HR Quiz 3

Employee-at-will doctrine

An employer can terminate any employee at any time, for any reason (good or bad), or for no reason at all Employment relationships are presumed to be at will in all US states except Montana Not law- doctrine based on common law

Performance Appraisal Problems

Appraiser Discomfort Bias and lack of objectivity (halo/horn effect) Central Tendency error Recent behavior Supervisor unable to observe behavior

Alternative Work arrangements

At work- Work Teams Flexible work hours Compressed workweeks Away from Work- Home work programs Telecommuting

Measuring job satisfaction

Attitude surveys distributed to employees Responses are used to track changes in employees' attitudes Exit interviews

Justice in Organizations

Distributive justice Procedural justice Interactional justice

Preventing at will problems

Employers should- Make explicit statements that employment is at will Write contracts specifying termination procedures Document performance or behavior problems that may lead to discharge

Performance Rating Methods

Essay Appraisal Method Critical Incident appraisal method Graphic Rating Scales BARS Behavioral Observation Scales Management by Objectives

Performance Management

General set of activities carried out by the organization to change (improve) employee performance

Managing voluntary turnover

Job dissatisfaction- feeling of being unhappy with one's job and is a major cause of voluntary turnover Job Embeddedness- refers to the fact that people will stay on their jobs even when they are unhappy bc of community ties or obligations to keep employee on the job

Enhancing Job Performance- Job Redesign

Job rotation Job enlargement Job Enrichment

Incentives and Performance-Based Rewards

Merit Pay- Awarded to individuals on the basics of the relative value of their individual contributions to the organization Individual Incentive Plans- Base salary, sales commission, non monetary rewards Team/Group Plans- employee stock options, profit sharing plans

Temporary solutions for increased demand of employees

Offer overtime Employee Leasing Part-time workers

BARS

Performance is assessed along a scale with clearly define scale points containing examples of specific behaviors

Graphic Rating Scale

Performance is assessed along one or more continua with specified interval Most common

Rightsizing the Organization

Process of monitoring and adjusting the composition of the organization's workforce to its optimal size

Importance of Performance Appraisal

Provide a benchmark to access adequacy of recruiting and selection process Validate the legal aspects of appraisal process decisions Proved employee with feedback Support incentive systems to foster motivation and performance

Retention Strategies

Realistic job previews- pre-employment previews Stock options- (Mobility barrier) rights given to employees to purchase certain number of shares at a given price Better supervisors Flexible work

Dealing with a decrease demand for employees

Reduce contingent workforce Retain core of permanent workers Utilize strategic layoffs

Effects of Job dissatisfaction

Reductions in Organizational commitment- the degree which an employee identifies with an organization and is willing to exert effort on behalf of the organization Reductions in Organizational Citizenship Behaviors (OCB)- behaviors that are beneficial to the organization but are not formally required (know as contextual performance)

Layoff

Sensitive Explain the situation Seek feedback Ensure that laid off employees will be the first hired back in if situation improves Personal Keep the lagalities in mind Employee perceptions of justice is important

Performance Appraisal

Specific and formal evaluation of an employee Determines the degree to which the employee is performing his job effectively

Good Performance Appraisal

Subjective Evaluation: Managers' perceptions Evaluate Behaviors, not traits Specific, important, job-related behaviors Objective Evaluations: measurable results Consider degree to which result is under the employees control (VIE) Work with employees to set goals (Goal Theory) Use Both types

Sources for Performance Appraisal

Supervisor Peers Customers Subordinates Self-Appraisal

Job Characteristics Approach

Takes into account the work system and employee preferences Suggests that jobs can be diagnosed and improved along five core dimensions: Skill variety Task Variety Task significance Autonomy Feedback

Exceptions to employment-at-will

Termination would violate a specific law (discrimination) Employee has a contractual right to his or her job Employee's rights of due process have been violated Termination for refusing to commit a crime Employee's termination involves an employer's breach-of-good-faith (promise)

Training / Development

Training- Planned attempt by an organization to facilitate employee learning of job related knowledge, skills, and behaviors Development - Involves teaching managers and professionals the skills needed for both present and future jobs

Legal Issues with layoffs

WARN(worker adjustment and retraining notification)- 60 days notice If layoffs result in disparate impact for protected groups Decisions to layoff more senior employees can result in age discrimination suits Layoff decisions related to performance must be based on a defensible performance appraisal process

Performance Appraisal Issues

What Gets Rated- Traits (Subjective) Behaviors (Subjective) Outcomes (Objective) Who Should be Rated Individual Performance Team Performance

Should there be self appraisals

Yes, but there will be inherent biases