NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Business Studies Chapter 6: Staffing

Staffing is a management function that involves the hiring of candidates suitable for the organization by evaluating their skills and knowledge, and offering specific roles as per their skill set. It is involved in the fulfillment of human resource requirements for an organisation.

Recruitment is the process of searching and hiring the right person for the job. It can also be said as the process of finding potential candidates suitable for the job and convincing them to apply for the post. Two important sources of recruitment can be defined as follows:

1. Internal Sources

2. External Sources

Internal sources refer to sources of recruitment within the organisation. It means any vacancy created is filled by an existing employee working in the organisation.

External sources of recruitment include hiring a new candidate either through agencies or conducting a direct hiring session.

This situation can be controlled by providing the workers with proper training regarding the use of machines. It will increase their confidence and skill set. It will also result in faster working with no delay in performing the task.

The quality of the production can be improved by offering training to employees. This can be job training, where there will be a master worker whose role will be to train the employees in the use of machinery. The employees can learn and practise under the guidance of a master worker for a period of time before working individually. This type of training will help an employee to work with efficiency.

This kind of problem is dealt with by providing workers with proper training. These workers can be provided vestibule training which will reduce the frequent visits of the engineer. Vestibule training is the kind of training where the workers are made to practise on dummy machines, which are models of industrial equipment that the workers need to work on. Once they gain adequate exposure, the workers can be shifted to the factory to perform the work.

Recruitment is the process of searching and hiring the right person for the job. It can also be said as the process of finding potential candidates suitable for the job and convincing them to apply for the post. Whereas selection is the procedure of choosing the required set of candidates from a pool of candidates.

The points of comparison between recruitment and selection are as follows:

For conducting such a selection process, the tests that can be conducted are personality tests. Such tests will help recruiters identify the candidates with the most stable personalities, which is suitable for the job type that is offered.

The method of choice in this situation is approaching labour contractors. Production of paper plates and bowls is done by workers or labourers who have low skills. Labour contractors have access to labourers looking for work opportunities and, therefore, will be able to provide the required manpower at the time of need.

Training and development are closely related concepts but are distinct in their function. The focus is the same for both concepts, but there is a change in perspective. Training is related to the process of imparting abilities and skills that are required in a job, while development is the growth of an individual over a period of time.

The following points highlight the difference between training and development.

Internal sources of recruitment involve selecting an existing employee for a new position in the organisation. The way of recruiting is either through transfer or promotion. It is considered more economical because it saves time and money. The recruitment process is not that extensive as compared to external recruitment. There will be no expenditure on the training of employees, which is further cost-efficient. Therefore, in these ways, it is economical.

In today’s world, finding the right candidate for the job is pretty challenging, given the developments in technology, the nature of the job and the skill sets that are required. Staffing is an essential function of management that helps in the hiring of manpower for the organisation.

Staffing provides the following benefits:

1. Staffing helps in finding and selecting the best-suited candidate for the job.

2. It ensures that the right people are selected for the right job, which will help in increasing the overall efficiency and performance of the organisation.

3. By selecting the best candidates for the job, an organisation has a better chance of registering growth.

4. Staffing helps in manpower planning and helps in the proper utilisation of manpower. It also helps in filling up vacant job posts so that working efficiency is maintained.

Human resource is one of the essential functions of management which is involved with the hiring, development and management of resources in the form of humans for the organisation. It performs a lot of activities which includes determining the demand for recruiting, preparing plans for recruiting, conducting recruitment, selecting the best candidates, rolling out offer letter, inducting employees to the organisation, imparting training and development and finally, acting as support for employee grievances.

The following points will explain the activities that are performed by human resources:

1. Human resource planning

2. Recruiting the candidates (the process of finding candidates for jobs)

3. Determine the job and its specific requirements and perform research and analysis to prepare the correct job description.

4. Conduct training and development programmes for the newly joined employees as well as refresher programmes for existing employees.

5. Conduct performance appraisals for the employees on a quarterly/half-yearly/yearly basis.

6. Maintaining good relations with labours and paying attention to the labour union demands.

7. Act as the point of contact for handling employee complaints and grievances.

8. Assist in providing schemes for the welfare of employees.

9. Representing the company in various lawsuits and finding ways to prevent legal complications.

Selection is the process of choosing the best candidates from the pool of candidates that appear for a recruitment programme. It is a process that comprises various types of tests and interviews. The following steps are involved in the selection process:

1. The first step in the selection process is screening; in this process, candidates who do not fill the required criteria and qualifications are eliminated from the initial recruitment process. The process of elimination starts with the screening of the information that is provided by candidates in their application forms. Initial interviews conducted will also help determine the facts that are not present in the application and will be helpful in rejecting candidates.

2. The next step in screening is to put the candidates through a set of tests like the intelligence test, personality test and aptitude test. These tests assess the candidates on different levels and help recruiters determine their candidature.

3. The candidates who complete the tests are made to appear for the next round of interview, which is a personal interview. These are conducted to help the candidate know better by having conversations with the managers. This test also helps the recruiter assess the mental stability of the candidate regarding the job.

4. The candidates, once they complete the interview process, have to wait for some time when the organisation performs background checks on the employee; it can be asking the previous employer or colleagues and verifying the information as provided by the candidate.

5. After conducting all the checks and being satisfied, the candidate is shortlisted for the job offer.

6. There can be an optional medical examination of the candidate, and the final job offer is processed once the candidates clear the test.

7. The next step is sending out the offer letter, which contains information on the joining date and time at which to report to the office.

8. Employment contract: Once the employee joins, the final step is to get over with the documentation and provide the employee with the details such as salary, designation, HR policies, leave policies etc.

Training is an important event for any organisation. It is an activity that is aimed at building the skills and abilities of the individuals who are required to perform a job. It is an essential part of the job which is helpful in improving the knowledge of an individual. The nature of jobs changes with the changes in the business environment. The following are the benefits of training for the employee and the organisation.

Benefits to employee

i. Training provides employees with the skills to grow in their careers. It is helpful in improving knowledge of the processes, which is essential for future growth.

ii. An individual with training will be able to earn more than those without any kind of training. It improves working efficiency and results in a good performance.

iii. Training makes an employee more confident in handling work. The equipment and machines at the workplace will be easier to manage with proper training so that there will be less accidents.

iv. Training improves the self-confidence of the employees and helps them to face new challenges at work. The increased confidence also contributes to the sense of feeling of higher job satisfaction.

Benefits for organisation

i. Training is a systematic way of teaching processes. It will be, therefore, more efficient and saves the organisation time and money.

ii. Training helps individuals and makes them more efficient; the direct result is an improvement in productivity. The rise in employee productivity will result in the growth of the company.

iii. Training helps in preparing employees to face new challenges and situations. It helps in building an effective way to counter issues that arise in future.

iv. Good training helps in boosting employee morale. It gives proper confidence and motivation, which reduces employee turnover and absenteeism from work.

a. www.naukaripao.com is an online portal which serves as a common platform for job providers and seekers. It helps the candidates to find good jobs, and companies to find good candidates. This form of recruitment is called web publishing.

b. The benefits associated with web publishing are as follows:

1. Resumes get screened very fast on the website only as per the job title, which saves a lot of time for the recruiters. It makes the search for prospective candidates much easier. The added benefit is real-time interaction between the job seeker and the organisation.

2. The reach of online recruitment is across the globe, so more candidates can be hired.

3. The companies looking for candidates can put their brand on the recruitment website, which will help the recruitment company gain name in the market.

4. It makes the hiring process short as compared to traditional recruitment. Not only time is reduced, but it reduces costs also.

a. The following process of staffing should be followed by the company.

1. Identify and prepare the number and types of personnel required for the setup.

2. Find suitable candidates who can fill the vacancies in the company and approach them to apply for the position.

3. Select the right candidate after performing a thorough interview process.

4. Help the employee get familiar with the working environment as it will make them feel comfortable.

5. Train the employee as per the requirements of the job description.

6. Determine the performance of the employee against the set of standards and provide appropriate feedback.

7. Promote employees who are good performers.

8. Provide appropriate compensation and benefits to the employees to keep them motivated.

b. The company should rely on recruitment sources that are external. The company is going to set up a new plant in a new region; therefore, candidates who are locals of that area will be the best resources as they will be familiar with the environment and working conditions of the local region, so it will be beneficial for the organisation.

c. The company should follow the following selection process:

1. Screen the candidates and reject those who are not matching with the job description.

2. Test the candidate using various types of tests, which can include an aptitude test, personality test, and intelligence test.

3. Arrange a personal interview session for candidates who make the cut from the tests. The manager will be able to judge the candidate further and help in assessing the candidate’s true potential.

4. Before finalising the candidate, perform a background check by taking references from the candidate about previous employers.

5. On finding the candidate suitable for the job, provide a confirmation.

6. Help the candidate with the employment contract and terms of employment.

a. The following problems can be identified in the company:

1. There is a lack of qualified candidates in the company as most of the skilled candidates have been hired by the competitors.

2. The company employees lack the hard skills required for the job; this results in poor performance of the employees.

b. To resolve this problem, the following steps can be taken:

1. Employees should be provided proper hard skills training in order to make them more suitable for the job.

2. The company can try an external recruitment process in order to attract the best talents. The agencies will shortlist such candidates as deemed suitable for the job.

1. Being a Human Resource Manager, Ms. Jayshree should be looking to hire candidates for the company. This falls under the staffing function. She must ensure that the hiring of the candidates should be as per the expansion plan of the company, and the candidates that are hired should be the ideal candidate for the position. She must also check if the employees are getting proper training and also are motivated.

Her role will consist of the following functions:

a. Preparing job descriptions for individual positions.

b. Recruitment of candidates who are qualified for the job.

c. Developing the salary structure for the employees.

d. Conducting interviews of the candidates.

e. Arrange proper training of new candidates.

f. Look after the welfare of employees.

g. Address employee complaints and grievances.

h. Defend the company in lawsuits and legal matters.

2. We can foresee the following problems in her job:

a. The job role requires her to perform multiple functions on a daily basis.

b. Finding the right candidate for a role is a tedious job.

c. She has to identify sources of recruiting candidates.

d. She needs to arrange proper training for the employees to develop the necessary skills required for the job.

3. She has to take the following steps in order to perform efficiently in her job:

a. Devise a proper staffing plan that has an estimate of human resource requirements of the present as well as the future.

b. The minimum qualification for the jobs should be decided in advance.

c. There should be a proper structure and assessment tests for screening the potential candidates.

d. The selection test should be properly conducted along with the interview.

4. The role of Ms. Jayshree is very important for the organisation. She has to ensure the right candidates are getting selected for the job. Any mistake in hiring the wrong candidate will result in a waste of time and cost, which impacts not only the performance but also the efficiency of the organisation. Her job is to ensure the selected candidates are best suited to be part of the organisation.

In the following ways, the human resource function can be important for the organisation:

1. Hiring of right candidate leads to high performance and efficiency.

2. Growth and survival of employees in the organisation can be planned by managers.

3. Helps in maintaining employee morale and provides motivation to employees in the form of rewards and recognition.

4. Assists in the proper utilisation of resources for the organisation.