Recruitment Worksheet (Tutor Version)

This worksheet looks at the process companies have to go through to employ personnel, and then considers the rights that employees have in their jobs.

Step 1 - Who do you want?

The first stage in employing people is to work out exactly what that person will be required to do. What will be their responsibilities, who will their manager be, what skills will they require and a host of other questions have to be answered before you can even begin to appoint someone. These may all be outlined in a 'job description'. From this the firm can write a 'person specification' setting out the profile of the sort of person required for the job.

To find out what should be included in a person specification go to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (http://www.cipd.co.uk/) site and look at their key fact sheets. You will find these by clicking on policy, and then on key fact sheets. Use the key fact sheet on recruitment to find out the main items that should be included in a person specification.

N.B. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download these fact sheets.

What should a person specification include?

• skills, aptitude, knowledge and experience
• qualifications necessary to do the job
• personal qualities relevant to the job

To find out a bit more about what firms may look for in their employees, go to the Business Profiles section on Biz/ed, choose two companies and write a brief summary of what they look for in their potential employees.

Step 2 - How do you get them?

Now that the firm has a person specification it has to try to find the best person to fit that specification. The firm has two options:

1. Appoint an internal candidate - someone who works in the firm already
2. Appoint an external candidate

What advantages might you expect from appointing an internal candidate?

• More familiarity with the company
• Less induction and training required
• Less risk - the candidate is already known
• Quicker and cheaper

What disadvantages might there be from internal candidates?

• Could be a better person available
• Creates another vacancy elsewhere in the company
• Limits applications
• May stifle creativity, by using people who already know the 'company' way of doing things

If you want to appoint an external candidate (maybe because an internal candidate couldn't be found or wasn't considered appropriate), then the post has to be advertised. Go back again to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (http://www.cipd.co.uk/) site and look again at the fact sheet on recruitment.

What should a job advert include?

1. the requirements of the job
2. the necessary and desirable criteria for job applicants
3. the activities and working practices of the organisation
4. the job location
5. the reward package
6. job tenure (e.g. contract length)
7. the application procedure

Another method of finding potential candidates is to use a job agency. There are a large number of them who have sites on the Internet. One example is Reed Employment (http://www.reed.co.uk/). Go to their site and try to find out some examples of who their main clients are:

• Eagle Star
• Hewlett Packard
• First Direct

Step 3 - Now what?

Hopefully you will now be bombarded by applications from suitable candidates. You need, however, to get written information on each candidate. You could either do this by getting them to submit a 'Curriculum Vitae' (sometimes called a 'resume') or get them to fill in an 'application form'. Find out from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (http://www.cipd.co.uk/) fact sheet on recruitment, what the main characteristics of an application form should be:

• realistic and appropriate to the level of the job
• be piloted for readability and ease of completion
• not request detailed personal information unless relevant to the job
• state the procedure for taking up references
• use clear language
• be accompanied by details of the job

From these applications a shortlist of the best candidates will be drawn up and an interview time arranged. From the CIPD factsheet (http://www.cipd.co.uk/) on recruitment, find out the main things that should be done at interview:

• always be conducted or supervised by trained individuals
• be structured to follow a previously agreed set of questions
• allow candidates the opportunity to ask questions

Then the best candidate is chosen and offered the job. However, the company must ensure that the 'job offer' has all relevant information about what the person is being offered. Check once again with the CIPD factsheet (http://www.cipd.co.uk/) on recruitment to see what a job offer should include:

1. details of the terms and conditions that will apply
2. any conditions to which the offer is subject
3. time scale for notifying the company of the decision - accepting or refusing
4. start date

Step 4 - So that's it?

Well no - not if you're a good employer. Employing someone should just be the start of the process. If you want to keep and develop the skills of your staff, then induction and training are absolutely vital. Refer once again to the CIPD factsheet (http://www.cipd.co.uk/) on recruitment, to answer the following questions:

What is meant by induction?

Helping a new employee to settle into the job fast by training them in company systems, getting to know relevant people and helping them with their job, if necessary, in the initial stages.

What should induction include?

1. completion of employee documentation
2. specification and discussion of any training
3. explanation of domestic arrangements and people management policies
4. assistance to adapt to the job

Why is it important that the whole process of selection and recruitment is a positive one?

1. leave a positive image of the organisation with unsuccessful applicants
2. give successful applicants a clear understanding of the organisation
3. reduce the risk of a bad selection decision
4. enhance the quality of candidates

Step 5 - Now they're there, can they stay?

Employees have certain rights in their jobs that are set out in a variety of employment laws. These change regularly and so you would always need to check your rights carefully before acting in any way. As part of the TUC company facts section on Biz/ed, you will find a section on your rights at work. There is also a section on employment rights in the TUC's Virtual Building (http://www.tuc.org.uk). Look in the section of the building "About the TUC". Use these sources to fill in the following table, and answer the questions following:

What is meant by unfair dismissal?

Being dismissed from your job without good reason. Any dismissal on the basis of pregnancy, sex or race discrimination, equal pay, union membership or activities, health and safety or enforcing a statutory right would be considered unfair.

Use the same sources to decide whether in each of the following cases the person has been 'unfairly dismissed'.

TUC company facts
TUC's Virtual Building (http://www.tuc.org.uk)

What action can you take if you feel you have been unfairly dismissed?

Take your employer to an industrial tribunal.

Step 6 - Redundant?

Use the TUC company facts section on Biz/ed to answer the following:

What is meant by redundancy?

The job you are doing is no longer required. You would not therefore be replaced by someone doing the same job.

How much redundancy money would you be entitled to in each of the following situations? Show your calculations below the table.

Step 7 - Do we need further protection?

Employment rights vary from one country to another. Should we perhaps have further rights? If you want to contrast UK employment rights (http://www.tuc.org.uk/) with US rights, you could use the Nolo employment thesaurus (http://www.nolo.com/) to find out about US practices.

One area of further employment rights is the provision of 'paternity leave'. Should fathers have a statutory right for time off when their children are borne?

Write a summary of the main arguments for and against the provision of paternity leave.

For:

• support - it helps family life
• equality
• should be affordable in an advanced developed economy
• helps motivate employees

Against:

• costly to employers
• particular problem for small employers and self-employed
• could reduce the country's competitiveness
• a cost to the government?