HRM and Diversity

Question 1

Define Human Resource Management

Answer 1

Defined as the process of finding, developing and keeping the right people to form a qualified workplace.
All employment in Australia is a legal contract of employment.

Question 2

Explain the Fair Work Commission

Answer 2

Tribunal that oversees the enforcement of employment standards.
Sets the minimum wage
Endorses enterprise bargaining agreements (EBA)
Approves NES minimum employment standards
Hears unfair dismissals.

Question 3

Explain the Fair Work Ombudsman

Answer 3

Has an education and mediation role in the operation of modern awards.
It enforces the compliance of awards and agreements.
It also provides advice and education to employees and employers.

Question 4

Anti-Discrimination Law

Answer 4

Human rights laws apply to discrimination and breaches of human rights in employment. These are administered by the human rights commission.

Question 5

HRM Process: Recruiting

Answer 5

Process of developing a pool of qualified job applicants. This is ‘developing’ a pool which differs from the actual hiring process.

Question 6

HRM Process: Job Analysis

Answer 6

A purposeful and systematic process for collecting information on the important work-related aspects of a job.
Collects information such as work activities, tools & equipment, working conditions and personal requirements.
The process results in ‘job descriptions’ and ‘job specifications’.
Companies must undertake a job analysis before they begin recruiting.
They are then used throughout the hiring process to match applicants and the requirements of the job.

Question 7

Job Description

Answer 7

Written description of the basic tasks, duties and responsibilities requires of an employee holding a particular job

Question 8

Job Specification

Answer 8

A written summary of the qualifications needed to successfully perform a particular job.

Question 9

HRM Process: Internal Recruiting

Answer 9

Developing the pool of applicants from people that already work within the company.
Reduces start up costs due to the familiarity with the organisation.
Job posting is a procedure in which a job is advertised to existing employees.
A career path is a planned progression of jobs that employed can progress within an organisation. These can help employees to focus on long term goals.

Question 10

HRM Process: External Recruiting

Answer 10

Process of recruiting a pool of qualified applicants from outside the organisation.
Growing trend is to use professional websites (Linkedin) and employment websites (seek.com).

Question 11

HRM Process: Selection

Answer 11

Selection is the process of gathering information about job applicants to decide who should be offered a job.

Question 12

HRM Process: Validation

Answer 12

The process that determines how a procedure predicts a future job performance. The more accurate the prediction of future job performance, the more valid a test is said to be.

Question 13

Define Selection Tests

Answer 13

Testing related either directly or indirectly to determine is an applicant will do well in a position.

Question 14

Selection Tests: Specific Ability Tests

Answer 14

Measure the extent to which an applicant possesses the particular kind of ability to do a job well.

Question 15

Selection Tests: Cognitive Ability Tests

Answer 15

Measure the extent to which applicants have abilities in speed, verbal comprehension, numerical aptitude and general reasoning. Used to predict job performance in almost all kids of jobs.

Question 16

Selection Tests: Psychological Tests

Answer 16

○ Test that measures the psychological make-up of a candidate and their readiness to undertake the job.
○ Best used in combination with another tests.
○ Help to determine if a candidate obtains the personality and attributes requires for a position.
These tests are seen as objective, valid and cost - effective.

Question 17

Selection Tests: Work Sample Tests

Answer 17

A test that requires applicants to perform tasks that are actually done on the job.
○ This is a direct performance predictor, however they can be deemed expensive to an employer.

Question 18

Define Interviews

Answer 18

Interviews are conducted in which members of the hiring organisations will ask job-related questions to a candidate.
Interviews allow for interpersonal skills to be assessed.

Question 19

What are unstructured interviews

Answer 19

Interviewers are free to ask applicants anything they want.

Question 20

What are structured interviews

Answer 20

○ A interview in which the questions that are asked are the same set of standardised questions, usually including situational, behaviour and job-knowledge questions.
Advantage to this is that it is easier to compare applicants as they are all asked the same questions.

Question 21

What are semi structured interviews

Answer 21

○ A structured interview, but time is set for unstructured questions

Question 22

HRM Process Training:

Answer 22

Developing skills and knowledge employees need to perform their jobs or improve their performance.

Determining training Needs:
○ Needs assessment is the process of identifying and prioritising the learning needs of employees.
○ Training should never be conducted without an assessment being conducted first.

Training Methods:
○ When choosing a training method it should be considered how many people you are training, the cost and the objectives of training.
○ E-learning is an emerging form of training. An advantage is that employees do not need to leave their jobs and can choose a time when convenient. However it may not always be appropriate and requires an investment in computers.

Evaluating Training:
○ It is important to evaluate training through reactions, learning, behaviour and results.

Question 23

HRM Process: Performance Appraisal

Answer 23

Process of assessing how well employees are doing their jobs.
They are used for making administrative decisions, providing feedback for staff, evaluating HR programs and for documentation.
Employees often question the accuracy of their appraisal. Therefore objective performance measures are put in place that are easily and directly counted or quantified.
When objective tests are not available then subjective tests have to be used instead.
The behavioural observation scale is a rating scale that indicates the frequency which a worker performs specific behaviours that represent the job dimensions that are essential for success.
Rater training involves training performance-appraisal raters in how to avoid rating errors to increase accuracy.

Question 24

HRM Process: Sharing Performance Feedback

Answer 24

Employees and managers alike can often become defensive when giving and receiving feedback.
The 360 degree feedback system is in which feedback is obtained from four difference sources. The employee’s boos, subordinates, peers and the employee themselves.
It is very important what the employee does with the feedback.

Question 25

HRM Process: Compensation and Renumeration

Answer 25

Compensation includes both financial and non-financial rewards that employees are given in exchange for work.
Employee separation is the voluntary or involuntary loss of an employee.
Involuntary separation occurs when employers decide to terminate or lay off employees.
Voluntary separation occurs when employees decide to quit or retire.

Question 26

HRM Process: Termination

Answer 26

Employees should only be fired for a good reason.
Dismissal must have a job-related reason for termination.
Employees are protected against unlawful dismissal under the Fair Work Act.

Question 27

Downsizing and Retirement

Answer 27

Downsizing is the planned elimination of jobs and occurs due to cost-cutting and outsourcing.
Retirement is the withdrawal from an active working life.
An early retirement incentive program offer financial benefits to encourage early retirement.
Phased retirement is a transition to retirement by working reduced hours over a period of time before fully retiring.

Question 28

Employee Turnover

Answer 28

The loss of employees who voluntarily leave the organisation.
A function turnover is when bad workers choose to leave the company, whereas a dysfunctional turnover is the loss of good workers who choose to leave the company.

Question 29

Define Diversity

Answer 29

Diversity exists in organisations when there is a variety of demographic, cultural and personal difference among their employees and customers.

Question 30

Define Discrimination

Answer 30

Discrimination is treating people differently due to a certain attribute. Many forms of discrimination are illegal

Question 31

Explain Surface Level Diversity

Answer 31

Surface level diversity is those that are immediately observable such as age, gender, race/ethnicity and disabilities.
These factors are often used to form initial impressions and categorisations, sometimes this behaviour can lead to discrimination.
To reduce this discrimination companies can train their managers to make hiring and promotion decisions on the basis of specific criteria.

Question 32

Explain Deep Level Diversity

Answer 32

Deep level diversity consists of dispositional personality differences that can be learned only through extended interaction with others.

Question 33

Define a personality

Answer 33

A personality is the relatively stable set of behaviour attitudes and emotions displaced over time that makes people different from each other .

Question 34

What are the five basic dimensions of a personalirty

Answer 34

Extraversion
Emotional Stability
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness
Openness to Experience

Question 35

Define Social Integration

Answer 35

The degree to which group members are psychologically attracted to working with each other to accomplish a common objective.

Question 36

Diversity Paradigms: Diversity and Fairness

Answer 36

Discrimination and fairness focuses on equal opportunity, fair treatment and strict compliance with the equal employment opportunity laws.

Question 37

Diversity Paradigms: Access and Legitimacy

Answer 37

Access and legitimacy focuses on the acceptance and celebration of differences to make sure that the diversity in the company matches that of its primary stakeholders i.e. customers.

Question 38

Diversity Paradigms: Learning and Effectiveness

Answer 38

Learning and effectiveness focuses on integrating deep-level diversity differences such as personality and attitudes into the actual work of the organisation.

Question 39

How to Establish a Diversity Paradigm

Answer 39

Organisational plurality is when each person is empowered and respected.

Learning and effectiveness is when is it understood differences and resulting learning and challenges.

Organisational culture must stimulate and encourage high standards and tolerance. It is also must support constructive conflict on work related matters.

The organisation makes workers feel valued, has a well understood mission and has a non-bureaucratic business structure.

Question 40

Diversity Principles

Answer 40

Carefully and faithfully follow and enforce all equal employment opportunity laws.
Treat group differences as importance, but not special.
Give opportunities to individuals, not groups.
Give negatives and positive feedback.
Set high but achievable goals.