Chapter 4 (HR)

labor forecasting

a business analysis conducted in order to assess what future trends are likely to happen, especially in connection with a particular situation, function, practice, or process that is likely to affect the organization's business operations

job specification

a form that details the personal characteristics such as education level, training, work experience, and abilities required in an applicant in order to be successful in a specific job or position

(Chapter 4 Powerpoint) Dictionary of occupation titles

a listing developed by U.S employment services containing over 2,100 new occupational definition

dictionary of occupation titles

a listing developed by U.S employment services containing over 2100 new occupational definitions

job compatibility index (JCI)

a method for comparing jobs based on their component skills. this index compiles the compatibility score and importance rating of each of 35 skills for the job in question. To arrive at a single index score, the compatibility of each skill is weighted by its importance

job enlargement

a method used to keep workers motivated, this process involves adding new tasks that are of the same level of skill and responsibility to a job

part-time employee

a person who is employed by a company and works a minimum amount of time, usually less than 20 hours per week.

career ladders

a progression of increasingly more responsible positions within an organization or an industry

hawthorne effect

a psychological phenomenon that produces an improvement in human behavior or performance as a result of increased attention from superiors, clients or colleagues

team building

a training program designed to assist a group of people to work together as a team while they are learning

seasonality

a variation in business volume due to a particular season

job description

a written description of a job, which includes information regarding the general nature of the work to be performed, specific responsibilities and duties, and the employee characteristics required to perform the job

temporary employees

an individual who works on either short term or long term assignments with an employer without being treated as a permanent employee and who lacks the benefits of permanent employees. they are normally utilized by employers to meet seasonal or other demands that they do not have the internal resources to meet

task significance

an observable work activity reflecting the degree to which a job influences the lives or work of others, whether inside or outside the organization

task identity

an observable work activity reflecting the degree to which a job involves a whole piece of work, the results of which can be easily identified

task variety

an observable work activity reflecting the degree to which a job requires employees to perform a wide range of tasks on the job

career lattices

contain both vertical and lateral movements between jobs and may reflect more closely the career paths of today's work environment

fixed labor expense

costs associated with minimum number of employees needed to operate the business

outsourced employees

employees who are provided by a third party to perform a specific function through a contract arrangement

task characteristics

how work is accomplished is defined by autonomy, task variety, task significance, task identity, and feedback

job analysis

the systematic process of gathering, examine, and interpreting data regarding the specific tasks comprising a job

job analysis

the systematic process of gathering, examining, and interpreting data, regarding the specific tasks comprising a job

performance standards

the tasks, functions, or behavioral requirements established by the employer as goals to be accomplished by an employee

autonomy

viewed as the amount of freedom and independence an individual has in terms of carrying out his or her work assignment

heisenberg effect

where the interviewees tend to give answers they think the interviewer wants to hear

(Methods of data collection for jobs) open-ended questionnaire

(Description) questionnaire filled out by employees and managers asking about the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform the job- answers are combined to form a list of job requirements (Benefits) Produces reliable job requirements with input from both employees and manager

(Methods of data collection for jobs) work diary or log

(description) -diary or anecdotal record maintained by the employee. frequency and timing of tasks are recorded over an extended period of time. -Logs are analyzed to determine duties and responsibilities (benefits) provides an enormous amount of data that may be difficult to interpret

(Methods of data collection for jobs) observation

(description) -direct observation of employees performing the tasks of a job -observations are analyzed to determine required knowledge, skills and abilities (benefits) provides a realistic view of the daily task and activities performed in a job

(Methods of data collection for jobs) Performance evaluations

(description) a periodic review and evaluation of an individual's job performance (benefits) provides multiple perspectives if the process is two-sided

(Methods of data collection for jobs) Interview

(description) face-to-face interview with the employee about knowledge, skills and abilities needed to perform the job (benefits) consistent format with new questions added based on the response of the employee

(Methods of data collection for jobs) critical incidents

(description) method involving the observation and recording of actual events (benefits) provides examples for how services should be provided

(Methods of data collection for jobs) highly structured questionnaire

(description) questionnaires that allow specific responses to determine the frequency, importance, and the skills required for tasks (benefits) objective approach which enables analysis using computer models

Motivational Work Characteristics

-Task characteristics (autonomy) -task variety -task significance -task identity -feedback for job -job simplification and job enlargement (horizontal job expansion) -horizontal job expansion -job enrichment (vertical job expansion) -job rotation -team building -career ladders and lattices

(Typical Division of Responsibilities: Job Analysis) Line Management

-completes or designates staff members to complete job analysis information -reviews and maintains accuracy of job descriptions/job specifications -requests revisions to analysis as jobs change -identifies performance standards based on job analysis information -may serve as subject matter expert/panel member

(Typical Division of Responsibilities: Job Analysis) Human resources

-coordinates job analysis process -drafts job descriptions and specifications for review by management -periodically reviews jobs descriptions and specifications -reviews managerial input to ensure accuracy -may seek advice from outside sources for difficult or unusual analyses -may serve as job analyst or panel facilitator

Bias/errors in data collection

-hawthorne effect -heisenberg effect -job compatibility index (JCI)

Methods of Data collection for jobs

-open-ended questionnaire -highly structured questionnaire -interview -observation -work diary or log -critical incidents -performance evaluations

Determine Full Time and Part time needs

-permanent employees -alternative employees -temporary employees -part-time employees -outsourced employees

Staffing Patterns: Terms

-productivity -productivity standards -performance standards -labor forecasting -fixed labor expense -variable labor expense

Determining Relationships with number of customers served

-use past history to calculate an average (may use a weighted average) -seasonality -sales forecast calculations -staffing schedule

variable labor expense

labor costs that vary with the volume of the business

heisenberg effect

named after german nobel-laureate physicist werner karl heisenberg (1901-1976), it is reflected in the interviewing process where the interviewees tend to give answers they think the interviewer wants to hear

alternative employees (glossary)

people who often do not work regularly schedule shifts

job design

the process of structuring a job by adding, changing, or eliminating certain tasks or functions in order to make the job more satisfying or challenging

feedback from job

reflects the degree to which the job provides direct and clear information about the effectiveness of task performance

highly structure questionnaire (PAQ)

sometimes referred to as the position analysis questionnaire (the PAQ), the survey asks employees to rate their work on a predetermined scale

productivity

the amount of work output by an individual employee during a given time period

productivity standards

the defined and acceptable criteria of work output units (quantity)

hawthorne effect

the hawthorne effect is a psychological phenomenon that produces an improvement in human behavior or performance as a result of increased attention from superiors, clients, or colleagues.

permanent employees

the main staff in the organization who usually work 30 to 40 hours per week and receive some type of benefit package

job enrichment

the practice of adding tasks to a job as a means of increasing the amount of employee control or responsibility

job simplification

the practice of breaking down a job into is smallest tasks and evaluating the work in each of these smaller components

job rotation

the practice of transferring employees for temporary periods of time between varying jobs within an organization. Often used as a training and development method

Job design

the process of structuring a job by adding, changing, or eliminating certain tasks or functions in order to make the job more satisfying or challenging