CHAPTER – 6

STAFFING

• Staffing means putting people to jobs. It begins with human resource planning and includes
different other functions like recruitment, selection, training, development, promotion and
performance appraisal of work force.
Need and Importance of Staffing:
1. Obtaining Competent Personnel: Proper staffing helps in discovering and obtaining
competent personnel for various jobs.
2. High Performance: Proper staffing ensures higher performance by putting right person
on the right job.
3. Continuous growth: Proper staffing ensures continuous survival and growth of the

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enterprise.
4. Optimum utilization of human resources: It prevents under-utilization of personnel
and high labour cost.

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5. Improves job satisfaction: It improves job satisfaction and morale of employee.
• Human Resource Management (HRM): The function of Human Resource Management is
to provide skilled human elements to the enterprise. Therefore, big enterprises create a
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separate department called HRD. This department works under H.R. Managers.
Definition: Human Resource management is the recruitment, selection, development,
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utilization, compensation and motivation of human resources of the organization.
Staffing as a part of Human Resource Management: The scope of Human Resource
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Management is wider than staffing. It involves staffing, keeping personnel records,

providing expert service and other works. It facilitates procurement and placement of right
people on the right jobs. The nature of staffing as a part of HRM is discussed in following
points:
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1. Staffing is people centered and is relevant in all types of organization and with all
categories of personnel from top to bottom.
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2. It is duty of every manager to perform the staffing activities. In many enterprises,

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Personnel Department is established to provide assistance to managers in performing

their staffing function.
3. Staffing function is concerned with training, development and performance appraisal of
human resources.
• Process of Staffing:
1. Estimating Manpower Requirement: It involves the following:

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(a) Making inventory of current human resources in terms of qualification, training & skills.
(b) Assessing future human resource needs of all departments.
(c) Developing a programme to provide the human resources. Job Analysis is an intensive

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way of finding details related to all jobs.
2. Recruitment: It refers to identification of the sources of manpower availability and
making efforts to secure applicants for the various job positions in an organization.
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3. Selection: It is the process of choosing and appointing the right candidates for various
jobs in an organization through various exams, tests &interviews.
4. Placement and Orientation: When a new employee reports for duty, he is to be placed
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on the job for which he is best suited. Placement is very important process as it can
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ensure “Right person for right job”. Orientation/Induction is concerned with the process
of introducing a new employee to the organization. The new employees are familiarized
with their units, supervisors and fellow employees. They are also to be informed about
working hours, procedure for availing leave, medical facilities, history and geography of
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organization and rules/regulations relating to their wages etc.

5. Training and Development: Systematic training helps in increasing the skills and
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knowledge of employees in doing their jobs through various methods.

Development involves growth of an employee in all respects. It is the process by which
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the employees acquire skills and competence to do their present jobs and increase their
capabilities for higher jobs in future.
6. Performance Appraisal: It is concerned with rating or evaluating the performance of
employees. Transfers and promotions of the staff are based on performance appraisal.
• RECRUITMENT
(A) Recruitment: Recruitment may be defined as the process of searching for prospective
employees and stimulating them to apply for jobs in the organization.
Sources of Recruitment:
(A) Internal Sources
(B) External Sources
(A) Internal Sources of Recruitment: Internal sources refer to inviting candidates from
within the organization. Following are important sources of internal recruitment:
1. Transfers: It involves the shifting of an employee from one job to another, from one
department to another or from one shift to another shift.
2. Promotions: It refers to shifting an employee to a higher position carrying higher
responsibilities, prestige, facilities and pay.
3. Lay-Off: To recall the temporary worker for work is called Lay-Off, who were temporarily
separated from organization due to lack of work.
Advantages of Internal Sources Recruitment:
(1) Employees are motivated to improve their performance.
(2) Internal recruitment also simplifies the process of selection & placement.
(3) No wastage of time on the employee training and development.
(4) Filling of jobs internally is cheaper.
Limitation of Internal Sources

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(1) The scope for induction of fresh talent is reduced.
(2) The employee may become lethargic.
(3) The spirit of competition among the employees may be hampered.

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(4) Frequent transfers of employees may often reduce the productivity of the organization.
External Sources of Recruitment: When the candidates from outside the organization are
invited to fill the vacant job position then it is known as external recruitment. The common
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methods of external sources of recruitments are:
1. Direct Recruitment: Under the direct recruitment, a notice is placed on the notice board
of the enterprise specifying the details of the jobs available.
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2. Casual callers: Many reputed business organizations keep a data base of unsolicited
applicants in their office. This list can be used for Recruitment.
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3. Advertisement: Advertisement in media is generally used when a wider choice is

required. Example– Newspapers, Internet, Radio, Television etc.
4. Employment Exchange: Employment exchange is regarded as a good source of
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recruitment for unskilled and skilled operative jobs.

5. Campus recruitment and labour contractors can be used for the purpose.
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Merits of External Sources

1. Qualified Personnel: By using external source of recruitment the management can
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attract qualified and trained people to apply for the vacant jobs in the organization.
2. Wider Choice: The management has a wider choice in selecting the people for
employment.
3. Fresh Talent: It provides wider choice and brings new blood in the organization.
4. Competitive Spirit: If a company taps external sources, the staff will have to compete
with the outsiders.
Limitations of External Sources of Recruitment:
1. Dissatisfaction among existing employees: Recruitment from outside may cause
dissatisfaction among the employees. They may feel that their chances of promotion are
reduced.
2. Costly process: A lot of money has to be spent on advertisement therefore this is costly
process.
 3. Lengthy Process: It takes more time than internal sources of recruitment.
• Selection: Selection is the process of choosing from among the candidates from within the
organization or from outside, the most suitable person for the current position or for the
future position.
• Process of Selection:

The successive stages in selection process are:

1. Preliminary Screening: After applications have been received, they are properly

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checked as regarding qualification etc. by screening committee. A list of candidates to
be called for employment tests made and unsuitable candidates are rejected altogether.
2. Selection Tests: These tests include:

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(a) Psychological tests which are based on assumption that human behaviour at work
can be predicted by giving various tests like aptitude, personality test etc.
(b) Employment test for judging the applicant’s suitability for the job.
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3. Employment Interviews: The main purpose of interview is:
(a) to find out suitability of the candidates.
(b) to seek more information about the candidate.
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(c) to give the candidate an accurate picture of job with details of terms and conditions.
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4. Reference Checks: Prior to final selection, the prospective employer makes an

investigation of the references supplied by the applicant. He undertakes a thorough
search into candidate’s family background, past employment, education, police records
etc.
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5. Selection Decisions: A list of candidate who clear the employment tests, interviews and
reference checks is prepared and then the selected candidates are listed in order of
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merit.
6. Medical/Physical Examination: A qualified medical expert appointed by organization
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should certify whether the candidate is physically fit to the requirements of a specific
job. A proper physical exam will ensure higher standard of health & physical fitness of
employees thereby reducing absenteeism.
7. Job Offer: After a candidate has cleared all hurdles in the selection procedure, he is
formally appointed by issuing him an Appointment Letter. The broad terms and
conditions, pay scale are integral part of Appointment Letter.
8. Contract of Employment: After getting the job offer, the candidate has to give his
acceptance. After acceptance, both employer and employee will sign a contract of
employment which contains terms & conditions, pay scale, leave rules, hours of work,
mode of termination of employment etc.
Nishant wants to set a unit in rural area where people have very few job opportunities
and labour is available at a low cost.
 For this he wants four different heads for Sales, Accounts, Purchase and Production. He
gives an advertisement and shortlists some candidates after conducting selection tests.
1. Identify and state the next three steps for choosing best candidates.
2. Also identify two values which Nishant wants to communicate.
• Training: Training is the act of increasing the knowledge and technical skills of an
employee for doing a particular job efficiently. Both existing employees and new employees
get acquainted with their jobs and this increases job related skills.
Benefits to the Organization:
1. It enhances employee’s productivity and quality.
2. Training increases employee’s morale.
3. Employees get new technical knowledge.
4. Efficient use of machines.

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Benefits to the Employee:
1. Improved skills and knowledge of employee.
2. Increased performance by the individual help him to earn more.

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3. Less accidents.
4. Training increases the satisfaction and morale of the employee.
Training Methods:
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(A) On the Job Method: It refers to the methods that are applied at the work place, where
the employee is actually working. It means learning while doing.
The following are the methods of On-the job training:
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1. Apprenticeship Training: Under this, the trainee is placed under supervision of an
experienced person (master worker) who imparts him necessary skills and regulates his
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performance. The trainee is given stipend while learning so that he/she can enjoy “earn
while you learn” scheme.
2. Internship Training: Under this method an educational institute enters into agreement
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with industrial enterprises for providing practical knowledge to its students by sending
them to business organizations for gaining practical experience.
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3. Induction training is a type of training given to help a new employee in settling down
quickly into the job by becoming familiar with the people, the surroundings, the job and
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the business. The duration of such type of training may be from a few hours to a few days.
The induction provides a good opportunity to socialize and brief the newcomer with the
company’s overall strategy, performance standards etc. If carefully done, it saves time
and cost (in terms of effectiveness or efficiency etc.)
• Training and Development: Training is concerned with imparting technical knowledge in
doing a particular job. But development is a wider process concerned with growth of an
individual in all respects. However, both are related processes; training helps the
employees in learning job skills whereas development shapes attitude of the employees.
Comparison of Training and Development
Basis Training Development
1. Definition It means imparting skills and It means growth of an
knowledge doing a particular employee in all respects.
job
2. Purpose It is concerned with maintaining It seeks to develop competence
and improving current job and skills for future
performance. performance.
3. Methods It is imparted through on the job It is imparted through off the
method. job method.
4. Initiative The boss takes the initiative for The individual takes the
imparting training to his initiative for self-growth and
subordinates. development.
5. Duration Training programmes are Development takes place over a

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organized for short terms. large period of time.

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