UNIT-II

STAFFING

Meaning of Staffing

The term Staffing in management consists of:

1. Selecting the right person for the right post.

2. Training and development.

3. Giving proper remuneration and motivation.

4. Performance appraisal of employees.

5. Proper promotions, transfers, etc.

Definition of Staffing

According to Harold Koontz, staffing is defined as follows:

“Staffing means filling and keeping filled, positions in the organization structure.”.

Staffing is the process of acquiring, deploying, and retaining a workforce of sufficient

quantity and quality to create positive impacts on the organization’s effectiveness.

Nature of Staffing Function

• Staffing is an important managerial function- Staffing function is the most important mangerial act along with planning, organizing, directing and controlling. The operations of these four functions depend upon the manpower which is available through staffing function.

• Staffing is a pervasive activity- As staffing function is carried out by all mangers and in all types of concerns where business activities are carried out.

• Staffing is a continuous activity- This is because staffing function continues throughout the life of an organization due to the transfers and promotions that take place.

• The basis of staffing function is efficient management of personnels- Human resources can be efficiently managed by a system or proper procedure, that is, recruitment, selection, placement, training and development, providing remuneration, etc.

• 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.

• Staffing is performed by all managers depending upon the nature of business, size of the company, qualifications and skills of managers,etc. In small companies, the top management generally performs this function. In medium and small scale enterprise, it is performed especially by the personnel department of that concern.

Factors Affecting Staffing

The internal factors affecting staffing:

1. Promotion policy : Staffing is affected by the promotion policy of the organization. If the organization has a good promotion policy with prospects to career growth and development, only then efficient people will be attracted to the organization. Internal promotions are better for lower and middle-level jobs.

2. Future growth plans : Staffing is also affected by the future growth plans of the organization. If the organization wants to grow and expand then it will need many talented people. In order to grow and expand, the organization must select experts and give them continuous training and development.

3. Technology used : Staffing is also affected by the technology used by the organization. If the organization uses modern technologies then it must have a continuous training programs to update the technical knowledge of their staff.

4. Support from top management : Staffing is also affected by the support from Top Management. If the top management gives full support to it then the organization can have scientific selection procedures, scientific promotion and transfer policies, continuous training programs, career development programs, etc.

5. Image of organization : Staffing is also affected by the image of the organization in the job market. If it has a good image then staffing will attract the best employees and managers. An organization earns a good image only if it maintains good staffing policies and practices. This includes job security, training and development, promotion, good working environment, work culture, etc.

The external factors affecting staffing:

• Labor laws : Labor Laws of the government also affect the staffing policy of the organization. For e.g. The organization has to support ‘Social equality and upliftment’ policies of the government by giving job reservations to candidates coming from depressed classes like scheduled castes (SC), scheduled tribes (ST), other backward classes (OBC), etc., and even to those who are physically handicapped (PH). It is mandatory for an organization not to recruit children in their workforce and stop child labor. The provisions of ‘Minimum Wages Act’ guide an organization to fix minimum salaries of employees and stop their economic exploitation.

• Pressure from socio-political groups : Staffing is also affected by activities of socio-political groups and parties. These groups and parties put pressure on the organization to grant jobs only to local people. The concept of ‘Sons of Soil’ is becoming popular in India.

• Competition : In India, there is a huge demand for highly qualified and experienced staff. This has resulted in competition between different organizations to attract and hire efficient staff. Organizations often change their staffing policies, offer attractive salaries and other job benefits in order to add the best minds in their workforce.

• Educational standards : Staffing is also affected by the educational standards of an area. If the educational standard of a place is very high then the organization will only select qualified and experienced staff for all job positions. For e.g. Some I.T. companies in India, only prefer skilled candidates with computer or I.T. Engineering degree for the post of Software Developer.

• Other external factors : Staffing is also affected by other external factors such as trade unions, social attitude towards work, etc.

Staffing Process - Steps involved in Staffing       

              

1. Manpower requirements- The very first step in staffing is to plan the manpower inventory required by a concern in order to match them with the job requirements and demands.

2. Recruitment- Once the requirements are notified, the concern invites and solicits applications according to the invitations made to the desirable candidates.

3. Selection- This is the screening step of staffing in which the solicited applications are screened out and suitable candidates are appointed as per the requirements.

4. Orientation and Placement- Once screening takes place, the appointed candidates are made familiar to the work units and work environment through the orientation programmes. placement takes place by putting right man on the right job.

5. Training and Development- Training is a part of incentives given to the workers in order to develop and grow them within the concern. Training is generally given according to the nature of activities and scope of expansion in it. Along with it, the workers are developed by providing them extra benefits of indepth knowledge of their functional areas. Development also includes giving them key and important jobs as a test or examination in order to analyse their performances.

6. 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.

7. Performance Evaluation- In order to keep a track or record of the behaviour, attitudes as well as opinions of the workers towards their jobs. For this regular assessment is done to evaluate and supervise different work units in a concern. It is basically concerning to know the development cycle and growth patterns of the employeesin a concern.

8. Promotion and transfer- Promotion is said to be a non- monetary incentive in which the worker is shifted from a higher job demanding bigger responsibilities as well as shifting the workers and transferring them to different work units and branches of the same organization.

RECRUITMENT

• Recruitment is a process to discover the sources of manpower to meet the requirement of the staffing schedule and to employ effective measures for attracting that manpower in adequate numbers to facilitate effective selection of efficient

personnel.Definitions:• It is the process of finding and attracting capable applicants of employment. The

process begins when new recruits are sought and ends when their applications are submitted. The result is pool of applicant from which new employees are selected.

- K. ASWATHAPPA.

• Recruitment is the process of searching for prospective employees and stimulating them to apply for the jobs in the organization.

- EDWIN. B. FLIPPO

Significance:

The general purpose of recruitment is to provide a pool of potentially qualified job candidates. Specifically, the purpose is to:

1)    Determine the present and future requirements of the organization in conjunction with its personal planning and job-analysis activities.

2)    Increase the pool of job candidates at minimum cost.

3)    Help to increase the success rate of the selection process by reducing the number of visibly under qualified or over qualified job applicants.

4)    Help to reduce the probability that job applicants, once recruited and selected, will leave the organization only after a short period of time.

5)     Meet the organization’s legal and social obligations regarding the composition of its workforce.

6)    Begin identifying and preparing potential job applicants who will be appropriate candidates.

7)    Increase organizational and individual effectiveness in the short term and long term.

8)    Evaluate the effectiveness of various recruiting techniques and sources for all types of job applicants.

Objectives of recruitment:

1. To attract people with multi dimensional skills and experiences that suits the present and future organizational strategies.

2. To induct the outsiders with a new perspective to lead the company

3. To infuse fresh blood at all levels of the organization.

4. To develop an organizational culture that attracts competent people to the company.

5. To devise methodologies for assessing psychological traits.

6. To seek out non-conventional grounds of talent.

7. To design entry pay that competes on quality but not on quantum.

8. To anticipate and find people for positions that does not exist.

Sources of recruitment:The sources of recruitment are broadly divided into internal and external sources.

Internal Sources:• Present permanent employees• Present temporary or casual employees• Retrenched or retired employees• Dependents of deceased, disabled, present and retired employees.

Why do organizations prefer internal sources?• It can be used as a technique for motivation.• Morale of the employees can be improved.• Suitability of the internal candidates can be judged better than the external candidates • Cost of selection can be minimized.• Trade unions can be satisfied.• Stability of the employees can be ensured.

External Sources:

a) Campus recruitment:• Different types of organizations like industries, business firms, service organizations ,social

organizations can get inexperienced candidates of different types from various educational institutions like colleges and universities. Many companies realize that campus recruitment is one of the best techniques for recruiting new blood. These include

• Short listing the institutes based on the quality of the students intake, faculty facilities and past track record.

• Offering the smart pay rather than high pay package.• Presenting a clear image of the company and the corporate culture.• Getting in early. Make an early bird offer.• Include young line managers and business school and engineering school alumni in the recruiting

team.

b) Private employee agencies:• Consultants in India perform the recruitment functions on behalf of a client company by charging fee.

Line managers are relieved from recruitment functions so that they can concentrate on operational activities. Hence these agencies work effectively in the recruitment of executives.

c) Public employee exchanges:• The government set up public employment exchanges in the country to provide information about

vacancies to the candidates and to help the organization in finding out suitable candidates.

d) Professional   Organizations:• These organizations maintain complete bio-data of their members and provide the same to

various organizations on requisition. They also act as an exchange between their members and recruiting firms in exchanging information, clarifying doubts etc.

e) Data banks:• The management can collect the bio-data of the candidates from different sources like employee

exchange, educational training institutes, candidates etc and feed them in the computer. it will become another source and the company can get the particulars as and when it needs to recruit.

f) Casual applicants:• Depending upon the image of the organization, its prompt response, participation of the

organization in the local activities, level of unemployment. Candidates apply casually for jobs through mail or handover the applications in the personnel department.

g) Similar organizations:• Generally experienced candidates are available in organizations producing similar products or are

engaged in similar business. The management can get most suitable candidates from this source.

h) Trade unions:• Generally unemployed or underemployed persons or employees seeking change in employment

put a word to the trade union leaders with a view to getting suitable employment due to latter’s intimacy with management. In view of this fact and in order to satisfy the trade union leaders, management enquires trade unions for suitable candidates.

Reasons for external sources:• Candidates can be selected without any pre-conceived notion or reservations.• HR mix can be balanced with different background, experience and skill etc.• Latest knowledge skill, innovative or creative talent can also be flowed in to the

organization.• Long run benefit to the organization in the sense that qualitative human resources can be

brought.

Recruitment Techniques:• These are the techniques by which the management contracts prospective employees or

provides necessary information or exchanges ideas or stimulates them to apply for jobs. Management uses different types of techniques to stimulate internal and external candidates.

Techniques useful to stimulate internal candidates are:• Promotions• Transfers

Techniques useful to stimulate external candidates:• Present employees

Advertising:

 Techniques of advertising aim at:• a) Attracting attention of the prospective candidates• b) Creating and maintaining interest• c) Stimulating action by the candidates

Modern sources and techniques of recruitment:• A number of modern recruitment sources and techniques are being used by the corporate sector in addition to

traditional sources and techniques. These techniques include.

a) Walk-in:• The busy organizations and the rapid changing companies do not find time to perform various functions of

recruitment. Therefore, they advise the potential candidates to attend for an interview directly and without a prior application on a specified date, time and at a specified place.

b) Consult-in:• The busy and dynamic companies encourage the potential job seekers to approach them personally and

consult them regarding the jobs; the companies select the suitable candidates from among such candidates through the selection process.

c) Head Hunting (search consultants):• In this the professional organizations search for the most suitable candidates and advise the company

regarding the filling up of the positions.• Organizations advertise the job vacancies through the World Wide Web (internet). The job seekers send their

applications through e-mail or internet

• Recruitment process involves a systematic procedure from sourcing the candidates to arranging and conducting the interviews and requires many resources and time.A general recruitment process is as follows:

The recruitment process is immediately followed by the selection process i.e. the final interviews

and the decision making, conveying the decision and the appointment formalities. 

SELECTION: -

MEANING OF SELECTION:

Selection is the process of picking up individuals (out of the pool of job applicants) with requisite

qualifications and competence to fill jobs in the organization. A formal definition of Selection is as

under

Definition of Selection: Process of differentiating

“Selection is the process of differentiating between applicants in order to identify and hire those

with a greater likelihood of success in a job.”

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION:

Recruitment

1.    Recruitment refers to the process of identifying and encouraging prospective employees to apply for jobs.

2.    Recruitment is said to be positive in its approach as it seeks to attract as many candidates as possible.

Selection

1.    Selection is concerned with picking up the right candidates from a pool of applicants.

2.    Selection on the other hand is negative in its application in as much as it seeks to eliminate as many unqualified applicants as possible in order to identify the right candidates.

PROCESS / STEPS IN SELECTION

1.    Preliminary Interview: The purpose of preliminary interviews is basically to eliminate unqualified applications based on information supplied in application forms. The basic objective is to reject misfits. On the other hands preliminary interviews is often called a courtesy interview and is a good public relations exercise.

2.    Selection Tests: Jobseekers who passed the preliminary interviews are called for tests. There are various types of tests conducted depending upon the jobs and the company. These tests can be Aptitude Tests, Personality Tests, and Ability Tests and are conducted to judge how well an individual can perform tasks related to the job. Besides this there are some other tests also like Interest Tests (activity preferences), Graphology Test (Handwriting), Medical Tests, Psychometric Tests etc.

3.    Employment Interview: The next step in selection is employment interview. Here interview is a formal and in-depth conversation between applicant’s acceptability. It is considered to be an excellent selection device. Interviews can be One-to-One, Panel Interview, or Sequential Interviews. Besides there can be Structured and Unstructured interviews, Behavioral Interviews, Stress Interviews.

4.    Reference & Background Checks: Reference checks and background checks are conducted to verify the information provided by the candidates. Reference checks can be through formal letters, telephone conversations. However it is merely a formality and selections decisions are seldom affected by it.

5.    Selection Decision: After obtaining all the information, the most critical step is the selection decision is to be made. The final decision has to be made out of applicants who have passed preliminary interviews, tests, final interviews and reference checks. The views of line managers are considered generally because it is the line manager who is responsible for the performance of the new employee.

6.    Physical Examination: After the selection decision is made, the candidate is required to undergo a physical fitness test. A job offer is often contingent upon the candidate passing the physical examination.

7.    Job Offer: The next step in selection process is job offer to those applicants who have crossed all the previous hurdles. It is made by way of letter of appointment.

8.   Final Selection

PLACEMENT AND INDUCTION• Placement is a process of assigning a specific job to each of the selected candidates.• It involves assigning a specific rank and responsibility to an individual.• It implies matching the requirements of a job with the qualifications of the candidate.

The significances of placement are as follows: -

* It improves employee morale.

* It helps in reducing employee turnover.

* It helps in reducing absenteeism.

* It helps in reducing accident rates.

* It avoids misfit between the candidate and the job.

* It helps the candidate to work as per the predetermined objectives of the organization.

Assessment-Classification Model and Employee Placement

 

Collect details of the employee

Construct his/her profile

Which sub-group profile to job family profile?

Which job family profile does subgroup profile best fit?

Assign the individual to job family

Assign the individual to specific job after further counseling and assessment

 

Principles of Placement

A few basic principles should be followed at the time of placement of a workers on the job. This is elaborated

below:

1. Man should be placed on the job according to the requirements of the job. The job should not be adjusted

according to the qualifications or requirements of the man. Job first, man next, should be the principle of the

placement.

2. The job should be offered to the person according to his qualification. This should neither the higher nor the

lower than the qualification.

3. The employee should be made conversant with the working conditions prevailing in the organization and all

things relating to the job. He should also be made aware of the penalties if he commits the wrong.

4. While introducing the job to the new employees, an effort should be made to develop a sense of loyalty and

cooperation in him so that he may realize his responsibility better towards the job and the organization.

5. The placement should be ready before the joining date of the newly selected person.

6. The placement in the initial period may be temporary as changes are likely after the completion of training.

the employee may be later transferred to the job where he can do better.

.

 

Induction

Once an employee is selected and placed on an appropriate job, the process of familiarizing him with the job and the organization is known as induction.

Induction is the process of receiving and welcoming an employee when he first joins the company and giving him basic information he needs to settle down quickly and happily and starts work. 

objectives of induction* To help the new comer to overcome his shyness and overcome his shyness nervousness in meeting new people in a new environment.

* To give new comer necessary information such as location of a café, rest period etc.

* To build new employee confidence in the organization.

* It helps in reducing labor turnover and absenteeism.

* It reduces confusion and develops healthy relations in the organization.

* To ensure that the new comer do not form false impression and negative attitude towards the organization.

* To develop among the new comer a sense of belonging and loyalty to the organization.

Advantages of formal induction

* Induction helps to build up a two-way channel of communication between management and workers.

* Proper induction facilitates informal relation and team work among employee.

* Effective induction helps to integrate the new employee into the organization and to develop a sense of belonging.

* Induction helps to develop good relation.

* A formal induction programme proves that the company is taking interest in getting him off to good start.

* Proper induction reduces employee grievances, absenteeism and labor turnover.

* Induction is helpful in supplying information concerning the organization, the job and employee welfare facilities.

Contents of induction programme* Brief history and operations of the company.* The company’s organization structure.* Policies and procedure of the company.* Products and services of the company.* Location of department and employee facilities.* Safety measures.* Grievances procedures.* Benefits and services of employee.* Standing orders and disciplinary procedures.* Opportunities for training, promotions, transfer etc.* Suggestion schemes.

* Rules and regulations.