Functions of Human Resource Management (D351) – Western Governors University 2025 Edition | Full Glossary and Study Guide with Key HR Terms, Core Concepts, and Definitions to Support Learning and Exam Success

Absenteeism

The failure of an employee to report to the workplace as scheduled

Accountability

The personal duty to someone else (a higher-level manager or the organization itself) for the effective use of resources to complete an assignment

Active listening

The intention and ability to listen to others, use the content and context of the communication, and respond appropriately

Adverse employment action

Any action, such as firings, demotions, schedule reductions, or changes, that would harm the individual employee

Affirmative action

A series of policies, programs, and initiatives that have been instituted by various entities within both government and the private sector that are designed to prefer hiring of individuals from protected groups in certain circumstances in an attempt to mitigate past discrimination

Arbitrator

A neutral third party who resolves a conflict by making a binding decision

Assessment center

A place where job applicants undergo a series of tests, interviews, and simulated experiences to determine their potential for a particular job

Authority

The right to give orders, enforce obedience, make decisions, and commit resources toward completing organizational goals

Autocratic style of management

Highly directive and low in supportiveness. Appropriate when interacting with low-capability employees.

Consultative style of management

Highly directive and highly supportive behavior, is appropriate when interacting with moderately capable employees. Give specific instructions, and oversee performance at all major stages of a task.

Participative style of management

Low directive behavior and high supportive behavior, and it is appropriate when interacting with employees with high capability. Spend a small amount of time giving general directions and a great deal of time giving encouragement.

Empowering Style of Management

Provide very little direction or support to employees, appropriate for outstanding employees. You should let them know what needs to be done and answer their questions, but it is not necessary to oversee their performance.

Behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) form

A performance appraisal that provides a description of each assessment along a continuum

Behaviors

The actions taken by an individual

Bias

A personality-based tendency, either toward or against something

Biological job design

Designing jobs by focusing on minimizing the physical strain on the worker by structuring the physical work environment around the way the body works

Bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ)

A qualification that is absolutely required in order for an individual to be able to successfully do a particular job

Bonus

A lump sum payment, typically given to an individual at the end of a time period

Broadbanding

Combining multiple pay levels into one

Burnout

Constant lack of interest and motivation to perform one's job

Business necessity

When a particular practice is necessary for the safe and efficient operation of the business and when there is a specific business purpose for applying a particular standard that may, in fact, be discriminatory

Business skills

The analytical and quantitative skills—including in-depth knowledge of how the business works and its budgeting and strategic-planning processes—that are necessary for a manager to understand and contribute to the profitability of the organization

Career

The individually perceived sequence of attitudes and behaviors associated with work-related experiences and activities over the span of a person's life

Career plateau

When an individual feels unchallenged in their current job and has little or no chance of advancement

Centralization

Degree to which decision making is concentrated within the organization

Coaching

The process of giving motivational feedback to maintain and improve performance

COBRA

A law that requires employers to offer to maintain health insurance on individuals who leave their employment (for a period of time)

Cognitive ability test

An assessment of general intelligence or of some type of aptitude for a particular job

Cohesiveness

An intent and desire for group members to stick together in their actions

Collective bargaining

The negotiation process resulting in a contract between union employees and management that covers employment conditions

Commission

A payment typically provided to a salesperson for selling an item to a customer

Communication

The process of transmitting information and meaning

Compensation

The total of an employee's pay and benefits

Compensation system

Anything that an employee may value and desire and that the employer is willing and able to offer in exchange

Compensatory damages

Monetary damages awarded by the court that compensate the injured person for losses

Compensatory selection model

Model allowing an individual to do poorly on one test but make up for that poor grade by doing exceptionally well on other tests

Competency model

Model identifying the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) needed to perform a particular job in the organization

Complexity

Degree to which three types of differentiation exist within the organization

Conceptual and design skills

The ability to evaluate a situation, identify alternatives, select a reasonable alternative, and make a decision to implement a solution to a problem

Conflict

The act of being opposed to another

Construct validity

An assessment that measures a theoretical concept or trait that is not directly observable

Constructive discharge

When an employee is put under such extreme pressure by management that continued employment becomes intolerable and, as a result, the employee quits, or resigns from the organization

Content validity

An assessment of whether a test measures knowledge or understanding of the items it is supposed to measure

Corporate social responsibility

The concept that organizations have a duty to all societal stakeholders to operate in a manner that takes each of their needs into account

Cost center

A division or department that brings in no revenue or profit for the organization—running this function only costs the organization money

Creativity

A basic ability to think in unique and different ways and apply those thought processes to existing problems

Criterion-related validity

An assessment of the ability of a test to measure some other factor related to the test

Critical-incidents method

A performance appraisal method in which a manager keeps a written record of the positive and negative performance of employees throughout the performance period

Cybersecurity

The use of tools and processes to protect organizational computer systems and networks

Data analytics

Process of accessing large amounts of data in order to analyze those data and gain insight into significant trends or patterns within organizations or industries

Defined-benefit plan

A plan providing the retiree with a specific amount and type of benefits that will be available when the individual retires

Defined-contribution plan

A plan providing only the amount of funds that will go into a retirement account, not what the employee will receive upon retirement

Delayering

The process of changing the company structure to get rid of some of the vertical hierarchy (reporting levels) in an organization

Disability

A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of having such an impairment, or being regarded as having such an impairment

Discipline

Corrective action designed to get employees to meet standards and the code of conduct

Discrimination

The act of making distinctions or choosing one thing over another; in HR, it is making distinctions among people

Disparate impact

When an officially neutral employment practice disproportionately excludes the members of a protected group; it is generally considered to be unintentional, but intent is irrelevant

Disparate treatment

When individuals in similar situations are intentionally treated differently, and the different treatment is based on an individual's membership in a protected class

Divergent thinking

The ability to find many possible solutions to a particular problem, including unique, untested solutions

Diversity

The existence of differences—in HRM, it deals with different types of people in an organization

Economic value added (EVA)

Measure of profits that remain after the cost of capital has been deducted from operating profits

Effectiveness

A function of getting the job done whenever and however it must be done

Efficiency

A function of how many organizational resources were used in getting the job done

Electronic performance monitoring (EPM)

The process of observing ongoing employee actions using computers or other nonhuman methods

Emotional intelligence

The way that we identify, understand, and use our own emotions, as well as the emotions of others, to promote our working relationships

Empathy

The ability to put yourself in another person's place—to understand not only what that person is saying but why the individual is communicating that information to you

Employee assistance program (EAP)

A set of counseling and other services provided to employees that help them to resolve personal issues that may affect their work

Employee development

Ongoing education to improve knowledge and skills for present and future jobs

Employee engagement

A combination of job satisfaction, ability, and a willingness to perform for the organization at a high level and over an extended period of time

Employee experience

Employee engagement as well as the totality of other interactions between the individual and their workplace and whether those interactions are positive or negative overall

Employee health

The state of physical and psychological wellness in the workforce

Employment-at-will

Concept allowing the company or the worker to break the work relationship at any point in time, with or without any particular reason, as long as in doing so, no law is violated

Entitlement

Something that the employee feels they have a right to receive from the company

Equity theory

Theory that employees are motivated when the ratio of their perceived outcomes to inputs is at least roughly equal to that of other referent individuals

Ergonomics

According to OSHA, "the science of fitting workplace conditions and job demands to the capabilities of the working population"

Essential functions

The fundamental duties of the position

Ethics

The application of a set of values and principles in order to make the right, or good, choice

EWPs ( Employee wellness program)

Plans designed to cater to the employee's physical, instead of psychological, welfare through education and training programs

Expatriate

An employee who leaves their home country to go work in another country

Expectancy theory

A theory proposing that employees are motivated when they believe they can accomplish a task and that the rewards for doing so are worth the effort

Experience rating

A measure of how often claims are made against an insurance policy

External recruiting

The process of engaging individuals from the labor market outside the firm to apply for a job

Extinction

The lack of response, either positive or negative, in order to avoid reinforcing an undesirable behavior

Extrinsic rewards

Valued returns (such as incentive pay for performance) to the individual in exchange for doing something that the organization desires of the employee

Feedback

Information provided by the receiver that verifies that a message was transmitted successfully

Fitness-for-duty test

A test identifying whether or not an employee is physically capable at a particular point in time of performing a specific type of work

Formalization

Degree to which jobs are standardized within an organization, meaning the degree to which we have created policies, procedures, and rules that "program" the jobs of the employees

Four-Fifths Rule

A test used by various federal courts, the Department of Labor, and the EEOC to determine whether disparate impact exists in an employment test

Free Consent

The right of the individual to know what they're being asked to do and the possible and probable consequences of that action to the individual or others.

Glass ceiling

An invisible barrier to advancement in business to women as well as minority employees

Golden parachutes

Provision for executives who are dismissed from a merged or acquired firm of typically large lump-sum payments on dismissal

Graphic rating scale form

A performance appraisal checklist form on which a manager simply rates performance on a continuum, such as excellent, good, average, fair, and poor

Grievance

A formal complaint concerning pay, working conditions, or violation of some other factor in a collective-bargaining agreement

Gross negligence

A serious failure to exercise care in the work environment

Group incentives

Incentives that provide reinforcement for actions of more than one individual within the organization

High-deductible health plan (HDHP)

A "major medical" insurance plan that protects against catastrophic health care costs and, in most cases, is paid for by the employer

High-performance work practices

Practices that have been shown to improve an organization's capacity to effectively attract, select, hire, develop, and retain high-performing personnel

HMO

A health care plan that provides both health maintenance services and medical care as part of the plan

Hostile work environment

Harassment that occurs when someone's behavior at work creates an environment that is sexual in nature and that makes it difficult for someone of a particular sex to work in that environment

HR forecasting

Identifying the estimated supply and demand for the different types of human resources in the organization over some future period, based on analysis of past and present demand