HR and Business Strategy: CSR, Sustainability, and Workforce Planning

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

The commitment of a business to act ethically, contribute to economic development, and improve quality of life for employees and the community.

Sustainability

Conducting business in a way that balances profitability with environmental protection and social equity.

Downsizing

Intentional reduction of a company's workforce to cut costs or restructure.

Outsourcing

Contracting external firms to perform internal business processes (e.g., payroll or IT services).

Offshoring

Sending business operations to another country to reduce costs.

Nearshoring

Moving jobs to nearby countries for cost and logistical efficiency.

Homeshoring

Assigning work to remote domestic employees rather than offshore locations.

Human Capital

The collective knowledge, skills, and abilities of employees that have economic value.

Human Resources Information System (HRIS)

Software that stores and manages employee-related data (e.g., payroll, benefits, training records).

Workforce (HR) Analytics

Using data and statistical models to make informed HR decisions.

Knowledge Workers

Employees whose primary contribution is intellectual (e.g., engineers, analysts).

Line Managers

Non-HR managers who oversee employee work and implement HR practices day-to-day.

Attrition

Natural reduction of workforce through retirements, resignations, or deaths.

Hiring Freeze

Temporary halt on new hiring to control costs.

Severance Pay

Compensation given to employees who are laid off or terminated without cause.

Termination

Ending an employee's job due to performance or business reasons.

Balanced Scorecard

A performance management tool linking strategic goals to measurable outcomes across four areas—financial, customer, internal process, and learning.

Benchmarking

Comparing an organization's performance metrics to top-performing competitors.

Organizational Capability

A firm's ability to manage people and processes effectively to achieve business goals.

Core Values

Guiding principles that shape company culture and decision-making.

Mission Statement

Defines what an organization does and why it exists.

Strategic Vision

A forward-looking statement describing the organization's future goals.

Environmental Scanning

Monitoring external forces (economic, political, technological) that affect HR planning.

Human Resource Planning (HRP)

Forecasting future staffing needs and developing strategies to meet them.

Strategic HRM (SHRM)

Aligning HR strategies with the company's long-term business strategy.

Strategic Planning

Process of defining company direction and allocating resources to achieve goals.

Management Forecasts

Predictions made by managers about future staffing needs based on experience and knowledge.

Trend Analysis

Predicting labor needs using historical data.

Markov Analysis

Statistical technique for tracking employee movement (promotions, transfers, exits) to forecast internal supply.

Replacement Charts

Visual tools showing who might fill key roles in case of vacancy.

Skill Inventories

Databases listing employees' skills, experience, and training for internal recruitment.

Staffing Tables

Charts showing current and future staffing needs by position.

Succession Planning

Identifying and preparing future leaders within the organization.

Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ)

A legitimate job requirement that allows for discrimination if it's essential to the job (e.g., gender for a shelter worker).

Designated Groups

Four groups protected under the Employment Equity Act—Women, Indigenous Peoples, Visible Minorities, and People with Disabilities.

Diversity Management

Managing and valuing individual differences to improve workplace performance.

Inclusion

Creating an environment where everyone feels respected and able to contribute.

Employment Equity

Ensuring equal employment opportunities and fair representation for designated groups.

Reasonable Accommodation

Adjusting work conditions to meet employee needs unless it causes undue hardship (e.g., modifying work schedules for religious reasons).

Sexual Harassment

Unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature that creates a hostile work environment.

Systemic Discrimination

Policies or practices that appear neutral but unintentionally disadvantage certain groups

Critical Incident Method

Job analysis method collecting examples of particularly effective or ineffective work behavior.

Functional Job Analysis (FJA)

Systematic approach describing what workers do and how they do it.

Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)

Standardized survey measuring job elements to compare different roles.

Task Inventory Analysis

Listing and rating job tasks to determine importance and frequency.

Employee Empowerment

Giving employees authority and responsibility for decision-making.

Job Crafting

Employees shaping their jobs to better fit their strengths and interests.

Ergonomics

Designing jobs, tools, and environments to fit worker capabilities.

Industrial Engineering

Streamlining work for maximum efficiency and productivity.

Flextime

Allowing employees to choose their work start and end times within limits.

Job Sharing

Two employees splitting one full-time job.

Remote Work (Telecommuting)

Working from home or another location using technology.

Job Analysis

Identifying duties, responsibilities, and KSAOs (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other attributes).

Job Description

Summary of job duties and responsibilities.

Job Specification

List of required qualifications and personal traits for a job.

Job Characteristics Model

Theory stating that five job dimensions (skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, feedback) enhance motivation and satisfaction.

Job Enlargement

Increasing the number of different tasks in a job.

Job Enrichment

Adding more responsibility and meaningful tasks to increase motivation.

Job Rotation

Moving employees between jobs to develop skills and reduce boredom.

Job Design

Organizing tasks, duties, and responsibilities to improve productivity and satisfaction.

Branding

Creating a positive company image to attract talent.

Career Counselling

Helping employees plan and manage their career paths.

Career Networking

Building professional relationships to advance career opportunities.

Mentors

Experienced employees who guide and support less experienced ones.

Reverse Mentoring

Younger employees mentoring senior ones (often on technology or trends).

Internal Labour Markets

Filling job openings through internal promotions or transfers.

Quality of Fill

Measure of how effective new hires are (based on performance, retention, and fit).

Realistic Job Preview (RJP)

Presenting both the positive and negative aspects of a job before hiring.

Time to Fill

Number of days from job posting to accepted offer.

Yield Ratio

Percentage of applicants moving from one stage of recruitment to the next.

Recruiting Internally

Finding candidates from within the organization (e.g., performance appraisals, postings, replacement charts).

Recruiting Externally

Attracting candidates from outside the organization (e.g., job fairs, online postings, referrals).

Targeted Recruitment

Focusing recruitment efforts on specific groups or job categories.

Behavioural Description Interview (BDI)

Focuses on past behavior as a predictor of future performance (uses STAR format: Situation, Task, Action, Result).

Nondirective Interview

Unstructured, conversational interview where the interviewer guides discussion freely.

Situational Interview

Presents hypothetical job-related situations to assess problem-solving.

Structured Interview

Uses standardized questions for all candidates to ensure fairness and consistency.

Preemployment Tests

Tools used to assess candidate suitability.

Job Knowledge Test

Measures knowledge of job duties. -Work Sample Test: Simulates actual job tasks. - Situational Judgment Test (SJT): Presents scenarios to assess judgment. - Cognitive Ability Test: Measures reasoning and problem-solving. - Emotional Intelligence (EI) Test: Assesses ability to recognize and manage emotions. - Personality and Interest Inventories: Identify personal traits and preferences. - Polygraph Test: Detects deception (rarely used due to legality issues). - Honesty/Integrity Tests: Measure dependability and ethics. - Physical Ability Test: Evaluates strength or endurance. - Medical Examinations: Check physical fitness for the job. - Drug Testing: Detects substance use. - Assessment Centres: Combine multiple evaluations (e.g., simulations, interviews, tests).

Reliability

The consistency of a measure or test over time.

Validity

The accuracy of a test—how well it predicts job performance.