Human Resource Management key terms

Organization

a group consisting of people with formally assigned roles who work together to achieve the organization’s goals 

Manager

someone who is responsible for accomplishing the organization’s goals and who does so by managing the efforts of the organization’s people

management process

the five basic functions of planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling to achieve organizational objectives.

human resource management (HRM)

the management of people in organizations to drive successful organizational performance and achievement of the organization’s strategic goals 

Strategic Plan

The company’s plan for how it will match its internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats in order to maintain a competitive advantage

Strategy

a course of action the company can pursue to achieve its strategic aims

Strategic management 

the process of identyfing and executing the organization’s strategic plan by matching the company’s capabilities with the demands of its environement 

human capital

the knowledge, education, training, skills, and expertise of an organization’s workforce

outsourcing 

the practice of contracting with outside vendors to handle specified business functions on a limited term of permanent basis in order to reduce costs or improve efficiency.

allyship

actively supporting people from marginalized groups by using one’s power or privilage to amplify unheard voices and advocate for oppressed people

evidence-based HRM

use of data, facts, analytics, scientific rigour, critical evaluation, and critically evaluated research/case studies to support human resources management proposals, decisions, practises, and conclusions

Metrics

statistics used to measure activities and results

strategy map

a strategic planning tool that shows the “big picture” of how each departments’s performance contributes to achieving the company’s overall strategic goals 

Balanced scorecard

a measurement system that translates an organization’s strategy into a comprehensive set of performance measures

Digital dashboard

presents the manager with desktop graphs and charts to create a computerized picture of where the company stands on all those metrics from the HR scoreboard process

Certification

recognition for having met specific professional standards 

ethics

the study of standards of conduct and moral judgement; also the standards of right conduct

Social responsibility

a company’s approach to balancing its commitments, not only to its investors but also to its employees and customers, other businesses, and the community or communities in which it operates

Occupational Segregation 

the existence of certain occupations that have traditionally been limited to employees of a certain demographic characteristics (e.g., gender)

contingent/non-standard workers

workers who do not fit the traditional definition of permanent, full-time employment, with the same employer on an indeterminate basis

Productivity

the ratio of an organization’s outputs (goods and services) to its inputs (people, capital, energy, and materials). It measures efficiency and effectiveness in production processes.

Primary sector 

jobs in agriculture, fishing and trapping, forestry, and mining 

Secondary Sector

jobs in manufacturing and construction

tertiary or service sector

jobs in public administration, personal and business services, finance, trade, public utilities, and transportation/communications

Globalization

the emergence of a single global market for most products and services 

organizational culture

the core values, beliefs, and assumptions that are widely shared by members of an organization

organizational climate

the perceptions of a company’s employees share about the firm’s psychological environment, in terms of things like concern for employees’ well-being, supervisory behaviour, flexibility, appreciation, ethics, empowerment, political behaviours, and rewards

empowerment 

providing workers with the skills and authority to make decisions that would traditionally be made by mangers 

Precedent

the decision or interpretation of a court of another jurisdiction can act as a persuasive authority regarding how legislation is to be interpreted and applied in other jurisdictions

tort law

primarily judge-based law, whereby a victim is provided compensation for lossess or damages in civil court (not criminal court)

regulations 

legally binding rules established by special regulatory bodies created to enforce compliance with the law and aids in its interpretation

Charter of rights and freedoms

federal law enacts in 1982 that guarentees fundamental freedoms to all canadians It protects rights such as freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and the right to legal counsel.

equality rights

found in section 15 of the charter of rights and freedoms, which guarentees the right to equal protection and benefit of the law without discrimination

Discrimination

as used in the context of human rights in employment, a distinction, exlcusion, or preference based on any of the prohibited grounds that has the effect of nullyifing or impairing the right of a person to full and equal recognition and exercise of their human rights and freedoms 

human rights legislation

jurisdiction-specific legislation that prohibits intentional and unintentional discrimination in employment situations and in the delivery of goods and services

differential or unequal treatment

treating and individual differently in any aspect of terms and conditions of employment based on any of the prohibited grounds

unintentonal/cor discrimination

discrimination that occurs without intent to harm or exclude, often resulting from policies or practices that inadvertently disadvantage certain groups. This type of discrimination can arise from biases embedded in workplace policies, practices, or decisions, which may lead to unequal outcomes for different demographic groups.

Bona fide occupational requirement (BFOR)

a justifiable reason for discrimination based on business necessity (i.e., required for the safe and efficient operation of the organization) or a requirement that can be clearly defended as intrinsically required by the tasks an employee is expected to perform

Reasonable accomodation

the adjustment of employment policies and practices that an employer may be expected to make to that no individual is denied benefits, disadvantaged in employment, or prevented from carrying out the essential components of a job because of grounds prohibited in human rights legislation

Undue hardship

the point to which employers are expected to accomodate employees under human rights legislative requirements

discrimination because of association

denial of rights because of friendships or other relationship with a protected group member 

systemic remedies

forward-looking solutions to discrimination that require respondents to take positive steps to ensure compliance with legislation, both in respect to the current complaints and any future practices

restitutional remedies 

monetary compensation for complaints to put them back to the position they would be in if the discrimination has not occurred (this includes compensation for injury to dignitiy and self-respect), and may include an apology letter 

Harassment

unwelcome behaviour that demeans, humiliates, or embarrasses a person that a reasonable person should have known would be unwelcome

sexual harassment

offensive or humiliating behaviour that is related to a person’s sex, as well as behaviour of a sexual nature that creates an intimidating, unwelcome, hostile, or offensive work environement or that could reasonably be thought to put sexual conditions on a person’s job or employment opportunities

sexual coercion 

harassment of a sexual nature that results in some direc consequence to the worker’s employment status or some gain in or loss of tangible job benefits 

sexual annoyance

sexually related conduct that is hostile, intimidating, or offensive to the employee but has no direct link to tangible job benefits or loss thereof

employment equity program

a detailed plan designed to identify and correct existing discrimination, redress past discrimination, and achieve a balanced representation of members of the four designated groups in the organization

glass ceiling 

an invisible barrier, caused by attitudinal  or organizational bias, that limits the advancement opportunities of qualified designated group members 

equal pay for equal work

specifies that an employer cannot pay male and female employees differently if they are performing the same or substantially similar work

KSAs

knowledge, skills, and abilities

underemploymer

being employed in a job that does not fully utilize one’s knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) 

employment (labour) standards legislation

laws present in every canadian jurisdiction that establish minimum employee entitlements and set a limit on the maximum number of hours of wok permitted per day or week

human capital

the knowledge, education, training, skills, and expertise of an organization’s workforce 

HR Audit

An analysis by which an organization measures where it currently stands and determines what it has to accomplish to improve its HR functions

HR technology 

any technology that is used to attract, hire, retain, and maintain talent; support workforce adminstration; and optimize workforce management 

Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)

legislation that governs the collection, use and disclosure of personal information across Canada, including employer’s collection and dissemination of personal information about employees

Human resource information system (HRIS)

integrated system used to gather, store, and analyze information regarding an organization’s human resource data and processes, facilitating efficient management of employee information and HR operations.

Data Warehouse

a specialized type of database that is optimized for reporting and analysis and is the raw material for manager’s decision support

Metrics (workforce analytics)

statistical measures of the impact of HRM practices on the performance of an organization’s human capital and efficiency in achieving business goals.

Strategy-based metrics

metrics that specifically focus on measuring the activities that contribute to achieveing a company’s strategic aims

Data mining

algorithmic assessment of vast amounts of employee data to identify correlations that employers then use to improve their employee selection and other practices

applicant tracking systems (ATS)

online systems that help employers attract, gather, screen, compile, and manage applicants 

Learning Portal

a section of an employer’s website that offers employees online access to training courses

learning management system (LMS)

special software tools that support internet training by helping employers identify training needs as well as to schedule, deliver, assess, and manage the online training itself

Personnel Replacement Charts

company records showing present performance and promotability of inside candidiates for the most important positions within the organization, used for succession planning and management.

Position Replacement Card

a card prepared for each position in a company to show possible replacement candidates and their qualifications

Enterprise-wide system/enterprise resource planning (ERP) system

a system that supports enterprise-wide pr cross-functional requirements rather than a single department within the organization

Stand-alone system 

a self-contained system that does not rely on other systems to operate 

Request for Proposal (RFP)

a document requesting that vendors provide a proposal detailing how the implemention of their particular HRIS will meet the organization’s needs and requirements. This document typically includes criteria for selection and evaluation.

Electronic HR (e-HR)

a form of technology that enables HR professionals to integrate an organization’s HR strategies, processes, and human capital to improve overall HR service delivery

HR portal 

a single internet access point for customized and personalized HR services 

Employee self-service (ESS)

enables employees to access and manage their personal information directly

Management Self-service (MSS)

Enables managers to access a range of information about themselves and the employees who report to them and to process HR-related paperwork that pertains to their staff

Talent Management 

the hollistic, integrated, and results-and goal-oriented process of planning, recruriting, selecting, developing, managing, and compensating employees 

Job

a group of related activities and duties, held by a single employee or a number of incumbents

Incumbent

individual currently holding the position

Position

the collection of tasks and responsibilities performed by one person

Job Analysis

the procedure for determining the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of each job, and the human attributes (in terms of knowedge, skills, and abilities) required to perform it

Organizational Structure

the formal relationships among jobs in an organization

Organization Chart

a snapshot of the firm, depicting the organization’s structure in chart form at a particular point in time

Process Chart

a diagram showing the flow of inputs to and outputs from the job under study 

Job design

the process of systematically organizing work into tasks that are required to perform a specific job

Job description

a written statement of what the jobholder actually does, how they do it, and under what conditions the job is performed. It includes the duties, responsabilities, reporting relationships, human qualifications of a job-one product of a job analysis

Job Specification

a list of the “human requirements” - that is, the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the job; another product of a job analysis It defines the qualifications and characteristics that an individual must possess to be successful in the role.

Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)

a questionnaire used to collect quantifiable data concerning the duties and responsabilities of various jobs

Functional Job Analysis (FJA)

a quantitative method for classifying jobs based on amounts of responsability for data, people, and things. Performance standards and training requirements are also identified

Diary or Log

daily listings made by employees of every activity in which they engage, along with the time each activity takes  f