MOS 1021 Midterm 1

What is an Organization

a group consisting of people with formally assigned roles who work together to achieve the organization's goals

What is a Manager

someone who is responsible for accomplishing the organization's goals and who does so by managing the efforts of the organization's people

What is Human Resources

people who make up the workforce of an organization

What is Statistical strategy

Statistical strategy-identifies most valid predictors and weighs them using statistical methods

Ex: Multiple regression

What are the steps in selection- outline them

1: Preliminary Screening (Review submitted app materials: App form, resume, cv, etc.)
2: Selection Testing (Test retained candidates to assess qualities identified as important through job analysis)
3: Selection Interviews (review applicants' oral responses to questions)
4: Background Investigation (Verification of provided details, assess qualifications, employment, and references)
*Need written consent for this
5: Selection Decision Made

What is test-retest reliability

A measure of reliability that is obtained by administering the same test twice over a period of time. Scores from time 1 and 2 can be correlated to evaluate stability.

What is inter-rater reliability

Measures the extent to which different raters give same/similar results across tests

What conditions make a test valid?

Construct validity: the extent that a selection tool can accurately measure a theoretical trait deemed necessary for the job

Criterion-related validity: the extent that a selection tool can predict or correlate with important work behaviours

Content validity:  the extent that a selection instrument, such as a test, adequately samples the knowledge and skills needed to perform the job

What is construct validity (and convergent/discriminant validity)

Construct validity: the extent that a selection tool can accurately measure a theoretical trait deemed necessary for the job

Convergent Validity: results correlate positively with similar test results

Discriminant Validity: results from test do not correlate with dissimilar tests

What is criterion-related validity (and concurrent/predictive validity)

Criterion-related validity: the extent that a selection tool can predict or significantly correlate with important elements of work behaviour

Concurrent validity: the degree which test scores are related

Predictive validity: degree which test scores are related to future performance

What are examples of different test types (excl physical exams)

IQ Test: test intellectual abilities and identify effective decision makers
Ex: Standord-Binet Test or Wechsler test

Personality Test: Big five personality model (acronym: OCEAN)
- Openness to experience (curiosity, creativity)
- Conscientiousness (organized, responsible)
- Extraversion (sociable, assertive)
- Agreeableness (compassionate, kind)
- Neuroticism (anxious, insecure, - vs. emotional stability)

Emotional Intelligence (EI) Test: Measures a person's ability to monitor their own emotions (high eq demonstrates empathy and social awareness)

Specific Cognitive Abilities: aka aptitude tests: measures individuals potential to perform job after training

What are medical exams used for and their relevant info?

Medical exams: used for physically demanding manufacturing and natural resource jobs
- Decreased usage due to decreased need
- May be used to establish a record and baseline of applicant health for future insurance/compensation claims
- Reduce accidents by identifying health issues
- Only be used after a written offer of employment has been sent

*Cannot screen for substance abuse in Canada, covered in human rights codes

What are interviews used for

Assess qualifications, communication skills, and internpersonal skills

Opportunity to promote employer brand

Illusion of Validity (employers believe interviews are valid predictors of job performance)

Common interviewer errors/issues with selection interviews example list

Poor planning
Snap Judgements (jumping to conclusions)
Negative Emphasis (consistent negative bias)
Halo/Horns Effect (initial impression distorts assessment)
Poor knowledge of the job
Contract/Candidate-order error
Influence of nonverbal behaviour
Leading to answer
Too much/little talking
Similar-to-Me Bias
Stereotyping

What is negligent hiring

employer is held liable for harm caused by employee. employer fails to verify details with proper screening; employee causes harm to property, other employees, or clients

What is recruitment

searching out and attracting potential employee to organization

When does recruitment process end

when an applicant pool has been made for a job vacancy

Recruitment method considerations

HR considerations
financial resources
time
technology

what is employer branding

the image or impression of an org as an employer based on the perceived benefits of employment (feelings, realities, and benefits)

What is content validity

the extent to which a selection instrument, such as a test, adequately samples the knowledge and skills needed to perform the job

test content closer to actual samples of work -> greater content validity

What is a polygraph/lie detector test?

• using a series of controlled questions with the assumption that deceptive responses produce different physiological responses and truthful responses

• frowned upon because they sometimes fail to produce reliable results

• Ontario Employment Standards Act prohibits use of polygraphs in selection process

Realistic Job Preview (RJP)

a strategy used to provide applicants with realistic information-both positive and negative-about job details

What is a reference check

obtain details from provided references via interview or survey

*references may decline to comment
Growing concerns of defamation from this (defamation: communication of false information that may hurt an individual's reputation)

Selection Decision Approaches

• Multiple Cut-Off: cut off for each selection tool, all applicants complete all tests and/or procedures

• Multiple Hurdles: cut off for each selection tool, applicants complete tools one at a time, only proceed if they have met or exceeded the cut-off

• Compensatory Model: all tests/procedures are completed and score from each is used to produce overall score for ranking

Steps to employer branding

1. Define the target audience
2. Develop the employee value proposition
3. Reinforce value proposition in communication

What is the recruitment process

1: identify job openings
2: specify job requirements
3: select methods of recruitment
4: generate pool of qualified applicants

What is a job posting

something that advertises an organization and describes an open role to attract qualified candidates

what is job slotting

internal recruitment process where a manager personally identifies a preferred candidate for a vacancy and offers job

what is a skills inventory

in HR records, they list the core skills of each employee (good way to check qualification of candidates)

limitations of internal recruiting

hard to fill in jobs from current employees, middle and upper level jobs may need external candidates due to small pool within org

What are the Internal Influences on HRM

1. Organizational Culture
2. Organizational Climate
3. Management Practices

What is Organizational Culture

the core values, beliefs, and assumptions that are widely shared by members of an organization

all managers with HR responsibilities play an important role in creating and maintaining it

What is a Value

a basic belief about what is right or wrong, or about what a person should or shouldn't do

managing people and shaping their behaviour depends on shaping the values they use as behavioural guides

What is the purposes of Culture

• Communicating what the organization believes in and stands for

• Providing employees with a sense of direction and expected behaviour (norms)

• Shaping employees' attitudes about themselves, the organization, and their roles

• Creating a sense of identity, orderliness, and consistency

• Fostering employee loyalty and commitment

What is Organizational Climate

the prevailing atmosphere that exists in an organization and its impact on employee motivation, job performance, and productivity

What are the major factors influencing organizational climate

- Management's leadership style
- HR policies and practices
- Amount and style of organizational communication

How do Management Practices influence HRM

- the organizational structure of a company influences employee empowerment (flatter = more, bureaucratic = less)
- two-way communication helps management know what's bothering employees and maintain positive relations

What are some tactics managers use to get feedback

- Employee focus groups
- Suggestion boxes
- Hotlines
- Open-door policies
- "Management by walking around"

What is Evidence-Based HR

Evaluating human resources practices against available research that establish what practices works, when, and why

What are pros of Evidence-Based HR

- Ensures that implemented practices are likely to have desired outcomes
- Results in greater efficiency by avoiding trial and error learning

Why are research-recommended HR practices not being effectively used and implemented

- Lack of awareness
- Lack of trust

What are the Types of Research

1. Primary
2. Secondary

What is Primary Research

- Generating new information regarding a research question
- Eg. true experiments, quasi-experiments, surveys

What is Secondary Research

- Examining existing information from studies that used primary methods
- HR typically uses this type of research

What are Independent Variables (IV)

grouping variable; controlled

What are Variables

- Characteristic or features that researchers aim to study
- Must be measurable (existing or developed)

What are Dependent Variables (DV)

response variable; measured

What are the Types of Research Designs

1. True Experiments
2. Quasi-Experiments
3. Survey Research

Sources of recruitment

internal v external

examples of external recruitment

online recruitment (job boards, websites, networking sites)
print media recruitment
campus recruitment
traditional networking (cold calls, print advertising)

What is Human Capital

knowledge, education, training, skills, expertise of an organization's workforce

What is a Strategic Plan

the company's plan for how it will match its internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats in order to maintain a competitive advantage

What is Human Resource Management (HRM)

the management of the workforce that drives organizational performance and achieves the organization's strategic goals

What are Labour Market Issues

changes to the workforce composition (DEI), generational differences, and contingent workers

What are Generational Differences

groups shares a common set of general social experiences based on the year they were born that shape each group's values and beliefs, which in turn impact their approach to work and working life

What is the influence of Environmental Concerns on HRM

• motivating the behaviour of employees, they are concerned about whether they work for environmentally responsible companies

• helps companies gain market share and is also strong employee retention tool

What are Non-Standard or Contingent Workers

workers who do not fit the traditional definition of permanent, full-time employment with the same employer on an indeterminate basis

What are the functions of HRM

- Operational Function: administrative, day-to-day operations, focus is in the present
- Strategic Function: align employee efforts with organization's strategic goals

Competency modelling methods (what are critical incidents and critical incident techniques (CIT))

Critical Incidents: observable job behaviors that reflect superior/inferior performance -> promote/interfere with accomplishment of tasks

CIT:
1: critical incidents are identified (ex: deals with sensitive info properly)
2: sorted into dimensions/themes (ex: three jot notes listed under 1 point placed under communication)
3: competencies are defined and paired with behavioural indicators (ex: communication and "deals appropriately with sensitive info" or "articulates complex issues with clarity"

What is a job

a collection of related tasks, duties, and responsibilities that are grouped together for the purpose of accomplishing work within an organization

what is a position

a specific instance of a job held by a single person

What is job analysis

the continuous, systematic process of collecting detailed info related to a job

Why is Job Analysis important

1. Training: clarifies knowledge/skills/abilities for a job

2. Performance Management: performance of employees can be assessed using criteria obtained via job analysis

3. Compensation and benefits: determines relative value of jobs, informs compensation and justifies pay differences

4: Recruitment and Selection: More effective hiring and better employee retention

Steps of Job Analysis

1: Background Info Review:
- Previous job analysis data
- digital database: National Occupational Classification (NOC), standardized language to describe 30,000+ jobs
- organizational charts (Bureaucratic, Flat, Matrix)

2: Choose courses of job info
- Subject Matter Experts (SMEs): knowledgeable about the job and things necessary for performing it (incumbent, supervisor, job analyst)
- None of the options are optimal, try and get as many as possible to have well-rounded view

3: Gather job info
- Questionnaires, Interviews, Direct Observation of Incumbents (employees)
- Position analysis questionnaire (PAQ): has 195 questions on various job elements (general behaviours: advising, negotiating, instructing)

Step 4: Develop Key Documents
- TDRs (tasks, duties, responsibilities): used to capture what a job entails (description)
- KSAOs (knowledge, skills, abilities, other characteristics): captures characteristics needed for job

What is the primary objective of most employment legislation in Canada

preventing the exploitation of paid workers, assuming that an implicit power imbalance exists (favouring the employer)

the government balances employee and employer needs through the employment legislation (work terms and arrangements can be modified)

Who sets the employment legislation in Canada

the government sets the legislation

Do previous interpretations of laws impact how laws get interpreted in the future?

Yes, precedents refer to how decisions or interpretations in comparable cases can persuade how legislation is to be interpreted and applied.

What are constitutional laws (charter of rights and freedoms)

Broadest level of guaranteed protection for all persons residing in Canada

The regulations set in the Charter are fundamental, guaranteed rights to all persons residing in Canada (all employers must abide by them)

what is federal, provincial, and territorial human rights legislation

it ensures that the rights of every Canadian are protected and that all persons are treated with equality and respect

Discrimination is prohibited

What is employment-specific legislation

employers and employees must follow provincial/territorial employment or labour standards acts, which may vary by jurisdiction

Companies with employees in more than one province/territory must stay updated on specific regional legislation

Ordinary Laws

Some ordinary laws specifically regulate some areas of HRM

Ex. occupational health and safety, union relations, and pensions and compensation

Hiring Decision and Candidate Notification Process

- Info from multiple selection techniques combined (objective scored test or candidate-rating sheets), applicant that best fits the criteria is identified.
- HR compiles data, immediate supervisor makes final decision.

All selection decision information should be filed for legal protection

Upon selecting, job offer is extended via phone then a follow up with a written employment offer with important details.

*Candidates should receive reasonable length of time to think about the offer

HRM and Corporate Culture (Organizational Culture)

- Identity of the organization
- Core values and beliefs shared by members
- Developed intentionally, in part through HR systems
- Clarifies standards of behaviour (ie. norms)

Competency categories

core (applies to all members of org)
cross-functional (applies to all members of a job group)
functional (applies to specific job)

What is Globalization

the emergence of a single global market for most products and services

- increasing the intensity of competition and leading most organizations to expand their operations around the world
- means that HR professionals need to become familiar with employment legislation and labour standards in other countries

Who are the Four Designated/Protected Groups in Canada

1. Women
2. Indigenous Peoples
3. Persons with disabilities
4. Visible ethnic minorities

What are the External Environmental Influences on HRM

- Labour Market Issues
- Economic Conditions
- Technology
- Government
- Globalization
- Environment

HRM and Corporate Climate

- Prevailing atmosphere within an organization
- Employees' perceptions of organization's working environment
- Has an effort on mood, motivation, productivity, job satisfaction, job performace
- Impacted by leadership style, communication, HR policies/practices

What is competency modelling

alternative to traditional job analysis: uses competencies (characteristics that define successful job performance)

Focuses on capabilities of people rather than the work itself
Ex: Teamwork

How many jurisdictions are in Canada

- 14
- Each of the 10 provinces and 3 territories have its own legislation
- Certain laws apply to all employers and employees across Canada (eg. employment insurance and the Canada/Quebec Pension Plan)

What are the Three Sectors

1. Primary Sector: extraction and production of raw materials
2. Secondary Sector: manufacturing and construction
3. Tertiary/Service Sector: provides services instead of goods (dominates the Canadian economy, represents 79% of jobs)

What are the 5 Types of Digital Technologies that are automating HR professionals' functions

1. Social Media: used to recruit new employees
2. Mobile Applications: monitor employees' locations and track workers' progress
3. Cloud Computing: enables employees to monitor and report on things
4. Data Analytics: using statistical techniques, algorithms, and problem solving to identify relationships among data for the purpose of solving particular problems
5. Talent Analytics: when data analytics are applied to human resources management

What are the Benefits of Effective HRM

- Reduced cost
- Greater engagement
- Better employee performance

Job Design Strats

Job Rotation (requires investment in training to ensure qualifications)
Job Enlargement (adding activities to existing role, broadens skill set)
Job Enrichment (increasing depth and complexity of tasks)

What is job design

the process of establishing roles and responsibilities associated with jobs

*includes designing new jobs or revising existing ones

Job satisfaction indicators

pay (correlation coefficient - 0.28)
Promotion policies (correlation coefficient - 0.43)
supervisor (correlation coefficient - 0.40)
coworkers (correlation coefficient - 0.42)
work (correlation coefficient - 0.78): strongest indicator

Factors affecting satisfaction with work

1: meaningfulness of work (variety, identity, and significance)
2: responsibilities for outcomes (degree which own efforts have an impact on key outcomes in org)
3: knowledge of results

True Experiments

Conducted in controlled settings (eg. lab)

Participants are randomly assigned to groups (represents the IV)

All participants are measured on the same outcome variable (represents the DV)

Pro: Causal conclusions are possible

Con: Results may not apply well to “real world” (ie. less generalizable)

Quasi-Experiments

Conducted in field/natural settings (eg. in the world place)

Participants are randomly selected from existing groups (represents the IV)

All participants are measured on the same outcome variable (represents the DV)

Pro: results apply to the “real world” more easily (ie. more generalizable)

Con: causal conclusions not recommended (too many other variables)

Survey Research

No distinction between IV and DV
Conducted in controlled or natural settings

Questionnaires intended to measure each variable are administered to participants
Analyses are carried out to determine whether a relationship exists between participants scores on the surveys

Correlation

Provides info about the direction and strength of a relation between two variables

positive coefficient = positive

negative coefficient = negative

strength: weak = 0.1, moderate = 0.3, strong = 0.5

Correlation and Causation

Avoid making causal conclusions based on correlational data

Relationship between variable 1 and variable 2 may be spurious: two variables appear to be related by are not (coincidence, third variable)

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Federal law enacted in 1982
Guarantees fundamental right and freedoms to all Canadians
Applies to government action
Supreme Law (all legislation must meet Charter standards)

Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom - Equality Rights

Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability

*Not an exhaustive list (eg. sexual orientation, marital status)

Human Rights Legislation

prohibits intentional and unintentional discrimination in employment situations and the delivery of goods and services

supersedes the terms of any employment contract or collective agreement

applicable in the context of employment and the provision of g&s

What is Discrimination

unequal or unfair treatment of a person based upon some personal characteristic (ie. prohibited/protected grounds)

Who does the Canadian Human Rights Act apply to

- Federal government
- First Nations government
- Federally regulated organizations (eg. banks, broadcasting stations)

What are limitation periods in the context of ESAs/LSAs

establish the max amount of time that can elapse between the violation and the filing of a complaint, with these limits differing based on the violation (unpaid wages, vacation pay, etc)

There is a general max claim limit for unpaid wages

What is Intentional Discrimination (and Direct/Indirect Discrimination and Differential/Unequal Treatment)

Intentional discrimination: direct

Direct discrimination: deliberately refusing to hire, train, or promote an individual on any of the prohibited grounds (eg. age, gender, race, disability, etc)

Differential/Unequal Treatment: unequal treatment of an individual or group on the basis of a protected characteristic

Indirect Discrimination: engaging in discrimination indirectly through asking another party to discriminate on their behalf

Who does the Provincial & Territorial Laws apply to

- Organizations that fall under provincial and territorial jurisdiction (eg. education)