Chapter 5: Human Resources Planning Flashcards

1
Q

Human resources planning (HRP) BLUE definition

A

the process of forecasting future human resources requirements to ensure that the organization will have the required number of employees with the necessary skills to meet its strategic objectives

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2
Q

HRP is a _______ process, which both anticipates and influences an organization’s future by systematically forecasting the supply of and demand for employees under changing conditions and by developing plans and activities to satisfy these needs

A

proactive

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3
Q

Effective HRP helps an organization achieve its strategic goals and objectives, ____________________, make major labour market demands more successfully, _____________________ and surpluses of human resources, and ____________________ labour costs.

A

achieve economies in hiring new workers

anticipate and avoid shortages

control or reduce

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4
Q

From 2013 to 2022, a total of ________ job openings (those due to economic growth plus those due to replacement needs) have been forecasted

A

5.8 million

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5
Q

Demographic forces, particularly in the area of retirements, will see a greater demand than the supply of labour, particularly in certain occupations found in _______, ______, ________, _________ and in the primary sector.

A

health, management, trades, transport, and equipment

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6
Q

Approximately _______ of the projected job openings will be in occupations requiring a high school education or on-the-job training

A

one-third

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7
Q

As illustrated in Figure 5.1, key steps in the HRP process include _____________________, _____________________, and then ______________ to balance supply and demand.

A

analyzing forecasted labour supply,

forecasting labour demands

planning and implementing HR programs

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8
Q

HR plan

A

HRP - same acronym

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9
Q

The ______ must align with the overall goals of the organization as well as both the long-term and short-term strategic plans set by the organization

A

HRP

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10
Q

An organization’s strategic decision to expand, redirect, diverge, divest, partner, or merge will have an associated effect on the HR expectations and _________________

A

plans of the organization.

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11
Q

HR by the Numbers: Strategic Workforce Planning

A

Listed below are metrics associated with the use of HR planning in Canada.

53%
of organizations surveyed identify that their strategic workforce plan supports their organization’s long-term business strategy objectives

29%
of organizations surveyed identify that they use a robust workforce planning process

65.8%
the labour force participation rate in Canada in 2017, defined as the percent of the population over 15 years of age that were able and willing to work (regardless of if they were employed or unemployed)

80%
of organizations report challenges with recruiting candidates who have required critical skills

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12
Q

One consulting firm’s approach illustrates workforce planning

This is for Towers Watson

A

1) reviews the client’s business plan and workforce data (e.g., how sales influence staffing levels)
2) identify what positions the firm will have to fill and potential workforce gaps
3) develop a workforce strategic plan
4) they implement the changes (e.g., new recruiting and training programs), and use various metrics to monitor the process

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13
Q

Environment scanning BLUE definition

Environmental scanning

A

assessing factors that affect the external labour market, as well as an organization’s ability to find and secure talent from outside of the organization

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14
Q

External environmental factors most frequently monitored

A

1) Economic conditions
2) Market and competitive trends
3) New or revised laws and the decisions of courts and quasi-judicial bodies
4) Social concerns
5) Technological changes
6) Demographic trends

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15
Q

1) Economic conditions

A

(local, regional, national, and international);

for example, if the unemployment rate in a region is low, an organization would have to be more aggressive in recruiting talent, as selection may be more scarce

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16
Q

2) Market and competitive trends

A

for example, compensation policies that lag behind competitors’ policies may result in higher turnover or more difficulties in attracting talent

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17
Q

3) New or revised laws and the decisions of courts and quasi-judicial bodies

A

for example, a raise in the minimum wage rate can inflate the cost of labour in an organization, therefore creating budgetary pressure to reduce labour expenses

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18
Q

4) Social concerns

A

such as healthcare, childcare, and educational priorities; for example, a trend toward securing higher education can reduce the size of the available external workforce in the short run, but in the longer run can result in retaining applicants with more specialized training

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19
Q

5) Technological changes

A

affecting processes, products, and people; for example, a new technology developed at a local university can be implemented in the organization and significantly reduce labour demands through automation of a previously labour-intensive process

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20
Q

6) Demographic trends

A

of an internal and external labour force; for example, if an organization is situated in a community largely inhabited by senior citizens, it may face difficulties securing a diverse or full-time workforce from the local area.

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21
Q

An element of HR planning that is often taken for granted is the availability and accuracy of information regarding the __________________

A

current HR situation.

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22
Q

Therefore, before embarking on an HR planning exercise, the _______________ must be assessed.

A

current HR levels

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23
Q

An ___________ can provide HR planners and managers with an understanding of the organizational structure, business units, and possible career paths.

A

organization chart

Organizational chart

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24
Q

An organization must ____________ (the number of employees and the skill sets needed in the future) and __________ (internal availability of workers).

A

forecast future HR demand

forecast future HR supply

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25
Q

Only after demand and supply is forecast can an organization identify potential ______________________, which leads to the development and implementation of plans to balance HR.

A

labour imbalance issues

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26
Q

Short-term and long-range HR demand forecasts only provide half of the staffing equation by answering the question, _________________________

A

“How many employees will we need?”

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27
Q

There are two sources of supply:

AKA how we will fill our wokers spots

A

1) Internal

2) External

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28
Q

1) Internal supply

A

present employees who can be trained, transferred, or promoted to meet anticipated needs

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29
Q

2) External supply

A

people in the labour market not currently working for the organization, including those who are employed elsewhere and those who are unemployed who can be expected to join the organization to meet anticipated needs.

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30
Q

Skills inventories BLUE Definition

A

Manual or computerized records - summarizing employees’ education, experience, interests, skills, and so on - that are used to identify internal candidates eligible for transfer or promotion

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31
Q

Management inventories BLUE definition

A

Records summarizing the qualifications, interest, and skills of management employees, along with the number and types of employees supervised, duties of such employees, total budget managed, previous managerial duties and responsibilities, and managerial training received

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32
Q

Replacement charts BLUE definition

A

Visual representations of who will replace whom in the event of a job opening. Likely internal candidates are listed, along with their age, present performance rating, and promotability status

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33
Q

Hiring freeze or attrition

From Class Lecture

A

Normal separation for various reasons

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34
Q

Early retirement buyout program

From Class Lecture

A

Accelerates attrition

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35
Q

Job sharing

From Class Lecture

A

Single position done by more than one employee

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36
Q

Work sharing

From Class Lecture

A

Work three / four days a week

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37
Q

Reduced workweek

From Class Lecture

A

Work fewer hours

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38
Q

Layoff

From Class Lecture

A

Temporary or permanent withdrawal of employment for economic or business reasons

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39
Q

Termination

From Class Lecture

A

Usually relates to job performance

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40
Q

Leave of absence

From Class Lecture

A

Period of time away from work; job will be guaranteed on return

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41
Q

Without _______ you have nothing

From Class Lecture

A

Trust

42
Q

______ is the bottom of the pyramid for the most important components of a team

From Class Lecture

A

Trust

43
Q

There is a direct correlation between the 13 psychosocial factors and _____

From Class Lecture

A

profit

44
Q

MIDTERM QUESTIONS

What are the five minority groups in Canada

A

Aboriginal
People with Disabilities
Women
Visible minorities

45
Q

Replacement summaries BLUE

A

Lists of likely replacements for reach position and their relative strengths and weaknesses, as well as information about current position, performance, promotability, age, and experince

46
Q

Succession planning BLUE

A

The process of ensuring a suitable supply of successors for current and future senior key jobs so that the careers of individuals can be effectively planned and managed

In short, the plans a company makes to fill its most important executive positions

47
Q

It should be noted that replacement charts, replacement summaries, and succession plans are considered highly _______ in most organizations

A

confidential

48
Q

Markov Analysis BLUE definition

A

Method of forecasting internal labour supply that involves tracking the pattern of employee movements through various jobs and developing a transitional probability matrix

An analysis shows the actual number (and percentage) of employees who remain in each job from one year to the next, as well as the proportion promoted, demoted, transferred, and leaving the organization.

49
Q

To project the supply of outside candidates, employers assess three conditions, what are they?

A

1) general economic conditions,
2) labour market conditions,
3) and occupational market conditions.

50
Q

General Economic Conditions

A

refer to the impact of natural fluctuations in economic activity, which impacts all businesses

These include factors such as interest rates, wage rates, rate of inflation, and unemployment rates

51
Q

2) labour market conditions,

A

Labour market conditions refer to the demographics of those in the population, such as education levels, age, gender, marital status, and so on.

Can be forecasted quite easily!

52
Q

3) and occupational market conditions

A

Organizations also generally want to forecast the availability of potential candidates in specific occupations (engineers, drill press operators, accountants, and so on) for which they will be recruiting

53
Q

A key component of_____ is forecasting the number and type of people needed to meet organizational objectives.

A

HRP

54
Q

In addition to this “basic requirement” for staff, several other factors should be considered, including

A

1) Projected turnover: as a result of resignations or terminations
2) Quality and nature of employees: in relation to what management sees as the changing needs of the organization
3) Decisions to upgrade: the quality of products or services or enter into new markets, which might change the required employee skill mix
4) Planned technological and administrative changes aimed at increasing productivity and reducing employee head count: such as the installation of new equipment or introduction of a financial incentive plan
5) Financial resources: available to each department; for example, a budget increase may enable managers to pay higher wages or hire more people; conversely, a budget crunch might result in wage freezes or layoffs.

55
Q

Quantitative techniques for determining human resources requirements include

A

trend analysis, ratio analysis, scatter plot analysis, and regression analysis

56
Q

Qualitative approaches to forecasting

A

range from sophisticated analytical models to informal expert opinions about future needs, often involving subjective interpretations or estimates, such as the nominal group technique or the Delphi technique.

57
Q

Trend Analysis BLUE

A

Involves studying the firm’s employment levels over the last three to five years to predict future needs

58
Q

Ratio analysis BLUE

A

Involves making forecasts based on the ratio between some causal factor (such as sales volume) and the number of employees required (for example, the number of salespeople)

59
Q

Scatter plots BLUE

A

Graphical measure used to help identify the relationship between two variables

60
Q

Regression Analysis BLUE

A

Statistical technique to determine the line of best fit, often involving multiple variables (rather than just two, as per the example earlier).

As a statistical tool used to investigate the effect of one variable on another, the investigator is able to determine the magnitude and direction of the relationship between variables to develop future predictions.

61
Q

Nominal Group Technique BLUE

A

A decision-making technique that involves a group of experts meeting face to face. Steps include independent idea generation, clarification and open discussion, and private assessment

62
Q

Steps for the Nominal group technique

A

1) Each member of the group independently writes down his or her ideas on the problem or issue (in this case, estimates demand of).
2) Going around the table, each member then presents one idea. No discussion is permitted
3) Clarification is then sought, as necessary, followed by group discussion and evaluation.
4) Finally, each member is asked to rank the ideas. This is done independently and in silence.

63
Q

Delphi Technique BLUE

A

A judgmental forecasting method used to arrive at a group decision, typically involving outside experts as well as organizational employees. Ideas are exchanged without face to face interaction and feedback is provided and used to fine tune independent judgments until a consensus is reached

64
Q

The Delphi technique involves the following steps:

A

1) The problem is identified (in this case, estimates of demand) and each group member is requested to submit a potential solution by completing a carefully designed questionnaire. Direct face-to-face contact is not permitted.
2) After each member independently and anonymously completes the initial questionnaire, the results are compiled at a centralized location.
3) Each group member is then given a copy of the results.
4) If there are differences in opinion, each individual uses the feedback from other experts to fine-tune his or her independent assessment.
5) The third and fourth steps are repeated as often as necessary until a consensus is reached.

65
Q

A staffing table BLUE

A

A pictorial representation of all jobs within the organization, along with the number of current incumbents and future employment requirements (monthly or yearly) for each

66
Q

Specific strategies must be formulated to balance supply and demand considerations. There are three possible scenarios:

A

1) projected labour demand matches projected labour supply (equilibrium)
2) projected labour supply exceeds projected demand (surplus)
3) projected labour demand exceeds projected supply (shortage)

67
Q

Labour Surplus

A

exists when the internal supply of employees exceeds the organization’s demand

68
Q

Hiring freeze BLUE

A

openings are filled by reassigning current employees and no outsiders are hired

69
Q

Attrition BLUE

A

normal separation of employees because of resignation, retirement, or death.

70
Q

Early retirement buyout programs BLUE

A

involves offering attractive buyout packages or the opportunity to retire on full pension with an attractive benefits package at a relatively early age (often 50 or 55)

71
Q

Job Sharing BLUE

A

dividing the duties of a single position between two or more employees

72
Q

Work-sharing

Work sharing BLUE

A

involves employees working three or four days a week and receiving employment insurance (EI) benefits on their nonworkday(s)

73
Q

Reduced workweek BLUE

A

Employees work fewer hours and receive less pay

74
Q

Layoff BLUE

A

the temporary or permanent withdrawal of employment to workers for economic or business reasons

75
Q

Termination BLUE

A

permanent separation of the worker from the organization

76
Q

Leave of absence BLUE

A

allows those who may be interested in time off for personal, educational, or other reasons to have a set period of time away from their position, with a guarantee that their job will be available upon their return

77
Q

Survivor syndrome BLUE

A

a range of emotions that can include feelings of betrayal or violation, guilt, or detachment. The remaining employees, anxious about the next round of terminations, often suffer stress symptoms, including depression, increased errors, and reduced performance.

78
Q

Supplemental unemployment benefits (SUBs)

A

a top-up of EI benefits to bring income levels of temporarily laid-off workers closer to their regular, on-the-job pay

79
Q

A severance package BLUE

A

A lump-sum payment, continuation of benefits for a specified period of time, or other benefits that are provided to employees who are being terminated

80
Q

Golden parachute clause

A

which is a guarantee by the employer to pay specified compensation and benefits in the case of termination because of downsizing or restructuring

81
Q

Outplacement assistance

A

can assist affected employees in finding employment elsewhere

82
Q

Labour Shortage

A

exists when the internal supply of human resources cannot meet the organization’s needs

Scheduling overtime hours is often the initial response

83
Q

Transfer BLUE

A

involves a lateral movement from one job to another that is relatively equal in pay, responsibility, or organizational level

84
Q

Promotion Blue

A

movement of an employee from one job to another that is higher in pay, responsibility, or organizational level

85
Q

Merit-based promotions

MIDTERM KNOW THIS

A

are awarded in recognition of a person’s outstanding performance in his or her present job or as an assessment of his or her future potential.

86
Q

From a practical point of view, according to the textbook, what should be considered first when forecasting the number and type of people needed to meet organizational objectives for a manufacturing firm?

QUIZ QUESTION

A

Sales

87
Q

With which of the following strategies for handling a labour surplus is the potential for a human rights violation most likely?

QUIZ QUESTION

A

Forcing early retirements

88
Q

Roslyn is the HR Manager at a small but successful app development company that is growing quickly. She is explaining the steps in human resources planning to the CEO and informs the CEO that projected openings can be filled with two major sources of supply. These sources are

QUIZ QUESTION

A

Internal and External

89
Q

Francis is the HR Manager of a growing transportation company. The economy is booming and unemployment rates are low. What will Francis face when he starts hiring workers?

QUIZ QUESTION

A

A smaller labour supply

90
Q

What do supplemental unemployment benefits do?

QUIZ QUESTION

A

Provide a top-up of employment insurance benefits

91
Q

You are the HR Manager of a company experiencing the loss of market share and declining profits. The CEO would like you to recommend a strategy for gradually reducing staff while avoiding involuntary turnover. Which of the following would be the best recommendation?

QUIZ QUESTION

A

Down sizing through ATTRITION

DO NOT CHOOSE Offering attractive early retirement packages

92
Q

A decision-making technique that involves experts meeting face to face and can also be used for HR forecasting is known as

QUIZ QUESTION

A

the nominal group technique.

93
Q

Anthony is a company’s HR Manager and he is helping the production department determine seasonal employment needs. Anthony tracks multiple variables and determines the line of best fit in order to predict future employment levels. Which forecasting method is Anthony using?

QUIZ QUESTION

A

Regression Analysis

94
Q

A Markov analysis tracks an employee’s previous career movements prior to joining a company.

QUIZ QUESTION

A

FALSE

95
Q

Which of the following HR strategies will cost a company a great deal of money up front?

QUIZ QUESTION

A

Offering early retirement packages

96
Q

The drawbacks of which forecasting technique include the time and costs involved as well as the potential difficulty in integrating diverse opinions?

QUIZ QUESTION

A

Delphi Technique

97
Q

The guarantee by the employer to pay specified compensation and benefits to executives in the case of termination due to downsizing or restructuring is known as

QUIZ QUESTION

A

Golden Parachute

98
Q

According to the textbook, the initial response to a labour shortage is often

QUIZ QUESTION

A

Scheduling Overtime hours

99
Q

Regression analysis determines the line of best fit and often involves multiple variables.

QUIZ QUESTION

A

TRUE

100
Q

General economic conditions refer to

QUIZ QUESTION

A

the impact of fluctuations in economic activity.