Organization Part Two Flashcards
What is employee relations as opposed to industrial or labor relations?
- Employer-employee relationships marked by trust; often adversarial relationship between management and unions
When working in a global company, what must be communicated effectively cross-culturally?
- Employer’s legal rights such as ownership of intellectual property
What is the voluntary standards signed by 10,000 corporations and stakeholders from 130 countries?
- UN Global Compact
Which UN agency’s standards form the basis of many countries’ labor laws and is premised on four strategic objectives: organizing protection, slave labor, child labor, and anti-discrimination?
- ILO
(International Labor Organization)
What entity created a non-binding ethic code for multinational enterprises?
- OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development)
What entity purports to open trade and resolve trade disputes and whose members commit to freedom of association, no forced labor, no child and no discrimination at work?
WTO (World Trade Organization)
Since some nations’ laws would allow business practices that could violate international standards, what should an HR professional do if his company is tempted to take advantage?
- Remind upper management not to subordinate workers’ rights of safety and sustenance to short-term gain
What are some terms and conditions of employment about which some countries’ laws restrict management’s discretion to make decisions?
- Privacy, separation (RIF reduction in force), independent contractors, pregnancy, employment contractors (must be formally amended and are preferable to implied contracts)
What should you do to avoid legal difficulties about independent contractors?
- Hire outright or lease from another employer and /or conduct audits
Why might a company want a union?
- To deal with complex employees and lower resistance to change
What are the likely affects of even a collaborative relationship with a union?
- Less conflict but less management flexibility, higher labor costs, and longer decision-making
What can a company do to try to remain union free?
- Communicate a non-union policy before a unionizing campaign begins and promote employee involvement and perceived fairness
Why might global companies not be able to have fully standardized policies
- Legal compliance and cultural adaptations
What is sustainability?
- The ability to meet present needs without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their needs; triple bottom line of profit, people, planet
Describe the three components of a sustainable work environment’s EI strategies. What must be communicated if employees are going to participate meaningfully?
- Suggestion improvement (quality circles, safety committees, EPG{employee participation groups}
Job involvement (self-managed teams) High involvement (employees on management committees)
For employees to participate meaningfully, organizational goals must be communicated
What two principles must be remembered about recognition and rewards?
- Rewards must be linked to goals and not have unwanted consequences. Rewards must be of appropriate value and tailored to the individual’s culture
How can feedback’s effectiveness be affected by cultural differences?
- High/low status
- Specific/holistic
- High/low tolerance for ambiguity
- Individualism vs. collectivism
How can HR insist that feedback be a two-way communication?
- Hold managers accountable in their performance evaluations for employee relations strategies.
How have unions responded to globalization?
- Coordination across borders
What entities in Europe facilitate information sharing and consultation?
- Work councils
What is the two-tiered corporate governance structure that can have both management and employees participate in strategic decision-making?
What is called when a government intervenes directly in employee rights negotiations?
- Co-determination
* Tripartite
How must parties negotiate to write the collective bargaining agreement?
- In good faith =open mind and with a real desire to come to agreement
What is the best way to avoid grievances?
- Communicate proactively and clearly
What is the British term for strikes,boycotts, and picketing?
- Industrial actions
What is HR’s role with regard to ULPs (unfair labor practices)?
- Teach managers to avoid ULPs
Why must conflict in the workplace be managed?
- To sustain trust among all employees
What is HR’s role with regard to workplace retaliation?
- Create and train on a strong policy of anti-retaliation, investigate and take action if necessary
What should be HR’s position regarding investigations?
- Ensure confidentiality to the extent possible
What are discipline, due process, and constructive/progressive discipline?
- Train (corrective rather than punishment)
* Knowing what is expected and opportunity to explain and appeal; increasingly severe penalties
Why must HR have an understanding of IT?
- It helps achieve HR goals and enables better decision-making
What is the difference between IM(information management) and KM(knowledge management)?
- IM=use of technology to ensure information is an organizational resource “collaborative brainpower” (what data is needed and how much transparency)
KM=sharing knowledge specifically lessons learned and organizational knowledge (learning organization)
What were the precursors to SaaS(software as a service) and why is SaaS generally preferable?
- ASPs(application service providers) that provide license; cheaper for updates
What advantage does cloud computing provide?
Facilities more diversified yet customized experience
When outsourcing technology service, what must be done?
- Service-level agreement (SLA) must spell out deliverables and privacy assurances
What are measures,metrics, and analytics and what are there purpose?
- Data point; relationship of two or more measures, trends that provide insight to solutions; provide leaders with actionable information
What is HR’s role regarding metrics?
- Teaches, reports, interprets, and creates programs
What are the dangers if metrics focus too much on activities or too much on outcomes?
- Too much on activities could result in misalignment and wasted time.
- Too much on outcomes could lead to ethical problem of ends justifying the means.
Start with core activities followed by outcome metrics
What is a standard?
- Consistent, minimal guidelines ensuring that services are “fit for their purpose.”
What is big data and why is it important?
High volume, high speed, high variety of information that allows for enhanced insight and more informed decision-making
What should be considered when selecting technology and who should be involved?
- Flexibility, scalability, security, usability, extensibility; all stakeholders should be involved
What is the advantage of continuous integration
(“waterfall “) over “Big Bang” approach of implementation?
- Leas risky to evolve
What is the primary advantage of an integrated solution and what is the primary advantage of a BoB (best of breed) solution?
- Single platform and less training vs. best of breed allows tailored solutions, best, and flexibility
What is the best way to manage the risk of collaboration within the organization and the use of social media outside the organization?
- Clear policies that are updated and approved, current version of which is posted on website.
