SPEA V373 Exam 1

Relationship Building in HR

moving past transactional paperwork to focus on trust, empathy, and active partnership with both employees and leadership.

Absenteeism

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

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

Telecommuting

a work arrangement where employees perform their job duties outside a traditional central office—such as from home or a local co-working space—using digital tools like computers, phones, and the internet.

Polygraph Tests

Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) makes it illegal to use a polygraph but has three exceptions.

1. Armored car services

2. Dspensing controlled substances

3. permits polygraphtesting of certain employees of private firms who are reasonably suspected of involvement in a workplace incident (theft, embezzlement, etc.) that resulted in specific economic loss or injury to the employer.

4. The law dooes not cover federal,, state, and local government agencies

Quantitative Forecasting

utilizes mathematics to forecast future events based on historical data

Mechanistic Job Design

designing jobs around the concepts of task specialization, skill simplification, and repition

Basic HRM Skills

technical, interpersonal, business, HR skills, conceptual and design skills

Recruitment sources

the channels and methods companies use to find, connect with, and hire new talent. They split into two main buckets: internal sources (finding people already inside the company) and external sources (scouting talent from the outside)

Outsourcing Work

when a company hires an outside person or another company to do tasks, handle operations, or create goods instead of doing it in-house

Turnover

the permanent loss of workers from the organization

Ability-fit

an individual’s physical and intellectual skills affect how they work

Personality-job fit

personality affects how people work

Person-organization fit

how individuals fit within the structure and how culture affects how they work

Drug testing

• testing for illegal drugs are increasing

• must be random or universal

Fitness for duty (health exams)

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

Why is the OUCH test important

it provides managers and HR professionals with a quick, reliable rule of thumb to keep employment decisions fair, equitable, and free from illegal discrimination

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

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

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

Business Skills

the analytical and quantitative skills 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

individuals who advise line anagers in some field of expertise

Biological job design

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

Perceptual-motor job design

designing jobs with tasks that remain within the worker’s normal mental capabilities and limitations

Motivational job design

designing jobs by focusing on the job characteristics that affect the psychological meaning and motivational potential of the job. This approach views attitudinal variables as the most important outcomes of job design

Job Rotation

performing different jobs in some sequence, each one for a set period of time

Qualitative Forecasting

the use of nonquantitative methods to forecast the future, usually based on the knowledge of a pool of experts in a subject or an industry

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

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

ADA and Job Description Essential Functions

The relationship between the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements and identifying essential job functions within job descriptions to ensure compliance.

Essential and Marginal Functions (EMF)

The distinction between core duties required for a role (essential functions) and secondary or peripheral duties (marginal functions).

HRP and Strategic Staffing

Human Resource Planning (HRP) aligned with an organization's long-term business goals to acquire and manage talent strategically.

Cost Centers

Organizational departments or functions that generate costs for the organization without directly generating revenue.

Revenue Centers

Organizational divisions or units that directly generate income and profit for the business.

Productivity Centers

HR or operational departments focused on enhancing overall organizational output, performance, and efficiency.

Effectiveness

A measure of how successfully an HR practice or organizational effort achieves its intended goals and outcomes.

Efficiency

A measure of the resources used (e.g., time, money) to accomplish specific organizational objectives.

Succession Planning

The process of identifying and developing internal talent to fill key leadership and critical operational positions over time.

Reliability

The consistency and repeatability of a test, assessment, or measurement tool across time and applicants.

Interrater Reliability

The degree of agreement or consistency between different raters or interviewers evaluating the same candidate or work sample.

Validity

The degree to which an assessment tool or selection measure accurately evaluates what it is designed to measure.

Job Enrichment

A job design technique that increases job depth by giving employees greater responsibility, autonomy, and decision-making power.

Job Enlargement

A job design technique that broadens job scope by adding more tasks at the same level of responsibility.

Job Specifications

A summary of the required knowledge, skills, abilities, and qualifications needed by an individual to perform a job.

Job Design

The process of defining how work is performed, including task allocation, responsibilities, and relationships among roles.

In Basket Exercise

A work sample selection tool where candidates prioritize, manage, and resolve simulated memos, messages, and administrative tasks.

Labor Demand Forecasting

The process of predicting future staffing needs using qualitative judgment or quantitative techniques.

Trend Analysis

A quantitative labor demand forecasting method that projects future employment needs based on past organizational patterns.

Workflow Analysis

The study of how tasks, inputs, and outputs flow through an organization to complete work efficienty.

Labor Market

The external pool of available potential employees, defined by geography, skills, and industry conditions.

Labor Force Demographics

The changing statistical profile of the working population, including age, gender, and background characteristics.

Multiple-Hurdle Selection

A selection model requiring candidates to pass each stage or test sequentially before advancing to the next stage.

Competency-Based Structured Interview

A standardized interview approach using predetermined questions focused on specific skills and behaviors required for the role.

Behavioral Description Interview Question

An experiential interview question asking candidates to describe past specific behaviors in actual work situations.

Situational Interview Question

A hypothetical interview question asking candidates how they would respond to a specific future workplace scenario.

Non-Directive Interview Question

An open-ended interview question that allows the applicant freedom in determining the structure and content of their response.

Yield Ratios

The percentage of applicants advancing from one step of the recruitment and selection process to the next.

Realistic Job Preview

A recruiting practice that provides candidates with balanced factual information about both positive and negative aspects of a job.

Cost Per Hire

A recruitment metric calculating total recruiting expenses divided by the total number of individuals hired.

Negligent Hire

A legal liability incurred when an employer fails to perform adequate background checks and hires an unfit individual who harms others.

The OUCH Test

An HR decision-making standard ensuring practices are Objective, Uniform in application, Consistent in effect, and Has job relatedness.

Ban the Box Laws

Statutes that prohibit employers from asking job applicants about criminal history on initial job application forms.

Stored Communications Act

A law regulating legal access to stored electronic communications relevant to background checks and privacy in HRM.