MGMT537 Exam 3
rate of unionization in the private sector
6.5%
right to work laws
A state law forbidding requirements that workers must join a union to hold their jobs.
red-hot stove rule
According to this rule, discipline should be Immediate With warning Consistent Impersonal
When is it legal for employers to monitor employees' workplace technology?
- Employers have the right to monitor employees' workplace technology use on company equipment without their knowledge or consent - If an employer wants to review info contained on an employee's personal device brought to work, the org must have a clear policy
the difference between a contributory and noncontributory insurance plan
- contributory: employees share in the cost of premiums (or benefits) - noncontributory: employer pays the full premium
5 parts of organizational citizenship behavior
1. altruim 2. conscientiousness 3. civic virtue 4. sportsmanship 5. courtesy
6 cost containment strategies for benefits
1. banding together with other companies to form a purchasing coalition to negotiate better rates with insurers 2. analyzing data on cost drivers, participation rates, and employee satisfaction to gain insight into benefits usage and costs 3. encouraging the use of generic drugs 4. auditing the eligibility of dependents under company health plans 5. using a managed care approach 6. adopting a customer driven health plan
Who is unemployment compensation available to?
1. be able and available to work and actively seeking work 2. not have refused suitable employment 3. not be unemployed because of the labor dispute, except in RI and NY 4. not have left a job voluntarily 5. not have been terminated for gross misconduct 6. have been employed previously in a covered industry or occupation
3 things that a noncompete clause must be
1. limited in scope 2. limited in geography 3. limited in length
what employers can do to alleviate pay compression
1. maintain compensation plan aligned with market 2. administer pay procedures consistently and adhere to plan control points 3. review pay differences between employees 4. recognize changes in company philosophies concerning pay and benefits
three exemptions to employment at will
1. public policy exemption: an employee may not be fired because they refuse to commit an illegal act, such as perjury or price fixing 2. When an employer has promised not to terminate an employee except for unsatisfactory job performance or other good cause; includes implied promises, such as oral promises and implied covenants of good faith and fair dealing 3. Employees can seek damages for outrageous acts related to termination, including character defamation; includes retaliatory discharge cases
3 reasons people join unions
1. seeking improved wages and benefits 2. protection against arbitrary treatment and discharge 3. greater voice in workplace decision making
3 legally required benefits
1. workers comp 2. social security 3. unemployment insurance
Rate of unionization in the U.S.
10.8%
What does it mean when 30% of authorization cards are signed?
30% triggers a representation election
Union Suppression
A union avoidance strategy in which management uses hardball tactics to prevent a union from organizing its workers or to get rid of a union
what does COBRA provide?
An extension of health insurance to employee or their dependent.
balance-sheet approach
Ensures that expatriates neither gain nor lose financially compared with their home-country peers (if there is no financial advantage to being in one country instead of another, then this objective will be realized)
What are PTO systems and why are they different from sick leave programs?
General pay sick leave is not federally mandated. Some requirements for large employers to offer COVID related paid leave. Trends towards PTO programs that combine sick leave, vacation time, and personal days
What do the Weingarten rights say?
If an employee thinks an interview with the purpose of investigating may lead to discipline, they are allowed to request a union representative to be present. If this request by the employee is made, then management can't continue with the interview without the union rep
What does it mean for an effective voice system to be responsive?
Improve customer experience by providing a self-service method for customers to access info they need without customer support. It also reduces the call volume for contact centers, lowering wait times and operational costs for businesses. Has to keep options short and relevant, update voice system menus regularly, and route customers to the most appropriate agents
the potential problems with pay survey data
Is it an accurate job match? How much of total compensation is at risk pay?
What does it mean that social security is a pay as you go system, and why is it currently in trouble financially?
It is not intended to be a pension program current concerns with social security: COVID has drained govt revenues and put additional restrain on this. Too many retirees and not enough workers.
engineering controls
Procedures that isolate or remove the bloodborne pathogen hazard from the workplace such as sharps disposal container, self-sheathing needles, heavyweights
progressive discipline
Proceeds from an oral warning to a written warning to a suspension to dismissal
What is a pay structure?
The array of pay rates in different jobs within one org. Links internal pay info from job evaluation and external pay info
internal equity
a comparison of the pay of two people in the same org within different jobs (managers vs entry level workers)
gainsharing
a compensation system in which companies share the financial value of performance gains, such as increased productivity, cost savings, or quality, with their workers
Why do companies prefer to pay lump sum bonuses rather than merit pay?
a one-time payment for meeting a goal They prefer these because they're less expensive for the organization
union acceptance
a strategy in which the employer remains neutral in an organizing attempt, and if the attempt is successful tries to negotiate the best deal with the union
union substitution
a union avoidance strategy in which management becomes so responsive to employees' needs that it removes the incentives for unionization
geocentric approach
an approach to managing international operations in which nationality is downplayed and the firm actively searches on a worldwide or regional basis for the best people to fill key positions
polycentric approach
an emphasis on the norms and practices of the host country
defined benefit (pension) plan
an employer promises to pay a retiree a stated pension, often expressed as a percentage of preretirement pay
What does it mean to be exempt from the FLSA?
an exempt employee is not paid overtime wages for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Must be paid on a salary basis and have exempt job duties.
third-country nationals
an expatriate who has transferred to an additional country while working abroad
ombudsperson
appointed by government
purpose of OSHA
assigned to reports of imminent dangers followed by serious fatalities or accidents, employee complaints, referrals from other govt agencies, and special-emphasis programs
unsafe physical work conditions
defective equipment, inadequate machine guards, lack of protective equipment
one factor that has created backlash against globalization
e-commerce
Lead pay can be beneficial because of the ____________________________
efficiency wage hypothesis
how does decertification of a union work?
elections can be held when the employers demonstrate a reasonable good faith certainty that union representation is preferred by employees; follows the same voting procedure as a certification election
the biggest weakness of profit-sharing
employees can't see how their own work and actions impact the profitability of the company
How are EAPs typically cost-effective?
employees save for every dollar spent, employer involvement is key in success. EAPs promote positive employee-relations, contribute to employee's well being, and enhance their ability to function productively
employment at will
employment relationship between an employer and an employee under which either party can terminate the relationship without notice, at any time, and for any reason not prohibited by law
power distance
extent that members of an organization accept inequality and whether they perceive much distance between those in power and those with little power
ways to reduce likelihood of workplace violence and aggression
fair treatment and adequate compensation, a climate of honesty by leaders, communicating a policy about counterproductive behavior and consistently punishing unacceptable behavior, taking steps to reduce job stress
expatriates
foreign service employees generic term applied to anyone working outside his or her home country with a planned return to that or a third country
What can a company do to facilitate repatriation?
having champions back home who look after their interests, pay as much attention to re-boarding repatriates as they do to onboarding new employees, find ways to help repatriates disseminate what they have learned abroad
voice
illustrated by organizational policies and rules that provide lots of opportunities for employee input to decisions
profit-sharing
incentive pay in which payments are a percentage of the org profits and do not become part of the employees' base salary
one reason that unionization rates might increase and also why they may not do so in a large way
increase: globalization not increase: some workers are hard to organize
social learning theory
individuals in groups look others to learn appropriate behaviors and attitudes
the problems associated with secret pay
it's illegal leads to pay dissatisfaction
local-plus
localizes expatriates in the host-country salary program and adds some allowances
skip-level policy
managers meet directly with employees
local perspective in cultural understanding
managers who have no appreciation for cultural differences; believe in the inherent superiority of their own group and culture
What does it mean when 50% of authorization cards are signed?
means management can recognize the union as employees' representative (card check)
the options for dealing with a bargaining impasse
mediation, fact-finding, interest arbitration
What must a manager do when an employee needs an EAP referral so as to not violate the ADA?
must emphasize a problem in job performance
integrative bargaining
negotiation that seeks one or more settlements that can create a win-win solution
distributive bargaining
negotiation that seeks to divide up a fixed amount of resources; a win-lose situation. One party gains if another loses
What is the legal standing of lifestyle discrimination?
no federal laws prohibits this
Can employers require employees to submit to wellness programs?
no, this would violate the ADA
unsafe environmental work conditions
noise, radiation, dust, fumes, and stress
concerted activity
one or more employees take action for the mutual aid or protection regarding terms and conditions of employment
efficiency wage hypothesis
paying above average actually benefits the employers in the long run and saves costs (creates competitive advantage thru people) because they're more productive and stay longer
localization
paying expatriates on the same scale as local nationals in the country of assignment
procedural justice
perceived fairness of the process used to determine the distribution of rewards
one characteristic that predicts an employee's international success in the selection process
personality
purpose of the OSHAct
prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths. It covers any company that engages in interstate commerce
organizational citizenship behavior
procedural justice affects OCBs by influencing employees' perceptions of organizational support
What is a wellness program?
programs that focus on prevention to help employees build lifestyles that will enable them to achieve their full physical and mental potential
What is a noncompete clause?
prohibits a person from working in a competing business for a specific period of time
What is lifestyle discrimination?
protects employees against employers who impose certain lifestyle requirements (only hiring nonsmokers)
costing benefits
provide cost data for managerial decisions and help zero in on your expenses and how they apply to each aspect of your business. Helps decide if something makes sense or is the right choice for your business.
What does Sarbanes Oxley do?
provides legal protection for whistleblowers
What is worker's compensation?
provides payments to workers who are injured on the job or who contract a work related illness
informational justice
providing explanations or accounts for decisions made
Which is more heavily unionized: public vs private sector?
public
interactional justice
quality of the interpersonal treatment people receive when in their everyday work
What does it mean when a firm only disciplines for just cause?
requires an employer to produce persuasive evidence of an employee's liability or negligence, provide a fair hearing, impose a penalty appropriate to the proven offense
What does NIOSH do?
responsible for conducting research and making recs for the prevention of work-related injury and illness
one reason that merit pay plans often do not work
rewards are too small
cosmopolitan perspective in cultural understanding
sensitive to cultural differences; respect their practices of them and make allowances for cultural factors when communicating with reps of different cultures
one broad objective in communicating benefits
spread awareness among employees
What can management legally do regarding unions?
state opinion as to how you feel about having a union, ask employees cost of union dues and fees, ask employees' awareness of the union track record
example of employee services
stock-purchase plans credit unions food service company car social activities child care
repatriation
the event of reverse culture shock
distributive justice
the fairness of outcomes that individuals receive in an organization
defined contribution retirement plan
these plans fix a rate for employers contributions to the fund
the purpose of job evaluation
to rank jobs in terms of their relative worth to the organization, so that an equitable rate of pay can be determined for each job
What is the ROI on wellness programs?
typically $3.48 for every dollar invested and even more for reduced absenteeism. ROI is achieved thru worker health, reduced benefit expense, and enhanced productivity
How much do foreign service employees cost compared to domestic employees?
typically twice as much as domestic employees
one reason that money spent on employee benefits has grown
unions
What is severance pay?
used extensively by firms that are downsizing in order to provide a smooth outflow of employees
indirect costs of workplace accidents
wages paid for time lost, cost of damage to material or equipment, cost of overtime work by others required by the accident, costs of wages paid to supervisors while the time required to deal with an accident, cost of the decreased output of the injured worker after returning to work
What is pay compression?
when the pay differences among individuals with different levels of experience and performance become small
What is merit pay?
when we give people an increase in pay that is based on their existing salary and current job performance (often fails)
When may executives be liable for criminal penalties for safety violations?
willful violations causing an employee's death; providing advance notice of an OSHA inspection; providing false statements on a document required by the Act
management controls
workplace policies and practices that minimize exposure of workers to risk conditions
Are incentives more heavily used now than before?
yes
how does certification of a union work?
Once the bargaining unit is agreed upon, a representation election occurs; a secret-ballot election; a majority of the ballots cast indicates that the union is the exclusive bargaining representative of all employees in a unit
qualitative parity
a commitment to offer employees worldwide something from each of the following categories of benefits: required, recommended, and optional benefits
external equity
a comparison of the pay in the same job but different org (mktg professor at Tech vs ULM)
quantitative parity
an effort to treat employees equitably from total-cost perspective around the globe
unfair labor practices
can't interfere with the right to organize, spy, promise, interrogate, threaten; can't refuse to bargain in good faith; can't discriminate against union employees
compensable factors
common job characteristics that an org is willing to pay for, such as skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions
individual equity
compares pay in the same job category in the same org (are all managers paid the same at apple?)
What is an EAP (employee assistance program)?
comprehensive management tools that address behavioral risks in the workplace by extending professional counseling and medical services to all troubled employees
direct costs of workplace accidents
covered by insurance typically; hospital bills, costs of medicine and therapy, basically the costs incurred from the accident
individualism/collectivism
extent to which people emphasize personal and group goals
ethnocentric approach
fill key management positions with parent-country nationals
one factor that has created a global marketplace
global telecommunications
Certain U.S. laws apply to individuals working overseas. What is the exception to this?
if these laws cause the company to violate a law in the host country
What is the sorting effect?
job applicants sort themselves into organizations that have characteristics they are looking for - People look for orgs where they know they will get rewarded and people who don't have those characteristics will sort themselves out
What is a benchmark job?
jobs that are characterized by stable tasks and stable job specifications (also called key jobs)
unsafe work behaviors
lack of/improper use of PPE, bypass or removal of safety devices, knowingly using defective equipment
Taft-Hartley Act was pro-_______
management
due process
provides individuals with rights in legal proceedings
Wagner Act was pro-________
union
shops that are illegal with right-to-work laws
union shop preferential shop agency shop maintenance of membership