Employee resourcing is a fundamental component of effective HR practice and is absolutely crucial for any successful business. Effective resourcing will address issues of whom to employ in the first place and how to engage, motivate, and reward them within the business's structure.
These considerations are critical to achieving mutually beneficial goals for both the employer and employee. The core principle behind effective resourcing is to minimise employee costs while maximising employee value and to acquire the correct behavioural mix of attitude and commitment in the business.
In this piece, we consider what factors may impact an employer’s recruitment process at the resourcing stage. We also cover the four main considerations of Strategy & Planning, Research & Data Collection and Marketing.
Strategy & Planning
Before engaging in a recruitment process, an employer should identify a resourcing strategy and how best to maximise recruitment potential. There are a number of factors that can affect a business's employment plans:
1) Technological change: This is a consistently evolving area that requires employers to modify their products, manufacturing methods, and working habits to keep up with technological advances.
2) Job loss: Reduced levels of employment have led to expenses due to increased redundancy payments and have negatively impacted the relationship with existing employees.
3) Working time: This concerns maximising employee working time through restructuring work patterns in line with periods of demand.
4) Market stagnation: This involves constant monitoring of employee costs as a result of market competition and prolonged periods of recession.
5) Uncertainty: This occurs where employers place a heavier emphasis on part-time and fixed-term workers as they're wary of committing to full-time permanent employees due to market uncertainty.
In view of the above, an employer should take into account a range of factors when looking to recruit.
If expectations are clear at the resourcing and recruitment stage then both the employer and employee will have a more effective working and HR relationship later on. For example, job patterns have evolved over time from traditional full-time roles towards a penchant for increasingly flexible, part-time roles with variable working days and hours. This allows a lot of room to manoeuvre.
In addition, before entering into the recruitment phase an employer should identify whether or not they wish to recruit from within or outside the business or if both options can satisfy the business’s needs. Indeed, a combined strategy can ensure reliability and commitment for the business from the internal promotion of existing employees allied with fresh, innovative approaches from new starters.
1) External Recruitment:
- A non-selective external recruitment process is often undertaken for the requirement of low skill employees at low wage levels, whereby recruitment is carried out in a casual manner.
- Selective recruitment is undertaken where there's a demand for skilled and motivated employees who can carry out their position immediately with little need for training.
2) Internal Recruitment:
- Employers often don’t consider the potential for internal recruitment. Recruiting internally often provides an excellent opportunity for employers to emphasise ongoing personal development and the progression of employees. Employees tend to be happier and more diligent when they can identify potential career progression.
- Those employers that prioritise internal training tend to be more focused on employee development with the emphasis being on viewing employees as a long-term company asset.
Research & Data Collection
Employers often have a lot of options when it comes to identifying applicable data and information which will aid in an ongoing resourcing strategy. To do so will subsequently allow for setting time scales for the actual recruitment process and subsequent training and ensure that an employer always has a Plan B.
1) Extrapolation: This involves analysing the past as a guide to the future e.g. employee turnover, trend analyses, etc. This will allow you to implement an effective resourcing strategy.
2) Projected production/sales: Using sales and productivity forecast reports to forecast business performance to identify future staffing needs.
3) Employee analysis: Employees can be categorised through function, department, age, and length of service to appraise future availability (e.g. retirement).
4) Scenario building: Identifying possible future scenarios (e.g. recession, economic boom, technological changes etc.) in order to establish a plan of action.
Marketing
There are a host of methods of attracting applicants, including advertising and the use of recruitment agencies. Probably the most common is to place online advertisements aimed at a 'target group' of potential employees. Online advertisement is very beneficial as most websites allow a role to be sub-divided into geographic location and industry sector which results in a very target group driven resourcing drive.
Word of mouth and newspaper advertisements are also tried and tested methods. However, employers need to be wary of word of mouth in that it could lead to the wrong message being spread around to potential candidates. For example, a word of mouth process could lead to incorrect rumours being spread in terms of what an employer is looking for and it could even lead to discrimination such as someone saying that the employer is only looking for a man, an Irish national etc. Whatever method of advertising is decided upon, all applicants should be channelled through the chosen procedure.
A good general rule is to say enough in your advertisement to raise interest (without being long-winded) and to have as eye-catching an advertisement as can be afforded. Advertisements ought to include the following information:
a) The job title and, if appropriate, job details, conditions, salary, etc.
b) Where the job is located.
c) Any special qualifications needed, e.g. minimum experience required etc.
d) To whom the application should be directed.
e) The method of application to be adopted, e.g. in writing, by CV, application form, etc.
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