BUSN101 Ch.11 Human Resource Management: Finding and Keeping the Best Employees

What happens when team pay is based on individual performance?

A study of team pay found that when pay is based on individual performance it erodes team cohesiveness and makes the team less likely to meet its goals as a collaborative effort.

Describe the automated program "Workforce Acquisition". What benefits does it provide?

Automated program that makes the application process more efficient. Applicant sits at a computer and answers questions about job experience, time available to work, and personality. The software emails a report to hiring managers recommending whether to intervire the applicant and if so suggesting questions to ask. Process reduces turnover and time.

Describe a gain sharing system of compensation for teams.

In a gain sharing system bonuses are based on improvements over previous performance.

What are the benefits of online training or distance training?

Online training demonstrates how technology is improving the efficiency of many off-the-job training programs. Distance learning includes includes introductory business courses. Online training's key advantage is the ability to provide a large number of employees with consistent content tailored to specific training needs and convenient times.

What is a disadvantage of compressed work week?

A disadvantage to a compressed workweek is that some employees get tired working such long hours, and productivity could decline.

Describe On-the-job coaching:

A senior manager assists a lower-level manager by teaching needed skills and providing direction, advice, and helpful feedback. E-coaching electronically

What are the benefits to working at home for employers?

Home based work can be a cost saver for employers A full list of benefits and challenges of home based work can be found in Figure 11-7

Performance standards must be:

a) understandable b) subject to measurement c) reasonable

In 2008 Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act, which

overturned Supreme Court decisions that had reduced protections for certain people with disabilities such as diabetes, epilepsy, heart disease, autism, major depression, and cancer.

What are three reasons for companies to develop mentoring and networking programs for women and minorities in the workplace?

a) brings talent through the door; key for longterm profitability b) the best women and minorities will be to attract and retain c) having more women and minorities at all levels of business serve their increasingly female and minority customers better

What are some reasons why recruiting has become more challenging?

a) policies demand promotions from within union regulations, lower wages b) Emphasis on corporate culture, teamwork and participative management c) Sometimes people with the necessary skills are not available

"Accommodation" means:

treating people according to their specific needs

The cost of administering benefits programs has become so great that a number of companies

The cost of administering benefits programs has become so great that a number of companies hire outside companies to run their employee benefits plans. This saves money and helps companies avoid the growing complexity and technical requirements of the plans.

Why are compensation and benefit packages being given special attention today?

Some experts believe determining how best to compensate employees in today's greatest human resource challenge. Compensation is one of the main tools companies use to attract qualified employees. Long-term success of a firm may depend on how well they can control employee costs and optimize employee efficiency.

What is the benefit of the firm of a trial or probationary, period?

Such systems make it easier to fire inefficient or problem employees.

What is the difference between training and development?

Training focuses on short-term skills, where as development focuses on long-term abilities

Off-the-job training is expanding to include what other types of training?

Training is expanding to include education (through the PH.D.) and personal development. Subjects may include time management stress management, health, wellness, physical education, nutrition, and even art and languages.

What are two advantages of early retirement programs, over laying off employees?

Two advantages of early retirement programs are increased morale of surviving employees and greater promotion opportunities for younger employees.

When is on-the-job training the easiest to implement?

When the job is relatively simple or repetitive.

The Civil Rights Act of 1991

expanded the remedies available to victims of discrimination by amending Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964.

Accommodations include:

putting ip barriers to isolate people readily distracted by noise, reassigning workers to new tasks, and making changes in supervisors management styles.

What information must be addressed in human resources strategic plan?

recruiting, selecting, training, developing, appraising, compensating, and scheduling the labor force.

Employment tests should be directly related to:

the job

What information is included in a human resource inventory?

Ages, names, education, capabilities, training, specialized skills and other relavent information (such as languages spoken)

Why have companies implemented cafeteria-style fringe benefits packages? What is the kay to offering these types of plans?

Firms offer cafeteria-style fringe benefits to address the growing demand for different kinds of benefits. Today employees are more varied and need different kinds of benefits. The key to cafeteria-style benefits is choice, where individual needs can be met.

Flextime plans are designed to

Flextime plans are designed to allow employees to adjust to demands on their time, and to have freedom to adjust when they work, as long as they work the required number of hours.

How did affirmative action programs result in charges of reverse discrimination?

Interpretation of the affirmative action law led employers to actively recruit and in some cases give preference to women and minority group members.

List the steps in human resource planning:

a) Preparing a HR inventory of organizations employees b) Preparing job analysis c) Assessing future demand d) Assessing future labor supply e) Establishing a strategic plan

What does the ADA require?

Employers to give applicants with physical or mental disabilities the same considerations for employment as people without disabilities.

What is the EEOC and what powers does the EEOC have?

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. They have powers to issue guidelines for acceptable employer conduct in administering equal employment opportunity. Mandated specific record keeping procedures, and congress vested with the power of enforcement to ensure these mandates were carried out.

Four ways of moving employees through the organization are:

Four ways of moving employees through an organization are: a. Promotions c. Terminations b. Reassignment d. Retirement

How big a part of companies' compensation plans are fringe benefits?

Fringe benefits account for approximately 30 percent of payrolls today.

What are some of the benefits included in fringe benefits packages?

Fringe benefits include sick-leave pay, vacation pay, pension plans, and health plans. They can also include recreation facilities, company cars, country club memberships, discounted massages, special home-mortgage rates, paid and unpaid sabbaticals, day care services and executive dining rooms, dental care, eye care, elder care, legal counseling, mental health care and shorter work weeks.

What is a "golden handshake"?

Golden handshakes are financial incentives such as one-time cash payments, used to entice older and more expensive workers to retire.

Whats the difference between a job description and job specifications?

Job description specifies objectives of the job. Job specifications are a written summary of the minimum education and skills to do a particular job.

What job classification comes after apprenticeship?

Journeyman

Describe Understudy positions:

Selected employees work as assistants to higher-level managers and participate in planning and other managerial functions until they are ready to assume such positions themselves.

What are some disadvantages to job sharing for employers?

The disadvantages to job sharing include having to hire, train, motivate and supervise twice as many people and to prorate some fringe benefits.

What types of jobs would you train for in an apprenticeship?

Trade unions in skilled crafts, such as brick laying and plumbing.

What are the benefits to working at home for workers?

Workers who work at home can choose their own hours, interrupt work for childcare and other tasks, and take time out for personal reasons.

Why is it more common now for employees to move over to a new position, rather than move up?

Because of flatter corporate structures it is more common for workers to move over to a new position than to move up to a new position. Such transfers allow employees to develop and display new skills and to learn more about the company overall.

What are the reasons that firms contingent workers?

Cost effective for companies with employment needs that vary from hour to hour, day to day, etc. Also efficient with full-timers are on leave, peak demand for labor, quick service to customers or priority companies also tend to hire more contingent workers when they are in an uncertain economy.

?What does Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibit?

Discrimination in hiring, firing, compensation, apprenticeships, training, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment based on race, religion, creed, sex, or national origin.

How are the background of contingent workers and the jobs they fill, changing?

Experts say temps are filling openings in an increasingly broad range of jobs. Increasing numbers of contingent workers are educated professionals.

Who does the Vocational and Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protect?

Extends protection to people with any physical or mental disabilities.

Why would an organization want to learn about employee's reason for leaving, and how can the organization get the information?

Learning about an employee's reasons for leaving can help to prevent the loss of other good employees. One way to learn the reasons why people leave a company is to have a third party conduct an exit interview. Web-based systems can get the information without a face-to-face interview.

Describe Job rotation:

Managers are often given assignments in a variety of departments. Such job rotation gives them the broad picture of the organization they need to succeed.

What are the benefits of promotion from within a company?

Many companies find that promotion from within the company improves employee morale. Promotions are also cost-effective because the promoted employees are already familiar with the corporate culture and procedures.

What are the positives and negatives of being a contingent worker

Receive few benefits; they rarely are offered health insurance, vacation time, or company pensions. They also tend to earn less pay than permanent workers. On the positive side many on temporary assignment are eventually offered full time position.

How will future supply of employees change?

Some workers will be scarcer in the future, like computer and robotic repair workers and others will be oversupplied, like assembly line workers.

Why are background checks important?

They help identify the most likely to succeed. It is too costly to hire, train, and motivate people only to loose them and have to start the process over.

List the functions of human resources management

a) determining b) recruiting c) selecting d) developing e) motivating f) evaluating g) compensating h) scheduling

Benefits of recruiting from within include:

a) less expensive b) maintains employee morale

Describe various types of pay systems:

a. Salary systems - fixed compensation computed on weekly, biweekly, or monthly pay periods. b. Hourly wage or daywork - wage based on the number of hours or days worked, used for most blue-collar and clerical workers. c. Piecework - wage based on the number of items produced rather than by the hour or day. d. Commission plans - pay based on some percentage of sales, often used to compensate sales personnel. e. Bonus plans - extra pay for accomplishing or surpassing certain objectives. Two forms of bonuses are monetary and cashless. f. Profit sharing plans - share of the company's profits over and above normal pay. g. Gain-sharing plans - annual bonuses paid based on achieving specific goals such as quality or customer service measures, and production targets. h. Stock Option plans - the right to purchase stock in the company at a specific price over a specific period of time.

Describe the doctrine of "employment at will": How has the "employment at will" changed?

"Employment at will" is an old doctrine that meant that managers had as much freedom to fire workers as workers had to leave voluntarily. Most states now limit the "at will" doctrine to protect employees from wrongful firing. Companies can no longer fire someone who has exposed a company's illegal actions (whistleblowers), refused to violate a law. This has restricted management's ability to terminate employees as it has increased workers' rights to their jobs. Employees who are members of a minority or other protected group also may have protections under equal employment law.

Describe "soft benefits":

"Soft benefits" include such things as on-site haircuts and shoe repair, concierge services and free breakfasts that help workers maintain the balance between work and family life.

List the six steps in selecting employees:

1) Obtaining complete application forms 2) Conducting initial and follow up interviews 3) Giving employment tests 4) Conducting background investigations 5) Obtaining results from physical exams 6) Establishing tiral (probationary) periods

Seven sources out of 21 of external recruiting:

1) new graduates 2) Trade schools 3) Internet 4) Job fairs 5) Trade associations 6) Competing organizations 7) -----

Five methods of internal recruiting include:

1) transfers 2) promotions 3) employee recommendations 4) retrained employees 5) department reorganizations

What objectives can be accomplished by a well managed compensation and benefit program?

A well managed compensation and benefit program can meet objectives such as: a. Attracting the kind of people the organization needs. b. Providing employees with incentives c. Keeping valued employees from leaving d. Maintaining a competitive position in the marketplace e. Providing employees a sense of financial security through insurance and retirement benefits

Describe an employee orientation program.

Activity that initiates new employees into the organization; to fellow employees; to immediate supervisors and policies, practices and objectives of the firm. Range from informal talks to formal activities. Last a day or more, often includes scheduled visits to various departments and required reading of handbooks.

How will apprenticeship programs change?

Apprentice programs may be shortened to prepare people for skilled jobs in charging industries such as auto repair and air craft maintenance that require increased knowledge of computer technology.

The benefits to job sharing include:

Benefits to job sharing include: a. employment opportunities to those who cannot or prefer not to work full-time. b. a high level of enthusiasm and productivity. c. reduced absenteeism and tardiness. d. ability to schedule people into peak demand periods. e. retention of experienced employees who might have left otherwise.

How do states vary in their requirements regarding employment or pre-employment physical exams.

In some states physical exams can be given only after an offer of employment has been accepted in states that allow pre-employment physical teams, they must be given to everyone applying for the same position.

Describe the 360-degree review type of performance appraisal

In the 360-degree review, management gathers opinions from all around the employee, including those under, above and on the same level, to get an accurate, comprehensive idea of the workers abilities.

Describe Off-the-job courses and training:

Managers periodically go to classes or seminars for a week or more to have technical and human relations skills.

What are the disadvantages of flextime?

One disadvantage of flextime is that it doesn't work in assembly-line processes where everyone must work at the same time, or for shift work. In addition, managers often have to work longer days to be able to assist and supervise employees. Flextime can make communication more difficult, as certain employees may not be at work when you need to talk to them. Further, some employees could abuse the system, and that could cause resentment.

Why has human resource management received increased attention in the recent years? What is making the area more challenging?

One reason human resource management is receiving increased attention now is that the U.S. economy has experienced a major shift- from traditional manufacturing industries to service and high-tech manufacturing industries that require highly technical job skills. This shift means that many workers must be retrained for new, more challenging jobs. Today the job of human resource management has taken on an increased role in the firm since qualified employees are much scarcer, which makes recruiting and retaining people more important and more difficult.

Why are companies hesitant to hire or re-hire workers full time, even when an economy is booming?

One reason that companies are hesitant to hire or rehire workers full time because the cost of terminating employees is very high in terms of lost training costs and possible damages and legal fees for wrongful discharge suits. That's why many companies are using temporary employees or outsourcing certain functions.

Where does individual compensation fit into these team-based plans?

Outstanding team players who go beyond what is required and make an outstanding individual contribution to the firm should be separately recognized for their additional contribution. A way to avoid alienating recipients who feel team participation was uneven is to let the team decide which members get what type of individual award.

What kinds of decisions are based upon a performance appraisal?

Promotions, compensations, training, or terminations

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act:

Protects individuals 40 or older from employment and workplace discrimination in hiring, firing, promotions, layoff compensation, benefits, job assignments and training.

Describe a skill based pay system for teams including the drawbacks.

Skill-based pay is related to the growth of the individual and of the team. Base pay is raised when team members learn and apply new skills. The drawbacks of the skill-based pay system are that the system is complex and that it is difficult to correlate skill acquisition and profit gains.

How does job simulation differ from vestibule training and when would this type of training be used?

Vestibule training (or near-the-job training) is done in classrooms with equipment similar to that used on the job that employees learn proper methods and safety procedures before assuming a specific job assignment. Job simulation is the use of equipment that duplicates job conditions and tasks so that trainees can learn skills before attempting them on the job. It differs from vestibule training in that it duplicates the exact combination of conditions that occur on the job.

Identify four important aspects of the impact of legislation on human resource management.

a) Employers must know and act in accordance with the legal rights of their employees or risk costly court cases. b) Legislation affects all areas of Human Resource Management, from hiring and training to compensation c) Court cases demonstrate that it is sometimes legal to go beyond providing equal rights for minorities and women to provide special employment and training to correct discrimination in the past. d) New court cases and legislation change HRM almost daily.

What challenges are facing the human resource area?

a) Shortages of trained workers in growth areas b) An increasing number of skilled and unskilled workers from declining industries c) A growing percent of new workers who are uneducated and unprepared for jobs in the contemporary business environment d) A shortage of workers in skilled trades due to retirement of aging baby boomers e) An increasing number of baby boomers who, due to recession, delay retirement preventing promotions of younger workers f) An increasing number of both single-parent and two income families, resulting demand for job sharing, maternity leave, and special career advancement g) A shift in employee attitude toward work h) a recession that took a toll on employee morale & increased demand for temporary and part-time workers i) Increased demand for benefits tailored to the individual yet cost-effective to the company j) Changes in health care laws k) A decreased sense of employee loyalty, which raises employee turnover and cost of replacing lost workers

What are three steps taken in the process of creating training and development programs?

a) assessing organization needs and employee skills to determine training needs b) Designing training activities to meet identified needs c) Evaluating the training's effectiveness

What are the steps followed in a performance appraisal?

a) establishing performance standards b) communicating those standards c) evaluating performance d) discussing results with employees e) taking corrective action f) using the results to make decisons

What do employment test measure?

basic compentency in specific job skills, eveluate applicants personalities and interests