Lecture 5: Staffing Function

Lecture overview
 Meaning and Nature of Staffing
 Objectives of Staffing
 Element/Characteristics of Staffing
 Factors to consider in Staffing
 Staffing Process; the Steps involved
 Role of Staffing
 Meaning and Nature of Staffing
 Staffing is the process of hiring/recruiting the
employees by evaluating their skills, knowledge and
then offering them for specific positions.
 Staffing is that process of management which is
concerned with obtaining, utilizing and maintaining
a satisfactory and satisfied workforce.
 Staffing can be defined as the process of filling the
vacant position of the right personnel, at right time,
and at the right job.
 Objectives of staffing
• To procure right type of personnel for right
jobs.
• To train and develop human resources.
• To ensure satisfaction of the needs of the
workers so that they become loyal and
committed to the organisation.
• To build high morale among employees by
maintaining good human relations.
 Nature/Characteristics of Staffing
• People-Centered: Staffing can broadly view as
people-centered function. It is concerned with
categories of personnel from top to bottom of the
organization. It is relevant for all organization
• Responsibility of Manager: Staffing is the basic
function of management. The manager is
continuously engaged in performing the staffing
function
• Staffing is a pervasive (collective) activity- is a
critical function carried out by all mangers in the
organization.
 Nature/Characteristics of Staffing
• Science as well as Art: as a science it is an
organized body of knowledge consisting of
principles and techniques. And
• As an art it involves skills to deal with people.
• Critical managerial function: because the
success of all other functions depends on the
workforce obtained through the staffing
function.
• Continuous Function: Staffing function is performed
continuously whether the organization is old or new.
• Based on visionary leadership: HR are managed based on
 Effectiveness
 Efficiency
 Dynamism
• Based on
 Quantity; i.e. right number
 Quality; i.e. skills, experiences, knowledge
 Time; i.e. at the appropriate time.
 Effective and efficient employee utilization
 Factors to consider when staffing
Size of the Organisation:
The size may be small, medium and large. If the size is small
the number of employees will be less and vice-versa.
Type of Skills Needed:
The type of skills are identified as follows:
• Skilled workers
• Semi skilled workers and
• Unskilled workers.
Employee’s Number:
Labour Intensive Unit; the number will be more and
staffing pattern provides for more levels.
In capital intensive unit; the labour will be less.
 Factors to consider when staffing
Clients and expansion:
If the clientele is more; the activity of the organisation
will be high and requires more personnel.
The expansion and diversification may also encourage
the restructuring of staffing pattern.
Financial Posture:
• Sound financial position attracts high caliber of staff.
• Poor financial position attracts low caliber
Geographic Location:
• Business units close to business centers may operate
with less staff
• Distant units may have to work with more staff.
 Staffing Process - Steps involved
Identify the Manpower requirements:
Conduct manpower inventory
• To determine the quantity of employees
• To determine the quality of employees
• To determine the vacant positions.
Recruiting:
• Once the positions and the qualifications outlined,
• Then, the need to identify people to meet the conditions,
and
• This is done through a process known as recruiting.
Recruitment describes the set of activities and processes used
to legally obtain the required quantity and quality of people at
the right time to occupy the right role within an organization
Recruitment is a process which aims to attract a
larger pool of potentially qualified job applicants
with desirable profile to apply for positions
vacant in the organization.
Recruitment: may also be referred to as the searching
for prospective employees and stimulating them to
apply for jobs in the organization.
 Hence the recruitment activity is a positive
practice….why?
Sources of Recruitment
 Techniques of Recruitment
• Promotions: that is, the vacancy can be filled by
promoting a suitable candidate from the same
organization.
• Internal Advertisements: A vacancy is advertised
within the organization so that existing employees
are asked to apply for the vacancy.
• Recall of Retired Employees: Sometimes, retired
managers may be recalled for a short period. This is
done when the organization cannot find a suitable
candidate.
Selection is the process of choosing from the pool
of individuals who are potentially qualified and are
suitable for the job available within an organization
or enterprise.
Selection is the systematic process of deciding on a
specific individual (s) with proving credentials to fill
an available position within an organization or
enterprise.
Hence selection is a negative process….why?
 Selection Process
Screening interviews (shortlisting): aims to eliminate
those candidates who do not meet the minimum
requirements.
It focuses on:
Education: educational qualification of the candidate(s)
involved.
Work Experience: experiences of the candidate(s)
gained in all their working life
Skills and Knowledge: the special skills and knowledge
acquired by the candidate(s) in their working life.
Personality Traits: the individual characteristics of the
candidates in terms of behaviour, attitudes.
 Staffing Process - Steps involved

Employment interview
• A systematic procedure by which a person engages
another person (stranger) in an expert manner in
order to obtain important information for a defined
purpose.
• It is a one to one interaction between the
interviewer and the potential candidate to find
whether the candidate is best suited for the
required job or not.
• Objective: the objective is to get to know more
about the applicant’s background, capability,
enthusiasm
 Staffing Process - Steps involved

Workforce Orientation and placement:

• Orientation is a process by which new employees
are made familiar to a work place ( organization’s
policies, objectives, rules).
• Placement takes is putting the person on the right
job.
Training and Development:
• Training aims at equipping employees with the
needed skills to perform their specific jobs.
• Development aims at the overall improving of the
employees to enable them to discharge more
complicated functions in the future.
 Staffing Process - Steps involved

Remuneration- It is a kind of compensation provided

monetarily to the employees for their work performances.
This is given according to the nature of job.
Performance Appraisal: In order to keep a track or record
of the behaviour, attitudes as well as opinions of the
workers towards their jobs.
Promotion and transfer:
• Promotion is the elevation of rank and status of an
employee; it is granted to people who show promise
and are committed.
• Transfer is the complete movement of employees from
one different work units/branches of the same
organization.
 The Interview Process(Job applicant)
Before the interview
Get Important documents: Some of these documents include
your curriculum vitea (CV), cover letter, education and work
experience recommendations.
Know the Company’s background: before the interview,
candidates should do well to study the organization’s
background (work it does, year of formation, mission and
vision, etc).
Prepare Questions: once you have information about the
company, then generate a list of possible questions that may be
asked by the interviewer.
Practice your responses, this may help ease your nerves when
it is time for the real interview.
 The Interview Process(Job applicant)

Appropriate Dress:
• Prepare appropriate dress to be used.
• Usually a black suite well ironed over a well-polished black shoe
will be appropriate for such occasions.
• In other words, a candidate must wear corporate dress for the
interview.
Arrive early:
• Interviewee should make sure to arrive at the interview venue on
time.
• Preferably it should be at 15-20 minutes before the interview
begins.
• Arriving early indicates that you are professional and reliable
 The Interview Process(Job applicant)
During the Interview
Sit well:
• The interviewee should sit appropriately.
• This will allow for ease and avoid uncomfortable conditions.
• For instance, avoid sitting with legs crossed or who lies on the table.

Listen attentively:
• The interview should do well to listen very well the questions asked.
• This will enable him/her provide the needed responses.
• It also shows that the candidate is well prepared
Ask for clarifications:
• In other words, do not be afraid to ask for a question to be clarified
so that you can understand.
 The Interview Process(Job applicant)
After the interview
Wait till you are asked to leave:
The interviewee should wait until he/she is asked to leave.
It is respectful to wait till you are asked to leave the interview
room.
Give thanks:
the interviewee should thank the interviewer (s).
Follow up:
• The interviewee should call to find out the outcome of the
interview.
• This comes only when the interviewee has not heard anything
from the Company after some reasonable time.
• An applicant may also get a permanent employee there to
contact for any up-date.
 The Interview Process(The Panel)
Before the Interview
Give candidate's time
• Once the CVs have been reviewed give your chosen candidates an
appointment.
• Give the applicant ample notification to prepare for the interview.
Explain the interview structure
• To allow people to fully prepare.
• Explain to the applicant the structure of the interview.
Explain the process
• The panel should also explain the interview process to the applicant.
• The length of time the interview will take,
• how many stages the interview will take.
• For instance, first-come-first-serve basis, or women first and men
second, each applicant has ten-fifteen minutes.
 The Interview Process(The Panel)
During the Interview
• Put candidates at ease to help candidates relax.
• Welcome and receive candidates well,
• If necessary water should be provided.
• Crack jokes with applicants.
Don't judge on first impressions
• The panel should look for content rather than physical appearances since
this could be misleading.
• For instance bad perception about an applicant who consistently ask for
clarifications of questions, or an over-zealous applicant.

Listen
• An interviewer should spend 80% of the time listening and

• only 20% talking.

• This enables the applicants to clearly respond to questions.

 The Interview Process(The Panel)
Take notes
• Write down important points and other information
• To be used to evaluate the candidates.
• This allows the panel to ask for clarifications for better
judgement
Invite candidates to ask questions
• Give applicant the chance to clarification specific questions.
• At this stage panel members are encouraged to take the
applicant’s suggestions, views seriously since they may be
based on experience.
• For instance, a applicant who complains of late arrival of
invitation for the interview, improper directions to the
interview center.
 The Interview Process(The Panel)
After the Interview
Compare notes and reach consensus
• The team compare notes for a decision to be made.
• Make an objective decision about the applicant.
Let candidates know:
• Make the successful applicants know of the
outcome as soon as possible.
• It is a sign of respect and good corporate practice.
 
 Advantages and Disadvantages of interviews

 Advantages
• Provide an opportunity for a two-way exchange of information
between two parties.
• To measure skills such as oral communication skills that cannot be
measured through other means.
• Helps produce valid information and inferences for effective
organizational outcomes.
 Disadvantages
• May be affected by rating errors and biases by interviewers.
• Time-consuming to administer than computerized tools.
• Lack or few professionally trained interviewers.
• May lead to individuals faking themselves instead of who they really
are.
 ROLE OF STAFFING
Staffing process helps in getting right people for the right
job at right time.
Provides job satisfaction to the employees and raises morale
high.
Providing Suitable Personnel: Staffing ensures continuous
proper strategies are put in place man the organization
structure through proper recruitment and selection process.
Meeting changing times: Staffing department ensures that
through the process of training and retraining all personnel
in the organization keep themselves abreast of the latest
techniques of doing the management and operational work.
Compensation: using job appraisal and evaluation
techniques to reward deserving employees.
 TRIAL QUESTIONS
1. a. explain clearly the following concepts:
(i). Recruitment
(ii). Selection
b. Recruitment and selection are pre-requisites for effective
human resource planning, discuss any five reasons to support
this assessment.
2. As the Human Resource Management Consultant describe
clearly with practical examples where possible, how you
would develop a simple strategic staffing plan for your
organization
 THE END

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