Answers

8 Human resource management

Answers to Test yourself questions
8.1, page 125
Q1a The employee may break their contract (for example, by arriving
late or taking unauthorised absences); the employee may
not fulfil their responsibilities (for example, by not doing the
work expected); or the employee may break organisational
rules (for example, by fighting, drug-taking, bullying, theft or
disregarding health and safety requirements).
b The organisation should have disciplinary procedures that are
brought to the attention of all employees. These should be
followed properly so that all employees are treated equally
and fairly. The consequences should become more severe for
repeated or more serious offences, from a verbal warning to a
written warning to dismissal.

8.2, page 127

Q1a Any 3 of: Maintaining a database of personnel records;
helping to prepare for interviews (for example, by recording
applications, passing forms to managers, assisting with
shortlisting procedures and notifying selected candidates of
interview dates and times); attending to staff welfare issues (for
example, requests for loans and special leave); assisting with
other functions of the HR office such as dealing with visitors,
making and receiving telephone calls and maintaining HR paper
files.
b Any 2 of: Confidentiality – discretion is paramount because most
HR issues relate to sensitive personal information. Patience – this
is necessary because HR staff deal with staff who may need time
to understand certain procedures. Tact – this is essential because
HR staff need to be able to deal with people who are under
stress or pressure, and they may need to explain certain facts
diplomatically to avoid causing offence or upsetting them.

8.3, page 129

Q1a Any 3 of: Regularly maintaining equipment; ensuring safe
storage of dangerous substances and chemicals; having
guards on moving equipment; non-slip flooring; unlocked exit
doors; fire safety precautions; provision of protective clothing;
appropriate training for all staff.

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b Any 4 of: Clean and hygienic workplace; adequate lighting and

ventilation; adequate working space per employee; provision of
clean drinking water, washing facilities, and separate sanitary
conveniences for men and women.

8.4, page 131

Q1a Any 4 of: Individual personnel records; service records; leave
records; appraisal forms; disciplinary records; training records.
b Leave records are important because each person has an annual
entitlement to vacation leave with pay, but they must not take
more than this. The leave records track how many days have
been taken over a particular period. All leave must be scheduled
carefully so that there are always enough staff to cover essential
tasks.

8.5, page 133

Q1 Any 5 of: Staff may be too pressured and cannot cope so
additional staff may be needed; staff may be bored so more
variety may need to be introduced into the job; wages may be
lower than competitors’ wages so the rate should be increased
or a bonus or commission scheme introduced; working
conditions may be poor (for example, dark and dingy offices),
which is causing people to leave, so these need to be improved;
lack of training may mean staff are frustrated and feel they have
no prospects, so appropriate training courses could be held; staff
could feel under-appreciated if the sales manager or supervisors
give no encouragement or praise, even if they work hard; perks
of the job may be less than those of competitors, such as laptop
computers, smartphones or a company car, so these may need
to be introduced.

Practice exam questions

SECTION 1: Multiple-choice questions
1 d; 2 b; 3 b; 4 a; 5 d; 6 c; 7 a; 8 a; 9 d; 10 d.

SECTION 2: Short answer questions

1 Any 5 of: Education and qualifications; details of any known
disability; employment history with the company/service record;
terms and conditions of employment (pay, hours of work, holiday
entitlement and benefits); details of any absences, training
undertaken, disciplinary action or accidents connected with work.

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2 A collective agreement is one made on behalf of a number of

staff, usually between a trade union and management, relating
to pay or working conditions.
3 Any 4 of: Individual staff record on personnel database; service
records; leave records; appraisal forms; disciplinary records;
training records.
4 Any 3 of: The employer is operating within the law; employees
are more productive and cooperative at work; staff turnover
will be lower so recruitment costs will be lower; there are fewer
accidents; there are fewer stoppages; there are fewer disputes;
the employer is less likely to have to pay compensation as the
result of an injury.
5 Any 2 of: Induction courses to familiarise new staff quickly with
the company, their surroundings and the methods of working;
IT courses to update staff on new software; health and safety
courses to introduce new safety procedures or methods of
working; team-working courses that help colleagues to know
and work with each other more effectively.
6 Any 2 of: Personal details; medical history; staff salaries. An
example of where patience would be required is: if the HR
assistant is explaining a complicated form or procedure to
someone who cannot understand it. An example of where tact
would be required is: if the HR assistant has to give unwelcome
information that the person may not want to receive, for
example, that a request for leave has been turned down. Any
other appropriate examples would be acceptable.
7 a For the organisation, any 3 of: Training needs are identified
across the organisation; staff aims can be linked to
organisational goals; evidence for promotion (or dismissal)
is obtained; performance-related pay and bonues can be
linked to targets each year; new skills and abilities may be
discovered.
b For the employee, any 3 of: Aspirations can be discussed,
such as skills development or promotion aims; problems can
be discussed and solutions agreed; communication with their
manager is improved; it increases motivation if personal aims
are discussed in confidence with a manager; appraisal may
be linked to pay reviews.
8 Any 4 of: Names of employer and employee; date when
employment began; job title and brief job description; hours of

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work; place of work; pay and frequency of payments; holiday

entitlement; entitlement to sick leave/sick pay; pensions and
pension schemes; notice required to terminate contract by both
employer and employee; reference to disciplinary and grievance
procedures and any trade union agreements that relate to the
employee.
9 The purpose of a needs analysis is to assess whether or not
a position should be readvertised when a person leaves. The
decision may be made that the vacancy should be changed to
update the content of the job, or the job may be offered as a
promotion opportunity to an existing employee.
10 Any 5 of: A staff bonus scheme; a pension scheme; long-
service awards or increased holidays for long-serving staff;
sick leave and sick pay; good working conditions and facilities
(for example, rest rooms, cloakrooms, kitchen facilities and/
or a canteen plus recreational equipment); medical check-ups;
flexible working opportunities; support with personal problems
including confidential counselling; compassionate leave; an
advance of salary or access to a benevolent fund; professional
help with personal problems such as drug or alcohol
dependency.

Case study
1 a and b
Base year 365
Less:
Weekends 104
Annual leave 21
Public/local holidays 10
Work days per year per 230
employee
Multiply:
Number of staff 50
Total working days 11,500

2 345.
3 Any 2 of: Scheduled work is not carried out; the business will
get behind in completing orders; other staff may have to cover
for their colleagues; absenteeism costs money especially if
workers receive sick pay.

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4 Staff who are absent without authorisation should be told it is

not acceptable. If they persist they should receive a verbal or
written warning. They may be dismissed if they are constantly
absent despite being warned.
5 a Trevor knows that unemployment is relatively high, so he
thinks people should be pleased to have a job and normally
keen to stay in work because it will be hard to find another
job somewhere else. He therefore believes that anyone who
leaves is not doing so because of external factors, that is,
because they can easily get a job somewhere else at a better
salary, so he thinks they must be leaving because of internal
factors.
b Poor working conditions; low salaries; lack of job satisfaction;
lack of training opportunities.
6 Any 4 of: During school holidays, perhaps more flexibility could
be introduced to enable families to meet their commitments
without taking unauthorised absence; young workers could
have a mentor to help them; they could be given training
and their progress could be monitored as part of an appraisal
system; staff welfare provisions and facilities could be reviewed,
and some aspects that young workers would enjoy could be
introduced; the company could check that its pay rates and
terms and conditions of employment are attractive for new staff;
staff loyalty could be rewarded (for example, with increased
holidays or pay); a bonus system linked to attendance could be
introduced.

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