Conditions of Service

Apparel Industry Management 3(3+0)

Lesson 25 : Personnel Management

Conditions of Service

The recruitment and engagement of labour constitute one of the most important and universally recognized personnel functions, but it must be emphasized that the final responsibility for selection rests with the immediate manager, who is accountable for the work done in his department. This is an excellent illustration of what is meant by the statement that the human aspect of management cannot be delegated, although, of course, the personnel officer may undertake a great many duties that help towards the final selection of employees.

A firm's employment policy must clearly depend on several other factors, such as the business being carried on and the skill required, the availability of different types of labour, and even the belief in training possibilities. In the textile industry, there are certain characteristics, based largely on traditions that affect the employment situation. For example, it has long been customary for young people to seek work in the local mills, where their parents are already employed.

Very many firms, therefore, recruit young people straight from school, although, with the increasing competition of alternative employment, this is becoming more difficult. The average age of workers in the industry is high today because, it is said, young generations are now reluctant to go into the mills. In textiles, women do not generally stop working on marriage, and those who do frequently return to the mill when their family is launched. This means that part-time work for married women is common, this sometimes taking the form of evening or 'twilight' shifts. The ratio of men to women in textiles is about 50-50 and in apparel industries the ration of women is more owing to fundamental changes in technical processes and the introduction of new machinery, the recruitment of labour has become much more selective.

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Last modified: Wednesday, 23 May 2012, 11:15 AM