Week 2 = Chapter 3 & 4 (Equity and Diversity & Job Analysis and Work Design)
Steps in Job Analysis
*Step 1*: Identify What The Information Will Be Used For Step *2*: Review Relevant Background Information Step *3*: Select Representative Positions/Jobs to be Analyzed Step *4*: Analyze the jobs Step *5*: Review Analysis with Incumbent/Supervisor Step *6*: Develop Job Description/Job specification
Step 3: Employment Systems Review
- "Employment systems" or "employment practices" are the means by which employers carry out personnel activities such as recruitment, hiring, training and development, promotion, job classification, discipline, and termination. - Some of these practices are found in personnel manuals and collective agreements, whereas others remain more informal and based on traditional practices. Employment Systems Review: -Systemic discrimination -Special measures -Reasonable accommodation
Characteristics of Successful Teams
- A commitment to shared goals and objectives - Motivated and energetic team members - Open and honest communication - Shared leadership Clear role assignments - A climate of cooperation, collaboration, trust, and accountability - The recognition of conflict and its positive resolution
industrial engineering
- A field of study concerned with analyzing work methods and establishing time standards - Specifically, it involves the study of work cycles to determine which, if any, elements can be modified, combined, rearranged, or eliminated to reduce the time needed to complete the cycle. - Next, time standards are established by recording the time required to complete each element in the work cycle, using a stop-watch or work-sampling technique. - By combining the times for each element, observers can determine the total time required.
job family
- A group of individual jobs with similar characteristics - Where different jobs have similar duties and responsibilities, they may be grouped into a job family for the purposes of recruitment, training, compensation, or advancement opportunities.
critical incident method
- A job analysis method by which important job tasks are identified for job success - Critical job tasks are those important duties and job responsibilities performed by the jobholder that lead to job success. - Information about critical job tasks can be collected through interviews with employees or managers or through self-report statements written by employees.
Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ)
- A justifiable reason for discrimination based on business reasons of safety or effectiveness - it is not possible to accommodate the employee without causing undue hardship. - A BFOQ is justified if the employer can establish necessity for business operations. - In other words, differential treatment is not discrimination if there is a justifiable reason. - For example, according to Ontario provincial legislation, adherence to the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church was deemed a BFOQ for employment as a teacher in a Roman Catholic school
National Occupational Classification (NOC)
- A reference tool for writing job descriptions and job specifications. - Compiled by the federal government, it contains comprehensive, standardized descriptions of about 40,000 occupations and the requirements for each. - NOC and its counselling component, the Career Handbook, both focus on occupations rather than jobs
job specification
- A statement/* of the needed knowledge, skills, and abilities of the person who is to perform the job* OR *list of the competencies that an individual must have to perform a particular job* - Because job specifications establish the *qualifications required* of applicants for a job opening, they serve an essential role in the recruiting function. - These qualifications are typically contained in the notices of job openings. -- skills requirements -- physical demands -- knowledge requirements -- abilities needed
Assignment of accountable senior staff
- Senior management must place the responsibility for employment equity in the hands of a senior manager, a joint labour-management committee, and an employment equity advisory committee with mechanisms for union consultation (or, in nonunionized settings, for consultation with designated employee representatives). - Senior management must designate line management responsibility and accountability.
Success with EI's requires :
- Comprehensive training for group members -Recognition of the group's contributions - Continuing input and encouragement by management - Use of a participative/democratic leadership style
forms of employee teams
- Cross Functional Teams - Project Teams - Self-Directed teams - Task Force Teams - Process Improvement teams
Forms of Employee Teams
- Cross-Functional Teams - Project Teams - Self-Directed teams - Task Force Teams - Process Improvement teams
Stock data
- Data showing the status of designated groups in occupational categories and compensation levels - They show where members of designated groups are employed in the organization, at what salaries and status, and in what occupations on a particular date.
Flow Data
- Data that provides a profile of the employment decisions affecting designated groups - refer to the distribution of designated groups in applications, interviews, hiring decisions, training and promotion opportunities, and terminations. They provide information on the movement of employees into and through the organization. Computerized reporting systems and tracking software are available from Employment and Social Development Canada (formerly Human Resources Development Canada) to assist employers in gathering, reporting, and analyzing their internal workforce data.
benefits of employment equity
- Employment equity makes good business sense. - It contributes to the bottom line by broadening the base of qualified individuals for employment, training, and promotions and by helping employers avoid costly human rights complaints. - Employment equity enhances an organization's ability to attract and keep the best-qualified employees, which results in greater access to a broader base of skills.
flextime
- Flexible working hours that permit employees the option of choosing daily starting and quitting times, provided that they work a set number of hours per day or week - With flextime, employees are given considerable latitude in scheduling their work. - However, there is a "core period" during the morning and afternoon when all employees are required to be on the job. - Flexible working hours are most common in service-type organizations—financial institutions, government agencies, and other organizations with large clerical operations.
Employee Empowerment
- Granting employees power to initiate change, thereby encouraging them to take charge of what they do - a technique of involving employees in their work through the process of inclusion. - Empowerment encourages employees to become innovators and managers of their own work and involves them in their jobs in ways that give them more control and autonomous decision-making capabilities
behaviours that define sexual harassment
- Sexually degrading words or remarks used to describe an individual or group - Inquiries or comments about an individual's sex life - Sexual flirtations, advances, and propositions - Demands for sexual favours - Verbal threats or abuse - Leering - Unwanted gestures - Display of sexually offensive material - Sexual assault
self-directed teams
- teams that determine their own objectives and the methods by which to achieve them - also known as 'autonomous work groups', 'self-managed teams' or 'high-performance teams' - For example, in a manufacturing environment, a team might be responsible for a whole product (e.g., a computer screen) or a clearly defined segment of the production process, such as the building of an engine for a passenger car.
What is the most important thing an organization can implement if it wants to retain women?
policies that focus on the family
Implementing a flexible work schedule is an example of which of the following?
reasonable accommodation
Job duties
responsibilities entailed and results to be accomplished
self-directed teams
set their own goals and pursue them in ways defined by the team
Job Characteristics in JCM (Designing Jobs to Motivate Employees)
skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, feedback
Which term refers to a snapshot of the organization that includes where members of designated groups are employed, their salaries, and their status?
stock data
Fleishman Job Analysis System
subject-matter experts evaluate a job in terms of the abilities required to perform the job
Competency-based analysis
tasks, duties, processes, and skills necessary for job success
Which of the following presents the most important roadblock to successful administration of a self-identification questionnaire?
terms that are not clearly defined, such as "Aboriginal" and "Racial minority"
Task Force Teams
usually multiskilled, temporary teams whose assignment is to solve a problem, realize an opportunity, or design a product or service
An organization's workforce is "representative" in which situation?
when it reflects the demographic composition of the external work force
According to the text, which group is most likely to view the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as a disappointment?
women
compressed workweek
work schedule that allows an employee to work a full number of hours per week but in fewer days
Remedies for Human Rights Violations
◼Compensation for: - lost wages - general damages and expenses - pain and humiliation ◼ Restoration of rights denied ◼ Written letter of apology ◼ Mandatory training sessions/workshops ◼ Required employment equity program
4. Competency Based Analysis
describing the job in terms of the measurable, observable, behavioural competencies that an employee doing that job must exhibit to do the job well
Systemic discrimination
discrimination through policies/practices
Organization Z is about to undertake an organization-wide process of ensuring equitable representation in terms of designated groups, including an analysis and redressing of past discriminations. What is Organization Z undertaking?
employment equity policy implementation
Which of the following is NOT recommended as a strategy for creating an environment in which diversity is embraced?
ensuring the initiative is seen as an important human resource program
pay equity
equal pay for work of equal value
What is the first step for the establishment of a workplan for the development of an employment equity program?
examining the workforce analysis
Equity
fairness and impartiality
Industrial engineering considerations
field of study concerned with analyzing work methods and establishing time standards
Process Improvement teams
focus on specific methods, operations, or procedures and are assembled with the specific goal of enhancing the particular component being studied
Green Grass Hospital pays its hallway painters/technicians nearly twice the hourly rate that it pays the nurses. This fact is likely to cause further investigation in a pay equity program implementation under which of the following circumstances?
if the nurses are predominantly women and the painters are predominantly men
Which group would NOT fall under the broad definition of a designated group?
individuals who are 40 years of age or older
Special measures
initiatives to include designated groups
Which of the following is an important tool in employment equity planning?
internal workforce profile
Which statement best describes employment equity?
it impacts all aspects of the employment relationship
Which of the following is a possible outcome of a human rights complaint filed by an individual?
it is deemed as trivial by the CHRC and refused
Employment equity and employment diversity were initially founded on moral grounds. Which of the following represents how diversity management is sustained in today's organizations?
on business grounds
Compressed workweek
A work schedule that fits the normal 40-hour workweek into less than five days.
job descriptions
- A statement/*list of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a job to be performed* (Job Title, Job Identification Section) - In addition to job specifications, managers and supervisors use job descriptions to select employees and orient them to jobs. - In the past, job specifications used as a basis for selection sometimes bare little relation to the duties to be performed under the job description. - Examples of such non-job-related specifications abounded. Applicants for the job of labourer were required to have a high school diploma. - Firefighters were required to be at least six feet tall, and applicants for skilled craft positions—plumbers, electricians, machinists—were required to be male.
benefits of a diverse workplace
- Access to a new labour pool - Benefits related to a company's reputation - Commitment to equality and diversity as company values - Unlocking of innovation and creativity - Compliance with laws - Competitive advantage - Economic effectiveness - Marketing opportunities - increased productivity
training and development
- All attempts to improve productivity by increasing an employee's ability to perform. - Training focuses on short-term skills, whereas development focuses on long-term abilities. - Any discrepancies between the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other factors (often referred to as KSAOs) demonstrated by a jobholder and the requirements contained in the description and specification for that job provide clues to training needs. - Also, career development as part of the training function is concerned with preparing employees for advancement to jobs where their capacities can be utilized to the fullest extent possible.
employee teams
- An employee contributions technique whereby work functions are structured for groups rather than for individuals and team members are given discretion in matters traditionally considered management prerogatives, such as process improvements, product or service development, and individual work assignments - a logical outgrowth of employee involvement and the philosophy of empowerment. - Although many definitions of teams exist, we define a work team as a group of individuals working together toward a common purpose, in which members have complementary skills, members' work is mutually dependent, and the group has discretion over tasks performed. - Furthermore, teams seek to make members of the work group share responsibility and accountability for their group's performance.
performance appraisal
- An evaluation that measures employee performance against established standards in order to make decisions about promotions, compensation, training or termination. - The requirements contained in the description of a job provide the criteria for evaluating the performance of the holder of that job. - The results of performance appraisal may reveal, however, that certain requirements established for a job are not completely valid.
Self-identification form should contain the following:
- An explanation of the employer's employment equity policy, the purpose of the employment equity program, and the need for the information requested - An indication that the information supplied will be confidential and will be used only for employment equity purposes by those individuals identified as responsible for the program - The categories for self-identification, with brief explanations and examples - An indication that the form has been reviewed by the relevant human rights agency - Space for comments and suggestions - The name of the contact person for information and suggestions
ergonomics
- An interdisciplinary approach to designing equipment and systems that can be easily and efficiently used by human beings - the study of people at work and the practice of matching the features of products and jobs to human capabilities, preference, and the limitations of those who are to perform a job. - Ergonomics focuses on ensuring that jobs are designed for safe and efficient work while improving the safety, comfort, and performance of users. In short, it seeks to fit the job to the person rather than the person to the job.
task inventory analysis
- An organization-specific list of tasks and their descriptions used as a basis to identify components of jobs - The technique was pioneered by the U.S. Air Force to analyze jobs held by Air Force specialists. Unlike the PAQ, which uses a standardized form to analyze jobs in different organizations, a task inventory questionnaire can be tailor-made to a specific organization.
Job design
- An outgrowth of job analysis that improves jobs through technological and human considerations in order to enhance organization efficiency and employee job satisfaction - Job design is concerned with changing, modifying, and enriching jobs to capture the talents of employees while improving organizational performance. - Job design should facilitate the achievement of organizational objectives. At the same time, the design should recognize the capabilities and needs of those who are to perform the job.
Step 6: Evaluation, monitoring and revision
- By monitoring progress, the employer will be able to evaluate the overall success of the equity initiatives used to achieve a representative workforce, as well as respond to organizational and environmental changes. - Annual progress reports provided to all employees communicate initiatives and achievements. - Interim reports on special projects heighten program visibility and acceptance; they also promote management commitment and accountability.
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
- Came into force on 17 April 1982. The only Charter of Rights entrenched in the Canadian Constitution - it is the cornerstone of equity legislation. The Charter guarantees some fundamental rights to every Canadian, including: - Fundamental freedoms - Democratic rights - Mobility rights - Legal rights - Equality rights - Language rights
Step 1: Senior Management Commitment
- Commitment to an employment equity plan necessitates a top-down strategy. - A more supportive culture is created when the CEO or owner-operator publicly introduces written policy describing the organization's commitment to employment equity. - This policy must be strategically posted throughout the organization and sent to each employee. - For example, the CEO, all members of the board of directors, and staff at the Law Society of Upper Canada are fully committed, and all have received equity and human rights training.
characteristics of successful teams
- Commitment to shared goals and objectives - Motivated and energetic team members - Open and honest communication - Shared leadership - Clear role assignments - Climate of cooperation, collaboration, trust, and accountability - Recognition of conflict and its positive resolution
Employee Involvement Groups (EIs)
- Groups of employees who meet to resolve problems or offer suggestions for organizational improvement - Groups of 5 to 10 employees doing similar or related work who meet regularly to identify, analyze, and suggest solutions to shared problems - AKA quality circles (QCs), EIs are used principally as a means of involving employees in the larger goals of the organization through their suggestions for improving product or service quality and cutting costs. - Generally, EIs recommend their solutions to management, which decides whether to implement them.
Controlling the accuracy of job information
- If job analysis is to accomplish its intended purpose, the job data collected must be accurate. - Care must be taken to ensure that all important facts are included. - A job analyst should be alert for employees who tend to exaggerate the difficulty of their jobs to inflate their egos and their paycheques (see Ethics in HRM). - When interviewing employees or reviewing their questionnaires, the job analyst must look for any responses that do not agree with other facts or impressions the analyst has received.
Problems with Job Descriptions
- If they are poorly written, using vague rather than specific terms, they provide little guidance to the jobholder. - They are sometimes not updated as job duties or specifications change. - They may violate the law by containing specifications not related to job success. - They can limit the scope of activities of the jobholder, reducing organizational flexibility
advantages of telecommuting
- Increased flexibility for employees—better work-life balance - Reduced absenteeism - Retention of valued employees who might otherwise quit - Reduced "carbon footprints" through minimizing daily commuting - Increased productivity (e.g., reduced wasted office time) - Lower overhead costs and reduced office space
five factors to enrich the jobs of employees
- Increasing the level of difficulty and responsibility of the job - Allowing employees to retain more authority and control over work outcomes - Providing unit or individual job performance reports directly to employees - Adding new tasks to the job that require training and growth - Assigning individuals specific tasks, enabling them to use their particular competencies or skills
Gathering Job Information
- Interviews - The job analyst may question individual employees and managers about the job under review. - Questionnaires - The job analyst may circulate carefully prepared questionnaires to be filled out individually by jobholders and managers. - Observation - The job analyst may learn about the jobs by observing and recording on a standardized form the activities of jobholders. - Videotaping jobs for later study is an approach used by some organizations. - Diaries - Jobholders themselves may be asked to keep a diary of their work activities during an entire work cycle. Diaries are normally filled out at specific times of the work shift (such as every half-hour or hour) and maintained for a two- to four-week period.
competency based analysis
- Involves constant development of job profiles of current worker tasks, duties, and responsibilities that are "key" competencies for use in creating job descriptions, setting recruitment requirements, and in performance evaluation.
criteria for identifying systemic barriers
- Is it job related? - Is it valid? (i.e., does it, or the required qualification, have a direct relationship to job performance?) - Is it consistently applied? - Does it have an adverse impact? (i.e., does it affect members of designated groups more than those of dominant groups?) - Is it a business necessity? - Does it conform to human rights and employment standards legislation?
Job analysis process
- Job analysis questionnaire to all employees - Organization of employee data - Job analysis written for each position in the organization - Job description/job specifications written based on job analysis data
Employment Equity Act
- Law that allowed black South Africans to acquire skilled labor jobs - employers may gather data on members of designated groups as long as employees voluntarily agree to be identified or identify themselves as members of designated groups and as long as the data are used only for employment equity planning or reporting purposes.
equity planning
- Norman Krumholz adopted equity planning in Cleveland, during the 1970s and, as a result, helped make the needs of its low-income groups the highest priority. - Krumholz's view on equity planning is that planners should work to redistribute power, resources, or participation away from the elite and toward the poor and working-class residents of the community. - The concept is planning for the people, by the people. Increased emphasis is given to the process of personal and organizational development, not to specific community objectives. - Plans are evaluated on improvements to the quality of life, not the delivery of services. - Most of the information necessary for equity planning (e.g., salary, sex, access to benefits, seniority status, and occupational and career history within the organization) is contained in existing personnel files. - Information pertaining to the distribution of members of designated groups in the employer's organization must be accumulated by the employer through a self-identification process.
Requirements of the Employment Equity Act
- Provide its employees with a questionnaire that allows them to indicate whether they belong to one of the four designated groups - Identify jobs in which the percentage of members of designated groups falls below their availability in the labour market - Communicate information on employment equity to its employees and consult and collaborate with employee representatives - Identify possible barriers in existing employment systems that may be limiting the employment opportunities of members of designated groups - Develop an employment equity plan aimed at promoting an equitable workplace - Make all reasonable efforts to implement its plan - Monitor, review, and revise its plan from time to time - Prepare an annual report on its employment equity data and activities
Functional Job Analysis
- Quantitative method for classifying jobs based on types and amounts of responsibility for data, people, and things (Note: performance standards and training requirements are also identified)
Prohibited Grounds of Discrimination
- Race/colour - Religion - Physical/mental disability - dependence on alcohol/drugs - age - sex - marital status - family status - sexual orientation - national or ethnic origin - language - rap sheet
Underutilization
- Term applied to designated groups that are not utilized or represented in the employer's workforce proportional to their numbers in the labour market
Job Analysis
- The *process of obtaining/getting information about jobs* by determining their duties, tasks, or activities (knowledge is needed for staffing, training, performance appraisal, etc) - The procedure involves systematically investigating jobs by following a number of predetermined steps specified in advance of the study. - When completed, job analysis results in a written report summarizing the information obtained from the analysis of 20 or 30 individual job tasks or activities. - HR managers use these data to develop job descriptions and job specifications.
job sharing
- The arrangement whereby two part-time employees perform a job that otherwise would be held by one full-time employee. - Job sharers usually work three days a week, "creating an overlap day for extended face-to-face conferencing." Their pay is three-fifths of a regular salary. Employers note that without job sharing, two good employees might otherwise be lost.
Step 2: Data Collection and Analysis
- The development of an internal workforce profile is an important tool in employment equity planning. - Without this information, an organization would not be able to determine where it stands relative to the internal and the external workforce. - Profiles must be based on both stock data and flow data. Data Collection and Analysis: -Stock data -Flow data -Self identification questionnaire
Employment equity
- The employment of individuals in a fair and non-biased manner, has attracted the attention of the media, the courts, practitioners, and legislators. - Employment equity is not just the absence of discrimination but also the proactive programs to ensure that the organization's workforce is representative of the population. - Employment equity legislation affects all aspects of the employment relationship. - When managers ignore the legal aspects of HRM, they risk incurring costly and time-consuming litigation, negative public attitudes, and damage to organizational morale.
Systemic Discrimination
- The exclusion of members of certain groups through the application of employment policies or practices based on criteria that are not job related nor required for the safe and efficient operation of the business. - Systemic discrimination can create legal concerns for an organization. - Many employment barriers are hidden, unintentionally, in the rules, procedures, and even facilities that employers provide to manage their human resources. - These barriers include, among others, physical access that restricts those who are mobility challenged; recruitment practices that limit applications from designated groups (e.g., word of mouth); and job descriptions and job evaluation systems that undervalue the work of women.
Step 5: Implementation
- The implementation of employment equity is idiosyncratic in that no two plans will be the same. - Each strategy should be designed to meet the needs of the particular organization. - The success of plan implementation depends on senior management's commitment to the process, how the roles and responsibilities are defined, the resources available, the effectiveness of the communications strategy, the acceptance of plan initiatives and objectives, and the availability of training. - The plan, in essence a living document, will be affected by the changes in the internal and external environment throughout the implementation period.
Diversity Management
- The optimization of an organization's multicultural workforce to reach business objectives - it is voluntary, whereas employment equity is not - Managing diversity is *a broader, more inclusive concept*, encompassing factors such as religion, personality, lifestyle, and education. - By managing diversity, organizations hope to gain a strategic and competitive advantage by helping all employees perform to their full potential. + a set of activities designed to: ◼ integrate all employees in multicultural workforce ◼ use diversity to enhance organization's effectiveness
Compensation management
- The process of administrating an organization's extrinsic and intrinsic reward system. - In determining the rate to be paid for performing a job, the relative worth of the job is one of the most important factors. - This worth is based on what the job demands of an employee in terms of skill, effort, and responsibility, as well as the conditions and hazards under which the work is performed.
Step 4: Establishment of a workplan
- The workforce analysis and the review of employment systems will provide the employer with a useful base from which to develop a workplan with realistic goals and timetables. - A narrative statement or summary of the conclusions drawn from the examination of the workforce analysis forms part of the employment equity workplan.
retention strategies
- strategies that focus on retaining current customers 1. Equal pay 2. Flex schedules 3. Forty-hour workweeks 4. Part-time and job sharing 5. Mentoring 6. Focus on the family 7. Offering opportunities 8. Creating networks and networking opportunities 9. Integration 10. Offering equal pay for work of equal value 11. Offering paid leave for men and women
Writing Clear and Specific Job Descriptions
- When writing a job description, it is essential to use statements that are terse, direct, and simply worded. - Unnecessary words or phrases should be eliminated. - Typically, the sentences that describe job duties begin with a present-tense verb, with the implied subject of the sentence being the employee performing the job. - The term 'occasionally' is used to describe duties that are performed once in a while. The term 'may' is used in connection with duties performed only by some workers on the job.
Designated groups
- Women, visible minorities, Aboriginal people, and persons with disabilities who have been disadvantaged in employment
Canadian Human Rights Act
- a law passed in July 1977 and became effective in March 1978, goal to extend equal opportunity to those who may be victims of discrimination - This act proclaims that every individual should have an equal opportunity with other individuals to make for himself or herself the life that he or she is able and wishes to have, consistent with his or her duties and obligations as a member of society, without being hindered in or prevented from doing so by discriminatory practices based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, or marital status, or convictions for an offence for which a pardon has been granted or by discriminatory employment practices based on physical handicap.
Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)
- a quantifiable data collection method covering 194 different worker-oriented tasks. - A questionnaire covering 194 different tasks that, by means of a 5-point scale, seeks to determine the degree to which different tasks are involved in performing a particular job - Using a five-point scale, the PAQ seeks to determine the degree, if any, to which the different tasks, or job elements, are involved in performing a particular job.
virtual teams
- a team with widely dispersed members linked together through computer and telecommunications technology - Virtual teams use advanced computer and telecommunications technology to link team members who are geographically dispersed, often worldwide. - Management may form a project team to develop a new pharmaceutical drug and have the team operate in a virtual environment to achieve its goal.
Aboriginal
- being the first of its kind in a region; primitive; native; indigenous; N. aborigine - they have never disclosed their ethnic origins for similar reasons.
reasons for diversity management
- better utilization of talent - increased marketplace understanding - enhanced creativity - increased quality of team problem solving - breadth of understanding leadership positions
Job
- consists of a group of related activities and duties. Ideally, the duties of a job should consist of natural units of work that are similar and related. - They should be clear and distinct from those of other jobs to minimize misunderstanding and conflict among employees and to enable employees to recognize what is expected of them.
strategic human resource planning
- consists of developing a systematic, comprehensive strategy for understanding current employee needs and predicting future employee needs - Information on jobs is used to examine a company's organizational structure and strategically position it for the future. - Does the firm have the right numbers and types of jobs needed to cover the scope of its activities? What jobs need to be created? What skills do they require? Are those skills different from the skills required by the company's current jobs?
position
- consists of different duties/tasks and responsibilities performed by only one employee (a position is a collection of these) - In a city library, for example, four employees (four positions) may be involved in reference work, but all of them have only one job (reference librarian).
keys for successful telecommuting
- identify jobs suited to distance work - select responsible employees - establish formalized telecommuting procedures - begin a formal training program - keep telecommuters informed - recognize when telecommuting is not working
Sources of Job Information
- incumbents (people who currently hold the position in the organization) - observers (Supervisors should review the information provided by incumbents) - government ( National Occupational Classification (NOC) provides standardized information about jobs)
methods of collecting data
- interviews - questionnaires - observations - records - O*NET
strategies for securing different types of flexible work-hour arrangements
- investigate - be professional - write it out - promote yourself - anticipate questions - propose a review
Reasonable accomodation
- involves adjusting employment policies and practices so that no individual is denied benefits, disadvantaged with respect to employment opportunities, or blocked from carrying out the essential components of a job because of race, colour, sex, or disability. - Human rights tribunals across Canada have placed employers under a duty to demonstrate a degree of flexibility in meeting the reasonable needs of employees.
Fleishman Job Analysis System
- job analysis technique that asks subject-matter experts to evaluate a job in terms of the abilities required to perform the job - SME (job incumbents) evaluation of abilities to perform the job
sources of data
- job analyst - employee - supervisor
basis for job design
- organizational objectives for the job, including tasks, duties and responsibilities to be performed - ergonomic considerations involving human capabilities and limitations - behavioural concerns reflected in the different talents, abilities and skills of employees - industrial engineering concerns centring on efficient production processes and work-method improvements
approaches to job analysis
- position analysis questionnaire - critical incident method - task inventory analysis - competency-based analysis
human resources functions
- recruitment - selection - training and development - performance appraisal - compensation management
Synergistic Team Characteristics
- support - listening and clarification - disagreement - consensus - acceptance - quality
job data
- tasks - performance standards - responsibilities - knowledge required - skills required - experience needed - job context - duties - equipment used
pay equity
- the equal pay for work of equal value, a principle that women and men who perform jobs that are of equal value to society and that require equal training ought to be paid equally - As a result of a 1978 amendment to the Canadian Human Rights Act, pay equity became enacted as law in the federal jurisdiction. - Pay equity law makes it illegal for employers to discriminate against individuals on the basis of job content. - Pay equity helps address the discriminatory portion of the historical wage gap between men and women and to ensure that salary ranges reflect the value of the work performed. - Pay equity is about fair pay for entire occupations, which are dissimilar, within an organization, such as comparing nurses (as a group) to electricians. Pay equity legislation varies by jurisdiction in Canada.
Legal compliance
- the extent to which the organization conforms to local, state, federal, and international laws - A systematic collection of job data ensures that a job's duties match its job description. - If the criteria used to hire and evaluate employees are vague and not job related, employers are more likely to find themselves being accused of discrimination. - In fact, before firms recognized the importance of regularly engaging in the job analysis process, examples of non-job-related criteria were prevalent: job applicants for labourer positions were required to have high school diplomas; applicants for skilled craft positions—plumbers, electricians, machinists—were sometimes required to be male.
principles of pay equity
- the first is equal pay for equal work—pay equality. Male and female workers must be paid the same wage rate for doing identical work. - The second is equal pay for similar or substantially similar work (equal pay for work of comparable worth, or equal pay for work of comparable value). This means that male and female workers must be paid the same wage rate for jobs of a similar nature that may have different titles (e.g., "nurse's aide" and "orderly").
reasons why job titles are important
- the job title is of psychological importance, providing status to the employee. For instance, "sanitation engineer" is a more appealing title than "garbage collector." - if possible, the title should provide some indication of what the duties of the job entail. Titles such as meat inspector, electronics assembler, salesperson, and engineer obviously hint at the nature of the duties of these jobs. - The job title also should indicate the relative level occupied by its holder in the organizational hierarchy. For example, the title junior engineer implies that this job occupies a lower level than that of senior engineer.
sexual harassment
- unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature (any unwanted remark, behavior, or touch that has sexual content) - only 4 of every 10 Canadian women who suffer sexual harassment at work take any formal action, and only 1 of every 2 women believes that a complaint would be taken seriously in her workplace. - This belief is reinforced by cases such as the one involving a female Sears employee who was shot to death by her manager.
telecommuting
- use of personal computers, networks, and other communications technology such as fax machines to do work in the home that is traditionally done in the workplace - A variant of telecommuting is the virtual office, where employees are in the field helping customers or are stationed at other remote locations working as if they were in the home office
Operational plans
- very short-term plans that specify what actions individuals, work groups, or departments need to accomplish in order to achieve the tactical plan and ultimately the strategic plan e.g. - Numerical goals with time frames (numerical goals can be expressed in numbers—for example, 42 percent of our personnel should be women) - Explanations about the proposed improvement in hiring, training, and promotion of the four designated groups to increase their representation and improve their distribution throughout the organization - Descriptions of specific activities to achieve the numerical goals - An outline of monitoring and evaluation procedures to follow program implementation
status of designated groups
- women - aboriginal people - visible minorities - people with disabilties
The Enforcement of Provincial Human Rights Law
-File a written complaint -Investigation and submission of report -If complaint is substantiated, settlement -If no agreement, then a tribunal
Uses of Job Analysis Information
-HRP -Recruitment and Selection -Job Evaluation -Performance appraisal -Labour relations -Training development, and career management -Job Design
Benefits of Employee Teams
-Increased integration of individual skills -Better performance (quality and quantity) solutions to unique and complex problems -Reduced delivery time -Reduced turnover and absenteeism -Accomplishments among team member
job enrichment
-Increasing the level of difficulty and responsibility of the job -Allowing employees to retain more authority and control over work outcomes -Providing unit or individual job performance reports directly to employees -Adding new tasks to the job that require training and growth -Assigning individuals specific tasks, enabling them to use their particular competencies or ski
The Employment Equity Act (1995)
-Organizations regulated under the Canada Labour Code -More than 100 employees -Federal Contractors Program
National Occupational Classification (NOC)
-Reference tool for writing job descriptions and job specifications -Compiled by the federal government -contains 30,000 occupations and requirements
Job Analysis Requirements
-outline the tools needed to do the job -the environment and times at which it needs to done -the people with whom it needs to be done -the outcome or performance level it should produce
Canada's Legal Framework
1) The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms 2) The Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA) 3) Provincial laws
4 basic considerations of a job design
1) the organizational objectives the job was created to fulfill; (2) behavioural concerns that influence an employee's job satisfaction; (3) industrial engineering considerations, including ways to make the job technologically efficient; (4) ergonomic concerns, including workers' physical and mental capabilities.
Business Benefits for Diversity Management
1. Better utilization of talent 2. increased marketplace understanding 3. enhanced creativity 4. breadth of understanding in leadership positions 5. increased quality of team problem solving
requirements for the federal contractors program
1. Collect workforce information 2. Complete a workforce analysis 3. Establish short- and long-term numerical goals 4. Make reasonable progress and reasonable efforts
4 popular job analysis methods/approaches
1. The Position Analysis Questionnaire system (PAQ) 2. The Critical Incident method 3. Task Inventory analysis 4. A Competency-based analysis other ones: + Functional Job Analysis + Occupational Analysis Inventory (OAI)
3 kinds of sexual harassment
1. When someone says or does things to you of a sexual nature and you do not want or welcome it. This includes behaviour that a person should know you do not want or welcome (e.g., your supervisor makes you feel uncomfortable by talking about sex all the time) 2. A person who has authority or power to deny you something, such as a promotion or a raise, makes sexual suggestions or requests that you do not want or welcome (e.g., your teacher says you must have sex with him or her or you will not pass the course). 3. A person with authority or the power to deny you something important punishes you or threatens to do something to you for refusing a sexual request (e.g., your employer fires you, or threatens to fire you, because you refuse to go on a date).
three psychological states
1. experienced meaningfulness of work 2. experienced responsibility for work outcomes 3. knowledge of actual results of the work
Five Job Characteristics
1. skill variety - the degree to which a job entails a variety of different activities, which demand the use of a number of different skills and talents by the jobholder 2. task identity - the degree to which the job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work, that is, doing a job from beginning to end with a visible outcome 3. task significance - the degree to which the job has a substantial impact on the lives or work of other people, whether in the immediate organization or in the external environment 4. autonomy - the degree to which the job provides substantial freedom, independence, and discretion to the individual in scheduling the work and in determining the procedures to be used in carrying it out 5. feedback - the degree to which carrying out the work activities required by the job results in the individual being given direct and clear information about the effectiveness of his or her performance
two main sources of the employer's duty to prevent harrassment in the workplace
1.) Human rights legislation, which prevents harassment only on the basis of the designated grounds in the legislation (e.g., sex, race, religion) 2.) Common law obligation to treat workers with decency and respect. This is a fairly new development in the common law. - However, it applies to all forms of harassment that make the workplace intolerable to the worker. - If the employer fails to stop the harassment, it is in breach of the employment contract. The employee could quit and sue for constructive dismissal ("reasonable notice")
Job title
A term that describes the position held by an employee in a few words or less. + Indicates job duties and organizational level
Occupation
A collection of jobs that share some or all of a set of main duties
Industrial Engineering Considerations
A field of study concerned with analyzing work methods and establishing time standards
racial minority
A group recognized by distinct physical characteristics
2. Critical Incident method
A job analysis method by which important job tasks are identified for job success
job characteristics model
A job design theory that purports that three psychological states (experiencing meaningfulness of the work performed, responsibility for work outcomes, and knowledge of the results of the work performed) of a jobholder result in improved work performance, internal motivation, and lower absenteeism and turnover
Bona Fida Occupational Qualification
A justifiable reason for discrimination based on business reasons or safety or effectiveness
affirmative action
A policy designed to redress past discrimination against women and minority groups through measures to improve their economic and educational opportunities
1. Position Analysis Questionnaire system (PAQ)
A questionnaire covering 194 different tasks that, by means of a five-point scale, seeks to determine the degree to which different tasks are involved in performing a particular job
Flextime
A schedule that allows workers to choose work hours that fit their particular needs
job analysis questionnaire
A series of written questions that seeks information about a worker's duties and responsibilities.
What is an example of targeted recruitment to correct past discrimination?
A special measure
Phil's Antique Superstore is hiring ten new customer service agents. All three of Phil's stores are housed in historic landmark buildings that are "heritage" sites and do not have wheelchair ramp access. What is this an example of?
A systemic barrier
Task force team
A temporary work team formed to solve a specific problem that usually involves several departments or areas within an organization
Which of the following is NOT true of the Employment Equity Act (1995)?
All Canadian organizations must have some form of employment equity program
Ergonomic Considerations
An interdisciplinary approach to designing equipment and systems that can be easily and efficiently used by human beings
3. Task Inventory Analysis
An organization-specific list of tasks and their descriptions used as a basis to identify components of jobs
Job design
An outgrowth of job analysis that improves jobs through technological and human considerations in order to enhance organization efficiency and employee job satisfaction
Designing Work for Groups and Teams
An outgrowth of job analysis that improves jobs through technological and human considerations to enhance organization efficiency and employee job satisfaction
Which of the following people would be the best choice for an organizational employment equity representative?
Bill has belonged to the organization for 15 years, beginning on the shop floor, and is now a manager. He is well known and respected within the organization. Bill's sister, who lives with him, is disabled and uses a wheelchair.
Which of the following is essential for an employer to determine whether goals are being attained and problems resolved, and whether strategies have been effective?
monitoring
Ergonomic considerations
Designing equipment/systems that can be easily used
Job Identification Section
Distinguishes job from all other jobs
Job identification section
Distinguishes job from all other jobs
Organization Z is planning a formal process of examining its workforce in terms of religion, personality, lifestyle, and education. The company plans to gain a strategic advantage by harnessing the differences that exist within the organization. What is Organization Z planning to do?
Employ diversity management
job enrichment
Enhancing a job by adding more meaningful tasks and duties to make the work more rewarding or satisfying
Which organizational situation best represents the principle of the duty to accommodate?
Equipping washrooms with lower mirrors and faucets and wider doors
What is the difference between pay equity and pay equality?
Equity is equal pay for work of comparable worth, equality is equal pay for equal work
Once an employment equity program has been implemented, what is the most important thing to do?
Evaluate and monitor it closely
Employers that pay men and women performing the same job a different salary are violating the Pay Equity Act only if the differences are based on which of the following?
Gender
Process improvement team
Group assigned with improving quality
job selection
Identifying the applicants with the appropriate knowledge, skills, and abilities, and other characteristics that will help achieve the organizations' goals.
critical incident method
Important job tasks are identified for job success
Job outcomes in JCM
Improved work performance, Increased Internal motivation, Lower absenteeism and turnover
Which statement best describes the enforcement of provincial human rights laws?
Independent boards of inquiry have similar powers as a federal tribunal
Job Duties, or Essential, Functions, Section
Indicate responsibilities entailed and results to be accomplished
Job Title
Indicates job duties and organizational level
methodology
Job Information -Interviews -Questionnaires -Observation -Diaries
Job Requirements
Job, Job Family, Position, Occupation, Job Description, Job Specification
Aboriginals face major employment barriers, which may be compounded by which of the following?
Language and culture
Task-inventory analysis
List of tasks and their descriptions
Which of the following is NOT an example of sexual harassment?
Paying a man more than a woman for doing the same job
The concepts of harassment in the workplace are being broadened to include which one of the following?
Psychological harassment such as bullying
What is the best example of how an organization's leadership can demonstrate its commitment to an employment equity plan?
Publicly describing the organization's commitment to employment equity
Functional Job Analysis
Quantitative method for classifying jobs based on types and amounts of responsibility for data, people, and things
What is the first step in the employment equity implementation process?
Senior management commitment
Compressed Workweek
Shortening the number of days in the workweek by lengthening the number of hours worked per day
Job Specification Section
Skills required to perform the job and physical demands of the job
Stock data
Snapshot of organization (salaries, status of employees, etc.)
Employment Equity
Status of designated groups: -Women -Aboriginal people -Visible minorities -People with disabilities
dynamics of employee involvement groups
Step 1 - group members brainstorm ideas for organizational improvement Step 2 - group members prepare solutions and recommendations for improvements Step 3 - managers evaluate group recommendations and make decisions Step 4 - recommendations are implemented and group members are rewarded for their contributions
the implementation of employment equity in organizations aka. What are the six main steps to developing an employment equity program?
Step 1: Senior Management Commitment and Assignment of Accountable Senior Staff Step 2: DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Step 3: EMPLOYMENT SYSTEMS REVIEW Step 4: ESTABLISHMENT OF A WORKPLAN Step 5: IMPLEMENTATION Step 6: EVALUATION, MONITORING, AND REVISION
Cross Functional Teams
Teams that involve individuals from different parts of the organization staff.
concentration
Term applied to designated groups whose numbers in a particular occupation or level are high relative to their numbers in the labour market
What requires large firms bidding on federal government contracts worth $200,000 or more to have an employment equity plan?
The Federal contracts Program
What is the most serious possible occurrence if an HR professional is dishonest in a human rights investigation?
The HR professional could be imprisoned
Behavioural Concerns
The job enrichment model and the job characteristics model: two methods designed to increase the job satisfaction of employee
Job Sharing
The arrangement whereby two part-time employees perform a job that otherwise would be held by one full-time employee
diversity management
The optimization of an organization's multicultural workforce in order to reach business objectives
employment equity
The principle of equal pay for equal work, or for work of equal value
Telecommuting
The use of personal computers, networks, and other communications technology to do work in the home that is traditionally done in the workplace
Which statement best describes bona fide occupational qualifications?
They can permit discrimination by an employer
Job sharing
Two or more part-time employees sharing one full-time job
Designated groups
Women; aboriginal people; visible minorities; people with disabilities
Telecommuting
Working at home by using a computer terminal electronically linked to one's place of employment
Flextime
Working hours that permit employees the option of choosing daily starting and quitting times, provided that they work a set number of hours per day or week
"Phil's Antique Superstore" is hiring ten new customer service agents. All three of Phil's stores are housed in historic landmark buildings that are "heritage" sites and do not have wheelchair ramp access. Phil, the owner, has indicated that city bylaws will not allow him to renovate and add a wheelchair ramp to his buildings because of their heritage status. This fact makes the ability to go up stairs which of the following in relation to working at Phil's?
a bona fide occupational qualification
Project Teams
a group formed specifically to design a new product or service
Which of the following is true of sexual harassment in Canadian workplaces?
a majority of working women say they have experienced some form of sexual harassment throughout their careers
An effective sexual harassment policy includes all of the following EXCEPT which one?
a policy to dismiss any employee accused of sexual harassment
Cross-functional team
a team composed of employees from different functional areas of the organization
Project team
a team created to design a new product/service
What does data collection for employment equity purposes involve?
a voluntary self-identification process
Reasonable accommodation
adjusting policies/practices
What are the primary business reasons for diversity management?
better utilization of talent; better marketplace understanding; enhanced creativity; better leadership; better teamwork
If a religious organization insists on hiring a member from its own faith, it is probably safe to do so legally if it claims which legal defence?
bonafide occupation qualification
Job Design
an outgrowth of job analysis that improves jobs through technological and human considerations to enhance organizational efficiency and employee job satisfaction
As a result of the Supreme Court of Canada ruling regarding the right to bargain collectively and to strike, governments can weaken the collective bargaining process through which of the following?
limiting salary increases
Psychological States in JCM
meaningfulness, responsibility, knowledge of results
Job Analysis
the process of obtaining information about jobs by determining the duties, tasks, or activities of jobs
recruitment
the process through which the organization seeks applicants for potential employment
workplace diversity
the ways in which people in an organization are different from and similar to one another
A large accounting firm has only 35 percent female UFE-certified accountants on staff. Women make up approximately 50 percent of the population and UFE-certified women make up approximately 15 percent of the labour force. What is the best description of the situation for women at this large accounting firm?
they are concentrated
How is the Canadian Human Rights Act typically enforced?
through complaints from individuals
Which of the following is an important reason behind implementing a diversity initiative?
to capitalize on emerging markets around the world
Employer's Role
◼ Bona fide Occupational Requirement/Qualifications (Exemption) ◼ Duty to Accommodate ◼ Preventing Harassment ◼ Valuing diversity
Trends in Job Analysis
◼ Flexibility ◼ Adaptability ◼ Competency based approaches ◼ De-jobbing ◼ Team-based/Project-based structures
Characteristics of Effective Diversity Programs
◼ celebrate diversity ◼ diversity training ◼ top management commitment ◼ support groups/ mentoring programs
