The term ‘Staffing’ relates to the

recruitment, selection, development,

training and compensation of the
managerial personnel. Staffing, like all
other managerial functions, is the duty
which the apex management performs
at all times. In a newly created
enterprise, the staffing would come as
a. third step—next to planning and
organizing—but in a going enterprise
the staffing process is continuous.
Staffing, according to Dyck and
Neubert (2012), is the Human
Resource function of identifying,
attracting, hiring, and retaining
people with the necessary
qualifications to fill the
responsibilities of current and
future jobs in the organization.
Staffing, according to Dyck and
Neubert (2012), is the Human
Resource function of identifying,
attracting, hiring, and retaining
people with the necessary
qualifications to fill the
responsibilities of current and
future jobs in the organization.
The number of managerial personnel or
non-managerial human resources needed
by an organization depends upon the size
and complexity of its operations, its plans
for branching out or increasing products,
and turnover rates of both types of
human resources, among others. Besides
considering their number, the
qualifications for the individual positions
must be identified, so that the best-suited
individuals for the job positions may be
selected for hiring.
Staffing – Concept
Once the organizational goals
are set, the plans are prepared
and organization is appropriately
structured to pave the path for
achievement of the set goals.
The next step is to provide
appropriate personnel to fill in
the various positions created by
the organizational structure.
The process putting people to
jobs is termed as staffing.
Staffing, the management
function involves appointing
appropriate personnel,
developing them to meet
organizational needs and
ensuring that they are a satisfied
and happy workforce.
Staffing is defined as a
managerial function of filling and
keeping filled the positions in the
organizational structure. The
personnel appointed are a
combination of permanent
employees, daily workers,
consultants, contract employees
etc.
Staffing includes:
1. Identifying the requirement of workforce
and its planning.
2. Recruitment and selection of appropriate
personnel for new jobs or for positions
which may arise as a result of existing
employees leaving the organization.
3. Planning adequate training for
development and growth of workforce.
4. Deciding on compensation, promotion
and performance appraisals for the
workforce.
Basic Nature of
Staffing:
I. People-oriented
– Staffing deals with efficient
utilization of human resources in
an organization. It promotes and
stimulates every employee to
make his full contribution for
achieving desired objective of the
organization.
II. Development-oriented –
It is concerned with developing
potentialities of personnel in the
organization. It develops their
personality, interests, and skills. It
enables employees to get maximum
satisfaction from their work. It assists
employees to realize their full
potential. It provides opportunities to
employees for their advancement
through training, job education, etc.
III. Pervasive function – Staffing is
required in every organization. It is a major
sub-system in the total management
system that can be applied to both profit
making and non-profit making
organizations. It is required at all levels of
organization for all types of employees.
IV. Continuous function – Staffing is a
continuous and never-ending process. It
requires constant alertness and
awareness of human relations and their
importance in every operation.
V. Human objectives – It develops
potentialities of employees so that
they can derive maximum
satisfaction from their work. It
creates an atmosphere where
employees willingly cooperate for
the attainment of desired
organizational goals.
VI. Individuals as well as group-
oriented – Staffing is concerned with
employees both as individuals and as
group in attaining goals. It
establishes proper organizational
structure to satisfy individual needs
and group efforts. It integrates
individual and group goals in such a
manner that the employees feel a
sense of involvement towards the
organization.
VII. Developing cordial working
environment – It develops a
cordial environment in the
enterprise where each employee
contributes his best for the
achievement of organizational
goals. It provides a very
comfortable physical and
psychological working
environment.
VIII. Interdisciplinary nature –
Staffing has its roots in social
sciences. It uses concepts drawn
from various disciplines such as
psychology, sociology,
anthropology, and management. It
has also borrowed principles from
behavioral sciences. It is a science
of human engineering.
IX. Integral part of general
management – Staffing is an integral
part of the general management. It is
very much a part of every line
manager’s responsibility. Every
member of the management group
(from top to bottom) must be an
effective personnel administrator. It
renders service to other functional
areas of management.
X. Science as well as art – Staffing is
a science of human engineering. It is
an organized body of knowledge
consisting of principles and
techniques. It is also an art as it
involves skills to deal with people. It is
one of the creative arts as it handles
employees and solves their problems
systematically. It is a philosophy of
management as it believes in the
dignity and worth of human beings.
Characteristics of
Staffing as a
Function of
Management
1. Related to Human Beings
The first important characteristic of
staffing is its relationship with human
beings. It means that unlike planning
and organizing it is not mere paper
work but involves the appointment of
competent persons on various posts.
Planning lays down what, when, how
and by whom work is to be done.
Similarly, an organizational structure
chart is prepared under organizing.
On the contrary, under staffing,
competent individuals are selected
and given training keeping in view
the importance of the post and not
only doing paper work alone. All
the activities done to accomplish
this work are connected with
human beings-they may be
recruitment, selection, training,
promotion, etc.
2. Separate Managerial Function
The second important characteristic of
staffing is that it is a separate managerial
function. Separate managerial function means
that far from being a major part of some
function, it is in itself a major function. Staffing
is included in the other categories of
managerial functions like planning, organizing,
leading, and controlling. A little earlier, some
management experts considered it a part of
organizing. But these days, on the basis of
various researches, it is accepted as an
important separate managerial function.
3. Essential at All Managerial Levels
Staffing is essential at all managerial
levels. The Board of Directors
performs the function of staffing by
appointing General Manager. The
General Manager does so by
appointing departmental managers,
while the departmental managers
perform this function by appointing
their subordinates.
It must be clarified here that the
establishment of a separate personnel
department does not free the
concerned managers from this all-
important function.
The aim of establishing this department
is to assist the managers at every level
in the performance of their function of
staffing. It is important to note that the
final responsibility regarding staffing
lies with the managers concerned.
4. Related to Social Responsibility
Staffing deals with human beings
and man is a social animal. Since it
is connected with human beings, the
social responsibility of this function
is born. In order to discharge this
responsibility, the managers should
take care and be impartial while
going through the allied functions of
recruitment, selection, promotion,
etc.
5. Effect of Internal and External Environment
The performance of staffing is affected by the
internal and external environment of the
enterprise. The internal environment of the
enterprise includes policies connected with
the employees — like the promotion policy,
demotion policy, transfer policy, etc. If as a
matter of policy the vacant posts are to be
filled up by promotion, the employees already
working in the enterprise will have the
opportunity to reach higher posts, and the
people from outside will be appointed only on
lower posts.
In this way the internal policy of the
organization does affect the function of
staffing. The external environment affecting
the enterprise includes government policies
and educational environment. It can be the
policy of the government that in a particular
enterprise employees should be recruited
only through employment exchange.
Educational institutions can help in the
development of the employees by organizing
special training camps. In this way, external
environment also affects the function of
staffing.
7 Important
Functions of
Staffing
1. Manpower Planning
Manpower may be planned for short-term and
long-term. The short-term manpower planning
may achieve the objectives of the company at
present conditions. The long-term manpower
planning should be concerned with the
estimation of staff members required in future.
2. Development
Development is concerned with the
development of staff members through
adequate and appropriate training programs.
The training is given only to the needy persons.
3. Fixing the Employment Standards
It involves the job specification and job
description. These enable the
management to select the personnel
and train them scientifically. Job
description is a systematic and
organized written statement of the
duties and responsibilities in a specific
job. Job specification is a statement of
personal qualities that an individual
must possess if he is to successfully
perform the job.
4. Sources
It is concerned with the method by which
the staff members are selected. The
sources may be internal and external
sources. Internal source means that a
vacancy is filled up by the company out of
the staff members available within the
company. The external source means
that a vacancy is filled up by the company
from outside the company. The person
selected may be unemployed or working
in any other company.
5. Selection and Placement
It includes the process of selection of the
staff members. The placement includes
giving a job to a person on the basis of his
ability, education, experience and the like.
6. Training
The training may be arranged by the
company itself. In certain cases, the staff
members may be sent out by the company
to get the training. The expense is borne by
the company. The training may be required
not only by the new staff members but also
by the existing staff members.
7 Step Process of Staffing
Staffing starts with the
estimation of manpower
requirements and proceeds
towards searching for talented
personnel to fill the various
positions in
an organization.
Staffing, therefore, should follow
a logical step by step process.
Following are the important steps
involved in the process of
staffing:
Step # 1. Estimating Manpower
Requirements/Manpower Planning:
The process of manpower planning can
be divided into two parts. One is an
analysis for determining the
quantitative needs of the organization,
i.e., how many people will be needed in
the future. The other part is the
qualitative analysis to determine what
qualities and characteristics are
required for performing a job.
The former is called the quantitative aspect
of manpower planning in which we try to
ensure a fair number or personnel in each
department and at each level. It should
neither be too high nor too low leading to
overstaffing or under-staffing respectively.
The second aspect is known as qualitative
aspect of manpower planning wherein we
try to get a proper fit between the job
requirement and the requirement on the part
of personnel in terms of qualification,
experience and personality orientation.
Step # 2. Recruitment and Selection:
The second step after manpower
planning is recruitment and selection.
These are two separate functions, which
usually go together. Recruitment aims at
stimulating and attracting job applicants
for positions in the organization.
Selection consists of making choice
among applicants. To choose those
which are most suited to the job
requirement keeping in view the job
analysis information.
Selection processes must begin by
precisely identifying the task to be
performed and also drawing a line
between successful and
unsuccessful performance.
Thereafter, the process of selection
tries to find out how far a job
applicant fulfils those characteristics
or traits needed to successfully
perform the job.
Step # 3. Placement and Orientation:
Placement refers to place the right
person on the right job. Once the job
offer has been accepted by the selected
candidate, he is placed on his new job.
Proper placement of an employee
reduces absenteeism, employee’s
turnover and accident rates.
Orientation/Induction is concerned with
the process of introduction or orienting
a new employee to the organization.
The new employee is introduced to
fellow employees, given a tour of the
department and informed about such
details as hours of work, overtime,
lunch period, rest rooms, etc. They
are mostly informed about the
company, the job and work
environment. They are encouraged to
approach their supervisors with
questions and problems.
Step # 4. Training and
Development:
It is more accurately considered as
a process of skill formation and
behavioral change. It is a continuous
process of the staffing function.
Training is more effectively
conducted when the actual content
of jobs for which people are being
trained and developed is known.
Training programs should be
devised to impart knowledge,
develop skills and stimulate motives
needed to perform the job.
Development involves growth of an
employee in all respects. It is a
wider concept. It seeks to develop
competence and skills for future
performance. Thus, it has a long-
term perspective.
Step # 5. Performance Appraisal:
It means evaluating a performance
employee’s current and past performance
as against certain predetermined standards.
This process includes defining the job,
appraising performance and providing
feedback.
Step # 6. Promotion and Career Planning:
Managers must encourage employees to
grow and realize their full potential.
Promotions are an integral p art of people’s
career. They usually mean more pay,
responsibility and job satisfaction.
Step # 7. Compensation:
It refers to all forms of pay or
rewards paid to employees by the
employer/firm. It may be in the
form of direct financial payments
(Time based or Performance
based) like salaries and indirect
payments like paid leaves.