Final Exam Flashcards
1
Q
What are some supports for the survivors of downsizing?
A
- set vision for the future (how is firm going to turn things around?)
- ongoing career planning and development
- training for new job duties
- adjust compensation (to avoid dissatisfaction and compensate for new tasks)
- two way communication
- employee surveys
- employee assurance programs (counselling)
2
Q
Shortage strategies (external)?
A
- outsource
- temp staff
- expand recruitment channels and sources
- hiring bonuses
- improve compensation
- non traditional labour (group not traditionally employed position could have skills)
3
Q
Shortage strategies (internal)?
A
- OT
- referral bonuses
- transfer and reassignments
- postpone retirements
- improve compensation
4
Q
How to calculate 4/5 rule?
A
- calculate % of designated group/ relative comparison group (ex. Women/ men)
- calculate % of designated group in labour force for the position (ex. % of women in labour force)
- use % of designated group in labour force to see how many should be in position (total of employees in the position x % women in labour force)
- % of designated group in firm/ expected number of designated group based on labour force.
- if less 4/5 (about 80%), then test is adverse to designated group
5
Q
What are the main points of employment equity?
A
- take action to make sure workforce matches Canadian diversity
- remove barriers that prevent this (systemic, bias, active etc)
- target designate groups (federal designated groups)
6
Q
Who do employment equity regulations apply to?
A
- federal government employees
- federally regulated employers and crown corporations with 100 or more employees
- federal contractors
- provincially regulated employers with a 100 or more employees who wish to bid on contracts (greater than $1 million)
7
Q
What are the Employment equity steps a company can take?
A
- Review HR policies and practices to remove potential barriers
- Survey internal workforce to determine designated group rep
- Collect labour market data
- Compare steps 2 and 3, use 4/5 rule to determine if there is significant under representation
- Set goals and timeline to close any gaps
8
Q
What are the steps for recruiting?
A
- Identify vacancies through turnover and HRP
- Identify sources of recruits (internal and external)
- Identify recruiting channels
- Screen applicants
- Evaluate effectiveness of recruiting measures
9
Q
Name some recruiting channels
A
Online/ social media
Print media
Private search firms
Employee referrals
Educational institutions
Professional associations
Job fairs
10
Q
What are some possible constraints on recruiting?
A
- promote from within policy
- employment status policies (FT, PT, temp)
- compensation policy
- culture of the org
- union contract clauses
- employment equity policy
- budget
- immigration policy
11
Q
What do regulators consider when an employer hires foreign workers?
A
- if job offer is genuine
- wages and working conditions compared to what a Canadian is offered
- were reasonable steps taken to hire a Canadian?
- hiring will not affect a labour dispute
- brining in new skills or knowledge?
12
Q
When hiring temporary foreign workers, employers must apply for a _____ and show what?
A
Labour Market Impact Statement (LMIA)
- # of Canadians who applied and were interviewed
- why no Canadian qualified
- no Canadians were laid off or had hours reduced
- caps on low paid TFW
- there is less than 6% unemployment rate in the region
13
Q
What are some of the top recruiting methods and why?
A
- online job board (24/7 receiving, global reach, low cost, contains lots of info)
- personal contact/ referrals (have an accurate description of the company, like minded people, likely already vetted by a current employee)
- social media (better for younger applicant attraction)
14
Q
What is gamification?
A
Applicants play games that assess their fit for the position
15
Q
What are some consequences of hiring a bad employee?
A
- economic cost: of recruiting, hiring, employing, termination and then starting over
- opportunity cost: to recruit a good employee
- time cost: time it takes for the hiring and then rehiring process
16
Q
What is “validity” of selection techniques?
A
- does it measure the skill?
- does it measure how well someone will do the job?
17
Q
What is “reliability” of selection techniques?
A
Consistency of results over time
18
Q
What is predictive validity?
A
Validation study predicts certain behaviours that are related to the job
19
Q
What is concurrent validity?
A
A test administered to current employees correlates test prediction to actual performance
20
Q
What is content validity?
A
Test includes simple tasks necessary to do job
21
Q
What is construct validity?
A
Tests for characteristics, aptitudes necessary for the job (ex. Dexterity, clerical aptitude, intelligence)
22
Q
What is a good validity coefficient?
A
> 0.35
23
Q
What is a good reliability coefficient?
A
> 0.7
24
Q
What are common interview errors?
A
- premature judgment
- appearance of candidate
- focus on negative info
- similarity effect (favour candidates similar to ourselves)
- contrast effect (compare candidates to candidates instead of candidate to job)
- halo/ horns effect (a single good or bad action distorts judgement of candidate)
- poor recall (have trouble recalling candidate)
- stereotyping
- order of interviews (strong impression of first and last candidates, middle gets lost without proper recording)
- poor questions (off topic, leading)
25
What are some ways to overcome interview errors?
- more than one interviewer/ panel interviews
- structure (standardize questions and rating system)
- record
- consider timing (length and the human fatigue factor for later interviews)
- base questions on job analysis
- limit access to other info before interview (to avoid premature judgement)
- rate immediately after interview
- check references to confirm assertions of interviewee
26
Types of interview questions to include
- biographical facts
- technical knowledge
- experience/ activity descriptions
- self-evaluate info: goals, attitudes, philosophy
- situational questions
- behavioural description questions
27
What are the big 5 traits of personality?
- conscientiousness (hardworking, dependable, self directed)
- extraversion (sociable, outgoing)
- agreeableness ( considerate, compassionate, willing to work with others)
- emotional stability (calm, handles stress)
- openness to experience (creative, innovative, originality)
28
Cognitive ability elements? Valid for which jobs?
- verbal ability
- numerical
- reasonable ability (invent solutions)
- deductive ability (logic)
- spatial ability (manipulate objects in space)
- perceptual ability (recognizing detail)
- memory
Most valid for professional, skilled trades, and sales representatives
29
What are the 5 steps when it comes to training?
1. Preparation (difficult situations, working conditions)
2. Explanation
3. Demonstration
4. Participation
5. Evaluation
30
What is ROI and how do you calculate it?
Return on investment
= (gain from investment - cost of investment)/ cost of investment
31
What HR decisions can perform appraisals be used for?
- promotions
- compensation
- succession planning
- demotions
- lay offs/ terminations
- training and development
- job analysis and job design
- recruiting and selection
- validation of BFORs
32
What are some common performance rater errors?
- recency (base on most recent performance)
- leniency (tend to rate too high)
- severity (tend to rate too low)
- central tendency (tend to rate everyone average)
- halo/ horns (base on single observed performance)
- contrast effect ( compare workers to workers, instead of worker to the job)
- attribution (situational vs disposition )
33
Factors when considering a performance appraisal format
-Objective
-Job related criteria
-Cost of development
-Cost of use
-Ease of use
-Feedback (for counselling and improving performance)
- info for HR decisions (is info gathered accurate enough to support HR Decisions?)
34
What is BARS and what are the pros and cons of using it?
Behaviourally anchored rating scale - identity critical incidents and what a good, average, and poor employee would do
-pros: likely to be objective
- cons: responses will not always fit, large time cost
35
What is BOS and what are the pros and cons?
Behavioural observation scale - frequency of behaviour in specific critical incidents
Pros:
Cons: hard to measure frequency unless a system is in place to do so
36
What are critical incidents and what are the pros and cons of using them?
Employer identifies examples of good and bad behaviour in certain incidents
-pros:
- cons: vulnerable to decency bias, remember only the really good or bad
37
What are cascading goals?
Goals flow from the top to the bottom based on firms overall objectives
-organizational (ex profit, sales)
- departmental (ex productivity, wastage)
- individual (ex production, sales, goals)
38
What are SMART goals (for deciding objectives)?
-Specific action
-Measurable result
-Achievable
-Related (to most important job requirements)
- time frame for completion
39
What are some techniques to make performance appraisal more accurate?
- train raters in use
- developed a standardized rating system
- ratings used for counselling not rewards
- ratings confidential
- do regularly
- avoid during busy periods
- raters should observe employees on a regular basis
- establish an appeal mechanism
- raters held accountable
40
What are the impacts of unions on staffing?
- recruiting (shop clauses)
- selection
- terminations (limit to for just cause)
- lay offs (usually use seniority for decision)
- demotions, bumping rights, promotions
- transfers, change of shift (usually require advance notice to avoid constructive dismissal)
- contracting out (outsourcing; is limited)
41
What are the three shop clauses for hiring in a union environment?
- closed: can only accept union members as employees
- union: must join union upon employment
- agency: don’t have to join union but must pay union dues
42
What are possible restrictions on outsourcing under a union?
-Not allowed if results in lay offs
- only if insufficient skills exist in company
- only contract to another unionized firm
- not if staff are laid off as result of outside forces (ie laid off staff have the skills they are outsourcing )
43
What are bumping rights?
When lay offs take place, a more senior employee can “bump” a junior employee from a lower paid position, and continue until the most junior employee is laid off
44
Types of seniority clauses (for promotion or filling vacancies)
- straight seniority: only considers basis of seniority (rare to use for promotions)
- hybrid clause: equally weigh seniority, ability, and qualification
- relative ability: weigh ability and qualifications, when two employees are equal, seniority is the tie breaker
- sufficient ability: clear a bar of ability and qualification (ie there is a minimum), at which point seniority rules
