Staffing as a Management Function

Human resource management (HRM), or staffing, is the management function devoted to

acquiring, training, appraising, and compensating employees.

Human resource planning

The first step in the staffing process involves human resource planning which involves job
analysis, job description and job specification, followed by a human resource inventory, and
human resource forecast

Job Analysis
Job analysis is an in-depth study of a job. It provides information for job descriptions. In doing
the analysis, we have to gather information about jobs through interviewing employees,
observing performance of certain tasks, asking employees to fill out questionnaires and
worksheets, and collecting information about a job from secondary sources.
Step 1 : knowledge of the job
In conducting your analysis, consider:
 All of the duties and responsibilities of the position
 Their scope and level
 The context in which the duties and responsibilities of the positions are to be performed
 The amount of responsibility, authority and accountability required to perform the work
 The major and minor activities
Step 2: Identification of Performance Behaviors
To do this, ask yourself
 What are the performance expectations for superior performance?
 How do you know someone is doing an excellent, satisfactory or poor job?
 How does it look when a high performer is doing an excellent job or when a poor
performer is doing an unsatisfactory job?
Step 3: Essential Competencies
Using the examples of behavior as a basis, identify and choose only the most critical/ essential
competencies required to demonstrate high performance. Differentiate between high
performers and average performers:
Step 4: Identify Target performance level
Target levels refer to the types of behaviors demonstrated by high performers most of the time.
They are not minimum standards. The key is to select the target level that high performers
demonstrate most of the time (general rule - 75% of the time). Once you have set the Target
Level, you should also set the minimum acceptable level required at job start.
Step 5: Experience, Education and Training Needed
It may be helpful to consider the background of high-performing employees in this type of
position. Be sure to include as many of the equivalent combinations of education and
experience as possible.

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Consider the availability of qualified people in the job market and ensure the qualifications are
reasonable given that market. It is important to determine a qualification that is appropriate to
the job on day one and not inappropriately high or low.
Step 6: Special Considerations
Now is the time to identify and include any special considerations you may wish to include.
Some jobs may require additional specific criteria like the following:
 Criminal records review
 Drivers, firearms or other licenses
 Professional designations (for example: Professional Engineer)
 Occupational certifications
 Physical requirements to lift heavy objects, work in strenuous situations etc.
 Willingness statements (for example: willingness to work in dusty or noisy environments
Step 7: Review and Finalize
If you answered no to any of these questions, review your work and make adjustments so that
you can answer each question with a yes. If you answered yes to all of the questions, finalize
your Statement of Qualifications. These may now be added to Job Descriptions, included in
applicant packages and advertisements, and used as a basis for determining the most
appropriate assessment methods to be used in the hiring process.
Step 8: Using Results
The list of qualifications and competencies developed through job analysis are used to create:
 The Statement of Qualifications to be attached to Job Descriptions
 Advertising content and/or applicant information packages
 Criteria for short listing applicants
 As a basis for determining the most effective assessment methods

Job Description
Job description includes basic job-related data that is useful to advertise a specific job and
attract a pool of talent. It includes information such as job title, job location, reporting to and of
employees, job summary, nature and objectives of a job, tasks and duties to be performed,
working conditions, machines, tools and equipments to be used by a prospective worker and
hazards involved in it.
Job Specification
Also known as employee specifications, a job specification is a written statement of
educational qualifications,
specific qualities,
level of experience,
physical, emotional,
technical and communication skills required to perform a job,
responsibilities involved in a job
It also includes general health, mental health, intelligence, aptitude, memory, judgment,
leadership skills, emotional ability, adaptability, flexibility, values and ethics, manners and
creativity, etc.
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Types of Recruitment
Recruitment
Internal Recruitment - is a recruitment which takes place within the organization. Internal
Internal sources are primarily three –
Transfers, promotions and Re-employment of ex-employees.
Internal recruitment may lead to increase in employee’s productivity as their motivation
level increases. It also saves time, money and efforts. But a drawback of internal
recruitment is that it refrains the organization from new blood. Also, not all the

2. External Recruitment - External sources of recruitment have to be solicited from

outside the organization. External sources are external to a concern. But it
involves lot of time and money.

The external sources of recruitment include –

Employment at factory gate,
advertisements,
employment exchanges,
employment agencies,
educational institutes,
recommendations etc.

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Employee Selection Process
Employee Selection is the process of putting right men on right job. It is a procedure of
matching organizational requirements with the skills and qualifications of people. Effective
selection can be done only when there is effective matching.
But selection must be differentiated from recruitment, though these are two phases of
employment process.
Recruitment is considered to be a positive process as it motivates more of candidates to apply
for the job. It creates a pool of applicants. It is just sourcing of data.
While selection is a negative process as the inappropriate candidates are rejected here.
Recruitment precedes selection in staffing process.
The Employee selection Process
1. Preliminary Interviews- It is used to eliminate those candidates who do not
meet the minimum eligiblity criteria laid down by the organization.
2. 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.
3. 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.
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 4. Employment Interviews- It is an interaction between the interviewer and the
potential candidate.
5. Medical examination- Medical tests are conducted to ensure physical fitness of
the potential employee. It will decrease chances of employee absenteeism.
6. Appointment Letter- A reference check is made about the candidate selected
and then finally he is appointed by giving a formal appointment letter.
7. 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.
8. 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.
Employee Remuneration
1. Employee Remuneration refers to the reward or compensation given to the employees
for their work performances. Employee compensation refers to all work‐related
payments, including wages, commissions, insurance, and time off.
Remuneration provides basic attraction to an employee to perform job efficiently and
effectively.
Remuneration leads to employee motivation. Salaries constitute an important source of income
for employees and determine their standard of living. Salaries affect the employees productivity
and work performance. Thus the amount and method of remuneration are very important for
both management and employees.
There are mainly two types of Employee Remuneration
2. Time Rate Method
3. Piece Rate Method
Employee benefits
Employee benefits are supplements to wages or pay.
Examples
 Health insurance, Pension plans, Employee discounts, Vacation, sick, and personal days
 Bonuses (incentive money paid to employees in addition to their regular compensation)
 Profit‐sharing (money from a portion of the company profits used to supplement
regular compensation)
 Stock options (a plan that permits employees to buy shares of stock in the employee's
firm at or below the present market value)
A top management executive is given benefits unique to his or her status. Additional executive
benefits are termed perquisites (perks).

Evaluating Employee Performance

Employee performance should be evaluated regularly. Employees want feedback—they want to
know what their supervisors think about their work.

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Regular performance evaluations not only provide feedback to employees, but also provide
employees with an opportunity to correct deficiencies.

Evaluations also help in making key personnel decisions, such as the following:
 Justifying promotions, transfers, and terminations
 Identifying training needs
 Providing feedback to employees on their performance
 Determining necessary pay adjustments
Most organizations utilize employee evaluation systems; one such system is known as a
performance appraisal.
A performance appraisal is a formal, structured system designed to measure the actual job
performance of an employee against designated performance standards.
Although performance appraisals systems vary by organizations, all employee evaluations
should have the following three components:
 Specific, job‐related criteria against which performance can be compared
 A rating scale that lets employees know how well they're meeting the criteria
 Objective methods, forms, and procedures to determine the rating
Traditionally, an employee's immediate boss conducts his or her performance appraisal.
However, some organizations use other devices, such as peer evaluations, self‐appraisals, and
even customer evaluations, for conducting this important task.
The latest approach to performance evaluation is the use of 360‐degree feedback. The 360‐
degree feedback appraisal provides performance feedback from the full circle of daily contacts
that an employee may have. This method of performance appraisal fits well into organizations
that have introduced teams, employee involvement, and TQM programs.