CH 10 MIE
job specification
a description of the qualifications necessary for a specific job, in terms of education, experience, and personal and physical characteristics - both job description and specification are used to develop recruiting materials such as newspapers, trade publications, and online advertisements
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
a federal agency dedicated to increase job opportunities for women and minorities and eliminating job discrimination based on race, religion, color, sex, national origin or handicap
salary
a financial reward calculate in a weekly, monthly or annual basis - associated with white collar worker such as office personnel, executives and professional employees - may be required to work beyond usual hours without additional financial compensation
job description
a formal, written explanation of a specific job, usually including job title, tasks, relationship with other jobs, physical and mental skills required, duties, responsibilities, and working conditions
transfer
a move to another job within the company at essentially the same level and wage - allows workers to obtain new skills/find a new position within an organization when their old position has been eliminated because of automation or downsizing
arbitration
a neutral third party issues a binding decision to resolve a dispute - generally takes place on a voluntary basis, management and labor must agree to it and they split the cost of fees
360-degree feedback
a performance appraisal process in which feedback is obtained from the boss, subordinates, peers and coworkers, and the employees themselves - hard to use because of tension caused; companies that have success tend to be open to earning, willing to experiment and are led by executives who are direct about expected benefits and challenges
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
a personality test that taps four characteristics and classifies people into 1 of 16 personality types - Personality tests such as Myers-Briggs are used to assess an applicant's potential for a certain kind of job. For instance, extroversion and a love of people would be good qualities for a retail job.
Picketing (Labor Tactic)
a public retest against management practices and involves union members marching at the employers plant or work site - hope that their signs will arouse sympathy for their demands from the public and other unions
exit interview
a survey used to determine why the employee is leaving the organization in hope of helpful feedback
secondary characteristics of diversity
education, work background, income, marital status, parental status, military experience, religious beliefs, geographic location ( can be changed)
strikes (labor tactic)
employee walkouts; are the most effective weapon labor unions have - by striking, a union makes carrying out the normal operations of a business impossible
orientation
familiarizing newly hired employees with fellow workers, company procedures, and the physical properties of the company - generally includes a tour of the building, introductions to supervisors, co workers and subordinates, and the distribution of organizational manuals describing the organizations policy on vacation, absenteeism, lunch breaks, company benefits etc - also involves socializing the new employee into the ethics and culture of the company
wages
financial rewards based on the number of hours the employee works or the level of output achieved
Recruiting
forming a pool of qualified applicants from which management can select employees; there are two sources from which to develop the pool of applicants- internal and external
U.S. Department of Labor
has oversight over workplace safety, wages and work hours, unemployment benefits, and more. It often files lawsuits against firms that it believes are treating workers unfairly and violating labor laws.
Planning for human resource needs
- Determines current number of workers and how many plan to retire or leave - Forecasts how many qualified employees will need to be hired, or determines if layoffs are required - Forecasts availability of future qualified hires - Develops strategy, which may include outsourcing, automation, or temporary workers - Working with managers, uses job analysis to develop job descriptions and job specifications
reverse discrimination
- Discrimination against the majority group - legislation passed in 1991; prohibits organizations from setting hiring quota that might result in reverse discrimination
benefits of workforce diversity
- Increased ability to serve needs of diverse customers - increased innovation and creativity - increased commitment to organizational goals - more productive working relationships - reduced conflict among employees as they learn to respect each others differences - more productive use of Human Resources
wage/salary survey
Tells the company how much compensation comparable firms are paying for specific jobs that the firms have in common - compensation for individuals within a specific job category depends on both the compensation for that job and the individuals productivity
compulsory arbitration
an outside party request arbitration as means of eliminating a prolonged strike that threatens the economy
fire at will
any reason to fire other than race, religion, sex or age, or because and employee is a union worker
subjective appraisal
use the ranking system which lists various performance factors in which the manager ranks employees against each other - crucial that management use clear language in performance evaluations and be consistent with all employees
trends in management of the workforce
- Last recession and financial crisis have major impact - Microentrepreneurs growing rapidly - Gig and sharing economy growing rapidly - Technology blurring line between leisure and work time - 47 percent of full-time workers log more than 50 hours per week - Important for human resources managers to be aware of legal issues regarding worker rights - Many successful firms find ways to balance costs with employee well-being
Most Common Interview Questions
- Tell me about yourself. - What are your biggest weaknesses? - What are your biggest strengths? - Where do you see yourself in 5 years? - Out of all of the other candidates, why should I hire you? - How did you learn about the opening? - Why do you want the job? - What do you consider your biggest professional achievement? - Tell me the last time a coworker or customer got angry with you. What happened? - Describe your dream job.
Developing the Workforce
1. Orientation 2. Training and Development (CE) 3. Assessing Performance 4. Turnover once the most qualified applicants have been selected, been offered positions, and have accepted their offers, they must be formally introduced to the organization and trained so they can begin to be productive members of the workforce
Assessing Performance
Assessing employee's strengths and weaknesses on the job is one of the most difficult tasks for managers - perfomance appraisal is crucial because it gives employees feedback on how they are doing and what they need to do to improve - also provides a basis for determining how to compensate, and reward employees, and generates information about the quality of the firms selections, training and development activities
employee life cycle
Attraction: How employees talk about your company to others. The more engaged they are, the more talented candidates they attract. Recruitment: Most jobs today are filled through employee referrals so, naturally, engaged employees are likely to recommend friends and family to apply for an open position. Onboarding: Engagement benefits both the new employees and existing employees. New employees are excited to join your company and existing employees are eager to help the newcomers succeed. Development: Engaged employees feel empowered to think of new ideas and seek new learning opportunities. Retention: Employees are more engaged when they feel recognized by their employers for their work and are given opportunities to interact and socialize with their peers. Separation: Engaged employees stay in touch with their peers and may provide feedback for future improvements.
job analysis
Determines, through observation and study, pertinent information about a job including specific tasks that comprise it, and necessary abilities, knowledge and skills and the environment in which it will be performed - managers use the info obtained from job analysis to develop job descriptions and job specifications
Equal Pay Act
Mandates that men and women who do equal work receive the same wage - wage differences are acceptable only if they are attributed to seniority, performance or qualifications - jobs that can measure performance objectively have greater salary parity between men and women
piece wages
Pay based on the level of output achieved - overcomes disadvantages of time wages
cafeteria benefits
Provide a financial amount to employees so that they can select the specific benefits that fit their needs (key is to not give identical benefits to each employee)
Testing
ability and performance tests are used to determine whether an applicant has the skills necessary for the job - aptitude, personality, or IQ tests may be used to asses and applicants potential for a certain kind of work and his or her ability to fit into the organizations culture - polygraph used to be popular but in 1988 they were restricted to specific government jobs and those involving security and access to drugs; now use Myber Brig Type indicator - many companies require screening for illegal drug use and some require physical tests if it is required on the job
primary characteristics of diversity
age, gender, race, ethnicity, abilities, and sexual orientation - inborn, cannot be changed
human resource management (personnel management)
all the activities involved in determining an organizations human resource needs, as well as acquiring, training and compensation people to fill those needs - concerned with maximizing the satisfaction of employees and motivating them to meet organizational objectives productively - HRM has increasing importance over the past few years due to developing a better understanding from the work of Maslow, Herzberg and others; how employees are treated is important to consumers - HR is changing; employees today are not only concerned with pay, but also with job satisfaction, personal performance, recreation, benefits, work environment, and opportunity for advancement
promotion
an advancement to a higher-level job with increased authority, responsibility, and pay *seniority is the key issue in determining who should be promoted
objective appraisal
an appraisal that is based on facts and is likely to be numerical/quantifiable
boycott (labor tactic)
an attempt to keep people from purchasing the products of a company - some unions may impose fines on members who ignore the boycott, also ask public for help
time wages
based on hours worked - appropriate when employees are continually interrupted and when quality is more important than quantity - ease of computation - they provide no incentive to increase productivity/ may encourage employees to be less productive
Reference Checking
before making an offer, the company should always check an applicants references -involves verifying educational background and previous work background - an internet search is often done to determine social media activities or other public activities; many companies will engage in continuous or ongoing background checks to keep the workplace safe/social media screening continues as nearly half using social media find a negative light on the candidate - those who are willing to lie on their resumes are more likely to engage in unethical behavior
Slow Union growth
blue collar workers are the majority of union members and factories have become more automated so need for blue collar workers is no longer US economy has shifted to a service economy, not needing blue collar workers in response to foreign completion, job enrichment and participative management have blur line between management and workers; workers say in the way plants are ruins increasing so no need for union protection
conciliation
brings in a neutral third party to keep labor and management talking; goal is to get both parties to focus on the issues and prevent negotiations from breaking down
cause of living escalator clause
calls for an automatic wage increase during periods of inflation to protect the real income of employees
negative employee feedback
companies are decreasing negative as executives have begun to recognize hard tactics can harm employee confidence - vital that the manager discusses the performance of an employee with them so they are not blindsided
information from work experience
current salary, reason for seeking a new job, years of experience, availability and level of interest
labor unions
dealing with management on an individual basis is not always effective, so employees may organize themselves to deal with employers and to achieve better pay, hours and working conditions - union workers make significantly more than non unionized workers
Human Resources
defined as labor, the physical and mental abilities that people use to produce goods and resources
profit sharing
distributes a percentage of company's profits to the employees whose work helped to generate profits - some profit sharing involve distributing shares of company stock to employees (employee stock ownership plans) *creates a sense of partnership between the organization and employees
givebacks
during tough times, unions may be forced to accept givebacks; wage benefit concessions made to employers to allow them to remain competitive
internal sources
include current employees; many firms have a policy of giving first consideration to their own - the cost of hiring current employees to fill job openings is inexpensive when compared with the cost of hiring from external sources, and is good for employee morale
soft benefits
include perks that help balance life and work; onsite child care, spas, food service, laundry service and hair salons
fringe benefits
include sick leave, vacation pay, pension plans, health plans, and any other extra compensation
mediation
involves the use of a third party who tries to resolve the complaint between the consumer and the business/ propose a solution
affirmative action
legally mandated plans that try to increase job opportunities for minority groups by analyzing the current pool of workers; identifying areas where women and minorities are underrepresented and establishing specific hiring and promotional goals
lockout (labor tactic)
management actually closes a work site so employees cannot go to work - lockouts are used when a union strike has partially shutdown a plant and it seems less expensive for the plant to close completely
layoffs
many companies have downsized, laying off tens of thousands of employees in their efforts to become more productive and competitive - sometimes temporary because they may be brought back after conditions improve - when permanent; employers often help employees find other jobs and may extend benefits while employees find new jobs
reference check information
many organizations will only confirm that an applicant is a former employe, perhaps with beginning and end work dates, and will not release details about the quality of employers work
high turnover indicator
may signal problems with the selection and training process, compensation program or type of company
Benefits in older workers
more dedicated, punctual and detail oriented, good listeners, take pride in work, exhibit good organizational skills, efficient and confident, mature, seen as role models, good communication skills, and offered reduced labor costs because already having insurance plans
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
most offer counseling for and assistance with those employees personal problems that might hurt their job performance I not addresses - help reduce costs associated with poor productivity, absenteeism, and other workplace issues by helping employees deal with person problems - to promote fairness, some companies use flexible benefit programs to allow employees choose the benefits they would like to a certain extent
seperations
occur when employees resign, retire, are terminated, or are laid off - managers must warn employees when their performance is unacceptable and may lead to dismissal, elevating the importance of performance evaluations that lead to fairness
Turnover
occurs when employees quit or are fired and must be replaced by new employees - results in lost productivity from the vacancy, costs to recruit replacement employees, management time devoted to interviewing, training and socializing expenses for new employees
bonuses
offered in addition to basic wages/salaries, companies offer for exceptional performance as an incentive to increase productivity further (thank you for hard work or incentive to continue working hard)
Training
on the job training: allows workers to learn by actually performing tasks of the job classroom training: teaches employees with lectures, conferences, videos, case studies, and web based training mentoring: involves supporting, training and guiding an employee inches professional development; companies can use mentors to attract talent from underrepresented areas
Civil Rights Act of 1964
outlaws the use of discriminatory tests for applicants - aptitude tests and other indirect tests must be validated; employers must be able to demonstrate that scores on tests are related to job performance so that no one race has an advantage in taking the tests or is discriminated against
commission
pays a fixed amount or a percentage of the employees sales; this method motivates employees to sell as much as they can
Strike Breakers (Scabs)
people hired by management to replace striking employees - hire them to continue operations and reduce the loses associated with strikes and show unions they will not back down to demands LAST RESORT; can destroy relationship between managers and labor
Americans and Disabilities Act (ADA)
prevents discrimination against disabled persons - also classify peoples with AIDS as handicapped and prohibits using a positive AIDS test as a reason to deny an applicants employment
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
prohibits discrimination in employment; employers must not impose sex discriminations in job description, specifications in newspapers and advertisements created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
external sources
sources of applicants consist of advertisements in newspapers and professional journals, employment agencies, colleges, vocational schools,reccomendations from current employees, competing firms, unsolicited applications, online websites, and social network sites such as linked in - generally more expensive than hiring from within, but it may be necessary if there are no current employees who meet the job specifications or there are better qualified people outside of the organization *recruiting for entry level management positions is often carried out on college campuses and above entry level, companies depend on employment agencies or executive search firms
headhunters
specialize in luring qualified people away from other companies
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act
specifically outlaws discrimination based on age - its focus on banning hiring practices that discriminate against people 40 years or older - generally when companies need employees, recruiters head to college campuses, and when downsizing if necessary, many older workers are offered early retirement (forced retirement based on age is illegal in US)
The Application
the first stage of application process, the individual fills out an application form and perhaps has a brief interview - asks for the applicants name, address, telephone, education and previous work experience - the goal is to get acquainted with the applicants and to weed out those who are obviously not qualified for the job - can provide subtle cues about whether a person is appropriate for a particular job
labor contract
the formal, written document that spells out the relationship between the union and management for a specified period of time- usually two or three years - management tries to negotiate a contract that permits the company to retain control over work schedules, hiring/firing, production standards, promotions transfers and separations, span of management, and discipline - unions try to focus on contract issues such as magnitude of wages, better pay for overtime, holiday and unwanted shifts, scheduling of pay increases, and benefits
the interview
the interviewer can answer questions about the requirements for the job, compensation, working conditions, company policies, organizational culture; a potentials employees questions may be just as revealing as their answers *it is legal for interviewers to ask about an applicants social media or monitor employees work habits/emails
collective bargaining
the negotiation process through which management and unions reach an agreement about compensation, working hours, and working conditions for the bargaining unit objective of negotiations is to reach an agreement about a labor contract
Selection
the process of collecting information about applicants and using that information to make hiring decisions includes: application, interviewing, testing, and reference checking - if and organization finds the right employees through its recruiting/selection process, it will not have to spend as much time and money later in recruiting, selecting, and training replacement employees
Development
training that augments the skills and knowledge of managers and professionals - can also be used to improve the skills of current employees and prepare them for job promotions
