CHAPTER-6 STAFFING

After planning and selection of the organisation structure, the next step in the management
process is to fill the various posts provided in the organisation. This is termed as the
management of staffing function.
-Staffing is ‘putting people to jobs’. It begins with workforce planning and includes
different other function like recruitment, selection, training, development, promotion,
compensation and performance appraisal of work force.
-Staffing is that part of the process of management which is concerned with obtaining,
utilizing and maintaining a satisfactory and satisfied work force.
-Staffing has been described as the managerial function of filling and keeping filled the
positions in the organisation structure.
-This is achieved by, , identifying requirement of work force, recruitment, selection,
placement,promotion, appraisal and development of personnel, to fill the roles designed
into the organisation structure.
-Once the number and types of personnel to be selected is determined, management starts
with the activities relating to recruiting,selecting and training people, to fulfill the
requirements of the enterprise.
-In an existing enterprise, staffing is a continuous process because new jobs may be created and some of the
existing employees may leave the organisation.

IMPORTANCE OF STAFFING:
The staffing function of management fulfills this requirement and finds the right people
for the right job.
Basically, it fills the positions as shown in the organisation structure.
-It is the most fundamental and critical drive of organisational performance.
-The staffing function has assumed greater importance these days because of rapid
advancement of technology,
increasing size of organization and complicated behaviour of human beings.
-Human resources are the most important asset of an organization, hence, the ability of an
organisation to
achieve its goal depends upon the quality of its human resources.
-No organization can be successful unless it can fill and keep filled the various positions
provided for in the structure with the right kind of people.
Proper staffing ensures the following benefits to the organisation:
(i) helps in discovering and obtaining competent personnel for various jobs;
(ii) makes for higher performance, by putting right person on the right job;
(iii) ensures the continuous survival and growth of the enterprise through the
succession planning for managers;
(iv) helps to ensure optimum utilization of the human resources. By avoiding
overmanning,or shortages of
personnel;
 (v) improves job satisfaction and morale of employees through objective assessment
and fair reward for their contribution.

If right kind of employees are not available, it will lead to wastage of materials,
time, effort and energy, resulting in lower productivity and poor quality of
products.
It is, therefore, essential that right kind of people must be available in right number
at the right time. They should be given adequate training so that wastage is
minimum. They must also be induced to show higher productivity and quality by
offering them proper incentives.

Staffing as part of Human Resource Management:

As organisations grow and number of persons employed increases, a separate department

called the human resource department is formed which has specialists in managing people.
-The management of human resource is a specialized area which requires the expertise of
many people.
It is a function which all managers need to perform.
It is a separate and specialised function and there are many aspects of human relations to
be considered.
It is the job of managers to fill positions in their organisation and to make sure that they
remain occupied with qualified people.
-When the manager performs the staffing function his role is slightly limited.
-His responsibilities will include placing the right person on the right job, introducing
new employees to the organisation, training employees and improving their performance,
developing their abilities, maintaining their morale and protecting their health and
physical conditions.
-Human Resource Management includes many specialised activities and duties which the
human resource
Personnel must perform. They are:
1. Recruitment i.e., search for qualified people
2. Analysing jobs, collecting information about jobs to prepare job descriptions.
3. Developing compensation and incentive plans.
4. Training and development of employees for efficient performance and career
growth.
5. Maintaining labour relations and union management relations.
6. Handling grievances and complaints.
7. Providing for social security and welfare of employees.
8. Defending the company in law suits and avoiding legal complications.
STAFFING PROCESS:

The prime concern of the staffing function in the management process is the timely
fulfillment of the manpower requirements within an organisation.
-staffing as a process starts from understanding the manpower requirements within the
organisation and identifying
the potential sources from where it can be met, either from within the organisation or from
outside.
And, given that ‘the right person’is scarce, there is need to ‘market’the job and the
organisation to the people.
The steps in staffing process are:

1. Estimating the Manpower Requirements: Before starting the work, the manpower
requirement is assessed. Two aspects are to be considered while determining the
requirements of manpower, ie, type of employees & number of employees, job
 requirements, desirable qualifications, relationship between different jobs etc is to be
clearly drawn out.
-Manpower planning involves two aspects, viz, work load analysis and work
force analysis.
-Work load analysis enables the assessment of the number and employees
necessary for the performance of various jobs to accomplish organizational
objectives. It ensures that there is no burden and wastage of resources and work is
completed on time.

-
-Work force analysis reveals the number and type of work force available in the
organization and sees reveal whether the organisation is understaffed, overstaffed or
optimally staffed. It is the assessment of the existing employees. and sees
manpower employed and number to be employed.
-This information becomes the base for looking for potential employees.
-A situation of understaffing would necessitate the starting of the recruitment
process.
 2. Recruitment: Recruitment may be defined as the positive process of searching for
prospective employees and
stimulating them to apply for jobs in the organisation.
It includes the following activities:
a) Determining the Various sources of supply
b) Evaluating the validity of these sources
c) Selecting the most suitable source or sources
d) Inviting applications from the candidates for the vacancies.
-The information generated in the process of writing the job description and the candidate
profile may be used for developing the ‘situations vacant’ advertisement.
-This step involves locating the potential candidate or determining the sources of
potential candidates.
-The essential objective is to create a pool of the prospective job candidates. Both
internal and external sources of recruitment may be explored.
-Internal sources may be used to a limited extent. For fresh talent and wider choice
external sources are used.
3. Selection; Selection is the negative process of choosing from among the pool of the
prospective job candidates developed at the stage of recruitment.
Selection process serves two important purposes:
(i) it ensures that the organization gets the best among the available, and
(ii) (ii) it enhances the self-esteem and prestige of those selected and conveys to
them the seriousness
with which the things are done in the organisation.
-It leads to the best performance on all fronts ie, quality, quantity, time cost etc
-The rigour involves a host of tests and interviews. Those who are able to successfully
negotiate the test and the interviews are offered an employment contract, a written
document containing the offer of employment, the terms and conditions and the date of
joining
4. Placement and Orientation: Joining a job marks the beginning of socialisation of the
employee at the workplace. The employee is given a brief presentation about the company
and is introduced to his superiors, subordinates and the colleagues.
- Placement involves putting the selected man at the right place considering his
aptitude and ability. It is the actual posting of an employee to a particular job for
which he/she has been chosen.
- Orientation is also known as induction. It means introducing the newly selected
employee. Ie, to various facets of the company, his job, other jobs, nature of
 products, policies, rules and existing employees etc. It aims at inducting new
employees inti the organization smoothly.
5. Training and Development: Every one must have the opportunity to rise to the top.
The best way to provide such an opportunity is to facilitate employee learning.
- Training implies systematic procedure of imparting knowledge and skills for a
specific job. It benefits both the employees and the employer.
-It increases the skills and abilities of employees to perform specific jobs.
-It can be given for current job or to prepare the employee to future jobs.
-The organization can reduce the production cost, best use of tools and machines
-It can also improve the quality of outputs.
By offering the opportunities for career advancement to their members,
organisations are not only able to attract but also retain its talented people
6. Performance Appraisal: Performance appraisal means evaluating an employee’s
current and/or past performance as against certain predetermined standards.
-The employee is expected to know what the standards are and the superior is to
provide the employee feedback on his/her performance.
-The performance appraisal process, therefore, will include defining the job,
appraising performance and providing feedback.
7. Promotion and career planning: It becomes necessary for all organisations to address
career related issues and promotional avenues for their employees.
-The managers must encourage employees to grow and realise their full potential.
-Promotions are an integral part of people’s career.
- Promotion is the process through which employees get better salary, status, position,
more opportunity etc. Employees earn their promotion to higher posts on the basis of their
performance. They usually mean more pay, responsibility and job satisfaction.
8. Compensation: All organisations need to establish wage and salary plans for their
employees. -Basically the price of the job needs to be determined.
- The organization should have fair salary or wage structure and should give incentives to
those who deserve it.
-It means that jobs must be evaluated and ranked in a manner that contributes to that
contribution.
-Compensation, therefore, refers to all forms of pay or rewards going to employees. It may
be in the form of direct financial payments like wages, salaries, incentives, commissions
and bonuses and indirect payments like employer paid insurance and vacations.
-Direct financial payments are of two types : time based or performance based.
- A time based plan means salary and wages are paid either daily, weekly or monthly or
annually.
- Performance based plans means salary/wages are paid according to piecework.
Several factors such as supply and demand of specific skills in the labour market,
unemployment rate, labour market conditions, legal and political considerations,
company’s image, policy, human resource planning cost, technological developments and
general economic environment etc., will influence the way recruitment, selection and
training will be actually carried out.
COMPONENTS/ASPECTS OF STAFFING
There are three aspects of staffing: recruitment, selection and training

a) Recruitment:
Recruitment refers to the process of finding possible candidates for a job or a function. It
has been defined as ‘the process of searching for prospective employees and stimulating
them to apply for jobs in an organisation.’Higher the number of candidates, more is the
possibility of selecting the right potential candidate.
-The object of recruitment is to attract potential employees with the necessary
characteristics or qualification, in the
adequate number for the jobs available.
-It locates available people for the job and invites them to apply for the job in the
organisation.
-It seeks to attract suitable applicants to apply for available jobs
Thus the recruitment includes the following activities.
i) Determining the various sources of labour supply.
ii) Evaluating the validity of these sources.
iii) Selecting the most appropriate source or sources and
iv) Inviting applications from the candidates for vacancies.

SOURCES OF RECRUITMENT:
The various sources of recruitment can be broadly classified in to
i) Internal sources
ii) External sources.
i) Internal sources: The requisite positions may be filled up from within the
organization. It refers to the sources available within the organization when the existing
employee possess the required qualification and experience.
The major sources are

i) Transfers: It involves shifting of an employee from one job to another, one

department to another or from one shift to another, without a substantive change in the
responsibilities and status of the employee.
-It may lead to changes in duties and responsibilities, working condition etc., but not
necessarily salary.
-Transfer is a good source of filling the vacancies with employees from over-staffed
departments.
- It is practically a horizontal movement of employees. Shortage of suitable personnel in
one branch may be filled through transfer from other branch or department.
-Job transfers are also helpful in avoiding termination and in removing individual
problems and grievances.
-Transfers can also be used for training of employees for learning different jobs.
ii) Promotions: Promotion is the process of shifting an employee from a lower job
position to a higher job position. It includes higher responsibilities, more facilities, better
status and pay. It is the vertical shifting of employees
Business enterprises generally follow the practice of filling higher jobs by promoting
employees from lower jobs.
-This practice helps to improve the motivation, loyalty and satisfaction level of
employees.
-It has a great psychological impact over the employees because a promotion at the higher
level may lead to a chain of promotions at lower levels in the organisation.

Merits of Internal Sources:

i) Internal recruitment simplifies the process of selection and placement as the candidates
that are already working in the enterprise can be evaluated more accurately and
economically.
-This is a more reliable way of recruitment since the candidates are already known
to the organization.
ii) Employees are motivated to improve their performance. A promotion at a higher level
may lead to a chain of promotion at lower levels in the organisation.
-This motivates the employees to improve their performance through learning and
practice.
-Employees work with commitment and loyalty and remain satisfied with their jobs.
Also peace prevails in the enterprise because of promotional avenues.
iii) Transfer is a tool of training the employees to prepare them for higher jobs.
Also people recruited from within the organisation do not need induction training;
iv) Transfer has the benefit of shifting workforce from the surplus departments to those
where there is shortage of staff
v) Filling of jobs internally is cheaper as compared to getting candidates from
external sources.
LIMITATIONS:
i) When vacancies are filled through internal promotions, thescope for
induction of fresh talent is reduced.
-Complete reliance on internal recruitment involves danger of ‘inbreeding’
by stopping ‘infusion of new blood into the organization.
ii) The employees may become lethargic if they are sure of time bound promotions.
iii) A new enterprise cannot use internal sources of recruitment. No organisation
can fill all its vacancies from internal sources.
iv) The spirit of competition among the employees may be hampered;
(v) Frequent transfers of employees may often reduce the productivity of the
organisation.

b) EXTERNAL SOURCES: It means inviting applications, for filling up the

vacancies, from candidates outside the organization. It provides wider choice and
entrance of new blood in the organization.
-All vacancies of the organization cannot be filled by the internal sources as the existing
staff may be insufficient or they may not fulfill the eligibility criteria of the jobs to be
filled and has to depend upon external sources also.
The common external sources are:

i) Direct Recruitment: Under the direct recruitment, a notice is placed on the

notice-board of the enterprise specifying the details of the jobs available.
Jobseekers assemble outside the premises of the organisation on the specified
date and selection is done on the spot.
- This method is followed usually for casual vacancies of unskilled or semi-
skilled jobs.
-Such workers are known as casual or ‘badli’ workers and they are paid
remuneration on daily wage basis.
-This method of recruitment is very inexpensive as it does not involve any cost of
advertising the vacancies.
-It is suitable for filling casual vacancies when there is a rush of work or when
some permanent workers are absent.
ii) Casual Callers: Many reputed business organisations keep a database of unsolicited
applicants in their offices. Such job-seekers can be a valuable source of manpower. A list
of such job-seekers can be prepared and can be screened to fill the vacancies as they arise.
- The major merit of this source of recruitment is that it reduces the cost of recruiting
workforce in comparison to other sources.

iii) Advertisement: Advertisement in newspapers or trade and professional journals is

generally used when a wider choice is required.
- Most of the senior positions of industry as well as commerce are filled by this method.
-The advantage of advertising vacancies is that more information about the organization
and job can be given in the advertisement.
-It gives the management a wider range of candidates from which to choose.
- Advertisements may be placed in leading newspapers.
- Its disadvantage is that it may bring in a flood of response, and many times, from quite
unsuitable candidates.

iv) Employment Exchange: Employment exchanges run by the Government are

regarded as a good source of recruitment for unskilled and skilled operative jobs.
 - In some cases, compulsory notification of vacancies to employment exchange
is required by law.
- Thus, employment exchanges help to match personnel demand and supply by
serving as link between job-seekers and employers.
-But the records of employment exchange are often not up to date and many of
the candidates referred by them may not be found suitable.
v) Placement Agencies and Management Consultants : In technical and
professional areas, private agencies and professional bodies appear to be doing substantive
work.
- Placement agencies provide a nationwide service in matching personnel
demand and supply.
- These agencies compile bio-data of a large number of candidates and
recommend suitable names to their clients. Such agencies charge fee for their
services and they are useful where extensive screening is required.
-These professional recruiters can entice the needed top executives from other
companies by making the right offers.
Management consultancy firms help the organisations to recruit technical, professional
and managerial personnel.
- They specialise in middle level and top level executive placements.
-They maintain data bank of persons with different qualifications and skills and even
advertise the jobs on behalf of
their clients to recruit right type of personnel.
Campus Recruitment: Colleges and institutes of management and technology have
become a popular source of recruitment for technical, professional and managerial jobs.
- Many big organisations maintain a close liaison with the universities, vocational schools
and management institutes to recruit qualified personnel for various jobs.
-Recruitment from educational institutions is a well-established practice of businesses.
This is referred toas campus recruitment.

vii) Recommendations of Employees: Applicants introduced by present employees,

or their friends and relatives may prove to be a good source of recruitment.
- Such applicants are likely to be good employees because their background is sufficiently
known.
-A type of preliminary screening takes place because the present employees know both the
company and the candidates and they would try to satisfy both.
viii) Labour Contractors: Labour contractors maintain close contacts with labourers and
they can provide the required number of unskilled workers at short notice.
-Workers are recruited through labour contractors who are themselvesemployees of the
organisation.
- The disadvantages of this system are that if the contractor himself decides to leave the
organization the workers employed through him will follow suit.
(x) Advertising on Television: The practice of telecasting of vacant posts over Television
is gaining importance these days. The detailed requirements of the job and the qualities
required to do it are publicised along with the profile of the organisation where vacancy
exists.
x) Web Publishing: Internet is becoming a common source of recruitment these days.
There are certain websites specifically designed and dedicated for the purpose of
providing information about both job seekers and job
opening.
-In fact, websites are very commonly visited both by the prospective employees and the
organisations searching for suitable people.
- Examples for such websites are www.naukari.com, www.jobstreet.com,
www.monster.com etc

2. SELECTION:

it is the process of selection of right types of candidates and offering them jobs.it is
negative in nature and includes several steps therein which are as follows:-

Preliminary screening , application blank, selection test, employment interview,

medical examination, checking reference &final selection
a) PRELIMINARY SCREENING:
Applications are selected to check the confidence level of the candidate by the personnel
managers .very general and basic questions related to job or status of the person are
questioned
b) APPLICATION BLANK
The candidates required to give full information about their age,qualifications,experience,
family background,aptitudes and interests,etc. in the application blank.the application
blank provides a detailed written record about the candidate.
c) SELECTION TEST
Candidates are asked to appear for written or other tests.the aim of tests is to measure such
skills and aptitudes which are necessaryfor performing the job efficiently.it includes
various tests like:
proficiency tests &aptitude tests
d) SELECTION INTERVIEW
It involves face to face interaction between employer and candidate.the selectors ask job
related and general questions.the way in which a candidate responds to the questions is
evaluated.
e) MEDICAL AND PHYSICAL EXAMINATION
Candidates who are found suitable after interview are called for a physical examination.a
medical check-up of such candidates is done by the panel of doctors to ensure that they
are healthy and physically fit fot the job.
f) CHECKING REFERENCE:
Generally, every candidate is required to state in the application form the names and
addresses of atleast of two persons who know him.these persons are contacted in writing
or over the telephone to collect information about the background ,abilities and character
of the candidate
g) CHECKING REFERENCE
Generally, every candidate is required to state in the application form the names and
addresses of atleast of two persons who know him.these persons are contacted in
writing or over the telephone to collect information about the background ,abilities
and character of the candidate.
h) SELECTION DECISION:
The candidate who are found suitable after the medical checkup and background
investigation are formally appointed by issuing appointment letters to them.
i) Job Offer: The next step in the selection process is job offer to those applicants who
have passed all the previous hurdles. Job offer is made through a letter of
appointment/confirm his acceptance. Such a letter generally contains a date by which
the appointee must report on duty. The appointee must be given reasonable time for
reporting.
j) Contract of Employment: After the job offer has been made and candidate accepts
the offer, certain documents need to be executed by the employer and the candidate.
One such document is the attestation form. This form contains certain vital details
about the candidate, which are authenticated and attested by him or her. Attestation
form will be a valid record for future reference.
-There is also a need for preparing a contract of employment. Basic information that
should be included in a written contract of employment will vary according to the level of
the job, but the following checklists sets out the typical headings: Job Title, Duties,
Responsibilities, Date when continuous employment starts and the basis for calculating
service, rates of pay, allowances, hours of work, leave rules, sickness, grievance
procedure, disciplinary procedure, work rules, termination of employment

3 Training & Development:

Training and Development is an attempt to improve the current or future employee

performance by increasing an employee’s ability to perform through learning, usually by
changing the employee’s attitude or increasing his or her skills and knowledge.
Importance of Training and Development:
the rapid changes taking place during the last quarter century in our highly sophisticated
and complex society
have created increased pressures for organisations to readapt the products and services
produced, the manner
in which products and services are produced and offered, the types of jobs required and
the types of skills
necessary to complete these jobs. Thus, as jobs have become more complex the
importance of employee
training has increased.
Benefits to the organization
1. Training is a systematic learning, always better than hit and trial methods which
lead to wastage of efforts and money.
2. It enhances employee productivity both in terms of quantity and quality, leading to
higher
profits.
3. Training equips the future manager who can take over in case of emergency.
4. Training increases employee morale and reduces absenteeism and employee
turnover.
5 . It helps in obtaining effective response to fast changing environment –
technological and economic.
Benefits to the Employee:
1. Improved skills and knowledge due to training lead to better career of the individual
2. Increased performance by the individual help him to earn more.
3. Training makes the employee more efficient to handle machines. Thus, less prone
to accidents.
4. Training increases the satisfaction and morale of employees.

Training &Development
Training is any process by which the aptitudes, skills and abilities of employees to
perform specific jobs are increased. .
-It is a process of learning new skills and application of knowledge.
-It attempts to improve their performance on the current job or prepare them for any
intended job.
Development refers to the learning opportunities designed to help employees grow.
It covers not only those activities which improve job performance but also those which
bring about growth of
the personality, help individuals in the progress towards maturity and actualisation of their
potential capacities so that they become not only good employees but better men and
women

METHODS OF TRAINING:
ON THE JOB TRAINING
OFF THE JOB TRAINING
1. ON THE JOB TRAINING: When the employees are trained while they are
performing the job then it is known as On-the- Job training. Under this method
the employees learn by doing
Techniques of On-the- Job Training:
Apprenticeship Training , Job Rotation, Internship , Coaching
Apprenticeship Training: Apprenticeship programmes put the trainee under the
guidance of a master worker to acquire ahigher level of skill. Eg:- Plumbers,
Electricians, iron workers etc. These apprentices are trainees who spend a prescribed
amount of time working with an experienced guide, or trainer.
-A uniform period of training is offered to trainees, in which both fast and slow learn here,
are placed together. Slow learners may require additional training
Internship Training: Internship is an agreement between the professional institutes
and the corporate sector where professional institutes send their students to various
companies so that they can practice the theoretical knowledge acquired by them
through professional institutes.
-They also work in some factory or office to acquire practical knowledge and skills.
Coaching: In this method superior guides and instructs the trainee as a coach. He
guides employee, how he can overcome his weaknesses and make his strength more
strong, superior suggests the changes required in the behaviour and performance of
the employee.
-The coach or counselor sets mutually agreed upon goals, suggests how to achieve these
goals, periodically reviews the trainees progress.
-Classically , the trainee is being groomed to replace the senior manager and relieve him
from some of his duties. This gives a chance for the trainee to learn the job also.
Off the Job Training: Off-the- Job Training Methods are used away from the work
place. It means learning before doing
Techniques of Off-the –Job Training:
Class Room Lectures/Conferences, Films, Case study, Computer Modelling
,Vestibule Training
& Programmed Instructions
a) Vestibule Training: Employees learn their jobs on the equipment they will
be using but training is conducted away from the actual work floor

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