Emerging Trends in Human Resources: ISC Class 12 Business Studies Notes

What Emerging Trends in Human Resources is about

Weightage: CISCE publishes no unit or chapter weightage for ISC Business Studies: the 80-mark paper (Sections A, B and C) can draw on any part of the Class XII syllabus.Source: CISCE ISC Business Studies syllabus, examination year 2027

Key concepts

Flexible hours

Flexible hours (flexitime) is an arrangement in which employees may choose their starting and finishing times within limits set by the employer, provided they complete the required number of working hours (per day or week). Often there is a core time when everyone must be present.

Why firms use it: helps employees balance work and family, reduces commuting stress and absenteeism, and attracts talent. Example: an office allows staff to arrive any time between 8 and 11 a.m., as long as they work 40 hours a week.

Worked example

Suppose Neha must work 40 hours a week in office, but she may decide when to arrive and leave each day. Identify the emerging trend. [1 mark]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Freedom over timing with a fixed total of hours is flexible hours.

Answer: Flexible hours (flexitime).

Permanent part time

Permanent part time is an arrangement in which an employee is appointed on a permanent (regular) basis but works fewer hours than a full-time employee (for example, four hours a day or three days a week). The employee is on the regular rolls and gets pay and benefits in proportion to the hours worked.

It is not a short contract or casual job, and it is not the same as flexible hours (where full hours are worked at chosen times). It suits parents of young children, students and people nursing family members, and helps firms keep skilled people.

Worked example

Suppose a bank appoints a retired teacher to its permanent staff to run financial-literacy sessions for three hours every morning, with proportionate leave and benefits. Name and explain this emerging trend. [2 marks]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. An employee is appointed on a permanent, regular basis but works fewer hours than full-time staff.
2. He is entitled to proportionate pay and benefits; it is not a temporary or contractual job.

Answer: Permanent, regular employment for fewer hours with proportionate benefits.

Work from home

Work from home (telecommuting) is an arrangement in which employees perform their work from home (or another place away from the office), using computers, the internet and phone to stay connected and submit work, instead of travelling to the workplace daily.

Benefits: saves travel time and cost, office space and overheads; gives flexibility. Limitations: isolation, difficulty in supervision, data security risks, blurring of work and home life.

Worked example

Suppose a software tester logs in from her home in a small town, attends video meetings and submits reports online, visiting the office once a quarter. Identify the trend. [1 mark]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Working from home using technology.

Answer: Work from home.

Retainership

Retainership is an arrangement in which an organisation pays a fixed fee (retainer), usually monthly or yearly, to a professional or expert (lawyer, chartered accountant, consultant, doctor) so that he is available to provide services when needed. The person is not an employee on the regular rolls; he may serve several clients.

Benefits: access to specialist expertise without hiring full time; cost control. Example: a company pays a law firm a monthly retainer to advise on contracts whenever required.

Worked example

Suppose a mid-sized company pays a chartered accountant ₹20,000 a month to be available for tax advice whenever needed, though she is not on its payroll. What is this arrangement called? [1 mark]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. A fixed fee for availability of professional services, without employment.

Answer: Retainership.

Virtual teams

A virtual team is a group of people who work together towards a common goal while being in different locations (cities, countries, time zones), communicating mainly through technology such as e-mail, video conferencing, chat and shared online workspaces, rarely or never meeting face to face.

Benefits: brings together the best talent regardless of location; round-the-clock work across time zones; lower travel and office cost. Limitations: communication gaps, time-zone problems, weaker team bonding, dependence on technology.

Worked example

Suppose designers in Pune, coders in Dublin and testers in Manila work on the same app, meeting only through video calls and shared online boards. Identify the trend. [1 mark]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. A team spread across locations, linked by technology.

Answer: Virtual team.

Self-managing teams (SMTs)

Self-managing teams (SMTs) are small groups of employees who are given the responsibility and authority to manage their own work: they plan, schedule, assign tasks, solve problems, monitor quality and sometimes select and appraise members, with little or no direct supervision. A team leader may act as a coordinator, not a boss.

Benefits: higher commitment and motivation, faster decisions, fewer supervisory layers. Limitations: need trained, mature members; risk of conflict; not suitable for all work.

Expansion: SMTs = Self-Managing Teams ("managing", not "management" or "managed").

Worked example

Suppose a hotel lets each eight-member housekeeping crew decide its own duty roster and checks with no floor supervisor. What is such a team called (write the term in full), and what is its key feature? [1 mark]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. It is a self-managing team (SMT = Self-Managing Team): members plan and control their own work without close supervision.

Answer: Self-Managing Teams: they manage their own work.

Emerging Trends in Human Resources in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Topics in this chapter

• Flexible Hours, Permanent Part Time and Work from Home
• Retainership, Virtual Teams and Self-Managing Teams

Emerging Trends in Human Resources: key facts

Flexible hours

Own start and finish times + fixed total hours

Permanent part time

Permanent post + fewer hours + proportionate benefits

Retainership

Fixed fee for availability of an expert who is not an employee

Virtual team vs SMT

Virtual: dispersed, linked by technology; SMT: manages its own work without close supervision

How the board asks Emerging Trends in Human Resources

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Tricks to remember Emerging Trends in Human Resources

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

• Six trends: "FP WR VS"

  Flexible hours, Permanent part time; Work from home, Retainership; Virtual teams, Self-managing teams.

  Use it when: Listing the six.

• Retainer = on call

  A retainer keeps an expert on call for a fixed fee.

  Use it when: Retainership.

Emerging Trends in Human Resources: board-level solved questions

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Case-study practice (Section C style)

Read the situation, then answer every part. In the board paper this is a 8-mark question split into 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 marks.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is split into step marks. Show every step: a right final answer alone rarely earns full marks.

Where students lose marks in Emerging Trends in Human Resources

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

• ✗Mistake: Colloquial term instead of the technical one

  CISCE examiners' comments, 2024: for an employee who reports at a convenient time but must complete set weekly hours, candidates used a colloquial term instead of the accurate technical term.

  ✓Do this: Write "flexible hours" (flexitime).

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Permanent part time confused with flexible hours or a contract job

  CISCE examiners' comments, 2024: candidates confused permanent part time with flexible hours, left out the idea of regular, permanent employment, or described it as a short contractual job with lower pay.

  ✓Do this: Permanent post, fewer hours, proportionate benefits.

  Usually costs: 1-2 marks.

• ✗Mistake: Wrong expansion of SMTs

  CISCE examiners' comments, 2024: candidates expanded the "M" as management, managed or manager instead of managing.

  ✓Do this: SMTs = Self-Managing Teams.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Retainership described as employment

  Students often call a retainer a part-time employee; he is an outside professional paid for availability.

  ✓Do this: Stress "fixed fee", "available when needed", "not on the payroll".

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

Practice questions on Emerging Trends in Human Resources

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

   SMTs stands for:
   (a) Self-Management Teams
   (b) Self-Managed Teams
   (c) Self-Managing Teams
   (d) Staff-Managing Teams

   Hint

   -ing.

   Answer

   (c)

2. Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level

   What is work from home?

   Hint

   Location.

   Answer

   Doing one's job from home using technology, instead of going to the workplace.

3. Q3 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder board level

   Is a person on retainership an employee? Explain in one line.

   Hint

   Fee.

   Answer

   No; he is paid a fixed fee for being available to provide services and is not on the regular payroll.

4. Q4 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder board level

   Why is permanent part time not a temporary job?

   Hint

   Regular rolls.

   Answer

   The employee is appointed permanently on the regular rolls with proportionate benefits; only the hours are fewer.

5. Q5 · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level

   Explain the meaning of self-managing teams.

   Hint

   Own planning.

   Answer

   Small groups given authority to plan, organise, assign and control their own work, with little or no direct supervision.

6. Q6 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

   Suppose a firm's staff in Kolkata and Chennai work on the same project online. Is this work from home or a virtual team? Justify.

   Hint

   Team vs place.

   Answer

   A virtual team: members in different locations work towards a common goal through technology; they may work from offices, so it is not necessarily work from home.

7. Q7 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

   Explain any four emerging trends in human resources.

   Hint

   Meanings only.

   Answer

   Flexible hours, permanent part time, work from home, retainership (or virtual teams, SMTs), each with its meaning.

8. Q8 · 4 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

   Suppose a manufacturing plant wants to cut supervision costs and raise worker commitment. Which emerging trend would help and what conditions are needed?

   Hint

   Teams.

   Answer

   Self-managing teams: teams plan and control their own work, reducing supervisors and raising commitment; members must be trained, mature and given clear goals and authority.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1. 1.Own timing, fixed hours?Show answer

   Flexible hours.

2. 2.Fixed fee to an expert for availability?Show answer

   Retainership.

3. 3.Team in different cities linked by technology?Show answer

   Virtual team.

4. 4.SMTs expansion?Show answer

   Self-Managing Teams.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

• ☐Flexible hours: choose timing, complete hours.
• ☐Permanent part time: permanent post, fewer hours, proportionate benefits.
• ☐Work from home: job done from home through technology.
• ☐Retainership: fixed fee for an expert's availability.
• ☐Virtual team: dispersed, linked by technology; SMT: manages itself.

Emerging Trends in Human Resources: frequently asked questions