U3 AOS 2: Human Resource Management

How can HR management help meet business objectives?

HR management ensures staff are appropriately trained and motivated to pursue objectives for the business

e.g. good training and regular performance appraisals

better customer service

more profits

What are the 5 levels in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and how can a business support each one?

What are the requirements for motivating goals according to Locke and Latham’s Goal Setting Theory?

· Specific, clear, and explicit

(e.g. ‘increase sales by 5% this quarter’)

· Challenging but not overwhelming

(e.g. increase sales by 5% not %500!)

· Set up by employees and employers together

(i.e. not determined autocratically with no employee input)

· Accompanied by advice and feedback from management

(i.e. ongoing support and recognition of achievement)

What are the components of Lawrence and Nohria’s Four Drive Theory, and how can each of them be met by a business?

1. Acquire: drive to obtain material goods/status met through performance-based promotions

2. Bond: drive to connect with others, met through good interpersonal management and fostering positive employee relationships

3. Learn: drive to become more skilled, smart or creative, met through varied, challenging opportunities and rewarding upskilling

4. Defend: drive to protect self/others from threats or change, met by maintaining supporting environment and open communication

Name the 5 motivation strategies and explain their long-term positive effects.

1. Performance related pay: drive to obtain material goods/status met through performance-based promotions

2. Career advancement: drive to connect with others, met through good interpersonal management and fostering positive employee relationships

3. Investment in training: drive to become more skilled, smart or creative, met through varied, challenging opportunities and rewarding upskilling

4. Support strategies: drive to protect self/others from threats or change, met by maintaining supporting environment and open communication

Evaluate motivation strategies

Evaluate on-the-job and off-the-job training options.

What are the 4 performance management strategies that HR managers can use?

1. Management by objectives: create, agree to, and monitor goals with employees

2. Appraisals: formal assessment of performance to give feedback and identify areas of improvement

3. Self-evaluation: employee rates their performance to compare with manager’s assessment

4. Employee observation: manager discreetly watches employee’s work habits

What are the different types of voluntary and involuntary termination?

Voluntary: retirement, resignation, nomination (e.g. if business is downsizing, an employee may volunteer)

Involuntary: dismissal, redundancy

How does the role of unions differ from that of HR managers in the workplace?

Unions = represent employees, campaigning on their behalf for better conditions and pay, ensuring employers abide by agreements

HR managers = represent the business, negotiating disputes and agreements between employees and employers

What requirement do awards and workplace agreements have to adhere to?

· Must meet the 10 National Employment Standards set by the Fair Work Act 2009

· Must pass the no disadvantage test

· Negotiations must be in good faith

What is the difference between industry-wide awards, collective agreements, and individual contracts?

Industry-wide awards = legally enforceable conditions of employment (e.g. pay, length of shifts)

Collective agreements = negotiation between employees/unions and an employer

Individual contracts = agreement between an employer and a single employee

Compare and contrast mediation and arbitration as dispute resolution methods.

appraisal

the formal assessment of how efficiently and effectively an employee is performing their role in the business

arbitration

a means of dispute resolution involving an independent third party hearing both both arguments in a dispute and determining the outcome

award

a legally binding document determined by the Fair Work Commission that sets out minimum wages and conditions for whole industries or occupations

career advancement

the assignment of more responsibilities/authority to employees - or the promotion of employees to positions that bring rewards such as increased salary, increased responsibilities

collective bargaining

a process that occurs when a third party participates in the resolution of a dispute and attempts to resolve the differences through discussion

development

the process of preparing employees to take on more responsibilities in the future, acquiring better knowledge and skills, and gaining more experience

dismissal

occurs when the behaviour of an employee is unacceptable and a business terminates their employment

dispute

a result of disagreements or dissatisfaction between individuals and/or groups

employee observation

a strategy where a variety of opinions on the performance of employees is sought with the aim of arriving at a more comprehensive picture of past and current performance

enterprise agreement

an agreement about pay and conditions made at workplace/enterprise level and negotiated between groups of employees (or represented by their union) and employees

entitlement considerations

the rights to benefits that employees have when leaving the workplace, either on a voluntary or an involuntary basis

Fair Work Commission

Australia's national workplace relations tribunal. Its role is to assist employees and employers to maintain fair and productive workplaces. The FWC is an independent body that operates under the Fair Work Act 2009.

Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow's sequence of human needs in order of their importance

Human Resource Management

the effective management of the formal relationship between the employer and employees

Human Resource Manager

coordinates all the activities involved in acquiring, developing, maintaining and terminating employees from a business's human resources

investment in training

the direction of finances, or resources such as time, into the teaching of skills to employees

lockout

occurs when employers close the workplace for a period of time as a means of applying pressure to employees during a period of industrial conflict

Management by Objectives

a process by which management and employees agree on a set of goals for each employee, with these goals all contributing to the objectives of the business as a whole

mediation

The confidential discussion of issues in a non-threatening environment, in the presence of a neutral, objective third party who helps the parties in dispute to work towards an agreement, but does not offer suggestions or advice

motivation

the individual internal process that energizes, directs, and sustains behavior; the personal "force" that causes you or me to behave in a particular way

need

a personal requirement

negotiation

a method of resolving disputes whereby discussions between the parties result in a compromise and a formal or informal agreement about a dispute

off-the-job training

occurs when employees learn skills in a location away from the workplace. It usually involves sending individuals or groups of employees to a particular specialised training institution (such as a university or TAFE college).

on-the-job training

occurs when employees learn a specific set of skills to perform particular tasks within the workplace. This training usually occurs in the working environment, and uses the equipment, machinery and documents that are present in that workplace.

penalty rates

additional wages paid to employees who work outside of normal working hours

performance management

a focus on improving both business and individual performance through relating business performance objectives to individual employee performance objectives

performance related pay

the monetary compensation provided to employees relative to how their performance is assessed according to set standards

productivity

a measure of performance that indicates how many inputs it takes to produce or create an output

redundancy

occurs when a person's job no longer exists, usually due to technological changes, a business restructure or a merger or acquisition

renumeration

payments made to employees for work or a service performed

resignation

the voluntary ending of employment by the employee 'quitting' their job

retirement

occurs when a person decides to give up full-time or part-time work and no longer be part of the labour force

sanction

a form of penalty of discipline imposed on an employee for poor performance

self-evaluation

a process whereby employees carry out a process of self-assessment, based on a set of agreed criteria

strike

occurs when employees withdraw their labour for a period of time in pursuit of improvements in their employment conditions

support

the assistance or services (such as counselling and mentoring) provided by the business to help employees cope with difficulties that may impede their work performance

termination

the ending of the employment of an employee

trade unions

organisations formed by employees in an industry, trade or occupation to represent them in efforts to improve wages and the working conditions of their members

training

the process of teaching staff how to do their job more efficiently and effectively by boosting their knowledge and skills

transition considerations

issues relating to the process of changing from one job to another or from one set of circumstances to another

unfair dismissal

when an employee is dismissed because the employer has discriminated against them in some way, such as firing someone because she is pregnant

workplace relations

the interactions between employers and employees, or their representatives, to achieve a set of working conditions that will meet the needs of employees, as well as allowing the business to achieve its objectives