BUS 381 - INTRO TO HRM

Strategic HRM

Linking HRM with strategic goals and objectives in order to improve business performance. 

What is HRM?

• Finding and hiring the best individuals available 

• Developing their talent

• Creating a productive work environment 

• Continually building and monitoring the human assets

What happens when you don’t do hire well?

• A bad hire costs a lot of time, money, and demotivation 

• Turnover of high performers is high 

• Showing up does not = performance (CWB)

Job affects…

Career, social, financial, physical, and community well-being

HRM Responsibilities

• Training managers to be managers 

• Formulating aligned policies and procedures

• Serving as a consultant and change agent 

• Employee integration and inclusion 

• Offering advice

HRM Challenges

• Policies and policing, and practices are not aligned 

• Don’t know the business 

• Not up to speed on technology tools 

• Hard balance between details and strategic considerations

HRM Measurement: People Measures

• Enagement, satisfaction 

• Turnover, absenteeism 

• Program and practice satisfaction 

• Qualified candidates applying for roles

HRM Measurement: Organizational Measures

• Productivity, performance, revenue, profitability 

• Customer satisfaction

The Changing Environment

• Technology (as an HR tool, impact of complexity) 

• Government (policies, variety)

• Globalization (competition, competitive advantage, multinational corporations and implications for all aspects of HR)

• EDI (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion)

• Organziational culture, climate

Equality vs Equity

• Equality: Giving everyone the same thing. Evenly distributed tools and assistance 

• Equity: Giving everyone what they need. Custom tools that identify and address inequality

Business Case for Diversity

Diversity is not enough. You need inclusion.

Organizational Culture

• The soul, long-term, takes a long time to change. 

• Core values, beliefs, and assumptions that are widely shared by members of an organization. 

• Conveyed through mission statement, stories, symbols, and ceremonies. 

Organizational Climate

The mood, short-term, atmosphere/vibe of the company.

Who is an “Employee?”

• Control (how, when work is done, pay, standards)

• Tools and equipment (owns and maintains)

• Subcontracting (hire workers?)

• Financial risk (fixed, ongoing costs not reimbursed)

• Investment and management 

• Opportunities for profit (and share in losses)

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

• Basic rights are guaranteed to all persons residing in Canada. 

• It allows the right to live and work anywhere in Canada. 

• Right to due process in criminal proceedings. 

• Right to democracy and equality rights.

Human Rights Legislation

•  Protection from discrimination in employment relationships and the delivery of goods and services.

• Prohibits intentional and unintentional discrimination in employment situations and in the delivery of goods and services. 

• Supersedes the terms of any employment contract or collective agreement.

Employment Standards Legislation

 Establishes minimum terms and conditions of the employment relationship within each jurisdiction (e.g. minimum wages, hours of work)

Ordinary Laws

Protection under context or content-specific laws affecting workplaces, like occupational health and safety.

Collective Bargaining Agreement

A legally binding agreement establishing minimum terms and conditions of employment affecting unionized positions.

Employment Contract

A contract between an individual employee and their employer regarding specified employment conditions in specified roles.

Human Rights Legislation - Discrimination

A distinction, exclusion, or preference based on someone’s identity/based on any of the prohibited grounds, that has the effect of nullifying or impairing the right of a person to full and equal recognition and exercise of their human rights and freedoms.

Intentional Discrimination

• Different or unequal treatment in terms and conditions of employment based on any of the prohibited grounds. 

• Denial of rights due to association with a protected group member.

Unintentional Discrimination

• Unintentional or constructive discrimination is the most difficult to detect. 

• Embedded in policies and practices that appear neutral. 

• It has an adverse impact on specific groups of people.

Examples of Systemic Discrimination

• Minimum height and weight requirements

• Promotions based exclusively on seniority or experience in firms that have a history of being white-male dominated. 

• Lack of harassment policy and guidelines.

BFOR

• Bona Fide Occupational Requirement. 

• A justifiable reason for discrimination based on business necessity. 

• Legitimate work-related purpose 

• A requirement is necessary for the role 

• Causing undue hardship on the employer

Duty to Accommodate

• Provide equal access to employment by the removal of physical, attitudinal, and systemic barriers. 

• Demonstrate attempts to accommodate to the point of undue hardship, done at minimal cost. 

Reasonable Accommodation

• The point at which employers are expected to accommodate employees under the Human Rights Act. 

• Financial costs make accommodation impossible 

• Health and safety risks to the individual or other employees prevent accommodation. 

Dta Segregation

• Collecting data on people’s identities/characteristics to see who gets promotions and who's in power. 

• Employers owe an obligation to be aware of both the differences between individuals and the differences that characterize groups of individuals

Systemic Remedy

ensure compliance with legislation

Restitutional Remedy:

Monetary compensation

Harassment

It is unwelcome behaviour that demeans, humiliates, or embarrasses a person that a reasonable person should have known would be unwelcome

Employers and Harassment

• Employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy working environment and can be charged as well as the alleged harasser. 

• Includes actions and activities that were once tolerated, ignored, and considered horseplay. 

• Includes harassment by clients or customers.

Sexual Harassment

Offensive or humiliating behaviour that is related to a person’s sex or behaviour of a sexual nature that creates an intimidating, unwelcome, hostile, or offensive work environment that could reasonably be thought to put sexual conditions on a person’s job or employment opportunities.

Sexual Coercion

Harassment of a sexual nature that results in some direct consequence to the worker’s employment status or loss of job benefits.

Sexual Annoyance

Conduct that is hostile, intimidating, or offensive but has no direct link to tangible job benefits.

Harassment Policies

1. Commitment to a safe and respectful work environment 

2. Statement harassment is against the law 

3. Info for victims on identifying harassment

4. Employees' rights and responsibilities 

5. Employers responsibilities 

6. Procedures on what to do 

7. Penalties for retaliation

8. Guidelines for appeals

9. Alternative options 

10. How the policy is monitored and adjusted 

Employment Equity Program

A detailed plan designed to identify and correct existing discrimination, redress past discrimination, and achieve a balanced representation of members of the four designated groups in the organization.

Gender

• Women make up 47% of the Canadian workforce, but are underrepresented in leadership 

• Earn 89% of what men earn in the same roles

Why do Women Make Less?

• Systemic 

• Glass ceiling 

• Benevolent Sexism

Benevolent Sexism

• Putting women less in forward of big projects

• Putting women in high regard, but feeling like you have to protect them. 

Equal Pay

• Equal pay for equal work specifies that an employer cannot pay male and female employees differently if they are performing the same or substantially similar work. 

• Pay differences based on merit, productivity or seniority are permitted. 

• The Pay Equity Act now requires proactive pay equity plans.

Persons with Disabilities

• Lower employment rates, earn less

Visible Minorities

• Knowledge, skills, and abilities are not fully utilized

• Transfer of credentials (Language)

• Implicit association biases, systemic, group exclusions.

Discrimination and Harassment in the Fire Service

• BFOR 

• Poisonous or toxic work environment

• Harassment, bullying 

• Occupational segregation, discrimination 

• Systemic challenges (ex., Pregnancy)

Employment/Labour Standards

• Present in every Canadian jurisdiction 

• Establish minimum employee entitlements (pay, holidays, vacations, overtime pay)

• Max hours of work permitted per day/week 

• Employment contracts may exceed min

Management Steps

1. Decide what positions to fill through job analysis, the workforce

planning, and forecasting

2. Build a pool of job applicants by recruiting internal or

external candidates

3. Obtain applications and do initial screening interviews

4. Use selection tools like tests, interviews, and background checks

to identify viable candidates

5. Decide to whom to make an offer

6. Orient, train, and develop employees so they have the

competencies to do their jobs

7. Appraise employees to assess how they’re doing

8. Compensate employees to maintain their motivation

Talent Management

The holistic, integrated, and results-oriented

process of planning, recruiting, selecting, developing, managing, and compensating employees

• Starts with results (what we are trying to achieve)

• Interrelated aspects versus linear steps

• Integrate and coordinate

• Possibly use software

Job Analysis

The procedure for determining the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of each job, and the human attributes (in terms of knowledge, skills, and abilities) required to perform it

What is Collected with Job Analysis?

• Work activities

• Human behaviours such as communicating

• Machines, tools, equipment, and work aids

• Performance standards in quality and quantity

• Job context, including physical working conditions

• Human requirements such as knowledge, skills, education, training and work experience

What do you need for a job analysis?

• Need internal and external views

• Loaded with assumptions and current and historical biases

• Very important & very difficult

• Often not done well

Information Collection

Observation, questionnaire, diary/log, individual/group/manager interview

Verify

• Employees and Managers 

• Multiple sources support accuracy

What is a job description?

 A written statement of what the jobholder actually does, how they do it, and under what conditions the job is performed. 

• Includes the duties, responsibilities, reporting relationships, human qualifications, and working conditions of a job

• Job identification – title, department, location (flexible vs rigid)

What is included in the job description?

Job summary – major functions and activities, behaviours required

• Relationships – internal and external

• Duties and responsibilities – use detail, hopefully no ‘cop-out’ clause

• Authority – decision-making

• Performance standards or indicators

• Working conditions and physical environment

• Using outside competitor JDs as a guide

Communication and Update

• All necessary parties

• Regularly, proactively update

• Reactive and timed for postings and requests

Job enlargement

is a technique to relieve monotony and boredom that involves assigning workers additional tasks at the same level of responsibility to increase the number of tasks they have to perform (horizontal loading)

Job Rotation

is a technique to relieve monotony and employee boredom that involves systematically moving employees from one job to another

Job Enrichment

is any effort that redesigns jobs to make an employee’s job more rewarding or satisfying by increasing the opportunities for the worker to experience feelings of responsibility, achievement, growth, and recognition, adding more meaningful tasks and duties (vertical loading)

Job Design

• Job enlargement 

• Job rotation 

• Job enrichment

Strength-Based Job Redesign

• Broad JDs or clones with flexibility

• Job redesign based on typical strengths profiles

• Capitalize on individual differences rather than just accommodating them

• Consistency vs flexibility

• Employee are seen and celebrated, able to work in the area of their strengths

Why HR Planning?

• Avoid shortages

• Anticipate demand

• Succession planning for staff morale

• Leadership development of internal staff

• Economies in hiring

Environmental Scanning 

• Economic conditions

• Market and competitive trends

• New or revised laws relating to HR

• Social concerns (health care, childcare, educational priorities)

• Technological changes

• Demographic trends

When HR Planning doesn’t go as planned

Ex. Tech boom and bust

HR Planning Considerations

• Organizational growth

• Projected turnover

• New products, services, areas, and industries

• New skills required

• Organizational stage

• Organizational structure change

• Budget

Forecasting

Skills/management inventories

• But subjectively, time-consuming, people move around a lot more now

• Replacement charts 

•  Or less organized (numbering)

• Side benefit – layoffs

• Highly confidential

Succession planning

• Not just for senior leaders, grooming/reading are crucial in any team

Markov analysis - probability

External trends and predictions

• Very difficult to determine 

• Stats, conferences, the word

Quant Trend analysis:

Predict future needs based on past employment levels

Quant Ratio analysis:

Ratio of business activity and number of employees needed (e.g., sales revenue per salesperson)

Quant - Scatterplot:

Used to identify the relationship between causal factors and staffing levels

Quant Regression Analysis

Examines the statistical relationship between business activity and employees more than 2

HR Planning Methods…Qual

• Management meetings - judgement needed for all

• External consultants 

• Delphi and nomina

Employee Surplus

• Hiring freeze & attrition – non-strategic, often top performers

• Buy-out and early retirement programs – non-strategic, institutional knowledge, discrimination

• Reducing hours (job sharing, reduced workweek, part-time work, work sharing)

• Layoffs

• Termination

• Leaves of absence

• Outplacement assistance, severance pay

Survivor Syndrome

A range of negative emotions experienced by employees remaining after a major restructuring initiative, which can include feelings of betrayal or violation, guilt, or detachment, and can result in stress symptoms, including depression, increased errors, and reduced performance.

Labour Shortage

• Overtime

• Hiring temporary employees

• Subcontracting work

• External recruitment

• Transfers (lateral, horizontal)

• Promotions (vertical)

Employer Branding

How good of a company are you to work for? 

Based on feelings, emotions, realities, and benefits

What could a company do to have better employer branding?

Have a good PR team, better benefits, and professional development for employees

What are the advantages for internal recruitment?

Enhances morale if competence is rewarded, More commitment to company goals, Longer-term perspective on business decisions 

What are the disadvantages of internal recruitment

Employee dissatisfaction with the insider as the new boss ,Time to interview all candidates if one is preferred, would not result in new ideas or skills

Job Posting

Posting on LinkedIn, letting people apply

Job Slotting

Choosing someone for the job

Why is job slotting better than job posting

Reduces the likelihood of favouritism, Provides every qualified employee with a chance, Tension if an internal candidate was passed over, Competition with other potential candidates

Advantages of External Recruitment

People could have the skills needed, Less money to train someone, Removes favouritism, More diverse, Reduces rivalry

Methods for Job Posting

Employee referrals, former employees, schools, and employment agencies

Which methods are the most popular?

Online job boards, networking, social media

Online Recruiting

Lots of applications, AI can be biased, people still apply even when not qualified

Current Recruiter Concerns

Hybrid, many options, people like to switch, compensation policies, diversity

the importance of selection

To solve a problem

What happens if Selection is done badly?

Company performance, cost (wasted salary, new hiring), legal issues, negligent hiring, and reputation

What do you need to know for the Selection Process

Who will be involved, determine must-haves, nice-to-haves, develop interview questions

Requirements for the Selection Process

Ensure all criteria and strategies are based on the job description and job specifications.

Examples of Testing

Cognitive abilities, job-specific tests (BFOR), work sampling achievement tests, medical tests, in-basket

The interview is like…

A date or a conversation

Interview objectives

Assess the applicant’s qualifications, Observe behaviours, Observe communication skills, Assess self-confidence skills

Applicant Objectives during an interview

Present a positive image , Market positive attitudes , Learn about the work environment , Explore career opportunities, Gather info about the job 

3 types of interviews..

Structured (ideal responses, rated), Unstructured, Semi-structured

Types of Interviews

Situational and behavioural

Interview Process

Sequential (one after another), Panel, Mass, Synchronous and asynchronous

Problems with interviews

Poor planning, biases, too much or little talking

Sequence of an interview

Planning the interview setting, where you sit, Small Talk, establish rapport, Describe the role and introduce the people, Getting down to business, who asks what, taking notes, Ending the interview, asking for questions 

Why would you want the hiring manager in the process?

They know the job, Buy In, Fit, Realistic job preview, Both need to be comfortable, Increase commitment and responsibility for new hires

Why do companies conduct reference checks?

Verify and validate, compare for consistency, address any red flag