussion with Manager or
supervisor for each of their team member. It depends on personal assessment and
apparent standards: Delivery of task on time? Dependability? Etc. Technology
makes it simple and easy to get details and analyse data for an overall picture.
Using a software program for such activities can reduce your work and can take
over most of the process for evaluating the performance of an individual once
details are entered in the software by the manager and/or subordinates.
~ Documentation
Unlike before where HR used to have a file on each employee which is then kept
in the storage place where all files are kept, today everything is stored in the
software where the information can be accessed in a single click on your computer.
There many companies that opt for SAP, ERP software development or Orange
HRMS that give you the liberty to store employee data in a single location and can
also be password protected. Digital Data is accessible across the globe so no need
to have a paper copy every time to get data (Save Paper Save Tree!! Go Green). At
the same time, best HR practices have to include security for the digital data. HR
needs to have good policies in place, though, governing who can have to access
such confidential information, of both forms.
~ Too Much Data
Usually, HR makes use of data collection and analysis more, knowing this the
employee may feel that their privacy is been hacked or their data is not secure. If a
company monitors the employees through the security cameras, it gives them the
advantage to find out about any kind of harassment or misbehaviour in the office.
At the same time being monitored continuously can alienate the employee.
HR department may end up with another risk of managing more data, after a
certain point, it will become impossible to pick out the most relevant material of
the one that has been stored. By this, it may also happen HR may misread data or
may make an assumption that in-person discussion can clear things up.

Q10. What is the importance of technology in the practice of HRM?

Ans.
1. Human Resource Planning: With the help of innovation construct databases,
voluminous information about the employees can be stored, which not just aides in
distinguishing the involved and vacant positions, additionally it also helps
determining if the individual is the best fit or not.
2. Administration: All the basic data identified with the workforce, like their
name, address, email, contact no., capability, compensation benefits, encounter,
date of passage in organizations, employment status (contract, perpetual, full-time,
low maintenance, and so on), are incorporated in a database that can be recovered
at any time.
3. Recruitment: The web has brought on the biggest change to the enrollment
procedure in the previous decade, as it connects the companies and the job
seekers.
4. Training and Development: E-learning is a progressive approach to enable the
workforce to keep pace with a quickly evolving market. By connecting the
evaluation process to the HR database, the e-learning framework can be used
effectively.
5. Compensation and Benefits: The e-pay bundles offer straightforward, simple,
precise and assessable data on the compensation structure of the employees.

Q11. Write short notes on the following:

1. Restructuring of an organization.

A business organization makes changes in personnel and departments

and can change how workers and departments report to one another to
meet market conditions. Some companies shift organizational
structure to expand and create new departments to serve growing
markets. Other companies reorganize corporate structure to downsize
or eliminate departments to conserve overhead. Often new owners or
managers rearrange business structure to create a familiar business
model.
• Developing a Restructuring Plan and Timeline
A restructuring is likely to impact many parts of the business, and
therefore, you need a plan that includes key considerations, such as:
1. Possible organizational structure scenarios that will position the
company for future growth, such as two or more teams being
combined to form a new one, a single team being divided to align
with a matrix structure, or the expansion of a product group to
include a new product development team
2. New or existing legal restrictions, or required financial investments
that must be made before the restructuring takes place
3. Implementation timelines
4. Key hires or the creation of new roles
• Frequent and Consistent Communication
A restructuring can be neither thrust on the organization nor
implemented without the full support of important company leaders
and stakeholders. Restructuring activities should be clearly
communicated among the leadership team, as well as with employees,
prior to the restructuring, during it, and even after the restructuring
has taken place. Some of the specific times when the company should
communicate on the progress of a restructuring initiative include:
 1. Before restructuring: The company should communicate
restructuring plans to employees so that they hear about them from
company leaders first, rather than in the media or through the
rumor mill.
2. During restructuring: As the implementation gets underway, it’s
important to make key announcements about new hires, changes
on the management team, and key milestones.
3. After restructuring: After a merger, acquisition, or other type of
reorganization has taken place, there are likely to be lingering
issues to be resolved. At this stage, company leaders need to
regularly share information and provide as much transparency to
the restructuring process as possible.
• Employee Feedback and Involvement
The many steps of the restructuring process are likely to go smoother
when employees understand how their roles will be impacted by the
restructuring. Companies can encourage employee feedback and
healthy involvement in the restructuring process by:
1. Providing employees with ongoing access to the company org
chart as it begins to change
2. Creating opportunities for employees to ask questions, provide
feedback, and get updates on how the restructuring efforts are
progressing
3. Encouraging employees to explore new career paths and open
positions that may arise as a result of the restructuring
• Regular Follow-Up
Just as a merger is not fully complete immediately after legal entities
have changed names or new teams have been formed, an
organizational restructuring can have many follow-on issues and
implications that will require regular follow-up. Whether there are
teams that need new leadership or processes that need to be re-
engineered after a key team has been reorganized, each restructuring
effort will require that employees and managers tie up any loose ends
created by the organizational changes that have taken place.

2. Rightsizing of the workforce and its importance.

 Rightsizing is the process of a company restructuring or reorganizing
itself by reducing its workforce, cost-cutting, or rearranging its upper
management. The aim is to streamline the business so that it can make
a profit more effectively. Technically, the term means adapting the
company to market conditions, which in theory could also mean
increasing the workforce.
Redundancy can undermine morale among the employees who are not
dismissed, as well as leading to job insecurity – this causes high
attrition (you lose them).
If reducing the workforce is not well managed, those who are made
redundant may complain bitterly online in forums and social network
websites. Newspapers and other media soon pick up on this, and the
bad news spreads rapidly. Applicants who are offered jobs in the
company may be less keen about joining.
Rightsizing can have a negative effect on a company’s brand image,
which makes recruitment and the selection of new resources more
difficult. In fact, even sales may be harmed.

3. Employee empowerment

Employee empowerment is giving employees a certain degree of

autonomy and responsibility for decision-making regarding their
specific organizational tasks. It allows decisions to be made at the
lower levels of an organization where employees have a unique view
of the issues and problems facing the organization at a certain level.
Job enlargement differs from job enrichment in that job enlargement
is horizontal expansion and job enrichment is considered vertical.
i. Job enlargement: Changing the scope of the job to include
a greater portion of the horizontal process.
a. Example: A bank teller not only handles deposits and
disbursement, but also distributes traveler's checks
and sells certificates of deposit.
ii. Job enrichment: Increasing the depth of the job to include
responsibilities that have traditionally been carried out at
higher levels of the organization.
 a. Example: The teller also has the authority to help a
client fill out a loan application, and to determine
whether or not to approve the loan.
As these examples show, employee empowerment requires:
• Training in the skills necessary to carry out the additional
responsibilities
• Access to information on which decisions can be made
• Initiative and confidence on the part of the employee to take on
greater responsibility

4. Total Quality Management

A core definition of total quality management (TQM) describes a

management approach to long-term success through customer
satisfaction. In a TQM effort, all members of an organization
participate in improving processes, products, services, and the culture
in which they work.
TQM can be summarized as a management system for a customer-
focused organization that involves all employees in continual
improvement. It uses strategy, data, and effective communications to
integrate the quality discipline into the culture and activities of the
organization. Many of these concepts are present in modern quality
management systems, the successor to TQM. Here are the 8 principles
of total quality management:
i. Customer-focused: The customer ultimately determines the
level of quality. No matter what an organization does to foster
quality improvement—training employees, integrating quality
into the design process, or upgrading computers or software—
the customer determines whether the efforts were worthwhile.
ii. Total employee involvement: All employees participate in
working toward common goals. Total employee commitment
can only be obtained after fear has been driven from the
workplace, when empowerment has occurred, and when
management has provided the proper environment. High-
performance work systems integrate continuous
improvement efforts with normal business operations. Self-
managed work teams are one form of empowerment.
 iii. Process-centered: A fundamental part of TQM is a focus on
process thinking. A process is a series of steps that take inputs
from suppliers (internal or external) and transforms them into
outputs that are delivered to customers (internal or external).
The steps required to carry out the process are defined, and
performance measures are continuously monitored in order to
detect unexpected variation.
iv. Integrated system: Although an organization may consist of
many different functional specialties often organized into
vertically structured departments, it is the horizontal processes
interconnecting these functions that are the focus of TQM.
v. Strategic and systematic approach: A critical part of the
management of quality is the strategic and systematic approach
to achieving an organization’s vision, mission, and goals. This
process, called strategic planning or strategic management,
includes the formulation of a strategic plan that integrates
quality as a core component.
vi. Continual improvement: A large aspect of TQM is continual
process improvement. Continual improvement drives an
organization to be both analytical and creative in finding ways
to become more competitive and more effective at
meeting stakeholder expectations.
vii. Fact-based decision making: In order to know how well an
organization is performing, data on performance measures are
necessary. TQM requires that an organization continually
collect and analyze data in order to improve decision making
accuracy, achieve consensus, and allow prediction based on
past history.
viii. Communications: During times of organizational change, as
well as part of day-to-day operation, effective communications
plays a large part in maintaining morale and in motivating
employees at all levels. Communications involve strategies,
method, and timeliness.

5. Global HR practices
 As globalization continues to rise, organizations looking to increase
market share across borders find themselves not only competing for
business, but for talent and sustainable labor costs as well. Human
Resources (HR) is at the center of this global revolution?involved in
both acquiring and deploying talent necessary to achieve global
expansion goals. Running a successful HR organization is hard
enough, but running a successful global HR organization adds
multiple levels of complexities. Technology plays a role in delivering
efficiency and innovation and enables organizations to deliver on
talent strategies.
Ten HR best practices for global organizations from our research and
others include:
i. Standardize complex global processes while providing
flexibility for local requirements.
ii. Transform service delivery.
iii. Manage the workforce in multiple countries efficiently.
iv. Move technology solutions to the Cloud.
v. Engage in meaningful global talent management.
vi. Create an appealing globalized workplace while ensuring
employee engagement.
vii. Invest in reporting/analytics.
viii. Make knowledge and people easily accessible.
ix. Leverage diversity as a business tool.
x. Include change management as a critical success factor.
These ten best practices can help an organization not only improve its
overall efficiency, but also increase its ability to compete in today's
rapidly changing global market.

6. E-HRM / HRIS

HRIS: A HRIS, which is also known as a human resource information

system or human resource management system (HRMS), is basically
an intersection of human resources and information technology
through HR software. This allows HR activities and processes to
occur electronically.
To put it another way, a HRIS may be viewed as a way, through
software, for businesses big and small to take care of a number
 of activities, including those related to human resources, accounting,
management, and payroll. A HRIS allows a company to plan its HR
costs more effectively, as well as to manage them and control them
without needing to allocate too many resources toward them.
In most situations, a HRIS will also lead to increases in efficiency
when it comes to making decisions in HR. The decisions made should
also increase in quality—and as a result, the productivity of both
employees and managers should increase and become more effective.

E-HRM: E-HRM is the integration of all HR systems and activities

using the web based technologies. Simply, when HR uses the Internet
or related technologies to support their activities, procedures,
processes, then it becomes an e-HRM.
Through e-HRM, the HR manager can get all the data compiled at one
place and can make the analysis and decisions on the personnel
effectively.

7. Meaning, Measurement and Importance of Intellectual Capital

 Intellectual property is the value of a company or organization's
employee knowledge, skills, business training or any proprietary
information that may provide the company with a competitive
advantage. Intellectual capital is considered an asset, and can broadly
be defined as the collection of all informational resources a company
has at its disposal that can be used to drive profits, gain new
customers, create new products or otherwise improve the business. It
is the sum of employee expertise, organizational processes, and other
intangibles that contribute to a company's bottom line.

Intellectual capital is a business asset, although measuring it is a very

subjective task. This asset to a firm is not booked on the balance sheet
as "intellectual capital"; instead, to the extent possible, it is integrated
into intellectual property (as part of intangibles and goodwill on the
balance sheet), which in itself is difficult to measure. Companies
spend much time and resources developing management expertise and
training their employees in business-specific areas to add to the
'mental capacity,' so to speak, of their enterprise. This capital
employed to enhance intellectual capital provides a return to the
company, though difficult to quantify, but something that can
contribute toward many years' worth of business value.

8. Employer branding
 Employer branding then is defined as a company’s ability to
differentiate and promote this identity to a defined group of candidates
that they’re interested in hiring.
Employer branding is the process of managing and influencing your
reputation as an employer among job seekers, employees and key
stakeholders. It encompasses everything you do to position your
organization as an employer of choice.
Your employer brand is your organization’s reputation as an
employer. In simpler terms, it’s what job seekers and employees really
think of you. It’s what they tell their friends and family when you
aren’t around. Though it may not be tangible, your employer brand is
an asset that requires constant cultivation.

For companies thinking about their employer branding strategy, there

are a few areas that it's critical to focus on:
1. Careers site
The company careers siteis one of the first places that interested
candidates go to learn more about your company.
You need a site that is easy to navigate and lets people learn more
about your company, mission, and jobs.
2. Application experience
3. Social media
4. Content
5. Employee advocacy
Your employees are your secret weapon.
We live in an age of unprecedented transparency - your employer
brand has never been more shaped by the genuine stories and
perspectives of your employees and alumni.
Candidates see employees as a window into the true nature of your
organization. The way you leverage your team has never been more
important...

9. Competency Mapping

Competency approach to job depends on competency

mapping. Competency Mapping is a process to identify key
competencies for an organization and/or a job and incorporating those
competencies throughout the various processes (i.e. job evaluation,
training, recruitment) of the organization. A competency is defined as
a behavior (i.e. communication, leadership) rather than a skill or
ability.

METHODS OF COMPETENCY MAPPING

1) Assessment Centre

“Assessment Centre” is a mechanism to identify the potential for

growth. It is a procedure (not location) that uses a variety of
techniques to evaluate employees for manpower purpose and
decisions.

a) Group Discussions: In these, candidates are brought

together as a committee or project team with one or a number of
items to make a recommendation on. Candidates may be
assigned specific roles to play in the group or it may be
structured in such a way that all the candidates have the same
basic information. Group discussion allows them to exchange
information and ideas and gives them the experience of
working in a team. In the work place, discussions enable
management to draw on the ideas and expertise of staff, and to
acknowledge the staff as valued members of a team.
b) In Tray: This type of exercise is normally undertaken by
candidates individually. The materials comprise a bundle of
correspondence and the candidate is placed in the role of
somebody, generally, which assumed a new position or
replaced their predecessor at short notice and has been asked to
deal with their accumulated correspondence. Generally the only
evidence that the assessors have to work with is the annotations
which the candidates have made on the articles of mail. It is
important when undertaking such an exercise to make sure that
the items are not just dealt with, but are clearly marked on the
items any thoughts that candidates have about them or any
other actions that they would wish to undertake.
 c) Interview Simulations/Role Plays: In these exercises
candidates meet individually with a role player or resource
person. Their brief is either to gather information to form a
view and make a decision, or alternatively, to engage in
discussion with the resource person to come to a resolution on
an aspect or issue of dispute. Typically, candidates will be
allowed 15 -30 minutes to prepare for such a meeting and will
be given a short, general brief on the objective of the meeting.
Although the assessment is made mainly on the conduct of the
meeting itself, consideration are also be given to preparatory
notes.

d) Case Studies / Analysis Exercises: In this type of exercise

the candidate is presented with the task of making a decision
about a particular business case. They are provided with a large
amount of factual information which is generally ambiguous
and, in some cases, contradictory. Candidates generally work
independently on such an exercise and their recommendation or
decision is usually to be communicated in the form of a brief
written report and/or a presentation made to the assessors. As
with the other exercises it is important with this kind of exercise
to ensure that their thought processes are clearly articulated and
available for the scrutiny of the assessors. Of paramount
importance, if the brief requires a decision to be made, ensure
that a decision is made and articulated.

2) Critical Incidents Technique

It is difficult to define critical incident except to say that it can

contribute to the growth and decay of a system. Perhaps one way to
understand the concept would be to examine what it does. Despite
numerous variations in procedures for gathering and analyzing critical
incidents researchers and practitioners agree the critical incidents
technique can be described as a set of procedures for systematically
identifying behaviours that contribute to success or failure of
individuals or organisations in specific situations. First of all, a list of
good and bad on the job behaviour is prepared for each job. A few
judges are asked to rate how good and how bad is good and bad
behaviour, respectively. Based on these ratings a check-list of good
and bad behavior is prepared.

3) Interview Techniques Competency Mapping

Almost every organisation uses an interview in some shape or form,

as part of competency mapping. Enormous amounts of research have
been conducted into interviews and numerous books have been
written on the subject. There are, however, a few general guidelines,
the observation of which should aid the use of an interview for
competency mapping.

The interview consists of interaction between interviewer and

applicant. If handled properly, it can be a powerful technique in
achieving accurate information and getting access to material
otherwise unavailable. If the interview is not handled carefully, it can
be a source of bias, restricting or distorting the flow of
communication.

4) Questionnaires

Questionnaires are written lists of questions that users fill out

questionnaire and return. You begin by formulating questions about
your product based on the type of information you want to know. The
questionnaire sources below provide more information on designing
effective questions. This technique can be used at any stage of
development, depending on the questions that are asked in the
questionnaire. Often, questionnaires are used after products are
shipped to assess customer satisfaction with the product. Such
questionnaires often identify usability issues that should have been
caught in-house before the product was released to the market.

5) Psychometric Tests

Many organizations use some form of psychometric assessment as a

 part of their selection process. For some people this is a prospect
about which there is a natural and understandable wariness of the
unknown.

A psychometric test is a standardized objective measure of a sample

of behavior. It is standardized because the procedure of administering
the test, the environment in which the test is taken, and the method of
calculating individual scores are uniformly applied. It is objective
because a good test measures the individual differences in an unbiased
scientific method without the interference of human factors. Most of
these tests are time bound and have a correct answer. A person’s score
is calculated on the basis of correct answers.

Q12. What is the role of HRM practices on the performance of an

organization? Give suitable examples.
Ans.
i. Employee development and organizational performance
There is a positive relationship between business performance and employee
development. Performance management programs have impact on this
relationship. Performance management programs include the incentives
plans, feedback mechanism. This study suggests that low level of
performance management programs and low employee development
decrease the industrial performance. The employee development depends on
the two important measures, training and promotion. There is a significant
relationship between investment in employee development and business
performance. The factors effecting the employee development include the
selection strategies, recruitment, evaluation of performance and planning
procedure. There is an indirect relationship between employee development
and organizational performance, relationship include the human resource
practices.

ii. Compensation management and organizational performance

For the purpose to increase performance of organization the key factor is to
motivate employees and attract the employees. Compensation can be in the
form of multiple pay plans and can be in the form of individually, merit pay
 to performance long incentives, bonus, and merit pay in the form of rewards.
These are the different qualities and components of compensation that are in
the form of individual performance and multiple pay plan performance. Pay
have direct impact on the performance of employees the compensation and
the pay structure directly impact the performance of the employees and the
they provide the output according to the pay plan and pay structure
according to the performance of employees.

iii. Organizational citizenship behavior and organizational performance

“Individually behavior that is discretionary not directly or explicitly
recognized by the formal reward system and that in aggregate promotes the
effective functioning of the organization. Organizational citizenship
performance speculates the overall performance and across all task
performance levels. Citizenship behavior is a function of employee’s in-role
and extra-role job behaviors. To improve the organizational performance
issues has been facing by senior management. The findings of organizational
citizenship behavior prove to be helpful to the organization. The type of
OCB creates strong link between organizational performance and
organizational workers. Organization becomes more effective if there are
more employees in organizational citizenship behavior. As a result, we
anticipated OCB to make the correlation between organizational
performance and HR practices.
Unit 2:
Q1. Define Human Resource Planning.
Ans.
Human resource planning (HRP) is the continuous process of systematic planning
ahead to achieve optimum use of an organization's most valuable asset—quality
employees. Human resources planning ensures the best fit between employees and
jobs while avoiding manpower shortages or surpluses.
There are four key steps of the HRP process. They include analyzing present labor
supply, forecasting labor demand, balancing projected labor demand with supply,
and supporting organizational goals.
HRP helps companies is an important investment for any business as it allows
companies to remain both productive and profitable.

Q2. Outline the process of HRP.

Ans.

1. Determining the Objectives of Human Resource Planning: The foremost

step in every process is the determination of the objectives for which the
 process is to be carried on. The objective for which the manpower planning
is to be done should be defined precisely, so as to ensure that a right number
of people for the right kind of job are selected.
The objectives can vary across the several departments in the organization
such as the personnel demand may differ in marketing, finance, production,
HR department, based on their roles or functions.
2. Analyzing Current Manpower Inventory: The next step is to analyze the
current manpower supply in the organization through the stored information
about the employees in terms of their experience, proficiency, skills, etc.
required to perform a particular job.
Also, the future vacancies can be estimated, so as to plan for the manpower
from both the internal (within the current employees) and the external
(hiring candidates from outside) sources. Thus, it is to be ensured that
reservoir of talent is maintained to meet any vacancy arising in the near
future.
3. Forecasting Demand and Supply of Human Resources: Once the
inventory of talented manpower is maintained; the next step is to match the
demand for the manpower arising in the future with the supply or available
resources with the organization.
Here, the required skills of personnel for a particular job are matched with
the job description and specification.
4. Analyzing the Manpower Gaps: After forecasting the demand and supply,
the manpower gaps can be easily evaluated. In case the demand is more than
the supply of human resources, that means there is a deficit, and thus, new
candidates are to be hired.
Whereas, if the Demand is less than supply, there arises a surplus in the
human resources, and hence, the employees have to be removed either in the
form of termination, retirement, layoff, transfer, etc.
5. Employment Plan/Action Plan: Once the manpower gaps are evaluated,
the action plan is to be formulated accordingly. In a case of a deficit, the
firm may go either for recruitment, training, interdepartmental transfer plans
whereas in the case of a surplus, the voluntary retirement schemes,
redeployment, transfer, layoff, could be followed.
 6. Training and Development: The training is not only for the new joinees
but also for the existing employees who are required to update their skills
from time to time.
After the employment plan, the training programmes are conducted to
equip the new employees as well as the old ones with the requisite skills
to be performed on a particular job.
7. Appraisal of Manpower Planning: Finally, the effectiveness of the
manpower planning process is to be evaluated. Here the human resource
plan is compared with its actual implementation to ensure the availability of
a number of employees for several jobs.
At this stage, the firm has to decide the success of the plan and control the
deficiencies, if any.

Q3. What are the objectives of HRP?

Ans.
The objectives of HR planning are as follows:
Objective # 1. Provide Information:
The information obtained through HRP is highly important for identifying surplus
and unutilised human resources. It also renders a comprehensive skill inventory,
which facilitates decision making, like, in promotions. In this way HRP provides
information which can be used for other management functions.
Objective # 2. Effective Utilisation of Human Resource:
Planning for human resources is the main responsibility of management to ensure
effective utilisation of present and future manpower. Manpower planning is
complementary to organisation planning.
Objective # 3. Economic Development:
At the national level, manpower planning is required for economic development. It
is particularly helpful in the creating employment in educational reforms and in
geographical mobility of talent.
Objective # 4. Determine Manpower Gap:
Manpower planning examine the gaps in existing manpower so that suitable
training programmes may be developed for building specific skills, required in
future.
Objective # 5. To Forecast Human Resource Requirements:
HRP to determine the future human resource needed in an organisation. In the
absence of such a plan, it would be difficult to have the services of the right kind of
people at the right time.
Objective # 6. Analyse Current Workforce:
HRP volunteers to assist in analysing the competency of present workforce. It
determines the current workforce strengths and abilities.
Objective # 7. Effective Management of Change:
Proper HR planning aims at coping with severed changes in market conditions,
technology products and government regulations in an effective way. These
changes call for continuous allocation or reallocation of skills evidently in the
absence of planning there might be underutilisation of human resource.
Objective # 8. Realising Organisational Goals:
HRP helps the organisation in its effectively meeting the needs of expansion,
diversification and other growth strategies.

Q4. What are the requirements of a successful HRP programme?

Ans.
There are four general, broad steps involved in the human resources planning
process.
• The first step of human resource planning is to identify the company's current
human resources supply. In this step, the HR department studies the strength of
the organization based on the number of employees, their skills, qualifications,
positions, benefits, and performance levels.
• The second step requires the company to outline the future of its workforce.
Here, the HR department can consider certain issues like promotions,
retirements, layoffs, and transfers—anything that factors into the future needs
of a company.
• The third step in the HRP process is forecasting the employment demand. HR
creates a gap analysis that lays out specific needs to narrow the supply of the
company's labor versus future demand. Should employees learn new skills?
Does the company need more managers? Do all employees play to their
strengths in their current roles?
• The answers to these questions let HR determine how to proceed, which is the
final phase of the HRP process. HR must now take practical steps to integrate
its plan with the rest of the company. The department needs a budget, the ability
to implement the plan, and a collaborative effort with all departments to execute
that plan.

Q5. What is the importance of HRP from the perspective of the organization?
Ans.
I. Assessing Future Personnel Needs:
Whether it is surplus labour or labour shortage, it gives a picture of defective
planning or absence of planning in an organization. A number of organizations,
especially public sector units (PSUs) in India are facing the problem of surplus
labour.
It is the result of surplus labour that the companies later on offer schemes like
Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) to eliminate surplus staff. Thus, it is better to
plan well about employees in advance. Through HRP, one can ensure the
employment of proper number and type of personnel.
II. Foundation for Other HRM Functions:
HRP is the first step in all HRM functions. So, HRP provides the essential
information needed for the other HRM functions like recruitment, selection,
training and development, promotion, etc.
III. Coping with Change:
Changes in the business environment like competition, technology, government
guidelines, global market, etc. bring changes in the nature of the job. This means
changes in the demand of personnel, content of job, qualification and experience
needed. HRP helps the organization in adjusting to new changes.
IV. Investment Perspective:
As a result of change in the mindset of management, investment in human
resources is viewed as a better concept in the long run success of the enterprise.
Human assets can increase in value as opposed to physical assets. Thus, HRP is
considered important for the proper planning of future employees.
V. Expansion and Diversification Plans:
During the expansion and diversification drives, more employees at various levels
are needed. Through proper HRP, an organization comes to know about the exact
requirement of personnel in future plans.
VI. Employee Turnover:
Every organization suffers from the small turnover of labour, sometime or the
other. This is high among young graduates in the private sector. This necessitates
again doing manpower planning for further recruiting and hiring.
VII. Conformity with Government Guidelines:
In order to protect the weaker sections of the society, the Indian Government has
prescribed some norms for organizations to follow. For example, reservations for
SC/ST, BC, physically handicapped, ex-servicemen, etc. in the jobs. While
planning for fresh candidates, HR manager takes into consideration all the
Government guidelines.
VIII. International Expansion Strategies:
International expansion strategies of an organization depend upon HRP. Under
International Human Resource Management (IHRM), HRP becomes more
challenging. An organization may want to fill the foreign subsidiary’s key
positions from its home country employees or from host-country or from a third
country. All this demands very effective HRP.
IX. Having Highly Talented Manpower Inventory:
Due to changing business environment, jobs have become more challenging and
there is an increasing need for dynamic and ambitious employees to fill the
positions. Efficient HRP is needed for attracting and retaining well qualified,
highly skilled and talented employees.
Q6. What are the barriers to HRP and how can these barriers be overcome?
Ans.
Some of the barriers to human resource planning are:-
• Lack of Support
People think that the human resource planning is unnecessary and time
consuming. Workforce can be arranged anytime at the time of requirement,
with attractive benefits and incentives so why human resource planning. They
think it is an easy task to manipulate the workforce in the organization.
• Incompatibility of Information
A strategic plan is set for achieving the long term goals or objectives of the
organization. At the time of formulation of strategy the used information is
basically long term oriented. But the human resource planning is formulated
using the short term information. So the information of human resource does
not often match with the information of strategy formulation.
• Approach Confliction
While formulating human resource planning the organization must consider that
how many people and how efficient people are needed for the smooth
functionality of the organization. Many human resource practitioners give
emphasis on number of employee and many other give emphasis on the quality
of the employee.
• Absence of Operating Managers’ Co-Ordination
Human Resource planning is one of the major functions of Human Resource
department of every organization. Successful planning depends on the co-
operation of all other existing departments. Mainly the operation managers’
coordination and support play very vital role in the success of human resource
planning. But very often things do not go in right direction.
• Identity Crisis
There is generally identity crisis and many managers as well as Human
Resource specialists do not fully understand the total Human resource planning
process. There can be little doubt that unless the Human resource planning
specialists develop a strong sense of purpose; they are more likely to fail.
• Resistance from Employees
Employees and trade unions often resist human resource planning. They feel
that this planning increases their overall workload and regulates them through
 productivity bargaining. They also feel that it would lead to wide spread
unemployment, especially of unskilled labour.
• Expensive and Time Consuming
Human resource planning is an expensive and time consuming process.
Employers may resist human resource planning feeling that it increases the cost
of human resource.
• Accuracy of Forecasts
If the forecast are not accurate, planning will not be accurate. Inaccuracy
increases when departmental forecasts are merely prepared without critical
review.
• Unbalanced Approach.
The manpower planning is an unbalanced approach as many human resource
persons give more importance on the quantitative aspects of manpower to
ensure that there is adequate flow of manpower in and out of the organization.
They overlook the qualitative aspects like career development and planning,
skill levels and morale etc.
Overcoming barriers to HRP Program:
1. Tailor made: Human Resource Plans must be based on corporate plans of the
enterprise and balanced with environment of the particular organisation.
2. Appropriate Time Horizon: The period of a human resource plan should be
appropriate to the needs a circumstance of the specific enterprise.
3. Organised Effort: Human resource planning function should be properly
organised. A separate committee, cell may be constituted within the human
resource department to provide adequate focus and to coordinate the planning
efforts at various levels.
4. Support of Top Management: To be effective, in the long run. Human
Resources planning must have the full support of top management. There is no use
formulating plans which cannot be implemented due to financial constraints.
5. Integration with organisational Plans: Human resources planning must be
based on organisational objectives and plans. This requires development of good
communication channels between organisation planes and the human resources
planners.
6. Organized System: Human Resource Planning function should be properly
organized. A separate section may be constituted within the human resource
department to provide adequate focus, and to coordinate the planning efforts at
various levels.
7. Greater Participation: Greater participation of line managers at all levels in
Human Resource Planning process should be there.
8. Flexibility: Enough flexibility in Human Resource Plans to take care of
changing situations.

Q8. Write short notes on:

I. Human Resources Forecasting
Human resources (HR) forecasting involves projecting labor needs and the
effects they’ll have on a business. An HR department forecasts both short-
and long-term staffing needs based on projected sales, office growth,
attrition and other factors that affect a company’s need for labor. In addition
to forecasting the number and type of workers you’ll need, HR planning
includes analyzing the various costs and administrative work that go along
with adding workers or downsizing.
o Using an Organization Chart
One of the most basic forecasting tasks for a human resources manager is the
creation and maintenance of a company’s organization chart. If your
business uses a flat organizational structure consisting of a few key
employees who work directly with you, it’s a good idea to create a chart that
shows how your company will be organized a year or two down the road.
You might begin adding departments, such as accounting, marketing, sales
and human resources, each of which requires a department head and
multiple employees.
An organization chart helps you hire proactively and avoid ending up with
employees who don’t fit in to your future organization.
o Production and Scheduling
If you make a product, your labor needs change as sales rise and fall. Your
human resources manager should keep in close touch with your sales
manager to be aware of any spikes or declines in sales that affect your labor
 needs. This prevents falling behind on order fulfillment or paying idle
workers.
A simple example of labor forecasting is a restaurant that has nights with
many bookings and large parties and other nights when few diners make
reservations. The manager forecasts the restaurant’s wait staff, bar and
kitchen needs. At a factory, the sales, production and human resources
managers work together to address seasonal spikes, large orders or the loss
of a major customer or retailer.
o Forecasting and Succession Planning
Human resources forecasting helps you avoid long-term holes in your
staffing needs by keeping on top of which of your employees might be
retiring, leaving or asked to leave. Using this information, your HR manager
plans to fill these holes with internal staff or prepares for a quick recruiting
effort.
As you receive the results of your staff forecasting, prepare your
coordinators to move up to manager positions one day and your managers to
make the move to directors, if possible. Lower-level staff can’t fill some
positions because they require specific degrees or certifications, but some
positions might best be filled by internal employees. Add employee training
to your human resources efforts to prepare key staff to rise within the
organization as staff members need to be replaced.
o Budgeting Based on Future Staffing Levels
In addition to forecasting labor needs, human resources forecasting helps
you plan budgets based on your future staffing levels. For example, demand
forecasting might show a need for more seasonal workers. An HR review
might determine the best way to handle this is with part-time workers or
paying overtime to current employees.
If your labor needs won’t change next year, you might still have increased
employee costs based on annual raises and benefits increases. Your HR
manager forecasts your personnel costs each year to help with your
budgeting.

II. Work Load Analysis

It is a methodology to determine the time, effort and resources necessary to
carry out the department’s operations, resulting in identifying the
organization’s actual needs of human resources both in terms of quality and
quantity.
 Benefits of WLA:
• Enables the organization identifying the actual needs of human resources
both in terms of quality and quantity in the short term and long term.
• Maintaining the appropriate number of employees in the work system, to
ensure not to prevent or delay performing the assigned tasks.
• Ensuring the effective and efficient use of the organizations resources.
• Enhancing the organization productivity.
• Improving the performance of the various units of the organization.

Q9. Define job analysis and its importance as a crucial management practice.
Ans.
Job Analysis is a process to identify and determine in detail the particular job
duties and requirements and the relative importance of these duties for a given job.
Job Analysis is a process where judgements are made about data collected on a job.
The Job; not the person An important concept of Job Analysis is that the analysis
is conducted of the Job, not the person. While Job Analysis data may be collected
from incumbents through interviews or questionnaires, the product of the analysis
is a description or specifications of the job, not a description of the person.
Purpose of Job Analysis
The purpose of Job Analysis is to establish and document the 'job relatedness' of
employment procedures such as training, selection, compensation, and
performance appraisal.
Determining Training Needs
Job Analysis can be used in training/"needs assessment" to identify or develop
• training content
• assessment tests to measure effectiveness of training
• equipment to be used in delivering the training
• methods of training (i.e., small group, computer-based, video, classroom...)
Compensation
Job Analysis can be used in compensation to identify or determine:
• skill levels
• compensable job factors
• work environment (e.g., hazards; attention; physical effort)
• responsibilities (e.g., fiscal; supervisory)
• required level of education (indirectly related to salary level)
Selection Procedures
Job Analysis can be used in selection procedures to identify or develop:
• job duties that should be included in advertisements of vacant positions;
• appropriate salary level for the position to help determine what salary should
be offered to a candidate;
• minimum requirements (education and/or experience) for screening
applicants;
 • interview questions;
• selection tests/instruments (e.g., written tests; oral tests; job simulations);
• applicant appraisal/evaluation forms;
• orientation materials for applicants/new hires
Performance Review
Job Analysis can be used in performance review to identify or develop:
• goals and objectives
• performance standards
• evaluation criteria
• length of probationary periods
• duties to be evaluated

Q10. What are the contents of Job analysis and how can the information
provided by Job analysis be used by the organization?
Ans.
Job Analysis should collect information on the following areas:
• Duties and Tasks The basic unit of a job is the performance of specific
tasks and duties. Information to be collected about these items may include:
frequency, duration, effort, skill, complexity, equipment, standards, etc.
• Environment This may have a significant impact on the physical
requirements to be able to perform a job. The work environment may
include unpleasant conditions such as offensive odors and temperature
extremes. There may also be definite risks to the incumbent such as noxious
fumes, radioactive substances, hostile and aggressive people, and dangerous
explosives.
• Tools and Equipment Some duties and tasks are performed using specific
equipment and tools. Equipment may include protective clothing. These
items need to be specified in a Job Analysis.
 • Relationships Supervision given and received. Relationships with internal
or external people.
• Requirements The knowledges, skills, and abilities (KSA's) required to
perform the job. While an incumbent may have higher KSA's than those
required for the job, a Job Analysis typically only states the minimum
requirements to perform the job.

Job Analysis – Significance (use of information by Job Analysis):

1. Facilitates Manpower Planning:
Job analysis is the qualitative aspect of manpower requirements. It determines the
demands of the job in terms of responsibilities and duties and then translates these
demands into skills, qualities and other human attributes.
It determines the quantum of work which an average person can perform on the job
in a day. It facilitates the division of work into different jobs. Thus, it is an
essential element of manpower planning as it matches jobs with men.
2. Helps Recruitment, Selection and Placement:
In order to hire the right person on a job, it is essential to know the requirements of
the job and the qualities of the individual who will perform it. The information
regarding these is procured from job description and job specifications
respectively. These help the management in matching the job requirements as
closely as possible with workers’ aptitudes, abilities, interests, etc. It facilitates the
execution of employment programme.
3. Determines Training and Development Needs:
Job analysis determines the levels of standards of job performance. It helps in
administering the training development programmes. Job descriptions and job
specifications are written documents. If the contents of these two documents are
known to the employees, they will try to acquire the skills and knowledge required
to perform the task assigned to them efficiently.
They may also prepare themselves for the higher post in the light of the job
description and the job specifications. The same information may be used by those
who administer the training and development programmes for determining the
contents and subject matter needed in such programmes.
4. Determines Job Evaluation:
Job evaluation aims at determining the relative worth of the job which helps in
determining the compensation of job. These jobs are evaluated in terms of money.
An accurate and comprehensive set of job descriptions and the job specifications
forms of factual basis for evaluating the worth of the job.
5. Provides Data for Performance Appraisal:
Job analysis data provide a clear-cut standard of performance for every job. The
performance of employee can be appraised objectively with the standard of job
performance so established. A supervisor may very easily compare the contribution
of each man with the set standards.
6. Helps Job Designing:
Industrial engineers may use the job analysis information in designing the job by
making the comprehensive study of the job elements. It helps in time and motion
study, work-specifications, methods and workplace improvement and work-
measurement. Human engineering activities such as physical, mental and
psychological actions are studied with the help of job analysis information.
7. Ensures Safety and Health:
The job analysis process uncovers the hazardous and unhealthy environmental
factors such as heat, noise, fumes, dust, etc. related with the jobs. The management
may take corrective measures to minimize the chances of risks to ensure safety to
workers and avoid unhealthy conditions.
8. Maintains Discipline:
Job analysis provides the information regarding characteristics of various jobs and
the job-holders. It studies the failure of the workman to meet the required standard
of performance. Corrective measures may be taken in time to avoid untoward
situations. In this way it helps in maintaining the discipline in the industry.

Q11. What are the methods of collecting information for Job Analysis?
Ans.
Observation:
Under this method, data is collected through observing an employee while at work.
The job analyst on the basis of observation carefully records what the worker does,
how he/she does, and how much time is needed for completion of a given task.
This is the most reliable method of seeking first hand information relating to a job.
This method is suitable for jobs that consist primarily of observable physical
ability, short job cycle activities. The jobs of draftsman, mechanic, spinner or
weaver are the examples of such jobs. However, the flip side of this method is that
this method is not suitable for jobs that involve unobservable mental activities
reveal overlaps and grey areas and have not complete job cycle.
Interview:
In this method, the job analyst directly interviews the job holder through a
structured interview form to elicit information about the job. This method is found
suitable particularly for jobs wherein direct observation is not feasible. By way of
directly talking to the job holder, the interviewer job analyst may extract
meaningful information from the job holder about his/her job.
However the interview method is both time consuming and costly. Particularly, the
professional and managerial jobs due to their complicated nature of job, require a
longer interview’ This may also be a possibility that bias on the part of the analyst
and the job holder i.e., the respondent may cloud the accuracy and objectivity of
the information gathered through interview. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of the
interview method will depend on the ability of both interviewer and respondent in
asking questions and responding them respectively.
Questionnaire:
Questionnaire method of job data collection is desirable especially in the
following two situations:
First, where the number of people doing the same job is large and to personally
interview them is difficult and impracticable.
Second, where giving enough time to employees is desirable to enable them to
divulge and explore the special aspects of the jobs.
In this method, the employee is given structured questionnaire to fill in, which are
then returned to the supervisors. The supervisor, after making the required and
necessary corrections in the information contained in the questionnaire, submits the
corrected information to the job analyst. Questionnaire provides comprehensive
information about the job.
Checklists:
The checklist method of job data collection differs from the questionnaire method
in the sense that it contains a few subjective questions in the form of yes or no. The
job holder is asked to tick the questions that are related to his/her job. Checklist
can be prepared on the basis of job information obtained from various sources such
as supervisors, industrial engineers, and other people who are familiar with the
particular job.
Once the checklist is prepared, it is then sent, to the job holder to check all the
tasks listed in the list he/she performs. He/she is also asked to mention the amount
of time spent on each task by him/her and the type of training and experience
required to do each task. Information contained in checklist is, then, tabulated to
obtain the job-related data.
Critical Incidents:
This method is based on the job holder’s past experiences on the job. They are
asked to recapitulate and describe the past incidents related to their jobs. The
incidents so reported by the job holders are, then, classified into various categories
and analysed in detail. Yes, the job analyst requires a high degree of skill to
analyse the incidents appropriately described by the job holders. However, this
method is also time-consuming one.
Diaries or Log Records:
In this method, the job holder is asked to maintain a diary recording in detail the
job-related activities each day. If done judiciously, this method provides accurate
and comprehensive information about the job. This overcomes memory lapses on
the part of the job holder. As recording of activities may spread over several days,
the method, thus, becomes time-consuming one.
Technical Conference Method:
In this method, a conference is organised for the supervisors who possess extensive
knowledge about job. They deliberate on various aspects of the job. The job
analyst obtains job information from the discussion held among these
experts/supervisors. The method consumes less amount of time. However, the
main drawback of this method is that it lacks accuracy and authenticity as the
actual job holders are not involved in collecting job information.

Q12. Write short notes on:

• Job Description:
A job description or JD is a written narrative that describes the general tasks,
or other related duties, and responsibilities of a position. It may specify the
functionary to whom the position reports, specifications such as
the qualifications or skills needed by the person in the job, information about
the equipment, tools and work aids used, working conditions, physical
demands, and a salary range. Job descriptions are usually narrative, but some
may comprise a simple list of competencies; for instance, strategic human
resource planning methodologies may be used to develop a competency
architecture for an organization, from which job descriptions are built as a
shortlist of competencies.
Job description management is the creation and maintenance of job
descriptions within an organization. A job description is a document listing the
tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a specific job. Having up-to-date, accurate
and professionally written job descriptions is critical to an organization’s ability
to attract qualified candidates, orient & train employees, establish job
performance standards, develop compensation programs, conduct performance
reviews, set goals and meet legal requirements.

• Job Specification:
A job specification defines the knowledge, skills and abilities that are required
to perform a job in an organization. Job specification covers aspects like
education, work-experience, managerial experience etc which can help
accomplish the goals related to the job. Job specification helps in the
recruitment & selection process, evaluating the performance of employees and
in their appraisal & promotion. Job specification, along with job description, is
actually derived from job analysis. Collectively, job specification and job
description help in giving a overview of the job in terms of its title, position,
roles, responsibilities, education, experience, workplace etc.
Components of Job Specification
 There are many parameters which are considered while giving the job
specification for a certain profile.
1. Educational Qualification: This parameter gives an insight on how
qualified a certain individual is. It covers their basic school education,
graduation, masters degree, other certifications etc
2. Experience: Job specification clearly highlights the experience required in a
particular domain for completing a specific job. It includes work experience
which can be from a specific industry, position, duration or in a particular
domain. Managerial experience in handling and managing a team can also be a
job specification criteria required for a particular position
3. Skills & Knowledge: This is an important parameter in job specification
especially with knowledge and skill based profiles. The higher the position in a
company, the more niche the skills become and more is the knowledge required
to perform the job. Skills like leadership, communication management, time
management, team management etc are mentioned.
4. Personality traits and characteristics: The way in which a person behaves
in a particular situation, handles complex problems, generic behaviour etc are
all covered in the characteristics of a job description. It also covers the
emotional intelligence of a person i.e how strong or weak a person is
emotionally

• Difference between Job Description and Job Specification.

BASIS FOR JOB SPECIFICATION
JOB DESCRIPTION
COMPARISON

Meaning Job Description is a The statement which

concise written explains the minimum
statement, explaining eligibility requirements,
about what are the for performing a particular
major requirements of job is known as Job
a particular job. Specification.

Lists out Job title, duties, tasks Employee's qualification,

and responsibilities skills and abilities.
involved in a job.
 BASIS FOR JOB SPECIFICATION
JOB DESCRIPTION
COMPARISON

What is it? It expresses what a It expresses what an

prospective employee applicant must possess for
must do when he will getting selected.
get the placement

Prepared from Job Analysis Job Description

Describes Jobs Job Holders

Comprises of Designation, place of Educational

work, scope, salary qualifications, experience,
range, working hours, skills, knowledge, age,
responsibilities, abilities, work orientation
reporting authority etc. factors, etc.

Q13. What is Job Design?

Ans.
Job design is the process of deciding on the contents of a job in terms of its duties
and responsibilities, on the methods to be used in carrying out the job, in term of
techniques, systems and procedures and on the relationships that should exist
between the jobholder and his superiors, subordinates and colleagues.
Job design is the logical sequence of the process of job analysis and involves
conscious efforts to organize tasks, duties and responsibilities into a unit of work
so as to business objectives.
Job design is the logical sequence to job analysis. It involves conscious efforts to
organize tasks, duties and responsibilities into a unit of work so as to achieve
organizational objectives. It deals with the allocation and arrangement or
organizational work activities and tasks into sets where a singular set of activities
constitutes a “job” and which is subsequently performed by a job incumbent.
As before, the five performance objectives give us a guide to what is relevant
in job design decisions:
Objective # 1. Quality:
The ability of staff to produce high-quality products and services can be affected
by job design. This includes avoiding errors in the short term, but also includes
designing jobs which encourage staff to improve that job itself in such a way as to
make errors less likely.
Objective # 2. Speed:
Sometimes speed of response is the dominant objective to be achieved in job
design. For example, the way in which the jobs of emergency service personnel are
organised (the range of tasks for which they are trained, the sequence of activities
in their approved procedures, the autonomy which they have to decide on
appropriate action, and so on) will go a long way to determine their ability to
respond promptly to emergencies and perhaps same lives.
Objective # 3. Dependability:
Dependable supply of goods and services is usually influenced, in some way, by
job design. For example, in the postal services, working arrangements,
multiskilling, accurate use of sorting equipment through good staff machine
interface design, and the ‘design’ of postal staff’s clothing, can all aid dependable
delivery of letters and particles.
Objective # 4. Flexibility:
Job design can affect the ability of the operation to change the nature of its
activities. New product or service flexibility, mix flexibility, volume flexibility and
delivery flexibility are all dependent to some extent on job design. For example,
staff who have been trained in several tasks (multi-skilling) may find it easier to
cope with a wide variety of models and new product or service introductions.
Objective # 5. Cost:
All the elements of job design described above will have an effect on the
productivity, and therefore, the cost of the job. Productivity in this context means
the ratio of output to labour input- for example, the number of customers served
per hour or the number of products made per worker. In addition, job design will
influence two other particularly important objectives.
Objective # 6. Health and Safety:
Whatever else a job design achieves, it must not endanger the well-being of the
person who does the job, other staff of the operation, the customers who might be
present in the operation, or those who use any products made by the operation.
Objective # 7. Quality of Working Life:
The design of any job should take into account its effect on bob security, intrinsic
interest, and variety, opportunities for development, stress level and attitude of the
person performing the job.

Q14. How is work scheduling related to motivation in an organization?

Ans.
A work schedule includes the days of the week and times of the day a particular
employee is scheduled to work at a job. The traditional full-time work week in the
United States involves five eight-hour days. However, many employers offer part-
time and alternative schedules to cover their work needs and attract workers.
Employees' work schedules vary from full-time to part-time to job shares. All work
schedules have one thing in common; the employee is doing work required by an
employer. Today's employers understand that flexibility is what employees require
in their work schedules.
Here's how you can negotiate the flex schedule of your dreams.
Working From Home
Truly valued, working from home is a schedule option that many employees
sincerely value. During troubled times like the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic,
if your employees can accomplish the work from their home offices, please let
your employees work from home.
Telecommuting
Telecommuting or working from home is a flexible work arrangement that enables
an employee, a consultant, or a contractor, to work distantly from the employer's
location all or part of the time. Telecommuting is also an option for bad weather
days and days that require an adult present in the home for events such as furniture
delivery, furnace cleaning, and mid-day doctor appointments.
Some organizations allow regular telecommuting up to several days a week for
most employees. Others decide who can use a telecommuting work schedule on a
case by case basis.
Full Time Employee
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not define full-time employee or part-
time employee. What is counted as a full-time employee is generally defined by
the employer.
The definition of a full-time employee is often published in the employee
handbook. Some people just want to be 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. full-time employees—trust
this thought—really. Others seek all sorts of flexibility.
Work with a Flexible Schedule
A flexible schedule allows an employee to work hours that differ from the average
company start and stop time. An appreciated benefit, flexible work schedules allow
employees to maintain work and life balance.
Different flexible work schedules suit different employees' busy lives. But, any
employer flexibility in work schedules helps you motivate and retain your best
employees.
Share a Job
A job share occurs when two employees cooperatively share the same job. There
are advantages, disadvantages, challenges, and opportunities when employees job
share. As an employer, a job share can benefit both the employee and you. Here
are the advantages and disadvantages of a job share.
Work Alternative Shifts
Shift work occurs in a work schedule that utilizes 24 hours a day and occasionally,
seven days a week, to keep an organization operating. Shift work occurs whenever
24-hour coverage is necessary or when a 24 hour day optimizes work output and
productivity. Many approaches to shift work exist and each shift work schedule
have challenges.
But, some employees like a non-day shift work schedule. Families may want to
avoid child care expenses with parents working different shifts. Some employees
work two jobs or run a part-time enterprise from home. Whatever the reason, a
shift work schedule accommodates some employee needs.
Work as a Temporary Employee
Temporary employees are hired to assist employers in meeting business demands
yet allow the employer to avoid the cost of hiring a regular employee. Sometimes,
it is the expectation of the employer that if the temporary employee is successful,
the temporary employee will be hired. A temporary work schedule is a lifestyle
choice for many employees.
Maybe you're an executive not quite ready to retire, but you don't want an 8 a.m. to
5 p.m. commitment at the same employer every day—so you temp. Perhaps your
heart is in skiing, and the ski resorts call to you every winter. In the snowless
season, you work on an island or at a warm-weather resort. Reasons for a
temporary work schedule are often choices.
Part Time Employee
A part-time employee has traditionally worked less than a 40 hour work week.
Today, though, some employers count employees as full time if they work 30, 32,
or 36 hours a week. In fact, fewer required work hours is considered a non-
standard benefit in some organizations.

Q15. Define work scheduling.

Ans.
An employee's work schedule includes the days and times that he or she is
expected to be working. In most cases, this will be a set number of days and hours.
When looking for jobs, it is helpful to know what kind of work schedule you are
looking for. You can use this information to narrow your job search and to help
you prepare for interview questions related to the work schedule.
The “9-5” Work Schedule
The "9-5" schedule is the most common work schedule, requiring employees to
work Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, many jobs differ
slightly in their schedules. For example, some “9-5” jobs are Wednesday through
Sunday, rather than Monday through Friday. Others require employees work from
8 a.m. to 6 p.m. or some other slightly different set of hours.
Shift Work Schedule
Shift work schedules happen when a company divides the day into shifts and
assigns employees to work set periods of time. Sometimes these shifts vary day to
day or week to week (these are known as rotating schedules), while other times an
employee is hired to work a specific shift (these are known as fixed schedules).
Flexible Work Schedule
Other work schedules are flexible. Flexible schedules allow employees to vary
their arrival and departure, and sometimes even choose the days that they work.
For example, a company might allow employees to come in any time they want, as
long as they complete 8 hours of work every day.
Part-Time and Full-Time Schedules
A standard definition of a full-time employee is someone who works a 40-hour
week, but there is no official, legal guideline. Similarly, there is no legal guideline
for the number of hours worked by part-time employees in a week – it's simply
defined as someone who works fewer hours per week than a full-time employee at
the same company.

Q16. What are the different techniques of Job designing?

Ans.
1. Job Simplification
Job is simplified or specialized. The job is broken down into small parts and each
part is assigned to an individual.
To be more specific, work simplification is mechanical pacing of work, repetitive
work processes, working only on one part of a product, predetermining tools and
techniques, restricting interaction amongst employees, few skills requirements.
Work simplification is used when jobs are not specialized.
2. Job Rotation
Job rotation means systematically moving workers from one job to another.
When incumbents become bored with routine jobs, job rotation is an answer to it.
Here jobs remain unchanged, but the incumbents shift from one job to another.
On the positive side, it increases the intrinsic reward potential of a job because of
the different skills and abilities needed to perform it. Workers become more
competent in several jobs, know a variety of jobs and improve the self-image,
personal growth.
Further, the worker becomes more valuable to the organization. On the negative
side, it may not be much enthusiastic or efficiency may not be more.
Besides jobs may not improve the relationships between task, while activities and
objectives remain unchanged. Further training costs also rise and it can also de-
motivate intelligent and ambitious trainees who seek specific responsibilities in
their chosen specialties.
3. Job Enlargement
Job enlargement means assigning workers additional same-level activities. Job
enlargement changes the jobs to include more and/or different tasks. It means
expanding the number of tasks or duties assigned to a given job. Job enlargement is
naturally opposite to work simplification.
Adding more tasks or duties to a job does not mean that new skills and abilities are
needed. There is only horizontal expansion.
It is with the same skills taking additional responsibilities like extending working
hours etc. Job enlargement may involve breaking up the existing work system and
redesigning a new work system.
4. Job Enrichment
Job enrichment is improvisation of both tasks efficiency and human satisfaction by
building into people’s jobs, quite specifically, greater scope for personal
achievement and recognition, more challenging and responsible work and more
opportunity for individual advancement and growth.
An enriched job will have more responsibility, more autonomy (vertical
enrichment), and more variety of tasks (horizontal enrichment) and more growth
opportunities. The employee does more planning and controlling with less
supervision but more self-evaluation.
5. Job Reengineering
Reengineering means redesigning a business process so that small
multidisciplinary self-managing teams get the task done together, all at once.
Reengineering identifies the desired outcome of a system or subsystem and
restructures jobs and even departments to radically increase performance.
Often this is done by eliminating unneeded steps and clustering related
responsibilities into one job or team organized around the process.

Q17. Discuss the Job Characteristics approach to Job Design.

Ans.
The job characteristics approach was popularized by Hackman and Oldham.
According to this approach, there is a direct relationship between job satisfaction
and rewards.
They said that employees will be their productive best and committed when they
are rewarded appropriately for their work. They laid down five core dimensions
that can be used to describe any job – skill variety, task identity, task significance,
autonomy, and feedback.
▪ Skill variety: The employees must be able to utilize all their skills and
develop new skills while dealing with a job.
▪ Task Identity: The extent to which an identifiable task or piece of work is
required to be done for the completion of the job.
▪ Task Significance: How important is the job to the other people, what
impact does it create on their lives?
▪ Autonomy: Does the job offer freedom and independence to the individual
performing the same.
▪ Feedback: Is feedback necessary for improving performance.
These are different approaches but all of them point to more or less the same
factors that need to be taken into consideration like interest, efficiency,
productivity, motivation, etc. All these are crucial to effective job design.
Unit 3:
Q1. Define Recruitment. Outline the process.
Ans.
Recruitment is a positive process of searching for prospective employees and
stimulating them to apply for the jobs in the organisation. When more persons
apply for jobs then there will be a scope for recruiting better persons.
Recruitment is concerned with reaching out, attracting, and ensuring a supply of
qualified personnel and making out selection of requisite manpower both in their
quantitative and qualitative aspect. It is the development and maintenance of
adequate man- power resources. This is the first stage of the process of selection
and is completed with placement.
According to Edwin B. Flippo, “It is a process of searching for prospective
employees and stimulating and encouraging them to apply for jobs in an
organisation.” He further elaborates it, terming it both negative and positive.
Recruitment Process:

1. Recruitment Planning:
The first step involved in the recruitment process is planning. Here, planning
involves to draft a comprehensive job specification for the vacant position,
outlining its major and minor responsibilities; the skills, experience and
qualifications needed; grade and level of pay; starting date; whether temporary or
permanent; and mention of special conditions, if any, attached to the job to be
filled”.
2. Strategy Development:
Once it is known how many with what qualifications of candidates are required,
the next step involved in this regard is to devise a suitable strategy for recruiting
the candidates in the organisation.
The strategic considerations to be considered may include issues like whether to
prepare the required candidates themselves or hire it from outside, what type of
recruitment method to be used, what geographical area be considered for searching
the candidates, which source of recruitment to be practiced, and what sequence of
activities to be followed in recruiting candidates in the organisation.
3. Searching:
This step involves attracting job seekers to the organisation. There are broadly two
sources used to attract candidates.
These are:
1. Internal Sources, and
2. External Sources
These have been just discussed, in detail, under 6.3 Sources of Recruitment.
4. Screening:
Though some view screening as the starting point of selection, we have considered
it as an integral part of recruitment. The reason being the selection process starts
only after the applications have been screened and shortlisted. Let it be exemplified
with an example.
In the Universities, applications are invited for filling the post of Professors.
Applications received in response to invitation, i.e., advertisement are screened and
shortlisted on the basis of eligibility and suitability. Then, only the screened
applicants are invited for seminar presentation and personal interview. The
selection process starts from here, i.e., seminar presentation or interview.
Job specification is invaluable in screening. Applications are screened against the
qualification, knowledge, skills, abilities, interest and experience mentioned in the
job specification. Those who do not qualify are straightway eliminated from the
selection process.
The techniques used for screening candidates vary depending on the source of
supply and method used for recruiting. Preliminary applications, de-selection tests
and screening interviews are common techniques used for screening the
candidates.
5. Evaluation and Control:
Given the considerable cost involved in the recruitment process, its evaluation and
control is, therefore, imperative.
The costs generally incurred in a recruitment process include:
(i) Salary of recruiters
(ii) Cost of time spent for preparing job analysis, advertisement
(iii) Administrative expenses
(iv) Cost of outsourcing or overtime while vacancies remain unfilled
(v) Cost incurred in recruiting unsuitable candidates
In view of above, it is necessary for a prudent employer to try to answer certain
questions like: whether the recruitment methods are appropriate and valid? And
whether the recruitment process followed in the organisation is effective at all or
not? In case the answers to these questions are in negative, the appropriate control
measures need to be evolved and exercised to tide over the situation.

Q2. What are the sources of recruitment?

Ans.
Q3. Critically evaluate the internal sources of recruitment.
Methods of Internal Sources:
The Internal Sources Are Given Below:
1. Transfers:
Transfer involves shifting of persons from present jobs to other similar jobs. These
do not involve any change in rank, responsibility or prestige. The numbers of
persons do not increase with transfers.
2. Promotions:
Promotions refer to shifting of persons to positions carrying better prestige, higher
responsibilities and more pay. The higher positions falling vacant may be filled up
from within the organisation. A promotion does not increase the number of persons
in the organisation.
3. Present Employees:
The present employees of a concern are informed about likely vacant positions.
The employees recommend their relations or persons intimately known to them.
Management is relieved of looking out prospective candidates.
Q4. Critically evaluate the external sources of recruitment.
Methods of External Sources:
1. Advertisement:
It is a method of recruitment frequently used for skilled workers, clerical and
higher staff. Advertisement can be given in newspapers and professional journals.
These advertisements attract applicants in large number of highly variable quality.
Preparing good advertisement is a specialised task. If a company wants to conceal
its name, a ‘blind advertisement’ may be given asking the applicants to apply to
Post Bag or Box Number or to some advertising agency.
2. Employment Exchanges:
Employment exchanges in India are run by the Government. For unskilled, semi-
skilled, skilled, clerical posts etc., it is often used as a source of recruitment. In
certain cases it has been made obligatory for the business concerns to notify their
vacancies to the employment exchange. In the past, employers used to turn to these
agencies only as a last resort. The job-seekers and job-givers are brought into
contact by the employment exchanges.
3. Schools, Colleges and Universities:
Direct recruitment from educational institutions for certain jobs (i.e. placement)
which require technical or professional qualification has become a common
practice. A close liaison between the company and educational institutions helps in
getting suitable candidates. The students are spotted during the course of their
studies. Junior level executives or managerial trainees may be recruited in this
way.
4. Recommendation of Existing Employees:
The present employees know both the company and the candidate being
recommended. Hence some companies encourage their existing employees to
assist them in getting applications from persons who are known to them.
In certain cases rewards may also be given if candidates recommended by them are
actually selected by the company. If recommendation leads to favouritism, it will
impair the morale of employees.
5. Factory Gates:
Certain workers present themselves at the factory gate every day for employment.
This method of recruitment is very popular in India for unskilled or semi-skilled
labour. The desirable candidates are selected by the first line supervisors. The
major disadvantage of this system is that the person selected may not be suitable
for the vacancy.
6. Casual Callers:
Those personnel who casually come to the company for employment may also be
considered for the vacant post. It is most economical method of recruitment. In the
advanced countries, this method of recruitment is very popular.
7. Central Application File:
A file of past applicants who were not selected earlier may be maintained. In order
to keep the file alive, applications in the files must be checked at periodical
intervals.
8. Labour Unions:
In certain occupations like construction, hotels, maritime industry etc., (i.e.,
industries where there is instability of employment) all recruits usually come from
unions. It is advantageous from the management point of view because it saves
expenses of recruitment. However, in other industries, unions may be asked to
recommend candidates either as a goodwill gesture or as a courtesy towards the
union.
9. Labour Contractors:
This method of recruitment is still prevalent in India for hiring unskilled and semi-
skilled workers in brick klin industry. The contractors keep themselves in touch
with the labour and bring the workers at the places where they are required. They
get commission for the number of persons supplied by them.
10. Former Employees:
In case employees have been laid off or have left the factory at their own, they may
be taken back if they are interested in joining the concern (provided their record is
good).
11. Other Sources:
Apart from these major sources of external recruitment, there are certain other
sources which are exploited by companies from time to time. These include special
lectures delivered by recruiter in different institutions, though apparently these
lectures do not pertain to recruitment directly.
Then there are video films which are sent to various concerns and institutions so as
to show the history and development of the company. These films present the story
of company to various audiences, thus creating interest in them.

Q5. Discuss the factors affecting the process of recruitment of a company.

Ans.
INTERNAL FACTORS
1. Recruitment Policy
The recruitment policy of the organization i.e. recruiting from internal sources and
external also affect the recruitment process. The recruitment policy of an
organization determines the destinations or enlistment and gives a structure to
usage of recruitment program.
Factors Affecting Recruitment Policy
• Need of the organization.
• Organizational objectives
• Preferred sources of recruitment.
• Government policies on reservations.
• Personnel policies of the organization and its competitors.
• Recruitment costs and financial implications.
2. Human Resource Planning
Effective human resource process and procedure helps in fixing the loops present
in the existing manpower of the organization. This also helps in filter the number
of employees to be recruited and what kind qualification and skills they must
possess.
3. Size of the Organization
The size of the organization affects the recruitment process. If the organization is
planning to increase its operations and expand its business, it will think of hiring
more personnel, which will handle its operations.
4. Cost involved in recruitment
Recruitment process also count the cost to the employer, that’s why organizations
try to employ/outsource the source of recruitment which will be cost effective to
the organization for each candidate.
5. Growth and Expansion
Organization will utilize or consider utilizing more work force in the event that it is
growing its operations.
EXTERNAL FACTORS
The external forces are the forces which cannot be controlled by the organization.
The major external forces are:
1. Supply and Demand
The availability of manpower both within and outside the organization is an
essential factor in the recruitment process.
2. Labour Market
Employment conditions where the organization is located will effected by the
recruiting efforts of the organization.
3. Goodwill / Image of the organization
Image of the firm is another factor having its effect on the Different government
controls forbidding separation in contracting and work have coordinated effect on
enlistment practices. As taken Example, Govt. of India has the convention of
reservation in work for booked standings/planned clans, physically Disabled and so
on. Additionally, exchange associations have the significant part in enrollment.
This limits management freedom to select those individuals who can be the best
performers. This can work as a potential constraint for recruitment. A company
with positive image as an employer able to easier to attract and retain employees
than an organization with negative image. Organizations actions and activities like
good public relations, public service like, charity, construction and
development roads, public parks, hospitals education and schools help earn image
or goodwill for organization.
4. Political-Social-Legal Environment
Different government controls forbidding separation in contracting and work have
coordinated effect on enlistment practices.
5. Unemployment Rate
The Element that influence the availability of applicants is the economy growth
rate . At the point when the organization isn't making new jobs, there is frequently
oversupply of qualified work which thusly prompts unemployment.
6. Competitors
The recruitment policies and procedure an of the competitors also affect the
recruitment function of the organizations. Time to time the organizations have to
change their recruitment policies and manuals according to the policies being
followed by the competitors.
Recruitment is one of the main departments which place the right candidates to the
right job. The recruiters should identify the best candidates from different sources
and job sites. Recruiters have to identify the problems faced during recruitment and
find an alternative to make work efficiently which can fulfil recruitment goal on
time.

Q6. Define Selection. Outline the process.

Ans.
Selection is the process of picking or choosing the right candidate, who is most
suitable for a vacant job position in an organization. In others words, selection can
also be explained as the process of interviewing the candidates and evaluating their
qualities, which are required for a specific job and then choosing the suitable
candidate for the position.
The major differences between Recruitment and Selection are as follows –

Process of Selection:
1. Preliminary Interview: The preliminary interview is also called as a
screening interview wherein those candidates are eliminated from the further
selection process who do not meet the minimum eligibility criteria as
required by the organization.
Here, the individuals are checked for their academic qualifications, skill sets,
family backgrounds and their interest in working with the firm. The
preliminary interview is less formal and is basically done to weed out the
unsuitable candidates very much before proceeding with a full-fledged
selection process.
2. Receiving Applications: Once the individual qualifies the preliminary
interview he is required to fill in the application form in the prescribed
format. This application contains the candidate data such as age,
qualification, experience, etc. This information helps the interviewer to get
the fair idea about the candidate and formulate questions to get more
information about him.
3. Screening Applications: Once the applications are received, these are
screened by the screening committee, who then prepare a list of those
applicants whom they find suitable for the interviews. The shortlisting
criteria could be the age, sex, qualification, experience of an individual.
Once the list is prepared, the qualified candidates are called for the interview
either through a registered mail or e-mails.
4. Employment Tests: In order to check the mental ability and skill set of an
individual, several tests are conducted. Such as intelligence tests, aptitude
tests, interest tests, psychological tests, personality tests, etc. These tests are
conducted to judge the suitability of the candidate for the job.
5. Employment Interview: The one on one session with the candidate is
conducted to gain more insights about him. Here, the interviewer asks
questions from the applicant to discover more about him and to give him the
accurate picture of the kind of a job he is required to perform.
Also, the briefing of certain organizational policies is done, which is crucial
in the performance of the job. Through an interview, it is easier for the
employer to understand the candidate’s expectations from the job and also
his communication skills along with the confidence level can be checked at
this stage.
6. Checking References: The firms usually ask for the references from the
candidate to cross check the authenticity of the information provided by him.
These references could be from the education institute from where the
candidate has completed his studies or from his previous employment where
he was formerly engaged. These references are checked to know the conduct
and behavior of an individual and also his potential of learning new jobs.
7. Medical Examination: Here the physical and mental fitness of the
candidate are checked to ensure that he is capable of performing the job. In
some organizations, the medical examination is done at the very beginning
of the selection process while in some cases it is done after the final
selection.
Thus, this stage is not rigid and can take place anywhere in the process. The
medical examination is an important step in the selection process as it helps
in ascertaining the applicant’s physical ability to fulfill the job requirements.
 8. Final Selection: Finally, the candidate who qualifies all the rounds of a
selection process is given the appointment letter to join the firm.
Thus, the selection is complex and a lengthy process as it involves several
stages than an individual has to qualify before getting finally selected for the
job.

Q7. Describe some tests conducted for selecting candidates.

Ans.
Types of Selection Tests
A: Aptitude tests are:- Intelligence Tests, Mechanical Aptitude Tests,
Psychomotor Tests, Clerical Aptitude Tests.
B: Achievement tests are:- Job Knowledge Tests, Work Sample Tests.
C: Situational tests:- Group Discussion, In-Basket, Assessment Centres
D: Interest tests
E: Personality tests are:- Objective Tests, Projective Tests.
Types of selection tests are broadly classified into five types as under:
1. Aptitude Tests
These tests aim at measuring if an individual has the capacity or latent ability to
learn a given job, in case he is given adequate training.
Different aptitude tests are as under:
(i) Intelligence Tests:
These tests, as evident from their name, measure intelligence quotient of the
candidate. In detail, these tests measure capacity for comprehension reasoning,
word fluency, verbal comprehension, numbers, memory and space. Other factors
are such as digit spans forward and backward information known, comprehension,
vocabulary, picture arrangement and object assembly.
Intelligence tests comprise of the following sample learning, ability, the
adaptability tests, etc.
(ii) Mechanical Aptitude Tests:
To evaluate the capacities of spatial visualisation, perceptual speed and knowledge
of mechanical matter mechanical aptitude tests are held. These tests are useful
when selection is to be made of apprentices, skilled, mechanical employees,
technicians, etc
(iii) Psychomotor Tests:
These tests measure abilities like manual dexterity motor ability and mind and
coordination of candidates. These tests are of great use to select semi-skilled
workers for repetitive operations like packing, watch assembly.
(iv) Clerical Aptitude Tests:
Specific capacities that are involved in office work are measured through this test.
This test includes the items like spelling, computation, comprehension, copying,
word measuring, etc.
2. Achievement Tests:
These tests are conducted in case, it is claimed by the applicants that they know
something as extraordinary, as such these tests are concerned with what one has
accomplished. These tests are more useful to measure the value of specific
achievement, when an organisation wishes to employ experienced candidates.
These tests are classified into two phases:
(i) Job Knowledge Tests:
It is the test under which a candidate is put under test in the knowledge of a
particular job. For example, if a junior lecturer applies for the job of a senior
lecturer in commerce, he may be tested in job knowledge, where he is asked
questions about Accountancy Principles, Banking Law and Business Management
etc.
(ii) Work Sample Tests:
This is the second phase under which a portion of the actual work is given to the
candidate, as a test and the candidate is asked to do it. To illustrate, in case a
candidate applies for a post of lecturer in Management, he may be asked to deliver
a lecture on Management Information System as a work sample test.
3. Situational Tests:
This test makes evaluation of a candidate in a similar real life situation. The
candidate is asked either to cope with the situation or solve critical situations of the
job.
It can be divided as under:
(i) Group Discussion:
As it is clear from its name that this test is administered through a group discussion
approach to solve a problem under which candidates are observed in the areas of
initiating, leading, proposing valuable ideas, conciliating skills, oral
communicating skills, coordinating and concluding skills.
(ii) In-Basket:
Situational test is administered through in-basket. The candidate, in this test, is
supplied with actual letters, telephone and telegraphic message, reports and
requirements by various officers of the organisation, adequate information about
the job and organisation. The candidate is asked to take decisions on various items
based on the in-basket information regarding requirements in the memoranda.
(iii) Assessment Centres:
Assessment centre provides wide-ranging holistic assessment of each participant as
it is a process that makes evaluation of a candidate’s potential for management on
the basis of three sources viz., multiple assessment technique such as situational
tests, standardised methods of making inferences and pooled judgements for
multiple assessors to rate each candidate’s behaviour.
4. Interest Tests:
Likes and dislikes of candidates in relation to work, job, occupations, hobbies and
recreational activities are determined through this test. The objective of this test is
to find out whether a candidate is interested or disinterested in the job for which he
is a candidate and to find out in which area of the job range/occupation the he is
interested in. This test is based on the assumption that there is a high correlation
between the interest of a candidate in a job and job success.
5. Personality Tests:
The aim of these tests is to evaluate the whole personality of the candidate such as
his emotional reactions and maturity and characteristic mood. They are expressed
in such traits like self-confidence, tact, emotional control, optimism, decisiveness,
sociability, conformity, objectivity, patience, fear, distrust, initiative, judgment,
dominance or submission, impulsiveness, sympathy, integrity, stability and self-
confidence.
The personality tests are of two kinds:
(i) Objective Tests – Objective tests are suitable for group testing and can be
scored objectively.
(ii) Projective Tests – Under this, candidates are asked to project their own
interpretation of certain standard stimulus situations, basing on ambiguous
pictures, figures etc., under these tests.

Q8. What is an interview?

Ans.
An interview is an answer to know and ascertain how to fit a man to the required
job. An interview is beneficial to both the candidate and the organization, for it
helps them to grow.
An interview definition can be crafted as a gentle conversation between two people
or more where questions are asked to a person to get the required responses or
answers.
People involved in an interview: Usually two groups or two individuals sit facing
each other in an interview. The person asking questions is the interviewer and the
person answering the questions is the interviewee.

Q9. What are the different types of interviews?

Ans.
Behavioral Interviews
Interviewers use behavioral based interviews to determine how you’ve handled
various job situations in the past. The idea is that your past behavior predicts how
you’ll act in the new job. You won’t get many easy “yes” or “no” questions and in
most cases, you’ll need to answer with an anecdote about a previous experience.
Case Interviews
Interviews that include the interviewer giving you a business scenario and asking
you to manage the situation are called case interviews. They’re most often used in
management consulting and investment banking interviews and require you to
show off your analytical ability and problem-solving skills.
Competency Based Interviews
Interviews that require you to give examples of specific skills are
called competency-based interviews, or job specific interviews. The interviewer
will ask questions that will help them determine if you have the knowledge and
skills required for the specific job.
Exit Interviews
An exit interview is a meeting between an employee who has resigned or been
terminated and the company's Human Resources department. Companies conduct
these types of interviews, so they can learn more about the work environment and
get job feedback. You may be asked why you left your job, why are you taking a
new job, and what would you change about your job. These tips will help
you handle an exit interview so you can move on gracefully.
Final Interview
The final interview is the last step in the interview process and the last interview
you find out whether or not you’ll get a job offer. This type of interview is usually
conducted by the CEO or other members of upper management. The key to a final
interview is to take it as seriously as all the preliminary interviews — just because
you were asked in for a final interview doesn’t mean you got the job yet.
Group Interviews
Employers may hold group interviews because they’re often more efficient than
one-on-one interviews. There are two types of group interviews: one involves an
applicant being interviewed by a group (or panel) of interviewers; the other
involves one interviewer and a group of applicants.
Informal Interviews
Hiring managers may begin the screening process with a relaxed, informal
conversation instead of a formal interview. This is more of a casual discussion than
a typical job interview. On a similar note, a chat over a cup of coffee is another less
formal type of job interview.
Informational Interviews
An informational interview is used to collect information about a job, career field,
industry or company. In this case, you’re the interviewer and you find people to
speak with so you can learn more about a specific field.
Mock Interviews
A mock interview provides you with an opportunity to practice for an
interview and receive feedback. Although you can do an informal mock interview
with a friend of family member, a mock interview with a career coach, counselor
or university career office will give the best feedback.
Off-Site Interviews
Employers sometimes schedule job interviews in a public place, like a coffee shop
or restaurant. Perhaps there is no local office or maybe they don’t want current
employees to know about the possibility of a new hire. In any case, it’s good to
be prepared for off-site interviews.
On the Spot Interview
Sometimes you’ll be expected to do an on the spot interview. For example, you
may turn in your application and be asked to do an interview right away. Or when
an organization (typically retail or hospitality) announces they will be holding open
interviews on a specific date. In situations like these, hiring personnel use on-the-
spot interviews to screen applicants and immediately decide who should and
should not be included in the next step of the recruiting process.
Panel Job Interview
A panel job interview takes place when you’re interviewed by a panel of
interviewers. You may meet with each panel member separately or all together.
And sometimes there will be a panel of interviewers and a group of candidates all
in one room.
Phone Interviews
While you're actively job searching, you may need to be prepared for a phone
interview on a moment's notice. Companies often start with an unscheduled phone
call, or maybe you’ll get to schedule your call. In either case, it’s good to be ready
and prepared to ask phone interview questions to ask the interviewer as well.
Restaurant Interviews
One of the reasons employers take job candidates out to lunch or dinner is
to evaluate their social skills and to see if they can handle themselves gracefully
under pressure. Remember you’re still being observed when you participate in
a job interview at a restaurant so use your best table manners, choose foods that
aren’t too messy. Also take a look at what to wear when interviewing over a meal.
Second Interviews
You passed your first interview and you just got an email or call to schedule
a second interview. This interview will be more detailed and may be several hours
long.
Structured Interview
A structured interview is typically used when an employer wants to assess and
compare you with candidates in an impartial way. Essentially, the interviewer asks
all the candidates the same questions. If the position requires specific skills and
experience, the employer will draft interview questions focusing exactly on the
abilities the company is seeking.
Unstructured Job Interview
An unstructured interview is a job interview in which questions may be changed
based on the interviewee's responses. While the interviewer may have a few set
questions prepared in advance, the direction of the interview is rather casual, and
questions flow is based on the direction of the conversation. Unstructured
interviews are often seen as less intimidating than formal interviews. However,
because each interviewee is asked different questions, this method is not always
reliable.
Video Interviews
Perhaps you’ve applied for a remote job or you’re interviewing for a position in
another state (or country). Software programs such as Skype, Zoom, and FaceTime
making video calling easy and video interviews are becoming more common.
Q10. What are the errors that may crop into interviewing process?
Ans.
Error #1: Not defining the job clearly
Many employers start the interview process without properly defining the job
duties and requirements needed to succeed in the job. This increases the risk of
hiring the wrong person. A thorough job description will identify duties and
responsibilities, reporting relationships, academic or professional qualifications,
technical skills and personal qualities, such as interpersonal skills. A well-written
document will help you develop structured interview questions that assess an
applicant’s suitability for the job.
Error #2: Stereotyping
When interviewing, you might stereotype based on appearance, background, or
personal circumstances. For example, I have overheard employers make these
observations about candidates:
• He played football in university; he must be aggressive.
• He’s wearing casual clothing; he’s probably too laid-back for our company.
• She has three children; there’s no way she can work overtime.
When you make assumptions like these, you run the risk of missing out on well-
qualified candidates as well as possibly being accused of discrimination. Be careful
to assess each candidate only on their qualifications and experience relative to the
job requirements.
Error #3: Forming first impressions
Several factors cause interviewers to form first impressions including the greeting,
the handshake, or the candidate’s dress. What then happens is that you tend to ask
questions that support your first impression. For example, if you feel a candidate is
disorganized because they’re five minutes late, you tend to elicit information from
them that proves this to be true. Good interviewers will seek out both positive and
negative information from the candidate and wait until the interview is over before
drawing conclusions.
Error #4: Not preparing interview questions in advance
Effective interviewers always prepare interview questions ahead of time that seek
out relevant job-related data about the candidate. Reviewing the position
requirements and creating questions from that list is the best way to prepare. And,
because you are asking the same questions of all candidates, you are able to
compare candidates with each other easily.
Likewise, you should record all the candidates’ answers so you don’t forget any
important facts about their qualifications. Some interviewers believe that if you
take notes during the interview, you’ll leave the impression that you’re not
listening to the candidate’s answers. That’s wrong. Candidates will in fact be
impressed with your professionalism.
Error #5: Accepting resume information at face value
Some candidates misrepresent or embellish important details on their resumes.
Whether it is claiming they hold degrees they don’t have or falsifying employment
dates to conceal gaps in their work history, certain applicants will never give you
the complete history. Through structured interview questions, detailed reference
checking, and confirming stated educational achievements, you can verify all
resume information including education, dates of employment, positions held, and
accomplishments.
Error #6: Poor interviewing skills
Let’s face it: many managers are thrust into the hiring process with very little
training or the experience necessary to make such an important decision.
Inexperienced interviewers can commit any one of several possible errors. For
example, you may inadvertently tip off a candidate by asking a leading questions. I
once heard an employer ask, “In this job, we need someone who is very organized.
You’re pretty organized, aren’t you?” Guess what the answer was.
Or, you might overlook non-verbal behaviours demonstrated by the candidate
during the interview. Poor eye contact, restlessness, and long pauses can tell you as
much about a candidate as what they actually say.
Error #7: Rushing to hire
Many managers make hiring decisions based on the interview alone. While the
interview is the most important step in the selection process, it fails to take into
account valuable information that could be gathered from other sources. Reference
checks, personality assessments and role-playing all provide complementary
evidence that will validate (or refute) the judgment you have from the face-to-face
interview. Use all these tools and take your time to hire properly. Your reputation
as a manager depends on it.

Q11. Differentiate between Recruitment and Selection.

Ans.

BASIS FOR
RECRUITMENT SELECTION
COMPARISON

Meaning Recruitment is an activity Selection refers to the process

of searching candidates and of selecting the best candidates
encouraging them apply for and offering them job.
it.

Approach Positive Negative

Objective Inviting more and more Picking up the most suitable

candidates to apply for the candidate and rejecting the
vacant post. rest.

Key Factor Advertising the job Appointment of the candidate

Sequence First Second

Process Vacancies are notified by The firm makes applicant pass

the firm through various through various levels like
sources and application submitting form, written test,
 BASIS FOR
RECRUITMENT SELECTION
COMPARISON

form is made available to interview, medical test and so

the candidate. on.

Contractual As recruitment only Selection involves the creation

Relation implies the communication of contractual relation between
of vacancies, no the employer and employee.
contractual relation is
established.

Method Economical Expensive

Q12. What is meant by Internal Mobility? What are the various processes
through which the employees can move within the organization? (read all the
processes hint: transfer, promotion etc).
Ans.
Internal mobility refers to the change of role that a worker may choose to engage in
within the organization, shifting from one organizational unit to a different one,
performing different activities.
Internal mobility can occur due to various reasons related to specific organizational
needs of the Foundation:
- Open positions that the Foundation advertises through job opportunities
reserved to internal staff (internal selections)
- Role transitions that become necessary due to organizational/strategic changes,
problematic situations or personal reasons
Types of Internal Recruiting
• Promotions: The most widely used form of internal recruiting is the one
everybody hopes for – a promotion.
 • Transfers: A transfer typically entails moving to the same job at a different
location or a similar level job in a different department.
• Temporary to Permanent: Similar to a promotion, this involves making a
temporary position holder or intern a full-fledged employee.
• Employee referrals: A hiring managers dream – and an often overlooked
type of internal recruiting. Employee referrals are a great, cost-effective way
to get qualified candidates in front of hiring managers. Having a system in
place to encourage and gamify the employee referral process will help to
ensure you see a constant stream of employee-referred candidates.

Q13. Define Training.

Ans.
Dale S. Beach defines training as ‘the organized procedure by which people learn
knowledge and/or skill for a definite purpose’. Training refers to the teaching and
learning activities carried on for the primary purpose of helping members of an
organization acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes needed
by a particular job and organization.

Q14. What is the comparison between Training, Education and Development?

Ans.

BASIS FOR
TRAINING DEVELOPMENT
COMPARISON

Meaning Training is a learning Development is an

process in which educational process which is
employees get an concerned with the overall
opportunity to develop growth of the employees.
skill, competency and
knowledge as per the
job requirement.
BASIS FOR
TRAINING DEVELOPMENT
COMPARISON

Term Short Term Long Term

Focus on Present Future

Orientation Job oriented Career oriented

Motivation Trainer Self

Objective To improve the work To prepare employees for

performances of the future challenges.
employees.

Number of Many Only one

Individuals

Aim Specific job related Conceptual and general

knowledge

BASIS FOR
TRAINING EDUCATION
COMPARISON

Meaning The process of Theoretical learning in the

inculcating classroom or any institution is
specific skills in a education.
person is training.

What is it? It is a method of It is a typical form of learning.

skill development.
BASIS FOR
TRAINING EDUCATION
COMPARISON

Based on Practical Theoretical orientation

application

Perspective Narrow Wide

Involves Job experience Classroom learning

Term Short term Comparatively long term

Prepares for Present job Future job

Objective To improve To develop a sense of reasoning

performance and and judgement.
productivity.

Teaches Specific task General concepts

Q15. Discuss the Training wheel/cycle.

Ans.
Stage 1: Identifying Training Needs
The first stage in the training cycle is to identify and assess any training needs.
This stage is extremely important because if you do not address the right issues, or
if you do not identify actual training needs, then the training will not achieve what
you want it to. Delivering training that does not have a clearly identified needs and
objectives will not meet the needs of the individuals or the organization.
After you have determined that there is a legitimate training need, the next step is
to state exactly what you want the training to accomplish. You do this by writing
learning objectives that specify what the learner should be able to do after the
learning event.
Stage 2: Design
After you have identified the training needs and determined the objectives, you can
begin the program design. The first step in the design phase is to determine what
type of training is the best option to achieve the learning objectives.
Possible Options:
• Instructor led classroom training
• Virtual training
• Self-paced e-learning
• Self-study
• On the job
• Combination of these and others in a blended learning solution
The next step in the design stage is to structure the training to create a framework
for the delivery of the training content. Basically, you structure what you want to
address at the beginning, middle and end of the training course. This will include
determining when and what information is presented, when to conduct learning
activities, and when to have assessments. The entire course design should be
systematic and logical with each segment linked to and building on the previous.
Stage 3: Develop the Training
After the course is designed and the framework is set, both reference material and
learning activities are created for the participants in order for them to understand
and practice the new knowledge or skills.
Creation and assembly of the materials that may be utilized in the training course
include:
• Instructor’s guide
• Participant’s guide
• Reference guides
• Job aids
• Handouts
• Presentation
• Assessments
Stage 4: Training Delivery
The delivery stage is when the learners attend the training session or take the
training course (online or self-study). An effective training program allows the
attendees to actively participate in the learning process and to practice their new
skills and knowledge. Learning is enhanced when the learners have time to reflect
upon the training, so it is important to allow time for reflection during the course.
Stage 5: Apply Learning
After the training event, the learners need to be given the time and opportunities to
put their learning into practice. This stage is necessary if any real change is to
occur following the training event. This stage should be conducted shortly after the
training event, because new learning is most effective if applied while the new
information in fresh in the learner’s mind.
Stage 6: Evaluate the Training Program
The final stage in the Training Cycle before you begin the needs analysis stage
again, is the evaluation stage. This stage is essential because if you do not evaluate
the impact of training, you will not know whether the training is having the
necessary impact and effectiveness. Without an evaluation process training quality
cannot be assured and appropriate improvements cannot be made to maintain
standards.

Q16. What are the various ON-THE JOB training methods? Discuss.
Ans.
The various on-the-job training methods are:
1. Coaching:
Coaching is a one-to-one training. It helps in quickly identifying the weak areas
and tries to focus on them. It also offers the benefit of transferring theory learning
to practice. The biggest problem is that it perpetrates the existing practices and
styles. In India most of the scooter mechanics are trained only through this method.
2. Mentoring:
The focus in this training is on the development of attitude. It is used for
managerial employees. Mentoring is always done by a senior inside person. It is
also one-to- one interaction, like coaching.
3. Job Rotation:
It is the process of training employees by rotating them through a series of related
jobs. Rotation not only makes a person well acquainted with different jobs, but it
also alleviates boredom and allows to develop rapport with a number of people.
Rotation must be logical.
4. Job Instructional Technique (JIT):
It is a Step by step (structured) on the job training method in which a suitable
trainer (a) prepares a trainee with an overview of the job, its purpose, and the
results desired, (b) demonstrates the task or the skill to the trainee, (c) allows the
trainee to show the demonstration on his or her own, and (d) follows up to provide
feedback and help. The trainees are presented the learning material in written or by
learning machines through a series called ‘frames’. This method is a valuable tool
for all educators (teachers and trainers). It helps us:
a. To deliver step-by-step instruction
b. To know when the learner has learned
c. To be due diligent (in many work-place environments)
5. Apprenticeship:
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill.
This method of training is in vogue in those trades, crafts and technical fields in
which a long period is required for gaining proficiency. The trainees serve as
apprentices to experts for long periods. They have to work in direct association
with and also under the direct supervision of their masters.
6. Understudy:
In this method, a superior gives training to a subordinate as his understudy like an
assistant to a manager or director (in a film). The subordinate learns through
experience and observation by participating in handling day to day problems. Basic
purpose is to prepare subordinate for assuming the full responsibilities and duties.

Q17. What are the various Off-THE JOB training methods? Discuss.
Ans.
1. Case study method:
Usually case study deals with any problem confronted by a business which can be
solved by an employee. The trainee is given an opportunity to analyse the case and
come out with all possible solutions. This method can enhance analytic and critical
thinking of an employee.
2. Incident method:
Incidents are prepared on the basis of actual situations which happened in different
organizations and each employee in the training group is asked to make decisions
as if it is a real-life situation. Later on, the entire group discusses the incident and
takes decisions related to the incident on the basis of individual and group
decisions.
3. Role play:
In this case also a problem situation is simulated asking the employee to assume
the role of a particular person in the situation. The participant interacts with other
participants assuming different roles. The whole play will be recorded and trainee
gets an opportunity to examine their own performance.
4. In-basket method:
The employees are given information about an imaginary company, its activities
and products, HR employed and all data related to the firm. The trainee (employee
under training) has to make notes, delegate tasks and prepare schedules within a
specified time. This can develop situational judgments and quick decision making
skills of employees.
5. Business games:
According to this method the trainees are divided into groups and each group has
to discuss about various activities and functions of an imaginary organization.
They will discuss and decide about various subjects like production, promotion,
pricing etc. This gives result in co-operative decision making process.
6. Grid training:
It is a continuous and phased programme lasting for six years. It includes phases of
planning development, implementation and evaluation. The grid takes into
consideration parameters like concern for people and concern for people.
7. Lectures:
This will be a suitable method when the numbers of trainees are quite large.
Lectures can be very much helpful in explaining the concepts and principles very
clearly, and face to face interaction is very much possible.
8. Simulation:
Under this method an imaginary situation is created and trainees are asked to act
on it. For e.g., assuming the role of a marketing manager solving the marketing
problems or creating a new strategy etc.
9. Management education:
At present universities and management institutes gives great emphasis on
management education. For e.g., Mumbai University has started bachelors and
postgraduate degree in Management. Many management Institutes provide not
only degrees but also hands on experience having collaboration with business
concerns.
10. Conferences:
A meeting of several people to discuss any subject is called conference. Each par-
ticipant contributes by analyzing and discussing various issues related to the topic.
Everyone can express their own view point.
11. Vestibule Training
Vestibule Training is a term for near-the-job training, as it offers access to
something new (learning). In vestibule training, the workers are trained in a
prototype environment on specific jobs in a special part of the plant.
An attempt is made to create working condition similar to the actual workshop
conditions. After training workers in such condition, the trained workers may be
put on similar jobs in the actual workshop.
Q18. Critically evaluate the various ON-THE JOB training methods.
Ans.
[Merits and Demerits of On The Job methods mentioned above]
Q19. Critically evaluate the various Off-THE JOB training methods.
Ans.
[Merits and Demerits of Off The Job methods mentioned above]
Unit 4:
Q1. Define Performance appraisal.
Ans.
A performance appraisal is a regular review of an employee's job performance and
overall contribution to a company. Also known as an "annual review,"
"performance review or evaluation," or "employee appraisal," a performance
appraisal evaluates an employee’s skills, achievements and growth, or lack thereof.
Companies use performance appraisals to give employees big-picture feedback on
their work and to justify pay increases and bonuses, as well
as termination decisions. They can be conducted at any given time but tend to be
annual, semi-annual or quarterly.

Q2. What is the importance of a robust performance appraisal system?

Ans.
Following are the top 5 importance:
Leadership Focus
‘What gets focus, gets done’ is an old saying. Employees who see their top
leadership teams emphasise and reinforce the importance of following the
‘performance management routine’, embrace it with more conviction and
enthusiasm. The top leadership team which ‘walks the talk’ and holds itself to the
same process rigor it expects from one and all is able to push its line managers and
employees with much more conviction. It is worth examining how many
organisations have their top leaders diligently document goals, measures of
success, achievement & performance feedback.
Goal Alignment
Be it a small, mid-sized or large corporation, goal alignment at all levels is critical
to ensure everyone is in sync and working towards a common goal. While it takes
time, effort and a good level of automation, managers and employees at all levels
should be able to set and align their goals based on top management priorities. An
organisation’s values, principles and priorities ought to reflect in each employee’s
goals.
First Line Manager- the Glue
First line managers are the glue that holds the organisation together. They can
make or break any program or initiative within an organisation. You ought to get
their buy-in and commitment before you embark on making any systemic changes
to the performance management system. So what makes this vital group rally
behind you? 3 things you could consider doing:
• involve, seek feedback in design and execution
• hold managers accountable; have specific measures set aside in appraisal
• reward, differentiate and publicly recognise managers for their demonstrated
leadership
Aggressive Differentiation
To establish an organizational culture which fosters meritocracy, differentiate
aggressively amongst your employees. Through your actions demonstrate clearly
that level of contribution and impact is the only factor which will make a
difference in how they are treated within the organisation. Differentiate
aggressively when it comes to rewards and recognition based on performance.
Employees ought to feel that the system has teeth and that they stand to lose/ gain
purely based on merit.
Has the needle moved?
All said and done, check the degree the needle has moved on key organisational
performance parameters. These could be a diverse set (the ones listed below only
indicative):
• has the organisation achieved the tangible goals it set out to achieve
• do employees at all levels experience clarity of direction resulting from
better goal alignment
• do employees feel motivated, engaged and willing to give their best
Q3. What is Performance Management system?
Ans.
Performance management system is the systematic approach to measure
the performance of employees. It is a process through which the organization
aligns their mission, goals and objectives with available resources (e.g. Manpower,
material etc), systems and set the priorities.
The execution administration framework is a constant procedure of characterizing
and conveying the activity parts and duties, execution desires, goals and set their
needs between boss (administrator) and subordinates (workers). It incorporates
association, office and representative shared objective and targets which are lined
up with frameworks and assets. It is the channel of providing clarity about goals
and also to improve the business processes through various methods and
mechanism.
Purpose of Implementing Performance Management System
Managing employee’s performance is the key objective of establishing systematic
Performance Management system in an organization.These process servers’ six
main purposes in the company:
1. Strategic
Performance managed system is a tool which should be align with overall
organization goal followed through department goal and individual goals.In other
words, the organizational strategic goals should be linked with each activity
performed by every department or employee.
2. Administrative
Performance management system is also set the deciding factor of employee’s
promotion, demotion, salary increment, transfer and terminations.It enables to
identify the performers, non-performers or under performer employees in an
organization. It merits the competency and skill level of employees. Hence, it
clearly defines the administrative role as well and supports the management
decisions.
3. Communication
It is the effective communication channel to inform employees about their goals,
job responsibilities, key deliverables and performance standards. Further, it is also
a structure method to indicate the key areas of improvement required by the
employee in order to improvise his performance. In other words, it provides the
platform to learn and train on skills, and knowledge for better performance and
results.
4. Developmental
It is the structure method of communicating the positive feedbacks, improvement
areas, and development plans. The manager can use various methods like training,
mentoring, coaching etc. and them their team members to perform better.
5. Organizational Maintenance
Performance management system is the yardstick of measuring employee,
department and organization achievements and evaluating the performance gaps
through various tools and techniques. Hence, it maintains the health of the
organization and its performance standards.
6. Documentation
The performance management reviews, feedback and forms should be documented
and maintained periodically by every organization. It would enable them to look
forward, set new targets, design developmental needs, design training and learning
programmes, and career progression of employee and for department. Hence, it
helps in driving the organizational needs to desirable objectives.

Q4. What are the objectives of conducting performance appraisals?

Ans.
Objective 1: Goal Setting Is Integral To Systematic Evaluation
Goal setting is an essential process to build a superior performance appraisal
system.
No matter what you seek to achieve with your performance appraisal system, goal
setting is its first step.
Employees should know exactly what is expected of them. Goal setting makes it
easier to set the standard performance levels.
During goal setting, you need to make it clear on what basis will the job
performance be evaluated. Describe exactly what you are looking for from the
employee.
Objective 2: Provide Frequent Feedback For Increased Job Performance
The working of a performance appraisal process starts way before the actual
performance evaluation.
In here, constructive feedback palys an extremely vital role to employees
development.
Ideally, the performance review should not be the first time an employee hears
about his job performance. The performance review should act as a summary
meeting where the employee is supervised on how well he took and acted on the
given feedback.
The quality and quantity of feedback given drastically improve the performance
appraisal process. Your best employees, as well as the poor performing ones, need
timely feedback to reach their full potential.
Objective 3: Simplify Promotion Awarding Decisions
Every employee seeks to climb up the corporate ladder and further their career
development.
So how should a manager decide which employee deserves the much-needed
promotion?
The performance appraisal system helps to identify the top performers of a team.
This, in turn, helps in ensuring that the top positions get filled by the most
deserving candidates.
Objective 4: Encourage Quality And Quantity Work Performance
This is one of the most common reasons for companies to have a performance
appraisal process.
A performance appraisal process helps to increase the performance of the
employees in the following ways:
 • A performance appraisal system helps set the standard performance
requirements from employees across the whole organization. This, in turn,
motivates employees to do quality and quantity work.
• For employees who want to further their career development, the
performance appraisal process helps them to demonstrate that they are the
top performers.
• If employees get a clear report of their job performances, they get an idea of
their strengths and weaknesses.
• When managers take time out to analyze and discuss the performance
evaluation, it sends an underlying message to the employee that he is
valuable.
• In the case of poor performers, performance reviews provide the wakeup call
needed to gear up and work harder towards their goals.
Objective 5: Counsel Poor Performing Employees
The hard truth is that not everyone will meet your organizational standards.
Delivering an employee performance evaluation for a poor performer is a difficult
task for any manager.
Low performance can be attributed to the following factors:
• A lack of proper goal-setting.
• Lack of performance despite a strong effort. Might be a result of low skills
or knowledge.
• Lack of motivation.
However, discussing only the negatives of someone’s work performance may lead
the employee to resent you. The key to delivering a performance review for a
poor performer is to balance out the strengths and weaknesses.
Objective 6: Determining Training And Development Needs
A performance appraisal system helps you get a good understanding of how an
employee is faring against their performance expectations.
Thus it becomes easier to identify and prioritize the employees' development
needs.
An efficient performance review will help you determine the need for training
employees to further their skills and competencies. This will make employees
better equipped to contribute to their organization.
Similarly, after the performance evaluation managers have a better view of where
the employees are lagging behind. This, in turn, helps managers to decide the type
and amount of training that is required on a company-wide basis.
Objective 7: Creating A Plan To Improve The Performance Of The
Employees
Identifying the areas of strengths and weaknesses of your workforce is just the first
step.
The next step is to build a plan to improve the performance of the workforce.
Here, a performance appraisal provides a great base to start.
Holding a performance review makes it easier for managers to clearly
communicate their expectations. Communicating these expectations should be a
part of a plan that attempts to improve the overall workforce performance.
These plans might include further training and development, additional mentoring
or more efficient goal setting. The manager should make sure that the employee is
kept in the loop with continuous feedback.
Objective 8: Suitable Recognition
A formal performance appraisal process makes it easier for managers to reward
and recognize the organizations top performers. Rewards can be in the form of
bonuses, salary hikes or monetary incentives.
However, rewards can also be in the form of non-financial compensation such as
company awards, promotional opportunities and more interesting projects.

Q5. What are various methods of Performance appraisal?

Ans.
TRADITIONAL METHODS:
Ranking Method:
It is the oldest and simplest formal systematic method of performance appraisal in
which employee is compared with all others for the purpose of placing order of
worth. The employees are ranked from the highest to the lowest or from the best to
the worst.
In doing this the employee who is the highest on the characteristic being measured
and also the one who is L lowest, are indicated. Then, the next highest and the next
lowest between next highest and lowest until all the employees to be rated have
been ranked. Thus, if there are ten employees to be appraised, there will be ten
ranks from 1 to 10.
Paired Comparison:
In this method, each employee is compared with other employees on one- on one
basis, usually based on one trait only. The rater is provided with a bunch of slips
each coining pair of names, the rater puts a tick mark against the employee whom
he insiders the better of the two. The number of times this employee is compared
as better with others determines his or her final ranking.
Grading Method:
In this method, certain categories of worth are established in advance and carefully
defined. There can be three categories established for employees: outstanding,
satisfactory and unsatisfactory. There can be more than three grades. Employee
performance is compared with grade definitions. The employee is, then, allocated
to the grade that best describes his or her performance.
Forced Distribution Method:
This method was evolved by Tiffen to eliminate the central tendency of rating most
of the employees at a higher end of the scale. The method assumes that employees’
performance level confirms to a normal statistical distribution i.e., 10,20,40,20 and
10 per cent. This is useful for rating a large number of employees’ job performance
and promo ability. It tends to eliminate or reduce bias.
Forced-Choice Method:
The forced-choice method is developed by J. P. Guilford. It contains a series of
groups of statements, and rater rates how effectively a statement describes each
individual being evaluated. Common method of forced-choice method contains
two statements, both positive and negative.
Check-List Method:
The basic purpose of utilizing check-list method is to ease the evaluation burden
upon the rater. In this method, a series of statements, i.e., questions with their
answers in ‘yes’ or ‘no’ are prepared by the HR department (see Figure 28-2). The
check-list is, then, presented to the rater to tick appropriate answers relevant to the
appraisee. Each question carries a weight-age in relationship to their importance.
Critical Incidents Method:
In this method, the rater focuses his or her attention on those key or critical
behaviours that make the difference between performing a job in a noteworthy
manner (effectively or ineffectively). There are three steps involved in appraising
employees using this method.
First, a list of noteworthy (good or bad) on-the-job behaviour of specific incidents
is prepared. Second, a group of experts then assigns weightage or score to these
incidents, depending upon their degree of desirability to perform a job. Third,
finally a check-list indicating incidents that describe workers as “good” or “bad” is
constructed. Then, the check-list is given to the rater for evaluating the workers.
The basic idea behind this rating is to apprise the workers who can perform their
jobs effectively in critical situations. This is so because most people work alike in
normal situation. The strength of critical incident method is that it focuses on
behaviours and, thus, judge’s performance rather than personalities.
Graphic Rating Scale Method:
The graphic rating scale is one of the most popular and simplest techniques for
appraising performance. It is also known as linear rating scale. In this method, the
printed appraisal form is used to appraise each employee.
The form lists traits (such as quality and reliability) and a range of job performance
characteristics (from unsatisfactory to outstanding) for each trait. The rating is
done on the basis of points on the continuum. The common practice is to follow
five points scale.
Essay Method:
Essay method is the simplest one among various appraisal methods available. In
this method, the rater writes a narrative description on an employee’s strengths,
weaknesses, past performance, potential and suggestions for improvement. Its
positive point is that it is simple in use. It does not require complex formats and
extensive/specific training to complete it.
Field Review Method:
When there is a reason to suspect rater’s biasedness or his or her rating appears to
be quite higher than others, these are neutralised with the help of a review process.
The review process is usually conducted by the personnel officer in the HR
department.
Confidential Report:
It is the traditional way of appraising employees mainly in the Government
Departments. Evaluation is made by the immediate boss or supervisor for giving
effect to promotion and transfer. Usually a structured format is devised to collect
information on employee’s strength weakness, intelligence, attitude, character,
attendance, discipline, etc. report.
MODERN METHODS:
Management by Objectives (MBO):
Most of the traditional methods of performance appraisal are subject to the
antagonistic judgments of the raters. It was to overcome this problem; Peter F.
Drucker propounded a new concept, namely, management by objectives (MBO)
way back in 1954 in his book.
Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS):
The problem of judgmental performance evaluation inherent in the traditional
methods of performance evaluation led to some organisations to go for objective
evaluation by developing a technique known as “Behaviourally Anchored Rating
Scales (BARS)” around 1960s. BARS are descriptions of various degrees of
behaviour with regard to a specific performance dimension.
Assessment Centres:
In business field, assessment centres are mainly used for evaluating executive or
supervisory potential. By definition, an assessment centre is a central location
where managers come together to participate in well-designed simulated exercises.
They are assessed by senior managers supplemented by the psychologists and the
HR specialists for 2-3 days.
360 – Degree Appraisal:
Under 360 – degree appraisal, performance information such as employee’s skills,
abilities and behaviours, is collected “all around” an employee, i.e., from his/her
supervisors, subordinates, peers and even customers and clients.
In other worlds, in 360-degree feedback appraisal system, an employee is
appraised by his supervisor, subordinates, peers, and customers with whom he
interacts in the course of his job performance. All these appraisers provide
information or feedback on an employee by completing survey questionnaires
designed for this purpose.
Cost Accounting Method:
This method evaluates an employee’s performance from the monetary benefits the
employee yields to his/her organisation. This is ascertained by establishing a
relationship between the costs involved in retaining the employee, and the benefits
an organisation derives from Him/her.

Q6. What are the problems or errors in performance appraisal programmes?

Ans.
1. Halo Effect
Halo Effect is when a rater’s overall positive or negative impression of an
individual employee leads to rating him or her the same across all rating
dimensions.

This is when a manager really likes or dislikes an employee and allows their
personal feelings about this employee to influence their performance ratings of
them.
Think of that favorite employee that you might golf with, or, that problem
employee you might have a personality conflict with, and ask yourself – am I being
objective with this assessment?
2. Leniency Error
Leniency error is when a raters’ tendency is to rate all employees at the positive
end of the scale (positive leniency) or at the low end of the scale (negative
leniency).
Sometimes our emotions determine how we rate an employee, and this emotional
response may not be objective.
This can happen when a manager over-emphasizes either positive or negative
behaviors.
3. Central Tendency Error
Central tendency error is the raters’ tendency to avoid making “extreme”
judgments of employee performance resulting in rating of all employees in the
middle part of a scale.
This can happen either when a manager is not comfortable with conflict and avoids
low marks to avoid dealing with behavioral issues or when a manager intentionally
forces all employees to the middle of the scale.
4. Recency Error
Recency error is the rater’s tendency to allow more recent incidents (either
effective or ineffective) of employee behavior to carry too much weight in
the evaluation of performance over an entire rating period.
This can be extreme on both ends of the spectrum.
Either an employee just finishing a major project successfully or an employee may
have had a negative incident right before the performance appraisal process and
it is at the forefront of the manager’s thoughts about that employee.
It is for this reason that keeping accurate records of performance throughout the
year to refer back to during performance appraisal time is so important.
5. First Impression Error
First impression error is the rater’s tendency to let their first impression of an
employee’s performance carry too much weight in the evaluation of performance
over an entire rating period.
An example of this would be a new employee joining the organization and
performing at high levels during their “honeymoon” period and then possibly
losing some of that initial momentum.
6. Similar-to-me Error
Similar-to-me error is when the rater’s tendency is biased in performance
evaluation toward those employees seen as similar to the raters themselves.
We can all relate to people who are like us but we cannot let our ability to relate to
someone influence our rating of their employee performance.
Since human biases can easily influence the rating process, it is important to create
objective measures for rating performance.
Q7. What is the relationship between Performance appraisal and
compensation management?
Ans.
The relationship between compensation and performance is a little bit like the
relationship between two people. They both rely on each other to function, but it’s
hard to predict how an action by one might influence the other.
Yes, it’s a complex relationship. But it’s an important relationship to understand –
especially if you care about building a happy and productive environment. So
today, I’m going to inspect the way in which compensation can influence
performance – and how you can use this information to build a stronger workforce.
• Compensation is more of a safety blanket than a motivator. Setting
appropriate salaries might not improve individual performance, but it will
help you to attract and retain the best workers.
• Performance-related pay is more effective in roles where performance is
easily measured. Bonus payments can be very effective in roles such as
sales, where it is easy to pin payments to achievements. However, this still
only seems to work as a temporary performance booster.
• Too much money can drive performance down. The pressure of working
for a bigger “prize” can often lead to worse performance, and high attrition.

Q8. What is the relationship between Job evaluation and Performance

appraisal?
Ans.
Job evaluation and performance appraisal are vital aspects of performance of
employees. A person’s performance is the ultimate outcome of the tasks assigned
to him/her to achieve a fraction of the business goals.
Performance is also termed as demonstration of work behaviour. The sum of
performances of all the people of a group is the group’s performance, whereas that
of a department is departmental performance and an organization is called
organizational performance.