THE STAFFING FUNCTION

6.1 Learning objective

By the end of this topic, the learners should be able to;
a) Define the term staffing and explain its importance in management
b) Explain the meaning and importance of manpower planning
c) Differentiate between recruitment and selection
d) Discuss the importance of job analysis
e) Explain the reasons behind separations in organizations

Staffing refers to the managerial function of employing and developing human

resources for carrying out the various managerial and non-managerial activities in an
organization.
This involves determining the manpower requirement, recruiting, selecting, training
and developing the people for various positions created in the organization.
It is a continuous process because the organization’s need to retain and update its
personnel is a never ending exercise. The managers have to keep a regular watch on
the number and composition of the personnel needed by the organization, because the
requirement of manpower keeps on changing and expanding with the expansion of
activities and additions of new departments and work units. Similarly, at any point in
time, some people will be leaving, retiring, getting promotion or transferred. The
vacancies thus created have to be filled up.
It may be noted that staffing function is an integral part of human resource
management and, in its wider sense, also includes the activities of determining the
remuneration of workers, appraising their performance, and deciding on their
promotion, transfers, etc

Importance of Staffing
((a) It aids in the recruitment of qualified candidates for the right position at the right
time. The staffing function allows the manager to determine how many people are
required, as well as their credentials and experience.
(a) Improved organizational productivity is aided by staffing. The organization
obtains quality people through proper selection, and the workers' performance levels
can be raised through adequate training.
(c) It helps to maintain employees' morale strong by offering job satisfaction. Their
efficiency improves as a result of adequate training and development programs, and
they are more confident in their professional advancement.

(d) Organizational harmony is maintained by staffing. Individuals are not only

recruited and selected, but their performance is also evaluated on a regular basis,
and merit-based promotions are made. For all of this, specific regulations are
established and conveyed to all parties involved. This promotes peace and harmony
in the workplace.

(e) It aids in preventing under-utilization of workers due to over-manning, as well as

the high labor expenses and low profit margins that [Link] in the staffing
process
a) Manpower Planning/Human Resource Planning
b) Job Analysis
c) Recruitment and Selection
d) Placement
e) Induction
f) Training and Development
g) Performance Appraisal
h) Compensation
i) Separations

Manpower Planning
Manpower planning refers to the process of estimating the manpower requirement of
an organization. While estimating the manpower requirement, the management
generally keeps in mind the available infrastructure including the technology,
production schedule, market fluctuation, demand forecasts, government’s policies etc.
It tentatively decides the kinds of staff as well as the number of staff needed for the
organization to operate effectively. The focus of the manpower planning is to get right
number of qualified people at the right time.
It is the process by which a firm ensures that it has the right number and kind of people
at the right place at the right time, doing work for which they are economically most
useful

Job Analysis
Job analysis is the detailed and critical analysis of a specific job or position by carrying
out a detailed examination of its various elements. A job analysis provides the
groundwork for determining the value of a job.
Importance of Job Analysis
Information obtained from this process can be used for:
• The recruitment and selection of the most suitable candidates for a job
• The determination of training needs of employees
• Determination of work performance standards
• The redesign of jobs
• Determination of remuneration levels
• Career development
The information to look for in the process of job analysis includes:
• Overall purpose of the job
• Job content
• Performance criteria
• Competences
• Developmental factors-career prospects, training etc
• Environmental factors (job context)-e.g. working conditions, health and
safety, etc

Recruitment and Selection

Recruitment: The process of finding and attracting suitable applicants for
employment. It is the process of searching for prospective employees and stimulating
them to apply for a job in an organization
Selection: This is the process of choosing the individuals who possess the necessary
skills, abilities, and personality to successfully fill the vacancies. It involves sifting
through applications, assessing candidates, making a choice and offering employment
PLACEMENT
If the selected candidate decides to join the organization, he/she has to report to the
concerned authority and formally joins the organization by giving his consent in
writing.
Then he/she is placed to perform specific job. Thus, placement refers to selected
candidate’s joining the positions in the organization for which they have been
selected. The appointment of every candidate is followed by a record of particulars of
employment. Such a record is properly maintained and described as employment
record. It serves a useful purpose on many occasions like selection of employees for
training, promotion, increments etc
Induction
Induction is the process of introducing new employees to the organization. The new
employees should know under whom and with whom he/she is to work, get
acquainted and adjusted to the work environment, get a general idea about the rules
and regulations, working conditions etc. Usually the immediate supervisor of the new
employee introduces him to his work environment. A proper induction programme
is likely to reduce his anxiety on how to cope with the work and how to become part
of the organization and helps in development of a favourable attitude towards the
organization and the job.

Training and Development

Helping the employees to improve their knowledge and skill so as to be able to
perform their tasks more efficiently is known as training. It is an organized activity
for increasing the knowledge and skills of people for a specific purpose. The term
‘development’ refers to the process of not only building up the skill and abilities for
specific purpose but also the overall competence of employees to undertake more
difficult and challenging tasks. It is generally used with reference to the training of
managers and executives.
Training is necessary for new employees as well as the existing employees for
improving their performance at work. For new employees, training is necessary to
help them get acquainted with the method of operation and skill requirement of the
job. For existing employees, training at periodical intervals is helpful for learning
better ways of doing the work, and also as and when they have to undertake new jobs.
Thus, training helps employees to improve their knowledge and skill and make them
perform their tasks more efficiently. It also helps them in promotion and improves
their attitudes and confidence levels.

Performance Appraisal
Performance appraisal means judging the performance of employees.
Specifically, it means judging the relative abilities of employees at work in a
systematic manner. This enables managers to identify employees who are performing
the assigned work satisfactorily, and those who are not able to do so, and why. To be
fair, performance appraisal needs to be carried out using the same methods and
keeping in view uniform standards of work. Generally it is the responsibility of
supervisors to carry out performance appraisal of their subordinates, and report it to
their own superiors. He may also have to identify the causes of the performance
especially if it has fallen short of the expected performance.
The standard of performance or the expected level of performance of an employee on
a job forms the basis of judging how well the employee has performed, and whether
one employee is more efficient than the other in doing a similar job. The yardstick
placed may be the desired quantity of output, the quality of work done, minimization
of wastage of materials caused in the process of work etc. The choice depends upon
the type of job involved. However, where quantity or number of units produced or
wastage of materials form the basis of appraisal, it is likely to be more accurate. On
the other hand, quality of work done may be difficult to measure and hence
performance appraisal may not be very accurate.

Job Evaluation
This is the process of measuring the inputs of employees i.e. skill, effort, experience
education etc for minimum performance and to translate such measures into specific
monetary returns. It is the systematic and orderly process of determining the worth of
a job in relation to others. The main objective of job evaluation is to obtain internal and
external consistency in wages and salaries.
Compensation/Reward Management
Compensation is one of the most important factors influencing relations between
management and the workers. No organization can attract and retain qualified
employees without offering them a fair compensation.
The term ‘compensation’ refers to a wide range of financial and non financial rewards
to the employees for services rendered to the organization. It includes wages, salaries,
allowances and other benefits which an employer pays to his employees in
consideration for their services. Compensation may be divided into two categories:
(a) Base/primary compensation.
(b) Supplementary compensation.
Base or primary compensation is a fixed amount paid every month to an employee. It
includes wages, salary and allowances paid to an employee irrespective of his
performance.
Supplementary compensation refers to the compensation paid to the employees to
motivate them to work more efficiently. It is also known as incentive compensation.
The incentives may be monetary or non-monetary. The monetary incentives include
bonus, commission sales, or profit sharing plans. The non-monetary incentives, on the
other hand, include cordial relations with the supervisor, assignment of challenging
jobs, recognition etc. Such incentives help the employees to sustain interest in the job
and motivate them to work hard. They also provide job satisfaction.

Separations Management
Employee Separation is the process of ensuring that an employee who quits the
company is exited in a structured and orderly manner. All effort should be made to
avoid burning bridges. It is a legal requirement that the organization issue the leaving
employee with a certificate of service. The Human Resource department should
conduct exit interviews with the employee who is leaving the organization. This if
well conducted can provide feedback on what the organization can improve on.
Forms of Separations
Separations are classified as either voluntary or involuntary. The voluntary one is
initiated by the employees while involuntary separation is initiated by the
organization. Separations include the following
1. Retirement
 2. Dismissals
3. Resignations
4. Redundancies
Retrenchment