Organization and Management

1
Staffing

Staffing (Part 1)

Staffing is a critical organizational function which consists of the process of

acquiring, deploying, and retaining a workforce of sufficient quantity and
quality to create positive impacts on the effectiveness of the organization. It
is one of the significant functions of the management.
In an organization, it is the people which carry out the various jobs which are
needed for its functioning. They are the most important resource of the
organization. They supply the talent, skills, knowledge, and experience to
achieve the organizational goals and objectives. In fact the performance of
the organization largely depends on the quality of its people. Hence the
staffing function of the management is an important function and it involves
in the building of the organizational workforce. In staffing, the management
is faced with the challenge of not only finding the right person for each job
but also to match the personnel with the jobs identified and to provide for
their long-range growth and welfare as members of the organization.
Staffing is that part of the process of management which is concerned with
acquiring, developing, employing, appraising, remunerating and retaining
people so that right type of people are available at the right positions and at
the right time in the organization. In the simplest terms, staffing in
management is ‘putting people to jobs’.

Topic Objectives
• Definition and nature of staffing
• Recruitment
• Selection
• Training and development

Staffing
Staffing is the process of acquiring, deploying, and retaining a workforce of
sufficient quantity and quality to create positive impacts on the organizations
effectiveness.
• The managerial function of staffing is defines as filling and keeping filled,
positions in the organization structure.

Course Module
Nature of Staffing
The following points describe the nature of the staffing function.
• Staffing is an important managerial function. Staffing function is normally
the sub function of the organizing function. All the five functions of the
management viz. planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, and
controlling depend upon the employees of the organization which are
made available through the staffing function.
• Staffing is a pervasive activity. It is carried out in every organization and
at all the levels of the management in the organization.
• Staffing is a continuous activity. This is due to the fact that the function of
staffing continues throughout the life of the organization.
• The basis of staffing function is the efficient management of
personnel. The process involved in the staffing function in the
organization is efficiently managed by a system or with well-tried
procedures.
• The function of staffing helps in placing right men at the right job. It can
be done effectively through proper recruitment procedures and then
finally selecting the most suitable candidate as per the job requirements.
• All the levels of management are involved in the function of staffing
though the personnel department coordinates it.
Main objectives of staffing:
• To understand all function of in an organization.
• To understand manpower planning so that people are available at right
time and at right place.
• To understand issues related to job analysis and to overcome the
problem.
Importance of staffing
The staffing function is a very important function of the management due to
the following reasons.
• Staffing helps in discovering and obtaining competent personnel for
various jobs.
• It helps in the optimum utilization of the human resources.
• It helps in developing professionals in every field of organizational
activity.
• It helps to improve the quantity and quality of the output by putting the
right person on the right job.
• It helps in developing competencies in the organization to face the
challenges.
• It helps to improve job satisfaction of the employees and hence their
morale.
 Organization and Management
3
Staffing

• It facilitates higher productive performance of the organization by

appointing right man for right job.
• It reduces the cost of manpower by eliminating the wastage of the human
resources.
• It facilitates growth and diversification activities in the organization.
• It provides for the development of the employees and through them it
ensures continuous survival and growth of the organization.
Benefits of staffing
The benefits of an effective staffing function are as follows.
• Staffing helps in getting right people for the right job at the right time.
The function of staffing enables the management to find out as to how
many employees are needed and with what qualifications and experience.
• Staffing contributes to improved organizational productivity. Through
proper selection the organization can enhance the quality of the
employees, and through proper training the performances level of the
employees can also be improved.
• Staffing helps in providing job satisfaction to the employees and thus
keeps their morale high. With proper training and development programs
their efficiency improves and they feel assured of their career
advancements.
• Staffing maintains harmony in the organization. Through proper staffing,
individuals are not just recruited and selected but their performance is
regularly appraised and promotions made on merit. For all these, certain
procedures are made and are duly communicated to all concerned. This
fosters harmony and peace in the organization.
Step in the process of staffing function

Placement and
Manpower Recruitment Selection
orientation

Transfer Promotion Development Training

Appraisal Remuneration

Figure 8.1 – Process of staffing function

Course Module
The process of the staffing function involves human resource planning i.e.
estimating the size and nature of the personnel required for the recruitment
and selection of the best candidates to train, to induct, to reward and to have
regular and effective communication with them. The process of staffing
consists of the following steps (Figure 8.1).
 Manpower planning –It involves in creating and evaluating the
manpower inventory after considering the development of the required
talents among the existing employees through their promotion and
advancement.
 Determining manpower needs from company plans and programs.
determining available manpower resources.
 Analyzing, training needs of present employees.
 Recruiting manpower from external sources for those positions
that cannot be filled up by present employees.
 Planning training and development of manpower resources.
 Recruitment – Recruitment is the process of attracting the appropriate
number of qualified individuals to apply for vacant positions in an
organization.
 Selection – It is the screening step of staffing in which the solicited
applications of those candidates which are not found suitable as per the
requirements of the notified post are screened out. It is the process of
elimination of the candidates who appear unpromising for the post.
 Placement and orientation –Once selection process is over, the selected
candidates are appointed. It means putting the appointed employee on
the job for which he is selected. Orientation is the introduction of the
appointed employee with the job. He is made familiar to the work units
and work environment through the orientation programs.
 Training – is defined as an attempt to improve performance by the
attainment of specific skills such as computing, typing, encoding,
designing, driving, and so forth to do the current job. The goal of training
is to ensure that a number of job skills will be performed at prescribed
quality levels by trained employees.
 Development – this is more general than training and refers to learning
opportunities designed to help employees grow. It provides employees
broader learning which may be utilized in a variety of settings and for
future jobs. As global competition increases, training programs for
management are becoming more educational in scope.
 Promotion – it involves the assignment of an employee to a higher level
job. This also refers to the upward or vertical movement of employees in
a organization from lower level jobs to higher level jobs involving
increases in duties and responsibilities, higher pay and privileges.
 Transfer –Employees of the organization who have been identified for
taking up of higher positions in the organization are being transferred to
different departments so that they can learn intricacies of the functioning
of different departments. This helps them when they take up positions in
the higher management.
 Organization and Management
5
Staffing

 Appraisal – it is normally done in order to keep a track or record of the

behavior, attitudes as well as opinions of the employees towards their
jobs. Appraisal of employees reveals as to how efficiently the employee is
performing in his job.
 Remuneration- It is a kind of compensation provided monetarily to the
employees for their work performances. This is given according to the
nature of job- skilled or unskilled, physical or mental, etc. Remuneration
forms an important monetary incentive for the employees.
Recruitment
As what we have been discussed that recruitment is the process of attracting
the appropriate number of qualified individuals to apply for vacant positions
in an organization.
Systematic recruitment requires job analysis and the identification of
application of applicants for vacant positions.
Job Analysis
− The procedure used for determining/collecting information relating
to the operations and responsibility of a specific job. The end result of
this analysis is job description and job specification.
Job description
− organized, factual statements of the duties and responsibilities of a
specific job. It tells what is to be done, how it is done, and why. It is a
list of job duties, responsibilities, reporting relationships, working
conditions, and supervisory responsibilities.
Job specifications
− a written explanation of the minimum acceptable human qualities
necessary for effective performance of a given job. It designates the
qualities required for acceptable performance, that is the requisite
education, skills, personality, and so on.
Stages of the Recruitment
1. Defining requirements, preparing of job description and job
specifications.
2. Attracting potential employees
3. Selecting appropriate people for the job
Sources of application. Applicants can either be sourced internally or
externally.
A. Internal sources means considering present employees as candidates
for job openings.
Referrals: referral system in which present employees are asked to
encourage friends or relatives to apply. This is the most used
recruiting tool in many small organizations.
B. External sources this is used when the organization is unable to fill
its hiring needs from internal sources. One inherent advantage of this
Course Module
 is that the pool of talents is much larger and more diverse than that
available from internal sources plus the new employee bringing new
ideas, different cultural values, and fresh approaches.
1. Job advertisement
2. Employment agencies
3. Walk-ins
4. Campus recruitment
5. Internships
6. Employment databases
7. Special events recruiting
8. Online recruitment
Selection
− The selection process is to gather from applicants information that
will predict their job success and then to hire the candidates likely to
be most successful.
− A good selection requires a methodical approach to the problem of
finding the best matched person for the job.
− Selection involves choosing the best candidate with best abilities,
skills and knowledge for the required job

Selection process
The Employee selection Process takes place in following order:
Preliminary Interviews- It is used to eliminate those candidates who do not
meet the minimum eligibility criteria laid down by the organization. The
skills, academic and family background, competencies and interests of the
candidate are examined during preliminary interview.
Application blanks- The candidates who clear the preliminary interview are
required to fill application blank. It contains data record of the candidates
such as details about age, qualifications, reason for leaving previous job,
experience, etc.
Employment interviews - it provides the opportunity to review candidates'
qualifications and to determine their suitability for the position. It also
provides candidates with the chance to learn about the position and its
requirements and to present information on their skills and experience.
Written Tests- Various written tests conducted during selection procedure
are aptitude test, intelligence test, reasoning test, personality test, etc. These
tests are used to objectively assess the potential candidate. They should not
be biased.
Background testing - this is to verify the accuracy of factual information
previously provided by the applicant and to uncover damaging background
information such as criminal records, and suspended driver's licenses.
Medical examination- Medical tests are conducted to ensure physical
fitness of the potential employee. It will decrease chances of employee
absenteeism.
 Organization and Management
7
Staffing

Final employment decision - this is the decision to accept or reject the

application on the results of the Physical Examination and a value judgment
based on all the gathered in the previous steps.

Training and Development

Training
− Is a systematic process that will help the employees acquire the
right knowledge, attitude, skills, and habits to improve current
performance.
Development
− It refers to learning opportunities designed to help employees
grow.
− It provides employees broader learning which may be utilized in a
variety of settings and for future jobs.
Objective of Training and Development
1. Improve the quantity and quality of productivity. This can lead to an
increase in an individual's skills in one or more areas of expertise.
2. Effectiveness in the present jobs this involves increasing an
individual's motivation to perform is job well.
3. Create more favorable attitudes, loyalty, and cooperation.
4. Help employees in their personal development and advancement by
helping them acquire additional qualifications for a better job.
5. Help organization respond to dynamic market conditions and
changing consumer demands.
6. Satisfy human resource planning requirements.
Importance of Training
• Improvement in skill and knowledge .
• Higher production and productivity .
• Job satisfaction.
• Better use of resources.
• Stability and growth : if an org. has a team of trained employees it can
face future challenges easily.
• Reduction in complaints and accidents.
• Adaptability.
• Reduced supervision : well trained employees don’t need much
supervision.
• Greater flexibility

Course Module
 Types of Training
Orientation training- It is a systematic and planned introduction and it’s
concerned with inducting or orienting a new employee to the organization
and it’s procedure, Rules and regulations.
– The main purpose is to give a ‘bird’s eye view ‘ of the organization where he
has to work .
– It’s very short informative training given immediately after recruitment
– It’s creates a feeling of involvement in the mind of newly appointed
employees.
– It reduce anxiety and employee turnover.
Apprenticeship training- is one of the traditional method of training and is
meant to give trainees sufficient knowledge and skill in technical jobs.
– This types of training is very common in skilled trades such as electricians,
plumbers, carpenters, etc.
Internship training
– Under this method, the vocational or educational institute enters into
arrangement with an industrial enterprise for providing practical knowledge
to it’s students.
On job training- is a training technique that involves allowing the person to
learn the job by actually performing it own the job.
Off-job training - Off the job types of training is imparted off the job outside
the work premises.

References
Rodriguez, R.A., Echanis, E.S., "Fundamentals of management"
Weihrich, H., Cannice, M.V., Koontz, H., "Management. A global and Entrepreneurial
Perspective, 13th Ed."
Corpuz, C.R. "Human Resource Management, 2006 Revised Ed."
www. managementstudyguide.com