On the territory of the Russian Federation in the legislative regulation and in the Labor Code there are no precise indications by which the employees of the organization can be attributed to the main or auxiliary personnel.
However, business entities may issue local regulations with provisions governing the definition of the functions of support staff.
What is the main and auxiliary staff
The main criterion for dividing personnel into categories is their activity and the importance of the functions of a particular position in the work of the organization. In contrast to the core, support staff are those employees who are busy with tasks that are not related to the core business of the company. According to the actual functions performed by employees, they are divided into the following categories:
- The main staff. Through its activities, the organization brings direct benefits. This includes employees without whom the normal functioning of the organization is impossible.
- Support staff. This category includes employees whose activities are not key to the enterprise. Without support staff, the business entity will be able to continue to function without loss of efficiency.
Support staff are employees who perform additional functions that do not directly affect the core business of the company. The division of personnel into main and auxiliary personnel does not exclude the division of workers into other categories.
What professions are related to support staff
It is difficult to single out professions directly related to support staff. The list of professions varies by area of activity of the organization. Support staff may be present in private and public entities.
An example is the support staff in the health sector. This includes non-physicians. They provide other functions of institutions. Their work helps doctors and patients. In this area, support staff includes the following positions:
- nurses;
- orderlies;
- paramedics;
- catering workers;
- cleaners.
For commercial organizations, positions related to support staff are determined directly by the employer. He independently forms the criteria and signs of this type of workers, regulates their activities.
What features are characteristic for support staff
Support staff is an important element in the organization structure. With its help, employers can solve a number of possible difficulties in the company's activities. Nevertheless, there are a number of characteristic features that cannot be ignored.
Support workers are the first target when staff reductions are needed. They actually do not affect the income of the organization, therefore, they often reduce the cost of labor.
The activities of support staff can often be easily outsourced or hired by a service contract. Keeping these employees on staff is not always cost-effective.
Management should keep in mind that staff support is always high among staff. But in comparison with the main staff, this feature is not critical.
Reporting is recommended to be divided into the results of labor of the main and auxiliary personnel. Sometimes accounting for the role of support staff in the overall performance of the organization does not make sense at all.
Which production workers are considered auxiliary
Production staff includes workers and specialists, through the actual activities of which the organization’s income is formed or its main functions are performed. Support staff can also be of a production type.
Production support staff are those who are not involved in the production or provision of the organization’s vital needs. But they affect the activities of the company. Such workers include cleaners, cooks in departmental canteens, cleaning services and others.
Administrative support staff
Administrative staff aims to organize the main processes in the organization. The range of tasks is determined by the needs of a particular business entity. The scope of activities of employees related to administrative personnel includes managerial functions, organizational and logistical issues.
Administrative support staff may include such positions as an office manager, legal adviser, staff recruiting specialist, and others, depending on the needs of the organization.
What support staff are related to management
The managerial staff ensures the focused activities of the entire organization and the coordination of the work of its individual departments, departments, production sites. It includes employees of the management apparatus:
- organization administration;
- office workers;
- institution management apparatus.
The auxiliary personnel of the managerial staff may include employees who carry out advisory activities in the management of the organization. But at the same time, their powers do not allow them to be assigned to positions in which the functioning of the company or production is directly held, and the qualification requirements for employees are lower than for the main staff.
How paid support staff
There is an auxiliary staff in which the organization is interested, therefore it provides competitive conditions for remuneration. These are engineers, operators, servicing sophisticated equipment, financiers, lawyers. In other words, employees whose activities require certain experience and qualifications.
Planning the remuneration of support staff is recommended through the introduction of an effective employment contract. It is recommended to provide for the possibility of differentiation of wages through grading, allowances and tariffing, which directly depends on performance indicators, labor productivity.
The role of support staff in the organization
To understand who belongs to the support staff, you need to carefully study the specifics of the activities of a particular organization. The range of workers and employees falling under this definition is quite wide. This type of employee includes both public servants and employees of private organizations.
The main feature of support staff are the functions of work. They do not directly affect the main work of a business entity; their powers do not include decision-making that affects administrative management. Usually, their functions include carrying out logistical activities on a regular basis. These measures are aimed at improving the functioning of enterprise management and all its structures, helping the main staff, ensuring optimal working conditions for all company employees.
In modern organizations, the entire staff structure implies the presence of employees performing auxiliary functions for their unit. The activity of the auxiliary staff makes it possible to redistribute the load of the managerial staff among other employees with a lower level of qualification (or without it at all). It can be said with confidence that the support staff in the organization’s personnel structure is an integral part of the human resources necessary for the effective management of business entities.