Human Resource Test 2

negligent hiring

Failure of the employer to use reasonable care in the selection and hiring of employees.

what federal law mandates that a job description be provided in writing?

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991 mandated essential functions to be clearly stated, so that those with certain limitations would be able to understand what was expected of them at the job to ensure they could perform the tasks of the job.

Proceduralism

(red tape)This trend connotes processes that have become excessively detailed, complicated, protracted or impersonal. For example, filling out different forms requesting the same information.

What purposes do job descriptions have?

-Document that provides information regarding the essential tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a job.

Similarities of job descriptions and job positions

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merit selection

Emphasizes technical qualifications using processes that analyze job competencies and require open application procedures. Aims to choose the best person for the job resulting in a quality workforce.

What are the key elements of a job description?

Major duties performed * Percentage of time devoted to each duty *Performance standards to be achieved *working conditions and possible hazards *Number of employees performing the job and who they report to *The machines and equipment used on the job.There are four key elements of a job description; a job summary, essential functions, physical and environmental standards based to preform, and last minimum requirements/ qualifications. The job summary includes a description of the main identifiers of the job such as department the position is located in and list of major duties. Physical and environmental standards based to preform section of a job description will include the physical requirements of the job such as lifting boxes, as well as a description of where the work will take place, an office or outdoors, etc. The minimum requirements and qualifications required section of a job description usually includes the KSA's of the job (knowledge, skills and, abilities) as well as any degrees, special certifications, or training needed to perform the job.

what are the 4 screening phases in the selection process

Phase 1. In this phase, the procedure followed focuses attention on discriminating between the qualified and unqualified. Applicant pools typically have a substantial number of individuals who do not meet basic qualifications and whose applicants can easily be pushed aside. In order to eliminate candidates, the initial qualifications need to be carefully identified, both from the general job description and from those special needs identified for the position in the job posting. At this very basic point in the selection process, staff or computers are capable of doing the screening. Phase 2 serves to identify and screen the most highly qualified people. If the initial screening in Phase 1 ranked all candidates, it is a simple matter to choose those with the highest scores. This phases involves a series of different tests. In unassembled tests, candidates are only ranked on those items that can be submitted by mail or e-mail. For example, applications, resumes, written work samples, letters of recommendation, and online or written self-reported assessments. On the other hand, assembled tests require applicants to come to a central location or locations in order to take general aptitude tests, or specific skills (such as typing) tests, or even provide live work samples in a proctored setting. The idea behind these tests is to narrow down the candidate pool to a realistic number for future interviewing and in-depth testing. The interview is the center and most important part of this process. Sometimes, the rule of three applies, in which the finalists are narrowed down to the top three candidates. However, in the case of multiple openings being available, there may be numerous finalists. If the finalists are between one or two exceptional candidates, it is a good time to require live samples of work and check references. Phase 3 involves offering the position to final chosen candidate, as well as backup applicants in the case of the selected individual turning down the position. Choosing the first choice from the variety of candidates may prove easy, or in some cases it may be difficult because the top candidates seem indistinguishably qualified or perhaps might bring different types of human assets to the position. The final and fourth phase solidifies the qualifications and ability of the candidate after the offer. It is important to know that many job offers are circumstantial or successful passing of drug tests, medical exams, or even background checks. This phase can also include the first trial period of employment in which the candidate has probationary status and can be terminated without cause. The probationary period is especially warranted in cases where extensive or substantial schooling is required and some new hires do eventually "wash out." This four phased approach is beneficial to the selection process because it can provide a more accurate review of applicants and wastes less time on unselected candidates. That's not to say it isn't flawed, however. It can prove too slow in responding to a high-powered applicant pool or too expensive for the agency. In this case, a consolidated selection process may better serve the agency. An example of a reduced process would be the temporary hiring of term employees or entry level staff workers.

pay for performance

commission strategy

test-retest reliability

degree to which the same test yields similar results from one assessment to another. With shorter timer intervals between tests there can be a "spill over "effect; the first test influencing the second test. Candidates can recall the answers they provided on the first test and repeat them on the second test. This underestimates the reliability of the test.

patronage

designating officials or employees without a requirement for a formalized application process. This is mostly seen on a political basis. Selection process could be because of support in political party loyalty, personal acquaintance, or technical competency

bio-data

detailed information or examples, including important accomplishment dimensions (competencies) of employees or candidates related to the job they are applying for

how are reliable and valid are reference checks?

not very reliable or valid because often applicants have a hard time obtaining them and often not very specific or thorough

why is feedback important for maintaining motivation and employee performance?

positive evaluation given with purpose of influence future performance or behavior \ should be given frequently and consistently, never too far from a specific event occurring

What are work samples and performance tests and why are they so useful

predictors of performance work sample tests are .54 on the valitdity score and performance tests are

psychological contracts

recognize the extent to which an employee might be interested in learning a new skill. Psychological Contracts is a tool for increasing productivity and motivation. It is defined as an unwritten understanding about mutual needs, goals, expectations, and procedures. These agreements go beyond employment contracts that typically include salary, benefits, and working hours. The use of psychological contracts is important because they can provide information that can help both workers and managers to improve their performance and productivity.

pay banding

several grades are combined, creating a broader salary range for a position-- has the effect of allowing greater discretion at the agency level, offering more organizational flexibility and providing incentives for long term development

labor market survey

specific position parity studies that compare agency job clusters. This survey asks, what are the trends in terms of availability, salaries, and education levels? The questions received from this survey then help to build a successful staffing plan -

point factor method

starts with the assumption that our factors should be broad enough to apply consistently to all jobs in an organization or schedule."(pg 197) Levels or points that a job will receive define these factors. These factors that influence the job may also be carried into subdivisions or sub level classifications. There are four factors that are used in the points system. These factors are relevant to the fact that they provide multiple perspectives of insight into the classification of related jobs. These four categories are first the level of responsibility, second, the complexity of problem solving, third the degree of accountability, and fourth the working conditions or environment thereof. These statistical and mathematical job evaluations tend to be very expensive. With that in mind, the text goes on to state that on the part of being in a managerial or executive position is knowing "how these comprehensive factors were arrived at in the past.

correlation coeffecients

statistics calculated from sample tests in selection and job performance. The correlation coefficient helps to determine validity and reliability of job performance measures, with a positive, negative or neutral score that can compare the testing method with the actual job performance as determined by the manager.

1. What are the primary recruitment strategies in the public sector?

10: job posting, electronic posting, personal contact recruitment, newspaper recruitment, trade journals, mail and email recruitment, institutional capacity recruiting, internship recruitment, headhunting, and noncompetitive recruitment. Job posting and electronic job posting include placing a formal announcement online on agency websites or job seeking websites, or on a bulletin board to alert individuals to the job opening. These are not seen as the most effective ways to reach out to new competitive applicants, but helps for internal applicants. Personal contact recruitment occurs when applicants are encouraged to apply for a job directly by another person. This can take place at job fairs, or through social media, but the most common way is through employee referrals, which we discussed the advantages and disadvantages of in class. Newspapers and trade journals are two other platforms in which employees are recruited into public sector jobs. Newspaper classified ads of the Sunday paper used to be a prime place for hopeful employees and trade journals similar for those in more professional and specialized fields, but as the popularity of printed media decreases, so does the popularity of both these strategies. Mail and Email recruitment is another form which is very customized to the individual the employers seek to attract, with a kind of 'seeding out' process to find top candidates to contact who would not typically apply. It is not often practiced by public sector organizations. Institutional capacity recruiting is a more awareness based form of recruitment, which focuses on potential applicants being aware of the agency and their website, so they have it in mind when searching for a job. It usually includes radio and TV advertisements. Internship recruitment is a typical practice in medium larger sized organizations and agencies and includes a process akin to an actual hiring process because of the great investment of time and the likelihood for hiring later on. This strategy, when done well, is reported to have one of the highest success rates. Headhunting, also known as external recruitment, is yet another form job recruitment. A staff member's task is solely to make initial contact with possible employees and even arrange interviews and set up the job contract. This is usually done for the most competitive and high paying jobs, and when used in the public sector, it is done by third party companies. The final form of job recruitment listed in the text is noncompetitive recruitment. It entails an informal process in which the official doing recruitment does not complete formal comparisons of the applicants, and allows for one-day hiring. This is not possible for all positions, but is employed by some agencies.

maslow's hierarchy of needs

5 categories of drives: 1. ensuring survival (ability to pay for food and housing) 2. ensuring physical and psychological safety (job and retirement security) 3. ensuring group belonging (workgroups, networks and ability to maintain one's family) 4. ensuring self-esteem (feeling confident, respected by others) 5. actualizing oneself, developing ones potential

Differences of job descriptions and job positions

A job may require the services of one person or the services of 75, whereas a position is performed by only one person. (There is a posistion for every individual in an organization)

seniority based selection

A primary or exclusive factor for promotion. It asserts those that have already been employed in the organization have been through the merit process, screened in probationary and evaluation process. Over time leading to a high understanding of the organizational process and showing loyalty to their.

goal setting (MBO)

A process based theory of motivation which believes that the setting of performance measures such as goals, is a major source of motivation. This is based on the belief that the goals influence an individual's intentions. One popular way to measure the effectiveness of a goal setting technique is SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, reasonable, and timely)

wage based on lead, match, lag

A wage-led approach reflects a belief that by working smarter, a high-quality, satisfied workforce is a cost-effective, money-saving strategy. This approach supports the notion that a highly-paid workforce will attract highly-qualified employees. When a wage-competitive policy is in effect, compensation is neutralized as a factor in human resource management. It does this by paying fairly and accentuating non monetary amenities affecting the overall ability to attract and retain employees. This approach steers focus on other features or benefits that working for the organization might have. For instance, the organization might stress the highly-praised neighborhood it exists in, or the good schools it has. The virtue of this approach in "fair pay" is that it takes compensation completely off the table. wage follower plans may be indicative of unique characteristics of the occupation such as military travel or State Department diplomacy. This approach follows the philosophy that insists service is not about making money, high unemployment in the area, short-time horizons, or simply a "lean and mean" approach to human resources by "working harder" to get the most from as few poorly paid workers as possible.

Organizational fit:

Alignment of the candidate's personality with cultural aspects such as the rewards and incentive system, notions of organizational citizenship, and organizational values. When the fit is right the individual is more likely to exhibit a willingness to strive harder and to have some degree of professional passion for the job.

adam's equity theory

Another process based theory which is shaped by social comparison and exchange theory. In the strategy you compare inputs and outputs and then managers can place employees where they will be the best fit.

interrater reliability

Assessment methods are scored by expert judgment. Inter-rater reliability is estimated by having two expert judges rate the same set of examines. The correlation between the two sets of ratings provides the estimate of inter-rater reliability.

What purposes do job positions have?

Collection of tasks and responsibilities performed by one person.sition descriptions are statements that define the exact, precise duties, level of responsibility, and organizational placement of a specific position. Typically, position descriptions are written by job incumbents or their supervisors but sometimes they are composed by personnel specialists. The main focus of position descriptions is recruitment, reclassification, and performance appraisal. Due to these wide variety of objectives, the format varies significantly.

why are seniority based compensation systems so attractive?

Compensation systems based on seniority (rather than other methods such as pay for performance or skill pay) are attractive to potential employees because they add a sense of security that individuals are able to move up within a company. If the company policy promotes hiring and promotion from within, the organization or company will do more to invest in you with training in preparation for these positions, lowering your chance for being demoted or fired. But some downsides appear in this compensation system. By hiring internally only, the company/organization will possibly miss out on other well qualified candidates that may bring new life and perspective to the company/organization. This system is also not based on merit, which may turn into a problem for some of the employees in the future regarding promotional decisions. Current employees, expecting their promotion, may also innovate less, as they know as long as they do sufficient work, that they will move up within the organization/company.

3 strategies for establishing the validity of a selection process

Content Validity is the first of the three acceptable validation strategies. This approach requires demonstrating a direct relationship between the test used and the actual job duties or responsibilities. This is considered the most common validation procedure. Validity is documented through conducting of a job analysis of the position and connecting its elements to concrete items in the test. We used a content validity strategy when we were asked to conduct a job analysis, write a job description, and write oral interview questions based on essential elements. The second strategy established is Criterion Validity, which is an approach that establishes a correlation between predictor scores and job success measures at a later date. All who take the predictor measure, and who are otherwise eligible for hire are selected by the employer. At some later date, measures are taken on job related factors. I personally experienced this strategy while working as a bank teller at a credit union. After I was hired, I submitted to a job evaluation every three months in which my supervisor went over my initial predictor scores in relation to my current job related performance. Construct Validity documents the relationship of select abstract personal traits and characteristics to job performance, such as intelligence, industriousness, creativity, and so forth. Tests with high construct validity accurately predict future job performance by examining the characteristics of successful job incumbents and judging whether applicants have those characteristics. Construct validation is used for psychological tests that screen based on trait and attitude profiles, which I'm sure most of us have experienced ourselves. Furthermore, documenting validity ensures that tests are job related and legally nondiscriminatory. According to our text, well-constructed tests can provide an excellent method of identifying and eliminating those without minimum competencies or weak in aptitude. This allows other methods to focus on selecting those best qualified from a smaller, more concentrated pool.

negligent referral

Failure of an employer to disclose complete and factual information about former or current employee to another employer. Occurs when a person serving as a reference for a candidate for employment intentionally lies about the candidate or intentionally withholds information that he/she knows to be true that can causes injury to a third party . A business can help avoid negligent hiring claims by performing a background check, drug test and medical exam prior to hiring a new employee.

25-50-25 rule

Feedback is an important part of the motivation climate in a work place. There are individualized approaches that exist for dealing with unsatisfactory performance. In some instances, employees follow a 20-50-25 rule so that they stubbornly refuse to be motivated. The 25-50-25 rule states that when a new idea is suggested, about 25 percent of the manager's will embrace, 50 percent will be indifferent and 25 percent will reject it. Basically, the 25-50-25 rule states that some people will be against change (and unmotivated) no matter what.

role of human resource management in developing and maintaining a motivational weekend

HRM Department has a substantial role in the area of upholding and maintaining of a secure motivational environment for the workforce. This can be done well in several ways. The first of which is the role that the manager has with their employees. If the manager maintains a "theory y" orderly system in which they show more confidence and less of a controlling manner over their employees, as a result their employees will have more motivation to accomplish tasks without the worry of being constantly overshadowed by the managers. If managers are able to have a more casual relationship with their employees and let the employees know the confidence and trust they have in their work, then the employees are more and more motivated to get tasks done and actually maintain that trust that they have in from the boss. It also allows for motivation in the hope of seeking promotion through future hard work. managers need to implement a broad range of policies through which each employee can find and experience those that help them meet their needs, and in sufficient ways to ensure motivation analogy- HRM as cafeteria buffet (lots of choices)

human capital

Human Capital deals with the organization's perspective that recruitment is a process of soliciting the most talented and most motivated applicants. This is the idea that only with a highly skilled staff--Human Capital-- do organizations have the opportunity to thrive in an era in which work tends to be complex, customized, and rapidly changing. -An organization's employees described in terms of their training, experience, judgement, intelligence, relationships, and insight.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of individual versus pooled hiring?

Individual and institutional recruitment are two techniques in hiring which can be tailored to the employment needs of the organization. In individual recruitment, an organization can seek out a select member of people for a select position. This process is great for positions that may be highly specialized and may only have a few qualified applicants. But, it also may limit the variety of applicants which are interviewed and an organization may miss out on other applicants. In pool recruitment, many people are hired in a more general set of interviews, usually for entry level jobs which more people will be qualified for. This hiring process is great for organizations that need a large amount of employees in a short period of time, but also has its drawbacks, as hiring people without as much screening may lead to employees who are not as qualified and unaware of organization policies and regulations.

rule of three

Part of the selection process. When there are numerous qualified applicants, the "rule of three" implies to the top three most qualified candidates. The next process should be to examine live samples of work and check references.

How practical are psychological contracts? How are they supposed to work? What are the key ingredients of an effective psychological contract?

Psychological contracts are very practical because it only takes a simple conversation between the employer and employee to establish the agreement and alignment of ideas and desires between the employee and the supervisor. It is supposed to work by the supervisor and the employee communicating their own wants and suggestions in relation to the other person or the job. If both people agree that action is warranted for the requests than over the next few weeks both will work to fix the problems and make an effort to uphold the decisions made through the contract. The key ingredients of an effective psychological contract are two-sided dialogue, understanding, compromise (I'll grant you this request if you work harder, etc.), and follow up to make sure that both parties are satisfied with the outcome.

job fit

Refers to specific traits that have lend themselves to particular jobs such as the ability to handle stress, assertiveness, friendliness, self-confidence, decisiveness, flexibility, willingness to assume responsibility, and similar characteristics, depending on what the job is.

spousal assistance

Spousal Assistance may be offered to help reduce the trauma of relocating families. This is important for dual-career couples, for whom, a relocation of one spouse is highly disruptive to the other's career plans. Spousal assistance is important to consider when recruiting as problems with relocation have led to refusal to accept job positions, promotions, or transfers.

what are the essential functions of a job description?

The essential functions section of the job description include the most vital aspects of the job, as the text describes, tasks that will take up more than 5% of the employee's time. This section includes a task list and is important, as it gives the best idea of what an applicant will be doing with their time, should they receive the job. The task list allows potential employees to see if the job is a good fit for them.

performance feedback

The final term I will discuss is performance feedback. Feedback is defined as evaluative information given to employees about their performance or behavior, whose purpose is to influence future performance or behavior. Feedback should be given frequently and in a positive manner. Effectiveness is lost when feedback is given sporadically, far removed from the moment of performance, or in less constructive ways.

Strategies that promote diversity in recruitment

The first thing to consider when promoting a diverse workplace is providing a hospitable work environment. Spousal assistance is one way to provide this, as it offers to help reduce the trauma that can be caused by relocating a family. This especially important for dual-career couples as one spouse's commitment to a new location can make or break the other spouse's current career goals . Organizations that do not provide spousal assistance may find themselves accepting less-than ideal candidates for positions because their preferred candidate declined to relocate. Another example of providing support to diversity is increasing the participation rate of individuals with disabilities. Some of the elements that promote diversity in this area are top leadership support, regular screening or the workforce to identify potential barriers to employment and work success, the training of staff who do not have disabilities but affect their employment and success, providing a flexible work environment, and providing centralized reasonable accommodation funding (U.S. GAO, 2011) The second consideration deals with whether or not there is a clear attempt to maintain a well-rounded workforce, so that no group, including white males, has a legitimate complaint. All things being equal, qualified women and minorities are highly sensitive to the presence of role models in the recruitment process and to the comparative level of resources available. The third and final consideration deals with awareness that the where and how recruitment takes place will have an effect. In other words, sometimes procurement practices need to target locations where diverse populations and candidates are more likely to populate (school fairs) and ethnically diverse universities and sources that like individuals are prone to read (ethnically oriented newspapers and newsletters).

position announcements

These announcements are generally tailored to the specific purpose to which they are being addressed. A full job announcement usually includes the job title and agency or organization affiliation, salary range, description of the job duties and responsibilities, minimum qualifications, special conditions, application procedures, notice of equal employment opportunity, and support for diversity. The announcement may also include classification, career potential, and special benefits.

Bandura's social learning and self-efficacy theory

This theory adds a social element to scientific quasi-scientific theories. Bandura believes that anyone can learn through observing and that a good mental state is vital to the best learning. Social learning is largely based on observational learning, in which individuals can be motivated to perform well based on others. o Self-efficacy: An individual's belief that they can succeed in a situation.

Validity

Validity is a measure of job success established by a correlated predictor like an interview or sample test. One example of this would be the scoring of an oral job interview. Validity is not a requirement for establishing reliability.

merit pay

annual measurement to base salary, annuity that compounds-- system under which permanent increases in base pay are based on performance

herzberg's two-factor theory

are certain factors in the workplace that cause job satisfaction and a separate set of factors that cause dissatisfaction. Job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction act independently of each other. Adam's equity theory- Another process based theory which is shaped by social comparison and exchange theory. In the strategy you compare inputs and outputs and then managers can place employees where they will be the best fit.

Vroom's expectancy-valence theory

basic premise that people are motivated to experience pleasure and avoid pain and that forward efforts to reflect that \ people show effort in the expectation that this will produce performance results which will lead to rewards that can be used to satisfy their needs efforts-performance-rewards-need attainment provides points of leverage

how are behaviorally anchored interviews different from situational judgement oral interview questions

behavioral interviews consist of a set of standard questions about how interviewees handled past situations that are like situations that might happen on the job and that might elicit behavior representing one or more of the interview dimensions; based on the premise that past behavior is excellent predictor of future performance example: when have you had to help a difficult or upset guest? situational interviews take a SIMILAR approach but the questions asked are HYPOTHETICAL, future-oriented questions thus, the situational interview bases its outcomes on the cadidate's stated intentions example: what would you do in that situation?

5. What are the challenges and paradoxes associated with pay for performance and gain sharing compensation programs?

both have serious political overtones

seniority system

compensation strategy based on how long an employee has served in a job at an organization-- pay determined by length of service

job evaluation

determines the salary that is measured depending on the value of the job to the organization

reliability

extent to which a test predictor provides the same outcome or measure on different occasions. It is basically how trustworthy a strategy will be, and is tested by repetition. One example of this would be the experimental or testing of science experiments for medicines and make-ups to see if they are effective in several focus groups. Reliability is a requirement for establishing validity.

gain sharing

financial gains as a result of organizational-wide performance are shared with employees

What are the most important factors that influence job acceptance decisions in the federal sector? How is recruitment viewed from the perspective of the applicant?

knowledge, skills, and abilities, motivation, diversity and broad representation of minority and protected classes in the workforce, and loyalty. All of these factors combined have a huge influence on job acceptance because they are all necessary for most jobs; just because someone has a lot of knowledge in the field for which they are applying does not mean they have sufficient motivation to get the job done, while conversely even if someone has a lot of motivation without the basic skills needed to complete the tasks which they must perform they are no good to the employer either. Recruitment is commonly seen as daunting and esoteric from the applicant's point of view. Most of them feel resentment towards the organization because of bad treatment when they should have been treated like customers. Applicants ideally want timely communication between themselves and their potential employer, feedback, detailed information and a realistic description of job content, and a warm and enthusiastic representative that is important enough within the company and their selection process to prevent the applicant from feeling as if their time is being wasted.

3 types of general aptitude tests? How are reliability and validity coeffecients used to standardize these tests

psychological-personality traits general skills general phyiscal ability

what are realistic job previews in terms of utility, strengths and weaknesses?

recruiting approach used by organizations to communicate important aspects of the job prior to the offer of a position -if successful, can reduce turn over and enhance new employee commitment impact on job offer acceptance, turnover, and job satisfaction ** refer to worksheet

motivation

the drive or energy that compels people to act, with energy and persistence, toward some goal. Someone with motivation has substantial energy and drive in pursuit of something. The issue of how to better harness and direct people's psychic energy toward work objectives has long been pondered by leaders and managers. Naturally, being motivated at work makes work more attractive, more enjoyable. While people may vary in how they are motivated, most people agree that being motivated at work is very important to the work they produce.

comparable worth

the theory that different jobs, equal in value to the organization, should be paid the same

mcgregor's theory x- theory y

theory x- people do not have adequate intrinsic motivations related to work, need external ways to motivate and reward theory y- people Do have adequate intrinsic motivations for work such as the needs for learning, creativity, and achievement and therefore, the managers job is to help workers channel and support these drives in external factors

Hackman and Oldham's job characteristic model

way to evaluate the management and tasks an employee is doing on the job, from the perspective of the employee.

sham recruitment

when a candidate, usually internal, has implicitly been selected for the position, even though the position is posted as open.

what selection tests are most often used in phases 1-3 of the selection process?

work samples, unassembled tests, general aptitude tests,