D351 Functions of Human Resource Management: Section 1 - HR Roles

Discuss why relationship building and engagement is important in human resource management

Relationship building and engagement are important because they help HR managers to create a positive work environment, improve employee morale, and ultimately contribute to the success of the organization.

Discuss some of the major resources for HRM careers

Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) - maintains information on all HR functions. ATD (The Association for Talent Development) -focuses on training and developing employees in organizations. The Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) - provides some of the most respected certifications for HR personnel anywhere in the world. WorldatWork - primarily focuses on total compensation of the workforce in all types of organizations.

9. Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2004

amends USERRA to extend health care coverage while away on duty, and it requires employers to post a notice of benefits, duties, and rights of reemployment.

11. Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009

amends the 1964 CRA to extend the period of time in which an employee is allowed to file a lawsuit alleging pay discrimination.

8. Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) of 1994

ensures the civilian reemployment rights of military members who were called away from their regular (nonmilitary) jobs by U.S. government orders.

3. Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967

prohibits age discrimination against people 40 years of age or older, and it restricts mandatory retirement.

4. Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974

prohibits discrimination against Vietnam veterans by all employers with federal contracts or subcontracts of $100,000 or more. It also requires that affirmative action be taken.

5. Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978

prohibits discrimination against women affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, and it treats such discrimination as unlawful sex discrimination.

2. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, in all areas of the employment relationship.

10. Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008

prohibits the use of genetic information in employment, prohibits intentional acquisition of the same, and imposes confidentiality requirements.

12. Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952

regulate employment of individuals who are legally authorized to work within the United States.

13. Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986

regulate employment of individuals who are legally authorized to work within the United States.

1. Equal Pay Act of 1963

requires that women be paid equal to men if they are doing the same work

7. Civil Rights Act of 1991

strengthened civil rights by providing for possible compensatory and punitive damages for discrimination.

6. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

strengthened the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to require employers to provide reasonable accommodations to allow disabled employees to work.

What is employee engagement?

It is a combination of job satisfaction, ability, and willingness to perform for the organization at a high level and over an extended period.

Describe the four HR critical dependent variables

1) productivity - the amount of output that an organization gets per unit of input with human input usually expressed in terms of units of time. The two parts of productivity are efficiency and effectiveness. 2) employee engagement - a combination of job satisfaction, ability, and a willingness to perform for the organization at a high level and over an extended period of time. 3) turnover - permanent loss of workers from the organization 4)) Absenteeism - temporary absence of employees from the workplace.

Describe the four major HRM skill sets

1) technical skills - ability to use methods and techniques to perform a task. 2) interpersonal skills - ability to understand, communicate, and work well with others. 3) conceptual and design skills - ability to evaluate a situation and implement a solution 4) business skills - provide analytical and quantitative skills

What are a line managers six HRM responsibilities?

1. Legal considerations - must know all major employment laws 2. Labor Cost Controls - understand what they are legally and ethically allowed to do to control labor costs. 3. Leadership and motivation - most significant function. 4. Training and development 5. Appraisal and promotion - primary individuals who evaluate workers' work performance. 6. Employee safety and security - primary responsibility for the safety and security of the workers in an organization.

What are the eight major HRM discipline areas?

1. The Legal environment: EEO and diversity management - This discipline deals with equal opportunity laws and regulations and managing a diverse workforce. 2. Staffing - this discipline manages the processes involved in job anaylsis, recruiting, and selection into the organization. 3. Training and development - This discipline is responsible for training processes, developing curricula and lesson plans, delivering training courses, and developing talent within the company for future senior positions. 4. Employee and labor relations - This area involves coaching, counseling, discipline processes, employee communication, and stress management. 5. Compensation and benefits - This discipline works with pay of various types and with benefits packages. deals with federal and state compensation laws. 6. Safety and security - This discipline ensures that the job environment is safe for all workers. 7. Ethics and sustainability - This discipline manages sustainability efforts to minimize the organization's environmental impact and depletion of resources while ensuring ethical and socially responsible practices towards stakeholders. 8. People Analytics - This allows the HRM manager to identify patterns in the work environment. Address issues that could pose a potential risk and harm to the organization.

What are the major components of organizational structure?

Complexity is the degree to which three types of differentiation exist within the organization: vertical, horizontal, and spatial. The more the organization is divided - vertically, horizontally, or spatially - the more difficult it is to manage. Formalization is the degree to which jobs are standardized within the organization. The more we can standardize the organization and its processes, the easier it is to control them. Centralization is the degree to which decision-making is concentrated within the organization at a single point - usually at the top. A highly centralized organization would have all authority concentrated at the top, while a decentralized organization would have authority spread throughout.

Identify and explain the five parts of the practitioner's model for HRM

First Level: consists of fundamental items necessary for an organization to operate and remain stable while complying with federal and state laws. Second Level: focuses on determining the required jobs, recruiting and selecting the right individuals for those jobs, and maximizing long-term productivity. Third Tier: HRM concerns itself with managing the human resources chosen in the second level, including providing training, performance appraisal, coaching, counseling, and disciplinary processes while maintaining positive relationships with employees. Fourth Tier: examines how HRM can reward and retain employees through compensation and benefits. Top Tier: aims to minimize turnover and dissatisfaction by offering fair and reasonable compensation planning and creating a safe and secure workplace.

What employer accommodation is required to avoid unnecssary religious discrimination?

If the job description and specifications require employees to work specific days and hours of the day or to complete certain tasks that might violate some personal religious beliefs, and if an applicant accepts the job, then the employer does not need to accommodate employee requests not to work during those hours or days. Employers must provide reasonable accommodation for requests based on employees' sincerely held religious beliefs or practices, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on their business operations.

Identify the two primary types of sexual harassment and how to reduce company risk from harassment lawsuits

Quid pro quo harassment occurs when a benefit or punishment is made contingent upon the employee submitting to sexual advances. Hostile work environment harassment occurs when someone's behavior at work creates an environment that is sexual and makes it difficult for someone of a particular sex to work in that environment. Companies reduce their potential liability by doing five things: Develop policies clearly stating that harassment will not be tolerated. Communicate the policy routinely—make sure everyone is aware. Develop a mechanism for reporting harassment that encourages people to speak out. Ensure that just-cause procedures are followed when investigating complaints. Prepare and carry out disciplinary action against those who commit sexual harassment.

Briefly describe the EEOCs functions, employee rights, and employer responsibilities in conjunction with EEO laws

The EEOC has 3 significant functions: (1) investigating and resolving discrimination complaints through either conciliation or litigation (2) gathering and compiling statistical information on such complaints, (3) running education and outreach programs on what constitutes illegal discrimination. Employee rights include the following: Bring a discrimination complaint Participate in an EEOC investigation, hearing, or other proceeding without threat of retaliation Rights related to arbitration and settlement of the complaint Right to sue employers directly for claims of illegal discrimination Employer responsibilities include the following: Avoid retaliation for employees participating in their aforementioned rights Avoid creating a work environment that would lead to constructive discharge

What is the OUCH test and its four components

The OUCH test is a rule of thumb that helps maintain fairness and equity in employment actions. OUCH stands for objective, uniform in application, consistent in effect, and has job relatedness. This means that employment actions should be objective rather than subjective, applied uniformly to all individuals, consistently affect all groups, and be directly related to the job being applied for.

What are the factors impacting how an organization makes strategic decisions?

The vision - outlines the future state of the organization. The mission - outlines what the different units within the organization will do to achieve the vision. There are 3 types of strategies: cost leadership - keeping production costs low and selling products or services at lower prices. differentiation - focuses on creating a unique impression and charging higher prices. focus or niche - involves targeting a specific segment of a larger market.

What are the differences between the traditional view of human resource management (HRM) and the present view?

Traditional view: HRM is a cost center - it does not generate revenue and uses organizational resources | Within an organization, HRM is viewed as a productivity center - it helps generate revenue by placing the right people in the right positions.