ADM 1300 Chapter 8: Managing Human Resources and Labour Relations

human capital

organization's investment in attracting, retaining and motivating an effective workforce

talent management

view that the people in an organization represent a portfolio of valuable talents and skills that can be effectively managed and tapped in ways best targeted to organizational success

job analysis

systematic analysis of jobs within an organization

job description

list of objectives, responsibilities and key tasks of a job

job specification

list of the specific skills, education and experience needed to perform a job

forecasting internal supply

relates to the number and type of employees who will be in the firm at some future date

replacement chart

shows how long a person will be in the position and who is qualified to move into that position

employee information systems

systems that contain information on each employee's education, skills, work experience and career aspirations

forecasting external supply

relates to the number and type of people who will be available for hiring from the labour market at large

matching HR supply and demand

comparing future demand and internal supply, managers make plans to handle this

recruiting

process of attracting qualified people to apply for available jobs

internal recruiting

considering present employees as candidates for opening

external recruiting

attracting people outside the organization to apply for jobs

job fairs

candidates browse through the positions available and talk face to face with recruiters

internships

short-term paid or unpaid positions where students focus on a specific project

validation

process of determining the predicitive value of information

application forms

recruiters use this data to decide if a candidate should be further evaluated

assessment centre

provider of a series of exercises in which management candidates perform realistic management tasks while being observed by appraisers

video assessment

showing potential hires videos of realistic work situations and asking them to choose a course of action to deal with the situation

behaviour based interviewing

approach to improving interview validity by asking questions that focus the interview much more on behaviour than on what a person says

new employee orientation

process of introducing new employees to the company's policies and programs, the co-workers and supervisors they will interact with and the nature of their job

needs analysis

determines the organization's needs and the training programs necessary to satisfy those needs

on the job training

placing the employee in an actual work situation and having a supervisor or experienced employee demonstrate how to perform on the task

job rotation

having employees learn a wide variety of tasks and acquire more abilities as they are moved from one job to another

off the job training

training performed at a location away from the work site

vestibule training

employees performing work under conditions that closely stimulates the actual work environment

management development programs

developmental programs in which manager's conceptual, analytical and problem-solving skills are enhanced

networking

informal interactions among managers, both inside and outside the office, for the purpose of discussing mutual problems, solutions and opportunities

mentoring

having a more experienced manager sponsor and teach a less experienced manager

performance appraisal

formal program for evaluating how well an employee is performing a job; knowing how effective they are in recruiting and selecting employees

appraisal process

manager defines performance standards

simple ranking method

subjective method where the manager ranks their employees from best to worst performer in a department

forced distribution

grouping employees into predefined frequencies of performance ratings

critical incident method

an example of good or bad performance from the employee

furloughing

workers have hours and pay reduced but retain full benefits

pay surveys

shows compensation being paid to employees by other employers in a particular geographic area, industry or occupational group

job evaluation

method for determining the relative value of a job to the organization so that employees are compensated appropriately

piece-rate incentive plan

compensation system in which an organization pays an employee a certain amount of money for every unit produced

pay for knowledge plans

encourages workers to learn new skills and become proficient at different jobs

pay for performance plans

managers are rewarded for especially productive outputs

workforce management systems

schedules the most productive staff to work at the store's busiest times

profit sharing plans

incentive program in which employees receive a bonus depending on the firm's profits

gainsharing plans

incentive program in which employees receive a bonus if the firm's costs are reduced because of their greater efficiency or productivity

mandated protection plans

plan that protects employees when their income is threatened or reduced by illness, disability, death, unemployment or retirement

wellness programs

concentrates on preventing illness in employees rather than simply paying expenses when they get sick

cafeteria style benefit plans

employees are allocated a certain sum to cover benefits and can "spend" this allocation on the specific benefits they prefer

equal employment opportunity regulations

regulations to protect people from unfair or inappropriate discrimination in the workplace

Anti-discrimination laws

ensures that any individual who wishes to obtain a job has an equal opporutnity to do so

comparable worth

legal concept that aims at paying equal wages for jobs that are of comparable value to the employer

defined benefit pension plan

guarantees employees a certain annual income when they retire

defined contribution plan

companies must contribute a certain amount of money each year for employee pensions

target benefit pension plan

target benefit is defined and the contribution necessary to get such a benefit is calculated

knowledge workers

workers who are experts in specific fields and add value because of what they know rather than how long they have worked or the job they do

contingent workers

employee who works for an organization on something other than a full or part time basis

labour union

group of individuals working together to achieve shared job-related goals

labour relations

overall process of dealing with employees who are represented by a union

collective bargaining

process by which union leaders and company management negotiate terms and conditions of employment; ongoing process involving both the drafting and administration of the terms of a labour contract

fair employment practices

prohibits an employer from refusing employment based on a person's race or religion

bargaining unit

individuals grouped together for purposes of collective bargaining

certification vote

vote supervised by a government representative to determine whether a union will be certified as the sole bargaining agent for the unit

decertification

process by which employees legally terminate their union's rights to represent them

closed shop

union-employer relationship in which the employer can hire only union members

agency shop

all employees for whom the union bargains must pay union dues, but don't have to join the union

open shop

employer may hire union or non-union labour, employees pay no dues

craft unions

organized by trade

industrial unions

organized according to industry

local union

basic unit of union organization in a specific geographical area

independent local union

union that is not formally affiliated with any labour organization

contract issues

compensation, benefits, job security, management rights, working hours, etc.

strike

employees temporarily walk off the job and refuse to work

picketing

having workers march at the entrance to the company with signs explaining reasons to strike

sympathy strikes

one union strikes in sympathy with a strike initiated by another union

wildcat strikes

strikes that aren't authorized by a union or that occur during the life of a contract

sickout

large number of workers call in sick

lockout

employers physically deny employees access to workplace

strikebreakers

replacements for the absent employees

employers' association

groups of companies that come together to plan strategies and exchange info about how to manage their relations with unions

concillation

settles contract dispute by having a neutral third party help the two sides clarify the issues that are separating them

mediation

neutral third party is asked to hear arguments from both the union and the management and offer a suggested resolution

arbitration

neutral third party imposes a binding settlement on the disputing parties

voluntary arbitration

disputing parties agree to submit the dispute to outside judgement

compulsory arbitration

used to settle disputes between government and public employees