Chapter 11: Human Resource Management Finding and Keeping the Best Employees

Question 1

affirmative action

Answer 1

Employment activities intended to “right past wrongs” by increasing opportunities for minorities and women.

Question 2

apprentice programs

Answer 2

Training programs involving a period during which a learner works alongside an experienced employee to master the skills and procedures of a craft.

Question 3

cafeteria-style fringe benefits

Answer 3

Fringe benefits plan that allows employees to choose the benefits they want up to a certain dollar amount.

Question 4

compressed workweek

Answer 4

Work schedule that allows an employee to work a full number of hours per week but in fewer days.

Question 5

contingent workers

Answer 5

Workers who do not have the expectation of regular, full-time employment.

Question 6

core time

Answer 6

In a flextime plan, the period when all employees are expected to be at their job stations.

Question 7

job analysis

Answer 7

A study of what is done by employees who hold various job titles.

Question 8

job description

Answer 8

A summary of the objectives of a job, the type of work to be done, the responsibilities and duties, the working conditions, and the relationship of the job to other functions.

Question 9

job sharing

Answer 9

An arrangement whereby two part-time employees share one full-time job.

Question 10

job simulation

Answer 10

The use of equipment that duplicates job conditions and tasks so that trainees can learn skills before attempting them on the job.

Question 11

job specifications

Answer 11

A written summary of the minimum qualifications required of workers to do a particular job.

Question 12

management development

Answer 12

The process of training and educating employees to become good managers and then monitoring the progress of their managerial skills over time.

Question 13

mentor

Answer 13

An experienced employee who supervises, coaches, and guides lower-level employees by introducing them to the right people and generally being their organizational sponsor.

Question 14

networking

Answer 14

The process of establishing and maintaining contacts with key managers in one’s own organization and other organizations and using those contacts to weave strong relationships that serve as informal development systems.

Question 15

off-the-job training

Answer 15

Training that occurs away from the workplace and consists of internal or external programs to develop any of a variety of skills or to foster personal development.

Question 16

online training

Answer 16

Training programs in which employees complete classes via the Internet.

Question 17

on-the-job training

Answer 17

Training at the workplace that lets the employee learn by doing or by watching others for a while and then imitating them.

Question 18

orientation

Answer 18

The activity that introduces new employees to the organization; to fellow employees; to their immediate supervisors; and to the policies, practices, and objectives of the firm.

Question 19

performance appraisal

Answer 19

An evaluation that measures employee performance against established standards in order to make decisions about promotions, compensation, training, or termination.

Question 20

recruitment

Answer 20

The set of activities used to obtain a sufficient number of the right people at the right time.

Question 21

selection

Answer 21

The process of gathering information and deciding who should be hired, under legal guidelines, for the best interests of the individual and the organization.

Question 22

training and development

Answer 22

All attempts to improve productivity by increasing an employee’s ability to perform. Training focuses on short-term skills, whereas development focuses on long-term abilities.

Question 23

vestibule training

Answer 23

Training done in classrooms where employees are taught on equipment similar to that used on the job.