HSC- Human Resources

contractor

an external provider of a services to a business. It may be an individual or a business

employee

a worker under the control of an employer. This control includes the workplace location, the way that the work is to be performed and the extent to which supervision will be exercised

employer

one who exercises control over employees, has responsibility for the payment of wages and/or salaries and has the power to dismiss employees

human resource management

the management of the total relationship between an employer and employee

interdependence

the mutual dependence that the key business functions have on one another

outsourcing

contracting out business functions involving the use of third-party specialist business; for example, recruitment firms. It aims to take advantage of the specialist skills provided by them and to achieve a reduction in labour costs

affirmative action

measures taken to eliminate direct and indirect discrimination, and for implementing positive steps to overcome the current and historical causes of lack of equal employment opportunity for women

ageing of the workforce

refers to the increase in the average gap of the population, due to sustained low fertility and increasing life expectancy. As a result, there are proportionally fewer children under 15 in the population, and more people in older age groups

award

the legally enforceable minimum terms and conditions that apply to a business or industry

award simplification

the process of reducing the numbers of matters in each award and eliminating inefficient work practices

best practices

refers to business practices that are regarded as the best or of the highest standard in the industry

‘better off overall test’ (BOOT)

requires that each employees to be covered by the agreement is better off overall than under the relevant modern award

casual employee

an employee in employment that is short term, irregular and uncertain; they are not entitled to paid holiday or sick leave

centralised industrial relations system

a collectivist approach in which disputes are referred to industrial tribunals, such as the Fair Work Commission, for conciliation and arbitration

code of conduct

a statement of acceptable and unacceptable behaviours in a business

code of ethics

a statement of a firm’s values and principles

code of practice

a statement of the principles used by a business in its operations. It generally refers to practices that are seen as ethical or socially responsible

collective agreement

an agreement made between a group of employees (or one or more unions representing employees) and an employer or group of employers

common law

law developed by courts and tribunals

constitutional corporation

one that falls under section 51(xx) of the Constitution of Australia- identified as foreign corporations and trading or financial corporations formed within the limits of the Commonwealth

decentralised industrial relations system

a system in which employers and employees negotiate wages and working conditions in the individual workplace, through collective or individual bargaining and without the involvement of tribunals

discrimination

when a policy or a practice disadvantages a person or a group of people because of a personal characteristics that is irrelevant to the performance of the work

employer association

an organisation that represents and assists employer groups. They are usually respondents to the awards covering the employees of their members, and covering employers in the same or related industry

employment contract

a legally binding, formal agreement between employer and employee

enterprise agreement

a collective agreement made at a workplace level between an employer and a group of employees about terms and conditions of employment

equal employment opportunity (EEO)

refers to equitable policies and practices in recruitment, selection, training and promotion

equity

the provision of equal opportunities for all employees to gain access to jobs, training and career paths

ethical business practices

those practices that are socially responsible, morally right, honourable and fair

independent contractor

often known as a consultant or freelancer, independent contractors undertaken work for others; however, they do not have the same legal status as an employee

individual contract

when an employer and an individual employee negotiate a contract covering pay and conditions

Individual Flexibility Agreements (IFA)

allow an employer and employee to come to an agreement that varies the modern award or enterprise agreement to address their individual circumstances

judicial power

refers to the power of courts to interpret and apply laws

log of claims

a list of demands made by workers (often through their union) against their employers. These demands over specific wages and conditions. Employers may also serve a counter-log of claims on the union

modern award

an industry or occupation-based award that covers all private sector employers and employees who perform work that falls within their scope. They replace all existing national system awards (except those applying to a single enterprise). They do not cover employees earning higher incomes.

on-costs

additional costs involved in hiring an employee, above the cost of their wages. These costs traditionally add around 25 percent of the cost of the wage and include sick leave, holiday leave, leave loading, superannuation, retirement and redundancy payments, and other costs

participation rate

the percentage of a given group of individuals of working age who are employed or actively seeking work

social justice

in the workplace involves businesses being responsible or behaving in a fair and ethical manner towards their employees, customers and the broader community

stakeholder

any individual or group that has a common interest in or is affected by the actions of an organisation

statues

laws made by federal and statement parliaments; for example, laws relating to employment conditions

structural changes

a change in the nature of pattern of production of goods and services within an economy. This includes a significant growth in the level of services in an economy compared to other sectors

trade union

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

worker's’ compensation

a range of benefits to an employee suffering from an injury or disease related to their work. It is also provided to families of injured employees when the injury/disease was caused by, or related to, their work

acquisiton

the process of attracting and recruiting the right staff for roles in a business

development

refers to enhancing the skills of the employee in line with the changing and future needs of the organisation

employee selection

involves gathering information about each applicant for a position, then using that information to choose the most appropriate applicant

fringe benefit tax (FBT)

a tax employers must pay on certain benefits they provide to their employees or their employee’ associates, such as a family member. It is based on the taxable value of the various fringe benefits provided

job enlargement

involves increasing the breadth of tasks in a job

job enrichment

involves increasing the responsibilities of of a staff member

job rotation

involves moving staff from one task to another over a period of time in order to multiskill employees

job sharing

when two people share the same job

maintenance

the process of managing the needs of staff for health and safety, industrial relations and legal responsibilities, including compensation and benefits, of all staff

performance appraisal

a process of assessing the performance of an employee, generally against a set of criteria or standards

placement

involves locating the employee in a position that best utilises the skills of the individual to meet the needs of the business

recruitment

the process of finding and attracting the right quantity and quality of staff to apply for employment vacancies or anticipated vacancies at the right cost

redundancy

occurs when a person’s job no longer exists, usually due to technological changes, an organisational restructure or a merger or acquisition

retrenchment

when a business dismisses an employee because there is not enough work to justify paying him or her

separation

the process of employees leaving voluntarily or through dismissal or retrenchment processes

unfair dismissal

occurs when an employee is dismissed by their employer and they believe the action is harsh, unreasonable or unjust

employee poaching

the practice of enticing employees to work for another business

external recruitment

involves filling job vacancies with people from outside the business

general skills

include flexibility and versatility, social confidence, positive attitude, motivation, and the ability to work as a team and/or independently

grievance procedures

formal procedures, generally written into an award or agreement, that state agreed processes to resolve disputes in the workplace

in good faith

means the parties meet with a willingness to reach an agreement

industrial dispute

a disagreement over an issue or group of issues between an employer and its employees, which result in employees ceasing work

insourcing

delegating a job to someone within the business, as opposed to someone outside the business

internal recruitment

involves filling job vacancies with people from within the business

job design

the number, kind and variety of tasks that a worker is expected to carry out in the course of performing their job

leadership style

refers to the way that managers communicate with their employees to inspire and motivate them to work together to achieve an organisation’s goals

lockouts

when employers close the entrance to a workplace and refuse admission to the workers

mediation

the confidential discussion of issues in a non-threatening environment, in the presence of a neutral, objective third party

monetary rewards

those rewards reflected in pay or having financial value

negotiation

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

non-monetary rewards

those rewards that do not have financial value, such as social activities or retirement planning

orders

decisions that require employees or employers to carry out a direction from the tribunal. They may be inserted in awards or agreements

performance management

addresses both individual and business performance. Successful individual performance will often translate into the business’s strategic objectives being met

performance management (administrative)

this model assess the progress of the business in meeting its strategic goals and where necessary identifying the areas for improvement, such as establishing new goals or employee performance

performance management (developmental)

this model improves individual performance through establishing objectives such as reaching sales target that are consistent with achieving the organisation’s goals

pickets

protests that take place outside the workplace, generally associated with a strike. Unionists stop the delivery of goods and try to stop the entry of non-union labour into the workplace

recruitment

the process of locating and attracting the right quantity and quality of staff to apply for employment vacancies at the right cost

remuneration

the financial and non-financial benefits that employees receive in return for their work effort

specific skills

highly specialised skills that are required for some jobs within science, technology and engineering sectors

strikes

situations in which workers withdraw their labour

subsidiary

a company that is owned by another company (referred to as the parent) and it is often located in another country

training

to develop skills, knowledge and attitude that lead to superior work performance

absenteeism

refers to a worker who neglects to turn up for work when they were scheduled to do so

balanced scorecard benchmarking

used for measuring whether the activities of a business are meeting its objectives established in the strategic plan. It benchmarks key performance variables with targets aligned with the strategic plan

benchmarking

a process in which indicators are used to compare business performance between internal sectors of a business or between businesses

best practice benchmarking

involves comparing performance levels with those of another best practice business in specific areas using a structured process to gain skills and knowledge and to modify organisational processes

corporate culture

the values, ideas, expectations and beliefs shared by members of a busniess

human resource audit

a diagnostic tool used to evaluate HR policies and practices in order to identify problems and develop solution in an attempt to rectify problems

indicators

performance measures that are used to evaluate organisational or individual effectiveness

informal benchmarking

includes any strategies such as networking through informal discussions with colleagues in other businesses, undertaking visits to other businesses, researching best practice online and attending conferences

performance benchmarking

involves comparing the performance levels of a process/activity with other businesses

staff turnover

the loss of employees tho leave the business for a variety of reasons