Page 116 - Cambridge IGCSE Business Studies

Cambridge IGCSE Business Studies Section 2 People in business

There are also limitations to employing part-time workers:
■ There will be an increase in induction and training costs.
■ There could be communication problems. Getting the same message to all

workers is difficult when some workers are only in the workplace at certain times
during the week.

■ The quality of service offered to customers may not be as good with part-time

staff as it is with full-time staff. For example, if a worker is dealing with a customer

complaint on a Monday but is not at work again until Wednesday, then the
customer has to wait longer for a solution.
The disadvantages of employing part-time workers are removed if full-time workers

are employed. In addition full-time workers are often more committed to the

business and doing a good job because they are perhaps more keen on gaining
promotion than part-time workers.

TEST YOURSELF
1 What is the main difference between internal recruitment and external

recruitment?
2 Identify two features of a job description.
3 State two advantages to a business of employing part-time workers.

The importance of training and methods
114
Why workers need training
Imagine you have just started a part-time job in a local department store. It is your
first day at work. How will you know what to do? Your friend has been working

at the store for some time. He has just changed jobs and it is his first day in a new

department. How will he know what to do? Both workers need to be trained so that
they can do their jobs effectively and effi ciently. The same store has just introduced

new technology at the tills. All till operators have been trained to use the new

equipment. Without training staff may become demotivated, and there are likely to
be many unhappy customers, which will be bad for the business.
As you can see, training is important to both businesses and workers. Th e main

benefits of training include:
■ Trained production workers are more efficient. This increases productivity and

Productivity: see Chapter 15, improves quality.
page 204.
■ Management training improves the quality of business decisions and reduces the
Quality: see Chapter 17, risk of costly mistakes.
page 229.
■ Training helps workers to develop their abilities and reach their potential. This
Customer relationships and improves their motivation and morale. Workers are less likely to want to leave a
customer loyalty:
business that provides them with good training.
see Chapter 10, page 140.
■ It is easier to recruit new workers and to keep existing workers.
■ Training can improve customer service. This helps to improve customer
relationships and increases customer loyalty.
■ Health and safety training helps to reduce accidents.
■ A well-trained workforce improves a business’s competitiveness.