Chapter 1: What is Human Resource Management?

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.

Human resources (HR)

The people within an organization.

Cost center

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

Revenue center

Divisions or departments that generate monetary returns for the organization.

Productivity center

A revenue center that enhances the profitability of the organization through enhancing the productivity of the people within the organization.

Productivity

The amount of output an organization gets per unit of input, with human input usually expressed in terms of units of time.

Effectiveness

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

Efficiency

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

Knowledge workers

Workers who "use their head more than their hands" and who gather and interpret information to improve a product or process for their organizations.

Dependent variables

Factors that must be controlled to remain competitive but cannot be directly manipulated due to each individual's free will.

Independent variables

Factors that can be controlled to affect dependent variables.

Turnover

The permanent loss of workers from the organization.

Absenteeism

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

Quiet quitting

The issue of employees who are employed, and at work, but largely disconnected with their work due to a lack of engagement.

Sustainable competitive advantage

A capability that creates value for customers that rivals can't copy quickly or easily and that allows the organization to differentiate its products or services from those of competitors.

Technical skills

The ability to use methods and techniques to perform a task.

Interpersonal skills

The ability to understand, communicate, and work well with individuals and groups through developing effective 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.

Conceptual and design skills

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

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.

Line managers

The individuals who create, manage, and maintain the people and organizational processes that create whatever it is that the business sells.

Staff managers

The individuals who advise line managers in some field of expertise.

Sustainability

Meeting the needs of today without sacrificing future generations' ability to meet their needs.

SHRM

The largest and most recognized of the HRM advocacy organizations in the United States.