HRM - 201 - Chapter 11 HW & Quiz
One of the ways to publish rules that cover disciplinary problems includes: (QUIZ)
Displaying them on a bulletin board.
Anita's manager should have discussed her ongoing poor performance by: (HW)
Reviewing the "paper trail" of incidents and discussions with her that support his negative action.
Tri-Mart dismissed an employee who was caught stealing items from the store's stockroom. In retaliation, the employee is threatening to file a lawsuit claiming race discrimination. Assuming the discipline was based on facts, not bias, how can Tri-Mart best protect itself from being liable for such claims? (QUIZ)
By establishing and following a formal discipline policy, so discipline is fair.
Unfortunately, Mr. Jordan had to deliver a message of termination to an employee today. As is true of most discipline policies, when the behavior is grievous or dangerous to another employee, termination may be the first step and only step taken. What is the most likely behavior, upon investigation, found to be true of the terminated employee? (HW)
Sexual harassment.
Charlotte works as a teacher in a primary school. Although her pay is low, she finds that her job keeps her happy and feeling personally fulfilled. In this scenario, what is Charlotte experiencing? (QUIZ)
Job satisfaction.
What is a cost associated with voluntary turnover? (QUIZ)
Loss of talented employees.
Mr. Jordan discusses various employment concerns with Sarah, the recruiting manager, and then describes the discipline process by which the consequences become more serious if the employee repeats the offense as the type of process that will be put in place effective immediately. He is referring to which type of discipline? (HW)
Progressive.
What is likely to have happened to Anita's team had the manager kept her on board despite her poor performance? (HW)
Team morale would likely have decreased.
Terminating an employee may violate an implied agreement if: (QUIZ)
The action is inconsistent with company policies.
Walton Home Remodeling sets pay rates slightly above the local market rate, and it communicates this to employees. Which statement about job satisfaction supports the company's use of this policy? (QUIZ)
The amount of pay an individual receives is extremely important for job satisfaction.
Under what conditions may an employer have a legitimate reason to collect information about employees' use of alcohol or other intoxicants outside the workplace? (QUIZ)
When employees hold positions where drug use could cause dangerous accidents.
In order to ensure the new progressive discipline process included all of the necessary criteria, Mr. Jordan likely included which of the following to provide information regarding unacceptable behaviors and establish rules and consequences for violating the rules that would be relevant to this organization? (HW)
All of the answers are correct.
If Anita filed a wrongful discharge lawsuit based on her gender, then it would be filed as a: (HW)
Civil rights infringement.
What is an employment-at-will doctrine? (HW)
Either the employee or employer can sever the relationship at any time.
Justin, who is leaving his job at Cabot Inc., is in a meeting with his supervisor and a member from the human resources department to explain why he is leaving. In this case, which procedure is the HR department conducting with Justin? (QUIZ)
Exit interview.
Which statement characterizes a progressive discipline system? (QUIZ)
It fulfills the purpose of discipline by teaching employees what is expected of them.
Which statement best describes how a well-designed system of progressive discipline applies the hot-stove rule? (QUIZ)
It involves consequences that are consistent and objective.
Employees' sense of __________ usually would reserve loss of a job for the most serious offenses. (QUIZ)
Outcome fairness.
In creating UMS' new progressive discipline system, Mr. Jordan found that tardiness was one of the primary violations in the months following its implementation. What did all employees who were tardy experience in the first tardy after the system began? (HW)
Unofficial spoken warning.
Job satisfaction refers to a pleasant feeling resulting from the perception that one's job fulfills or allows for the fulfillment of one's important job values. This definition of job satisfaction has three components, summarized as: (QUIZ)
Values, perceptions, and ideas of what is important.
Anita might interpret her manager giving her less complex assignments as a form of: (HW)
Retaliation.
(T/F)An organization's progressive discipline system should provide managers with a document to file, recording the nature and date of an offense. (QUIZ)
True
Many aspects of organizations can cause employees to experience job dissatisfaction. Managers and HR professionals need to be aware of the causes because correcting them can increase job satisfaction and prevent job withdrawal. The causes of job dissatisfaction fall into four categories: personal dispositions, tasks and roles, supervisors and coworkers, and pay and benefits. Since job dissatisfaction is a feeling experienced by individuals, researchers have studied whether some personality differences are more disposed to be dissatisfied with their jobs than others. Tasks and roles in organizations can be improved upon by making jobs more complex and meaningful. A high degree of physical exertion has been found to lead to higher job dissatisfaction. Meaningful work is also important. By incorporating job enrichment and job rotation, as well as by having clear and appropriate roles for positions, job satisfaction can be improved. Related to this, supervisors and coworkers play a key role because a supportive environment reduces dissatisfaction. Finally, it is worthwhile for human resource professionals to monitor pay and benefits so that they may communicate to employees the reasoning behind an organization's total reward offerings and where these fall in comparison to industry standards. (HW)
~~Sources of Job Dissatisfaction~~ Personal Disposition: [Negative Affectivity & Core Self-Evaluation] Pay and Benefits: [Unfair Pay Increases & Limited Paid Leave] Supervisors and Coworkers: [Unsupportive Manager & Low Camaraderie] Job Tasks and Roles: [Needs Job Enrichment & Role Ambiguity]
In most cases, involuntary turnover should not occur based on one employee offense. An effective discipline program should have a system in place that includes documentation and progressive measures of discipline (called the progressive discipline system) to teach employees what is expected. Additionally, many organizations use Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), and possibly outplacement counseling as part of this process. This activity is important because establishing a formal discipline process, called progressive discipline, allows the organization to have a systematic way to handle employee problem behaviors fairly. The primary purpose is to teach employees what is expected of them and create the opportunity in which the employee tries to do what is expected. Progressive discipline identifies and communicates unacceptable behaviors and responds to repeated offenses with a series of graduated steps such as spoken and written warnings, temporary suspensions, and termination. The consequences become more serious if the employee repeats the offense. Examples that could be addressed include tardiness, absenteeism, performance issues, and cyberslacking. Other organizations use impartial outsiders to solve problems using alternative dispute resolution. ADR has four stages: open-door policy, peer review, mediation, and arbitration. Discipline issues that do not deal with interpersonal or performance elements may be resolved through an employee assistance program (EAP). These programs provide professional treatment for various problems, such as drug and alcohol abuse. Lastly, if after a series of offenses, the employee is terminated, they may be provided with outplacement services that will help them build skills to manage the transition to find new employment. The goal of this activity is to match the appropriate type of discipline and associated phase of the process the employee is experiencing based on the situation. (HW)
*Hot Stove Rule: ~Termination: [Vincent] *Progressive Discipline: ~Unofficial Spoken Warning: [Debra] ~Official Written Warning: [Maggie] ~Temporary Suspension & Written Last Chance Notice: [Trevor] ~Outplacement Services: [Audrey] *Alternative Dispute Resolution: ~Open-Door Policy: [Katy] ~Peer Review: [Joe and Matt] ~Mediation: [Zander] ~Arbitration: [Thomas] *Employee Assistance Program: ~Counseling & Referral Services: [Liz]
The sensitivity of a system for disciplining and possibly terminating employees is important, and it is critical that the system be seen as fair. Employees form conclusions about the system's fairness based on the system's outcomes and procedures and the way managers treat employees when carrying out those procedures. Three principles of justice are outcome fairness, procedural justice, and interactional justice. Outcome fairness involves the ends of a discipline process or action, while procedural and interactional justice focus on the means to those ends. Not only is behavior ethical that is in accord with these principles, but research has also linked the last two categories of justice with employee satisfaction and productivity. This activity is important because it will give you practice with the three basic principles of justice. The goal of this activity is to discuss how employees determine whether the organization treats them fairly. Read each scenario, then select the appropriate principle of justice to which it pertains. (HW)
1. You and a friend apply for a job at a hardware store and you believe that you are more qualified, but your friend is offered the job and you are not. A: [Outcome Fairness] 2. You find out that your friend's uncle is the hiring manager for the company you both work for. A: [Procedural Justice] 3. Although you did not receive a job offer, the human resources representative called to explain why he thought your friend was more qualified than you. A: [Outcome Fairness] 4. Your manager approaches you about a promotion you did not receive and respectfully explains that although you did not get the promotion, your superb characteristics make you a strong candidate next time. A: [Interactional Justice] 5. Your coworker who received a promotion when you did not was a college buddy of your manager who lunches with him weekly. A: [Procedural Justice] 6. You approach your HR manager about what you see as unequal distribution of family benefits. She empathizes and asks how to assist with your family needs. A: [Interactional Justice] 7. Your coworker receives a promotion that you applied for and did not receive. A: [Outcome Fairness] 8. You realize that female employees seem to be receiving more perks and family-related benefits than male employees in the organization. A: [Procedural Justice] 9. You did not receive a raise because your manager did not think you finished your major project for the year even though it was completed last week. A: [Procedural Justice] 10. You notice that some individuals in the organization are receiving more family-related benefits than others. A: [Outcome Fairness] 11. You talk to your manager about not receiving a raise and think it is because your project was not finished. He listens and discusses how to resolve the issue. A: [Interactional Justice] 12. Your manager gives pay raises to half of your team, but you do not receive one. A: [Outcome Fairness]
After a restructuring at Yonder Corp. broadened managers' jobs, some managers began experiencing role conflict and role ambiguity. To prevent dissatisfaction among these valued employees, the company asked the human resource department to help managers develop clearer and more balanced roles. The HR manager decided to use the role analysis technique. With this technique, who will meet to discuss the role of each manager affected by the restructuring? (QUIZ)
Each manager affected and the people who directly interact with him or her.
After Kendell Corp. hired a new supervisor for the second shift, productivity fell and the shift did not meet its production targets three weeks in a row. The plant manager asks Sam, the human resource manager, to investigate, and he suspects the problem is job withdrawal. Which kind of job withdrawal is most likely occurring in this situation? (QUIZ)
Employees are dissatisfied with the supervisor, so they are not working as hard.
What is true about personal dispositions? (QUIZ)
Job dissatisfaction is higher among employees with low emotional stability.
Yesterday, Sarah, the recruiting manager at UMS, met with one of her recruiters to discuss not meeting the established goals. This would be the final step of the new progressive discipline system before termination would occur. Which step in UMS' new progressive discipline system will the recruiter experience? (HW)
Suspension.
Organizations with low turnover and satisfied employees tend to perform better. On the other side of the coin, organizations have to act when an employee's performance consistently falls short. Based on these concepts, organizations may distinguish between involuntary and voluntary turnover, recognize their effects on the organization, develop measures to encourage top performers to stay, and develop ways to manage the separation process fairly. Any organization wants to retain good performers and encourage or force low-performing employees to leave. There are two types of employee turnover. Involuntary turnover occurs when the employer requires employees to leave, often when they would prefer to stay. This action may potentially result in lawsuits and violence. Voluntary turnover occurs when employees initiate the turnover, often when the organization would prefer to keep them. These employees may retire or leave to work with different organizations. Both types of turnovers are costly because of subsequent needs to recruit, hire, and train replacements. (HW)
Voluntary Turnover: [Retirement, Better Job, & Careers] Involuntary Turnover: [Employee Layoff, Any Reason, & Workplace Violence] Employment-at-Will Doctrine: [Refusing, Violating, & Promise]
