Chapter 12

360 degree feedback

a process that uses multiple raters, including self-rating, as a way to increase awareness of strengths and weaknesses and guide employee development

Recruiting

activities or practices that define the characteristics of applicants to whom selection procedures are ultimately applied

nondirective interviews

allow the applicant a great deal of freedom in determining the course of the conversation, with the interviewer taking care not to influence the person's remarks

skill based pay

also called competency-based pay

Mentoring

an experienced employee guides and supports a newcomer or less-experienced employee.

On the Job training

an experienced employee is asked to take a new employee "under his or her wing" and show the newcomer how to perform job duties

Contingent workers

are people who work for an organization, but not on a permanent or full-time basis

biographical interviews

ask about the person's previous life and work experiences

behavioral interviews

ask people to describe how they have performed a certain task or handled a particular problem

Online checks

by seeing what the person has to say about him or herself on blogs and social networking sites

Performance appraisal

comprises the steps of observing and assessing employee perfor- mance, recording the assessment, and providing feedback to the employee

Selection

employers assess applicants' characteristics in an attempt to determine the "fit" between the job and applicant characteristics

Realistic job previews

gives applicants all pertinent and realistic information—positive and negative—about the job and the organi- zation

in-basket simulation

hich requires the applicant to play the role of a manager who must decide how to respond to ten memos in his or her in-basket within a two-hour period.

halo effect

in which a manager gives an employee the same rating on all dimensions even if his or her performance is good on some dimensions and poor on others

panel interviews

in which the candidate meets with several interviewers who take turns asking questions

exit interview

interview conducted with departing employees to determine reasons for their departure and learn about potential problems in the organization

Employer of choice

is a company that is highly attractive to potential employees because of human resources practices that focus not just on tangible benefits such as pay and profit sharing, but also on intangibles (such as work/life balance, a trust-based work climate, and a healthy corporate culture), and that embrace a long-term view to solving problems

Coaching

is a method of directing, instructing, and training a person with the goal to develop specific management skills

Corporate University

is an in-house training and education facility that offers broad-based learning opportunities for employees—and frequently for customers, suppliers, and strategic partners as well—throughout their careers

brain teaser

is being used by companies that put a pre- mium on innovativeness and problem solving

behaviorally anchored rating scale

is developed from critical incidents pertaining to job performance.

Human Resource Planning

is the forecasting of human resource needs and the projected matching of individuals with expected vacancies

interview

is used as a selection technique in almost every job category in nearly every organization

Employment tests

may include cognitive ability tests, physical ability tests, personality inventories, and other assessments

Pay-for-Performance

means tying at least part of compensation to employee effort and performance, whether it be through merit- based pay, bonuses, team incentives, or various gain-sharing or profit-sharing plans

Telecommuniting

means using computers and telecommunications equipment to do work without going to an office

Cognitive ability tests

measure an applicant's thinking, reasoning, verbal, and mathematical abilities

Physical ability tests

measure qualities such as strength, energy, and endurance may be used for jobs such as delivery drivers who must lift heavy packages, electric line workers who must climb ladders and carry equipment, and other positions that involve physical tasks

Discrimination

occurs when some applicants are hired or promoted based on criteria that are not job relevant; for example, refusing to hire a black applicant for a job he is qualified to fill or paying a woman a lower wage than a man for the same work are discriminatory acts.

Assessment centers

present a series of managerial situations to groups of applicants over a two- or three-day period

E-cruiting

recruiting job applicants online, dramatically extends the organization's recruiting reach, offering access to a wider pool of applicants and saving time and money.

Rightsizing

refers to intention- ally reducing the company's workforce to the point where the number of employees is deemed right for the company's current situation

Human Resource Management

refers to the design and application of formal systems in an organization to ensure the effective and efficient use of human talent to accomplish organizational goals

Human capital

refers to the economic value of the combined knowledge, experience, skills, and capabilities of employees

Job evaluation

refers to the process of deter- mining the value or worth of jobs within an organization through an examination of job content

compensation

refers to: (1) all monetary pay- ments and (2) all goods or commodities used in lieu of money to reward employees

talent acquisition

reflect the importance of the human factor in the or- ganization's success.

Training and development programs

represent a planned effort by an organization to facilitate employees' learning of job-related skills and behaviors

situational interviews

require people to describe how they might handle a hypothetical situation

Affirmative action

requires that an employer take positive steps to guarantee equal employment opportunities for people within protected groups.

Job analysis

systematic process of gathering and interpreting information about the essential duties, tasks, and responsibili- ties of a job, as well as about the context within which the job is performed.

skill based pay

systems encourage people to develop their skills and competencies, thus making them more valuable to the organization as well as more employable if they leave their current jobs

matching model

the organization and the individual attempt to match the needs, interests, and values that they offer each other.

personality tests

to assess such characteristics as openness to learning, agreeableness, responsibility, creativity, and emotional sta- bility

Structured interviews

use a set of standardized questions that are asked of every applicant so comparisons can easily be made

application form

used to collect information about the applicant's education, previous job experience, and other background characteristics

job description

which is a clear and concise summary of the specific tasks, duties, and responsibilities

job based pay

which means linking compensation to the specific tasks an employee performs.

stereotyping

which occurs when a rater places an employee into a class or category based on one or a few traits or characteristics—for example, stereotyping an older worker as slower and more difficult to train

job specification

which outlines the knowledge, skills, education, physical abilities, and other characteristics needed to adequately perform the job

work sample tests

which require an applicant to complete simulated tasks that are a part of the desired job