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