Human Resource Management exam 1

identify the federal agencies that enforce EEO and describe the role of each

EEOC-is responsible for enforcing most of the EEO laws, including Title VII, the Equal Pay Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. To do this, the EEOC investigates and resolves complaints about discrimination, gathers information, and issues guidelines. The EEOC also monitors organizations' hiring practices. OFCCP-The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) is the agency responsible for enforcing the executive orders that cover companies doing business with the federal government.

how three branches of government regulate human resource management

Executive-is responsible for enforcing the laws passed by Congress. Legislative-has enacted a number of laws governing human resource activities. Judiciary-influences employment law by interpreting the law and holding trials concerning violations of the law. The U.S. Supreme Court, at the head of the judicial branch, is the court of final appeal. Decisions made by the Supreme Court are binding; they can be overturned only through laws passed by Congress.

Four Fifths rule

-A commonly used test of adverse impact is the four-fifths rule, which finds evidence of potential discrimination if the hiring rate for a minority group is less than four-fifths the hiring rate for the majority group. -Keep in mind that this rule of thumb compares rates of hiring, not numbers of employees hired

Employment-at-will policies

-Within the laws of the state where they are operating, employers have latitude to set policies about their rights in an employment relationship. -A widespread policy follows the principle of employment at will, which holds that if there is no specific employment contract saying otherwise, the employer or employee may end an employment relationship at any time.

Job description

-is a list of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities (TDRs) that a job entails. -TDRs are observable actions. When a manager attempts to evaluate job performance, it is most important to have detailed information about the work performed in the job (that is, the TDRs). This information makes it possible to determine how well an individual is meeting each job requirement -It includes the job title, a brief description of the TDRs, and a list of the essential duties with detailed specifications of the tasks involved in carrying out each duty. Although organizations may modify this format according to their particular needs, all job descriptions within an organization should follow the same format. This helps the organization make consistent decisions about such matters as pay and promotions.

Job Enlargement

-refers to broadening the types of tasks performed. -The objective of job enlargement is to make jobs less repetitive and more interesting. Jobs also become enlarged when organizations add new goals or ask fewer workers to accomplish work that had been spread among more people. -In those situations, the challenge is to avoid crossing the line from interesting jobs into jobs that burn out employees

Describe trends in the labor force composition and how they affect human resource management

Some of the expected change involves the distribution of workers by age. From 2012 to 2022, the fastest-growing age group is expected to be workers 55 and older. The 25- to 44-year-old group will increase its numbers only slightly, so its share of the total workforce will fall. And young workers between the ages of 16 and 24 will actually be fewer in number. This combination of trends will cause the overall workforce to age. Another kind of change affecting the U.S. labor force is that it is growing more diverse in racial, ethnic, and gender terms. As Figure 2.2 shows, the 2022 workforce is expected to be 78% white, 12% African American, and 10% Asian and other minorities.

essay 2 Discuss the relative merits of internal vs. external recruitment. Give an example of a situation in which each of these approaches might be particularly effective.

internal- First, it generates applicants who are well known to the organization. In addition, these applicants are relatively knowledgeable about the organization's vacancies, which minimizes the possibility they will have unrealistic expectations about the job. Finally, filling vacancies through internal recruiting is generally cheaper and faster than looking outside the organization. external-For entry-level positions and perhaps for specialized upper-level positions, the organization has no internal recruits from which to draw. -Also, bringing in outsiders may expose the organization to new ideas or new ways of doing business. -An organization that uses only internal recruitment can wind up with a workforce whose members all think alike and therefore may be poorly suited to innovation. -And finally, companies that are able to grow during a slow economy can gain a competitive edge by hiring the best talent when other organizations are forced to avoid hiring, freeze pay increases, or even lay off talented people.

Explain why they use Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures

is a set of guidelines issued by the EEOC and other government agencies. The guidelines identify ways an organization should develop and administer its system for selecting employees so as not to violate Title VII. The courts often refer to the Uniform Guidelines to determine whether a company has engaged in discriminatory conduct.

Job Sharing

is a work option in which two part-time employees carry out the tasks associated with a single job. Such arrangements can enable an organization to attract or retain valued employees who want more time to attend school or to care for family members. The job requirements in such an arrangement include the ability to work cooperatively and coordinate the details of one's job with another person.

Competency

is an area of personal capability that enables employees to perform their work successfully.For example, success in a job or career path might require leadership strength, skill in coaching others, and the ability to bring out the best in each member of a diverse team of employees.

Downsizing

is the planned elimination of large numbers of personnel with the goal of enhancing the organization's competitiveness. The primary reason organizations engage in downsizing is to promote future competitiveness.

Equal Employment Opportunity

the condition in which all individuals have an equal chance for employment, regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin. The federal government's efforts to create equal employment opportunity include constitutional amendments, legislation, and executive orders, as well as court decisions that interpret the laws.

How to Develop a Disparate Treatment Case

Prima facie case is made by the plaintiff who demonstrates the following: 1. Membership in a protected group; AND 2. Applied and was qualified for job; AND 3. Was rejected despite qualifications; AND 4. Employer continued with applicant search Burden of proof is on the defendant who: -Rebuts with a legitimate non-discriminatory reason for rejection or establishes a BFOQ -AND/OR rebuts with test validity data.

Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA)

Prohibits -Requesting or requiring genetic tests -Obtaining family medical history information -Considering this type of information when making employment decisions

Evaluating the Quality of a Source Yield Ratios

-A yield ratio expresses the percentage of applicants who successfully move from one stage of the recruitment and selection process to the next. -For example, the organization could find the number of candidates interviewed as a percentage of the total number of resumes generated by a given source (that is, number of interviews divided by number of resumes. -A high yield ratio (large percentage) means that the source is an effective way to find candidates to interview. -By comparing the yield ratios of different recruitment sources, HR professionals can determine which source is the best or most efficient for the type of vacancy.

Problems with downsizing

-Although downsizing has an immediate effect on costs, much of the evidence suggests that it hurts long-term organizational effectiveness. -This is especially true for certain kinds of companies, such as those that emphasize research and development and where employees have extensive contact with customers. -The negative effect of downsizing was especially high among firms that engaged in high-involvement work practices, such as the use of teams and performance-related pay incentives. -As a result, the more a company tries to compete through its human resources, the more layoffs hurt productivity. Why do so many downsizing efforts fail to meet expectations? There seem to be several reasons. -First, although the initial cost savings give a temporary boost to profits, the long-term effects of an improperly managed downsizing effort can be negative. -Downsizing leads to a loss of talent, and it often disrupts the social networks through which people are creative and flexible

Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978

-An amendment to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, this act defines discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions to be a form of illegal sex discrimination. -According to the EEOC, this means that employers may not treat a female applicant or employee "unfavorably because of pregnancy, childbirth, or a medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth. -For example, an employer may not refuse to hire a woman because she is pregnant. Decisions about work absences or accommodations must be based on the same policies as the organization uses for other disabilities. Benefits, including health insurance, should cover pregnancy and related medical conditions in the same way that it covers other medical conditions.

Early-Retirement Programs

-Another popular way to reduce a labor surplus is with an early-retirement program. But even though many baby boomers are reaching traditional retirement age, indications are that this group has no intention of leaving the workforce soon. -Reasons include improved health of older people, jobs becoming less physically demanding, concerns about the long-term viability of Social Security and pensions, the recent drop in the value of older workers' retirement assets (especially stock funds and home values), and laws against age discrimination.

Image advertising—

-Besides advertising specific job openings, as discussed in the next section, organizations may advertise themselves as a good place to work in general. -Advertising designed to create a generally favorable impression of the organization is called image advertising. Image advertising is particularly important for organizations in highly competitive labor markets that perceive themselves as having a bad image.

Discuss types of skills needed for human resource management "HR heroes"

-Business Mastery - corporate finance, marketing, accounting, understanding company's business model -HR Mastery-legal requirements, recruitment, staffing, training and development, performance management, compensation, benefits, incentives -Change-understand respect and evolve the organization through improvements in HR systems and practices -Strategic business partner skills- to create an overall talent or people mindset, to create an HR strategy that aligns people, processes, and systems -personal credibility- respected, admired, professional, keep commitments, proactive

Civil Rights Act of 1991

-CRA 1991 amends Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967. One major change in EEO law under CRA 1991 has been the addition of compensatory and punitive damages in cases of discrimination under Title VII and the Americans with Disabilities Act. -CRA 1991 allows judges to award compensatory and punitive damages when the plaintiff proves the discrimination was intentional or reckless. Compensatory damages include such things as future monetary loss, emotional pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life. Punitive damages are a punishment; by requiring violators to pay the plaintiff an amount beyond the actual losses suffered, the courts try to discourage employers from discriminating.

Vocational Rehabilitation Act

-Covered organizations must engage in affirmative action for individuals with disabilities. -Employers are encouraged to recruit qualified individuals with disabilities to make reasonable accommodation to them.

External Sources

-Despite the advantages of internal recruitment, organizations often have good reasons to recruit externally. -For entry-level positions and perhaps for specialized upper-level positions, the organization has no internal recruits from which to draw. -Also, bringing in outsiders may expose the organization to new ideas or new ways of doing business. -An organization that uses only internal recruitment can wind up with a workforce whose members all think alike and therefore may be poorly suited to innovation.

An OSHA inspection has four major components.

-First, the compliance officer reviews the company's records of deaths, injuries, and illnesses. OSHA requires this kind of record keeping at all firms with 11 or more full- or part-time employees. -Next, the officer—typically accompanied by a representative of the employer (and perhaps by a representative of the employees)—conducts a "walkaround" tour of the employer's premises. On this tour, the officer notes any conditions that may violate specific published standards or the less specific general-duty clause. -The third component of the inspection, employee interviews, may take place during the tour. At this time, anyone who is aware of a violation can bring it to the officer's attention. -Finally, in a closing conference, the compliance officer discusses the findings with the employer, noting any violations. -Following an inspection, OSHA gives the employer a reasonable time frame within which to correct the violations identified.

Work Flow Analysis-

-For each type of work, such as producing a product line or providing a support service (accounting, legal support, and so on), the analysis identifies the output of the process, the activities involved, and the three categories of inputs (materials and information, equipment, and human resources).

Implementing and Evaluating the HR Plan

-For whatever HR strategies are selected, the final stage of human resource planning involves implementing the strategies and evaluating the outcomes. -When implementing the HR strategy, the organization must hold some individual accountable for achieving the goals. -That person also must have the authority and resources needed to accomplish those goals. -It is also important that this person issue regular progress reports, so the organization can be sure that all activities occur on schedule and that the early results are as expected

Reducing Hours

-Given the limitations of downsizing, many organizations are more carefully considering other avenues for eliminating a labor surplus. one that is seen as a way to spread the burden more fairly is cutting work hours, generally with a corresponding reduction in pay. -Besides the thought that this is a more equitable way to weather a slump in demand, companies choose a reduction in work hours because it is less costly than layoffs requiring severance pay, and it is easier to restore the work hours than to hire new employees after a downsizing effort.

Finally, work flow analysis identifies the inputs required to carry out the work processes.

-Inputs fall into three categories: raw inputs (materials and information), equipment, and human resources (knowledge, skills, and abilities). -One-third of the workers said they are unable to turn in assignments on time because some resources they need are not available. Even more (about 50%) say their organizations do not have enough people to get all the necessary tasks finished unless people work overtime. More than a third of them say they are only somewhat, a little, or not clear about desired outputs—how their work is measured or how their supervisor defines success.

Job Specification

-Looks at the qualities or requirements the person performing the job must possess. It is a list of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) that an individual must have to perform the job. -Knowledge refers to factual or procedural information that is necessary for successfully performing a task. -A skill is an individual's level of proficiency at performing a particular task—that is, the capability to perform it well. With knowledge and experience, you could acquire skill in the task of preparing job specifications. -Ability, in contrast to skill, refers to a more general enduring capability that an individual possesses. A person might have the ability to cooperate with others or to write clearly and precisely. -Finally, other characteristics might be personality traits such as someone's persistence or motivation to achieve. Some jobs also have legal requirements, such as licensing or certification

Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)

-One category of employees not covered by Title VII is older workers. Older workers sometimes are concerned that they will be the targets of discrimination, especially when a company is downsizing. Older workers tend to be paid more, so a company that wants to cut labor costs may save by laying off its oldest workers. -This ac prohibits discrimination against workers who are over the age of 40. Similar to Title VII, the ADEA outlaws hiring, firing, setting compensation rates, or other employment decisions based on a person's age being over 40. -Many firms have offered early-retirement incentives as an alternative or supplement to involuntary layoffs. -To defend against claims of discrimination, one practical way is to establish performance-related criteria for layoffs, rather than age- or salary-related criteria

Outsourcing

-Organizations use outsourcing as a way to operate more efficiently and save money. They choose outsourcing firms that promise to deliver the same or better quality at a lower cost. -One reason they can do this is that the outside company specializes in the service and can benefit from economies of scale (the economic principle that producing something in large volume tends to cost less for each additional unit than producing in small volume). -This efficiency is often the attraction for outsourcing human resource functions such as payroll. Costs also are lower when the outsourcing firm is located in a part of the world where wages are relatively low

Internal versus external recruiting

-Organizations with policies to "promote from within" try to fill upper-level vacancies by recruiting candidates internally—that is, finding candidates who already work for the organization. -Opportunities for advancement make a job more attractive to applicants and employees.

How to develop an Adverse Impact Case

-Prima facie case is made by the plaintiff who: 1. Points to a specific test AND 2.Shows that there is underrepresentation of relevant labor market AND/OR 3. shows violation of the ⅘ rule Burden of Proof is on the defendant who: 1. Rebuts with data showing compliance with either adequate representation of relevant labor market or ⅘ rule; AND/OR 2. Rebuts with test validity data

Vietnam Era Veteran's Readjustment Act (1974)

-Requires federal contractors and subcontractors to take affirmative action toward employing veterans of the Vietnam War. -It covers veterans who served between Aug 5 1964- may 7th 1975.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

-The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing most of the EEO laws, including Title VII, the Equal Pay Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. -To do this, the EEOC investigates and resolves complaints about discrimination, gathers information, and issues guidelines. -When individuals believe they have been discriminated against, they may file a complaint with the EEOC or a similar state agency. -They must file the complaint within 180 days of the incident. The meaning of an "incident" for this purpose is defined by law.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

-The law is enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), an agency of the Department of Justice. -Title VII prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals because of their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. -An employer may not use these characteristics as the basis for not hiring someone, for firing someone, or for discriminating against them in the terms of their pay, conditions of employment, or privileges of employment. -In addition, an employer may not use these characteristics to limit, segregate, or classify employees or job applicants in any way that would deprive any individual of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect his or her status as an employee. -The act applies to organizations that employ 15 or more persons working 20 or more weeks a year and that are involved in interstate commerce, as well as state and local governments, employment agencies, and labor organizations.

Recruiting Human Resources

-The role of human resource recruitment is to build a supply of potential new hires that the organization can draw on if the need arises. In human resource management, recruiting consists of any practice or activity carried on by the organization with the primary purpose of identifying and attracting potential employees. -The goals of recruiting (encouraging qualified people to apply for jobs) and selection (deciding which candidates would be the best fit) are different enough that they are most effective when performed separately, rather than combined as in a job interview that also involves selling candidates on the company

Simplify Job Demands

-There are several ways to simplify a job's mental demands. -One is to limit the amount of information and memorization that the job requires. Organizations can also provide adequate lighting, easy-to-understand gauges and displays, simple-to-operate equipment, and clear instructions. - For project management, teamwork, and work done by employees in different locations, organizations may provide software that helps with tracking progress. -Often, employees try to simplify some of the mental demands of their own jobs by creating checklists, charts, or other aids. -Finally, every job requires some degree of thinking, remembering, and paying attention, so for every job, organizations need to evaluate whether their employees can handle the job's mental demands.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990

-This 1990 law protects individuals with disabilities from being discriminated against in the workplace. It prohibits discrimination based on disability in all employment practices, such as job application procedures, hiring, firing, promotions, compensation, and training. Other employment activities covered by the ADA are employment advertising, recruitment, tenure, layoff, leave, and fringe benefits. -The ADA defines disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of having such an impairment, or being regarded as having such an impairment. -The first part of the definition refers to individuals who have serious disabilities—such as epilepsy, blindness, deafness, or paralysis—that affect their ability to perform major bodily functions and major life activities such as walking, learning (for example, functions of the brain and immune system), caring for oneself, and working. -The second part refers to individuals who have a history of disability, such as someone who has had cancer but is currently in remission, someone with a history of mental illness, and someone with a history of heart disease. -Conditions not covered include obesity, substance abuse, irritability, and poor judgment

Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973

-This act covers executive agencies and contractors and subcontractors that receive more than $2,500 annually from the federal government. These organizations must engage in affirmative action for individuals with disabilities. -Affirmative action is an organization's active effort to find opportunities to hire or promote people in a particular group. The Department of Labor's Employment Standards Administration enforces this act.

Evaluating the Quality of a Source Cost per hire

-To compute this amount, find the cost of using a particular recruitment source for a particular type of vacancy. Then divide that cost by the number of people hired to fill that type of vacancy. -A low cost per hire means that the recruitment source is efficient; it delivers qualified candidates at minimal cost.

there are several ways of making such forecasts.

-Trend Analysis-constructing and applying statistical models that predict labor demand for the next year, given relatively objective statistics from the previous year. -These statistics are called leading indicators—objective measures that accurately predict future labor demand. -They might include measures of the economy (such as sales or inventory levels), actions of competitors, changes in technology, and trends in the composition of the workforce and overall population.

job hazard analysis technique

-With this technique, each job is broken down into basic elements, and each of these is rated for its potential for harm or injury. If there is agreement that some job element has high hazard potential, the group isolates the element and considers possible technological or behavior changes to reduce or eliminate the hazard. -This method poses some special challenges for high-tech companies, where workers may be exposed to materials and conditions that are not yet well understood. - An example is nanotechnology, which involves applications of extremely tiny products. Masks and other traditional protective equipment do not necessarily prevent nanoparticles from entering the body, and their impact on health is not known

Importance of job analysis

-Work redesign—Often an organization seeks to redesign work to make it more efficient or to improve quality. The redesign requires detailed information about the existing job(s). -Human resource planning—As planners analyze human resource needs and how to meet those needs, they must have accurate information about the levels of skill required in various jobs, so that they can tell what kinds of human resources will be needed. -Selection—To identify the most qualified applicants for various positions, decision makers need to know what tasks the individuals must perform, as well as the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities. -Training—Almost every employee hired by an organization will require training. Any training program requires knowledge of the tasks performed in a job so that the training is related to the necessary knowledge and skills. -Performance appraisal—An accurate performance appraisal requires information about how well each employee is performing in order to reward employees who perform well and to improve their performance if it is below standard. Job analysis helps in identifying the behaviors and the results associated with effective performance. -Career planning—Matching an individual's skills and aspirations with career opportunities requires that those in charge of career planning know the skill requirements of the various jobs. This allows them to guide individuals into jobs in which they will succeed and be satisfied. -Job evaluation—The process of job evaluation involves assessing the relative dollar value of each job to the organization in order to set up fair pay structures.

Adverse impact

-a condition in which employment practices are seemingly neutral yet disproportionately exclude a protected group from employment opportunities. -In other words, the company's employment practices lack obvious discriminatory content, but they affect one group differently than others. -Examples of employment practices that might result in disparate impact include pay, hiring, promotions, or training. -In the area of hiring, for example, many companies encourage their employees to refer friends and family members for open positions. -These referrals can produce a pool of well-qualified candidates who would be a good fit with the organization's culture and highly motivated to work with people they already know. However, given people's tendency to associate with others like themselves, this practice also can have an unintentional disparate impact on groups not already well represented at the employer.

what are the benefits of realistic job previews?

-can get individuals that actually want the job and are ok with the negatives -reduces unrealistic expectations of what job will be like and may reduce turnover

Disparate Treatment

-differing treatment of individuals, where the differences are based on the individuals' race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability status. -For example, disparate treatment would include hiring or promoting one person over an equally qualified person because of the individual's race. -Or suppose a company fails to hire women with school-age children (claiming the women will be frequently absent) but hires men with school-age children. -In that situation, the women are victims of disparate treatment, because they are being treated differently based on their sex. To sustain a claim of discrimination based on disparate treatment, the women would have to prove that the employer intended to discriminate. -For example, if the company investigates conviction records of job applicants, it should investigate them for all applicants, not just for applicants from certain racial groups. Companies may want to avoid some types of questions altogether.

Job Rotation

-does not actually redesign the jobs themselves, but moves employees among several different jobs. -This approach to job enlargement is common among production teams. During the course of a week, a team member may carry out each of the jobs handled by the team. Team members might assemble components one day and pack products into cases another day. As with job extension, the enlarged jobs may still consist of repetitious activities, but with greater variation among those activities.

options for reducing a surplus of labor

-downsizing -pay reductions -natural attrition -work sharing -hiring freeze -early retirement -demotion

Job Enrichment

-empowering workers by adding more decision-making authority to their jobs, comes from the work of Frederick Herzberg. -According to Herzberg's two-factor theory, individuals are motivated more by the intrinsic aspects of work (for example, the meaningfulness of a job) than by extrinsic rewards, such as pay. -Herzberg identified five factors he associated with motivating jobs: achievement, recognition, growth, responsibility, and performance of the entire job.

TeleWork

-flexibility can extend to work locations as well as work schedules. - The broad term for doing one's work away from a centrally located office is telework, or telecommuting. -For employers, advantages of telework include less need for office space and the ability to offer greater flexibility to employees who are disabled or need to be available for children or elderly relatives. -The employees using telework arrangements may have fewer absences from work than employees with similar demands who must commute to work.

Flex Time

-is a scheduling policy in which full-time employees may choose starting and ending times within guidelines specified by the organization. -The flextime policy may require that employees be at work between certain hours, say, 10:00 am and 3:00 pm. Employees work additional hours before or after this period in order to work the full day. One employee might arrive early in the morning in order to leave at 3:00 pm to pick up children after school. Another employee might be a night owl who prefers to arrive at 10:00 am and work until 6:00, 7:00, or even later in the evening. -A flextime policy also may enable workers to adjust a particular day's hours in order to make time for doctor's appointments, children's activities, hobbies, or volunteer work. -A work schedule that allows time for community and family interests can be extremely motivating for some employees.

technic of operations review (TOR)

-is an analysis method for determining which specific element of a job led to a past accident. -The first step in a TOR analysis is to establish the facts surrounding the incident. -To accomplish this, all members of the work group involved in the accident give their initial impressions of what happened. -The group must then, through discussion, come to an agreement on the single, systematic failure that most likely contributed to the incident, as well as two or three major secondary factors that contributed to it.

work flow design-

-managers analyze the tasks needed to produce a product or service. -With this information, they assign these tasks to specific jobs and positions.

options for avoiding a shortage

-overtime -temporary employees -retrained transfers -new external hires -technological innovations

Executive Order 11246

-prohibits federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. - In addition, employers whose contracts meet minimum size requirements must engage in affirmative action to ensure against discrimination. -Those receiving more than $10,000 from the federal government must take affirmative action, and those with contracts exceeding $50,000 must develop a written affirmative-action plan for each of their establishments. -This plan must be in place within 120 days of the beginning of the contract. -This executive order is enforced by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Procedures.

sexual harassment continued

-quid pro quo harassment, meaning that a person makes a benefit (or punishment) contingent on an employee's submitting to (or rejecting) sexual advances. -For example, a manager who promises a raise to an employee who will participate in sexual activities is engaging in quid pro quo harassment. -hostile working environment. This occurs when someone's behavior in the workplace creates an environment in which it is difficult for someone of a particular sex to work. -Common complaints in sexual harassment lawsuits include claims that harassers ran their fingers through the plaintiffs' hair, made suggestive remarks, touched intimate body parts, posted pictures with sexual content in the workplace, and used sexually explicit language or told sex-related jokes. The reason that these behaviors are considered discrimination is that they treat individuals differently based on their sex. -Courts use a "reasonable person" test for hostile environment.

Sexual harassment

-refers to unwelcome sexual advances. -The EEOC has defined the types of behavior and the situations under which this behavior constitutes sexual harassment: -Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical contact of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when -Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment, -Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual, or -Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.

Executive Order 11478

-requires the federal government to base all its employment policies on merit and fitness. It specifies that race, color, sex, religion, and national origin may not be considered. -Along with the government, the act covers all contractors and subcontractors doing at least $10,000 worth of business with the federal government. -The U.S. Office of Personnel Management is in charge of ensuring that the government is in compliance, and the relevant government agencies are responsible for ensuring the compliance of contractors and subcontractors.

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009

-the act covers discrimination in pay; that is, when an individual receives different pay than his or her coworkers, and the difference is due to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability. It provides three ways to determine the time period within which an employee may file a complaint: counting from -(1) when the employer's decision or other discriminatory practice happened; -(2) when the person became subject to the decision or practice; or - (3) when the compensation was affected by the decision or practice, including each time the employee received a discriminatory level of compensation from the employer.

Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act),

-the most comprehensive U.S. law regarding worker safety. The OSH Act authorized the federal government to establish and enforce occupational safety and health standards for all places of employment engaging in interstate commerce. -The OSH Act divided enforcement responsibilities between the Department of Labor and the Department of Health. -Under the Department of Labor, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is responsible for inspecting employers, applying safety and health standards, and levying fines for violation.

Employing Temporary and Contract Workers

-the most widespread methods for eliminating a labor shortage are hiring temporary and contract workers and outsourcing work. -Employers may arrange to hire a temporary worker through an agency that specializes in linking employers with people who have the necessary skills. The employer pays the agency, which in turn pays the temporary worker. Employers also may contract directly with individuals, often professionals, to provide a particular service. -In addition to flexibility, temporary employment offers lower costs. Using temporary workers frees the employer from many administrative tasks and financial burdens associated with being the "employer of record." The cost of employee benefits, including health care, pension, life insurance, workers' compensation, and unemployment insurance, can account for 40% of payroll expenses for permanent employees.

Job Design

-the process of defining how work will be performed and what tasks will be required in a given job, or job redesign, a similar process that involves changing an existing job design. -To design jobs effectively, a person must thoroughly understand the job itself (through job analysis) and its place in the larger work unit's work flow process (through work flow analysis). -Having a detailed knowledge of the tasks performed in the work unit and in the job, a manager then has many alternative ways to design a job.

Job Analysis

-the process of getting detailed information about jobs. Analyzing jobs and understanding what is required to carry out a job provide essential knowledge for staffing, training, performance appraisal, and many other HR activities. -For instance, a supervisor's evaluation of an employee's work should be based on performance relative to job requirements. In very small organizations, line managers may perform a job analysis, but usually the work is done by a human resource professional.

Goal Setting and Strategic Planning

-the second step in human resource planning is goal setting and strategic planning, The purpose of setting specific numerical goals is to focus attention on the problem and provide a basis for measuring the organization's success in addressing labor shortages and surpluses. -The goals should come directly from the analysis of labor supply and demand. -They should include a specific figure indicating what should happen with the job category or skill area and a specific timetable for when the results should be achieved. -For each goal, the organization must choose one or more human resource strategies. A variety of strategies is available for handling expected shortages and surpluses of labor.

Industrial Engineering

-which looks for the simplest way to structure work in order to maximize efficiency. -Typically, applying industrial engineering to a job reduces the complexity of the work, making it so simple that almost anyone can be trained quickly and easily to perform the job. Such jobs tend to be highly specialized and repetitive.

how to minimize sexual harassment liability

1. Have a clear anti-discrimination and sexual harassment policy 2. Establish a reporting procedure 3. Train employees 4. Monitor the workplace 5.Have a well-crafted employee handbook. 6. Create an organizational culture of ethics.

downsizing how it promotes future competitiveness

1. Reducing costs—Labor is a large part of a company's total costs, so downsizing is an attractive place to start cutting costs. 2. Replacing labor with technology—Closing outdated factories, automating, or introducing other technological changes reduces the need for labor. Often, the labor savings outweigh the cost of the new technology. 3. Mergers and acquisitions—When organizations combine, they often need less bureaucratic overhead, so they lay off managers and some professional staff members. 4.Moving to more economical locations—Some organizations move from one area of the United States to another, especially from the Northeast and Midwest to the South and the mountain regions of the West.

Job Characteristics Model

1. Skill variety—The extent to which a job requires a variety of skills to carry out the tasks involved. 2. Task identity—The degree to which a job requires completing a "whole" piece of work from beginning to end (for example, building an entire component or resolving a customer's complaint). 3. Task significance—The extent to which the job has an important impact on the lives of other people. 4.Autonomy—The degree to which the job allows an individual to make decisions about the way the work will be carried out. 5.Feedback—The extent to which a person receives clear information about performance effectiveness from the work itself.

The OSH act also grants specific rights; for example, employees have the right to:

1.Request an inspection 2.Have a representative present at an inspection 3.Have dangerous substances identified 4.Be promptly informed about exposure to hazards and be given access to accurate records regarding exposure 5. Have employer violations posted at the work site

broad responsibilities of HR departments

Administrative services and transactions—Handling administrative tasks (for example, hiring employees and answering questions about benefits) efficiently and with a commitment to quality. This requires expertise in the particular tasks. Business partner services—Developing effective HR systems that help the organization meet its goals for attracting, keeping, and developing people with the skills it needs. For the systems to be effective, HR people must understand the business so it can understand what the business needs. Strategic partner—Contributing to the company's strategy through an understanding of its existing and needed human resources and ways HR practices can give the company a competitive advantage. For strategic ideas to be effective, HR people must understand the business, its industry, and its competitors.

Personnel Policies

An organization's personnel policies are its decisions about how it will carry out human resource management, including how it will fill job vacancies

Identify Responsibilities of Hr departments

Analysis and design of work -Work analysis; job design; job descriptions Recruitment and selection -Recruiting; job postings; interviewing; testing; coordinating use of temporary labor Training and development -Orientation; skills training; career development programs Performance management -Performance measures; preparation and administration of performance appraisals; discipline Compensation and benefits -Wage and salary administration; incentive pay; insurance; vacation leave administration; retirement plans; profit sharing; stock plans Employee relations -Attitude surveys; labor relations; employee handbooks; company publications; labor law compliance; relocation and outplacement services Personnel policies -Policy creation; policy communication Employee data and information systems -Record keeping; HR information systems; workforce analytics Compliance with laws -Policies to ensure lawful behavior; reporting; posting information; safety inspections; accessibility accommodations Support for strategy -Human resource planning and forecasting; talent management; change management

Exemptions from Anti discrimination Regulations

Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ) -A business characteristic providing a legitimate reason why an employer can exclude persons on otherwise illegal basis of consideration Business Necessity -A practice that is necessary for safe and efficient organizational operations.

essay 1 Diagram and describe the steps of the human resource planning process.

Forecast the demand for labor -The planner must forecast whether the need for people with the necessary skills and experience will increase or decrease. An organization might use trend analysis, constructing and applying statistical models that predict labor demand for the next year, given relatively objective statistics from the previous year. These statistics are called leading indicators—objective measures that accurately predict future labor demand. They might include measures of the economy (such as sales or inventory levels), actions of competitors, changes in technology, and trends in the composition of the workforce and overall population Forecast of labor supply -Once a company has forecast the demand for labor, it needs an indication of the firm's labor supply. Determining the internal labor supply calls for a detailed analysis of how many people are currently in various job categories or have specific skills within the organization. The planner then modifies this analysis to reflect changes expected in the near future as a result of retirements, promotions, transfers, voluntary turnover, and terminations. -One type of statistical procedure that can be used for this purpose is the analysis of a transitional matrix. This is a chart that lists job categories held in one period and shows the proportion of employees in each of those job categories in a future period Goal setting and Strategic planning -The purpose of setting specific numerical goals is to focus attention on the problem and provide a basis for measuring the organization's success in addressing labor shortages and surpluses. The goals should come directly from the analysis of labor supply and demand. They should include a specific figure indicating what should happen with the job category or skill area and a specific timetable for when the results should be achieved. -For each goal, the organization must choose one or more human resource strategies. A variety of strategies is available for handling expected shortages and surpluses of labor. Implementing and evaluating HR plan -involves implementing the strategies and evaluating the outcomes. When implementing the HR strategy, the organization must hold some individual accountable for achieving the goals. That person also must have the authority and resources needed to accomplish those goals. It is also important that this person issue regular progress reports, so the organization can be sure that all activities occur on schedule and that the early results are as expected

Define human resource management and explain how HRM contributes to an organization's performance.

Human resource management is critical to the success of organizations because human capital has certain qualities that make it valuable. In terms of business strategy, an organization can succeed if it has a sustainable competitive advantage (is better than competitors at something and can hold that advantage over a sustained period of time). Therefore, we can conclude that organizations need the kind of resources that will give them such an advantage. Human resources have these necessary qualities: Human resources are valuable. High-quality employees provide a needed service as they perform many critical functions. Human resources are rare in the sense that a person with high levels of the needed skills and knowledge is not common. An organization may spend months looking for a talented and experienced manager or technician. Human resources cannot be imitated. To imitate human resources at a high-performing competitor, you would have to figure out which employees are providing the advantage and how. Then you would have to recruit people who can do precisely the same thing and set up the systems that enable those people to imitate your competitor. Human resources have no good substitutes. When people are well trained and highly motivated, they learn, develop their abilities, and care about customers. It is difficult to imagine another resource that can match committed and talented employees.

Determining Labor Supply

Once a company has forecast the demand for labor, it needs an indication of the firm's labor supply. Determining the internal labor supply calls for a detailed analysis of how many people are currently in various job categories or have specific skills within the organization. The planner then modifies this analysis to reflect changes expected in the near future as a result of retirements, promotions, transfers, voluntary turnover, and terminations.

Lead-the-market pay strategies

Pay is an important job characteristic for almost all applicants. Organizations have a recruiting advantage if their policy is to take a "lead-the-market" approach to pay—that is, pay more than the current market wages for a job. Higher pay can also make up for a job's less desirable features, such as working on a night shift or in dangerous conditions.

Employers can defend against sexual harassment liability by showing two things:

The employer exercised care to prevent and correct promptly any sexually harassing behavior The employer can demonstrate that the plaintiff "unreasonably failed to take advantage of any preventive or corrective opportunities provided by the employer"

The EEOC established six areas that would be priorities because they have the greatest potential to reduce and deter employment discrimination

The six areas are (1) eliminating barriers in recruitment and hiring; (2) protecting immigrant, migrant, and other workers considered vulnerable; (3) addressing emerging issues, such as accommodating workers with disabilities and preventing discrimination against gay and lesbian employees, which could take the form of sex discrimination; (4) enforcing equal pay laws; (5) preserving access to the legal system by targeting retaliation; (6) preventing harassment.

determining labor supply transitional matrix

This is a chart that lists job categories held in one period and shows the proportion of employees in each of those job categories in a future period. It answers two questions: "Where did people who were in each job category go?" and "Where did people now in each job category come from?

Forecasting the Demand for labor

Usually, an organization forecasts demand for specific job categories or skill areas. After identifying the relevant job categories or skills, the planner investigates the likely demand for each. The planner must forecast whether the need for people with the necessary skills and experience will increase or decrease.

Work flow analysis next considers the work processes used to generate the outputs identified

Work processes are the activities that a work unit's members engage in to produce a given output. -They are described in terms of operating procedures for every task performed by each employee at each stage of the process. -Specifying the processes helps HRM professionals design efficient work systems by clarifying which tasks are necessary. -Knowledge of work processes also can guide staffing changes when work is automated, outsourced, or restructured.

essay 3 Describe at least four of the seven uses of job analysis in HRM functions

Work redesign—Often an organization seeks to redesign work to make it more efficient or to improve quality. The redesign requires detailed information about the existing job(s). In addition, preparing the redesign is similar to analyzing a job that does not yet exist. Human resource planning—As planners analyze human resource needs and how to meet those needs, they must have accurate information about the levels of skill required in various jobs, so that they can tell what kinds of human resources will be needed. Selection—To identify the most qualified applicants for various positions, decision makers need to know what tasks the individuals must perform, as well as the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities. Training—Almost every employee hired by an organization will require training. Any training program requires knowledge of the tasks performed in a job so that the training is related to the necessary knowledge and skills. Performance appraisal—An accurate performance appraisal requires information about how well each employee is performing in order to reward employees who perform well and to improve their performance if it is below standard. Job analysis helps in identifying the behaviors and the results associated with effective performance. Career planning—Matching an individual's skills and aspirations with career opportunities requires that those in charge of career planning know the skill requirements of the various jobs. This allows them to guide individuals into jobs in which they will succeed and be satisfied. Job evaluation—The process of job evaluation involves assessing the relative dollar value of each job to the organization in order to set up fair pay structures. If employees do not believe pay structures are fair, they will become dissatisfied and may quit, or they will not see much benefit in striving for promotions. To put dollar values on jobs, it is necessary to get information about different jobs and compare them.

how the nature of employee relationship is changing -Psychological contract

a description of what an employee expects to contribute in an employment relationship and what the employer will provide the employee in exchange for those contributions. Unlike a written sales contract, the psychological contract is not formally put into words. Instead, it describes unspoken expectations that are widely held by employers and employees. In the traditional version of this psychological contract, organizations expected their employees to contribute time, effort, skills, abilities, and loyalty. In return, the organizations would provide job security and opportunities for promotion. New contract- Companies expect employees to take more responsibility for their own careers, from seeking training to balancing work and family. These expectations result in less job security for employees, who can count on working for several companies over the course of a career. In exchange for top performance and working longer hours without job security, employees want companies to provide flexible work schedules, comfortable working conditions, more control over how they accomplish work, training and development opportunities, and financial incentives based on how the organization performs. Employees realize that companies cannot provide employment security, so they want employability. This means they want their company to provide training and job experiences to help ensure that they can find other employment opportunities.

Explain how HRM supports the goal of creating a high-performance work system

an organization in which technology, organizational structure, people, and processes work together seamlessly to give an organization an advantage in the competitive environment. As technology changes the ways organizations manufacture, transport, communicate, and keep track of information, human resource management must ensure that the organization has the right kinds of people to meet the new challenges. Maintaining a high-performance work system may include development of training programs, recruitment of people with new skill sets, and establishment of rewards for such behaviors as teamwork, flexibility, and learning.

work flow analysis outputs

are the products of any work unit, say, a department or team. Outputs may be tangible, as in the case of a restaurant meal or finished part. They may be intangible, such as building security or an answered question about employee benefits.

Essay 4 Why is disparate impact considered a sign of discrimination despite being a condition in which a company's employment practices lack obvious discriminatory content? give examples (how different from disparate treatment?) how is it related to 4/5's rule? if given a case, identify whether it is a case of disparate treatment or adverse impact, which law applies, how the plaintiff would make a prima facie case and how the defense that would be put forward by the defendant.

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discuss how technological developments are affect HRM

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what are fair employment practice laws?

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The Fourteenth Amendment

forbids the states from taking life, liberty, or property without due process of law and prevents the states from denying equal protection of the laws.Recently it has been applied to the protection of whites in charges of reverse discrimination.

Explain why all managers and supervisors need knowledge, and skills related to human resource management.

motivate (pay, benefits, other rewards) Hiring communicate policies Help define jobs interview and select employees performance appraisals recommend pay increases

right-to-know laws

require employers to provide employees with information about the health risks associated with exposure to substances considered hazardous. State right-to-know laws may be more stringent than federal standards, so organizations should obtain requirements from their state's health and safety agency, as well as from OSHA