VOCABULARY Flashcards
Human resources management
integrated set of processes, practices, programs, systems in an organization that focuses on effective deployment + development of employees
Globalization
moving local or regional businesses into global marketplace
Downsizing
planned elimination of jobs
Outsourcing
contract from outside organization for work formerly done by internal employees
Contractor
person hired on contract to perform specific job (not considered part of employee base)
Telecommuting
conduct work activities in different locations by using technology
Six Sigma
process used to translate customer needs into set of optimal tasks performed in concert with one another
Lean
Organizational system of improvements that maximize customer value, minimize waste
Benchmarking
find best practices in other organizations that can be brought in to enhance performance
Human capital
individual’s knowledge, skills, abilities = economic value to organization
Core competencies
combination of knowledge, skills, characteristics needed to perform role in organization
Talent management
leveraging competencies to achieve high organizational performance
Culture
consistent observable pattern of behaviours in organization
HR management strategy
identifying key HR processes and linking to overall business strategy
Systemic discrimination
exclusion of members of certain groups through application of employment policies or practices based on non-job related criteria
Bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ)
justifiable reason for discrimination based on business reasons of safety/effectiveness
Reasonable accomodation
attempt by employers to adjust working conditions/practices to prevent discrimination
reverse discrimination
giving preference to members of certain groups such that others feel they are the subjects of discrimination
harassment
any unwanted physical/verbal behaviour that offends/humiliates
psychological harassment
repeated aggravating behaviour that affects an employee’s dignity, psychological, physical integrity and results in harmful work environment
Employment equity
Canadian process for achieving equality in all aspects of employment
Designated groups
women, visible minorities, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities; have been disadvantaged in employment
pay equity
practice of equal pay for work of equal value
Diversity management
combination of organizational policies/practices that support + encourage employee differences in order to reach business objectives
Inclusion
putting the concept of diversity into action
Ethics
set of standards of conduct + moral judgments that help determine right vs wrong behaviour
Whistleblowing
reporting unethical behaviour to outside the organization
employee engagement
amount of commitment/dedication employee has toward organization
occupational injury
cut/fracture/sprain/amputation from workplace accident
occupational illness
abnormal condition or disorder from exposure to environmental factors in workplace
industrial disease
disease from exposure relating to specific process/trade/industry
material safety data sheet (MSDS)
document with vital info about hazardous substances
cumulative trauma disorders
injuries involving tendons (fingers/hands/arms), inflamed from repeated stresses/strains
cyber bullying
bullying through communication technology/information
stress
adaptive demand caused by physical, mental, emotional factors -> require coping behaviour
workplace stressor
workplace event/process/practice that has potential to cause worker stress
disability management
integrated approach to managing disability-related benefits
employee-assistance program (EAP)
program to provide short-term counselling/referrals to appropriate professionals
Job
group of related activities + duties
Position
specific duties/responsibilities performed by only 1 employee
Work
tasks/activities that need to be completed
Role
part played by employee within organization and the associated expected behaviours
Job incumbent
employee hired to do a job
Job analysis
process of obtaining info about jobs by determining the duties, tasks, activities, KSA associated with the job
Job description
document listing tasks/duties/responsibilities of job to be performed, + KSAs and competencies needed to perform that work
Job specifications
statement of needed KSAs of the person who is to perform the job
Standards of performance (SOP)
set out expected results of the job
Job design
process of defining/organizing tasks, roles, other processes to achieve employee goals + organizational effectiveness
Job characteristics model
approach to job design that recognizes link between motivational factors and components of the job to achieve improved work performance + job satisfaction
skill variety + task significance + task identity + autonomy + feedback
=> experiences meaningfulness, responsibility, knowledge of results -> motivation/satisfaction
employee empowerment
granting employees power to initiate change, encouraging them to take charge of what they do
employee teams
employee-contributions technique in which work functions are structured for groups (not individuals); team members are given discretion in matters normally done by management (process improvements, product development, individual work assignment)
virtual team
widely dispersed members linked through computer/other technology
HR planning
process to ensure organization has people available with the right competencies, and that they are effectively utilized in the right areas for the company to reach its objectives
Trend analysis
quantitative approach to forecasting labour demand on organizational index
management forecasts
opinions/judgments of supervisors + others knowledgeable about organization’s future employment needs
staffing table
graph representation of organizational jobs + # of employees currently occupying those jobs + future employment needs
markov analysis
method for tracking pattern of employee movements through various jobs
skills inventory
info about the education, experiences, skills, etc of staff
recruitment
process of locating/encouraging people to apply for jobs
employment branding
organization’s reputation as an employer
internal job posting
method of communicating info about job openings to within the company (recruit from within)
labour market
area from which applicants are recruited
selection
process of choosing individuals who have relevant qualifications and will best perform on the job to fill existing or projected job openings
reliability
degree to which the selection procedures yield comparable data over time
validity
how well the selection procedure measures their suitability for the job
panel interview
board of interviewers question a single candidate
behavioural description interview (BDI)
question about what they did in a given situation
situational question
hypothetical incident, asked how they would respond to it
aptitude test
measure capacity to learn/acquire skills
achievement test
measure of what is known/can be done right now
orientation
formal process of familiarizing new hires with organization, their jobs, work unit; critical to socialization embed organizational values/beliefs/behaviours)
training
acquisition of skills, behaviours, abilities to perform current work
development
acquisition of skills, behaviours, abilities to perform future work/solve organizational problem
instructional objectives
desired outcomes of training program
trainee readiness
consideration of trainee’s maturity/experience when assessing them
behaviour modification
technique: if behaviour is rewarded -> exhibited more frequently in future
on-the-job training
employees given hands-on experience with instruction from supervisor/other trainer
apprenticeship training
worker entering skilled trade is given thorough instruction/experience (on and off the job)
co-operative training
program that combines practical job experience + formal education
internship program
program jointly sponsored by college/universities that offer students opportunity to gain real-life experience, allow them to see how they perform in work organization
E-learning
learning through electronic media
transfer of training
application of principles learned to what is required on job
benchmarking (training)
measure one’s own services/practices against recognized leaders to identify areas for improvement
transfer
place individual in another job for which duties/responsibilities/status/pay are approx. equal to those of previous job
promotion
change of assignment to a job at higher level in organization
mentors
managers who coach/advise/encourage less experienced employees
performance management system
set of integrated management practices
manager/supervisor review
performance review done by employer’s supervisor
self-review
performance review done by employee being assessed (fill out form)
subordinate review
performance review of supervisor by employee, for developmental purposes
peer review
performance reviews done by one’s fellow employees (forms -> compiled)
team review
performance review based on total quality management (TQM) concepts, recognize team accomplishment instead of individual performance
customer input
performance review based on total quality management (TQM) concepts, seeks info from external/internal customers
graphic rating scale
trait approach to performance review, employee rated according to scale of characteristics
behaviourally anchored rating scale (BARS)
behavioural approach to performance review, series of vertical scales (one for each important dimension of job performance
Balanced scorecard
measurement framework that helps managers translate strategic goals into operational objectives (evolved from the Management by Objectives system)
list key results, measurement method, goal, and by when (timeline)
Direct compensation
wages/salaries, incentives, bonuses, commissions
Indirect compensation
rewards other than direct compensation (extended health/dental plans, other programs and plans)
Total rewards
everything that the employee feels is of value in the employment relationship
Equitable compensation
compensation received is perceived to be equal to the value of the work performed
pay-for-performance standard
standard by which managers tie direct compensation to employee or organizational effort and performance - variable pay based on performance (bonuses, commissions)
hourly work
work paid on hourly basis
piecework
work paid according to # units produced
job evaluation
systemic process of determining the relative worth of jobs in the organization, in order to establish which jobs should be paid more
consumer price index (CPI)
measure of average change in consumer prices over time in a fixed ‘market basket’ of goods and services
(broad measure of cost of living)
real wages
wage increases larger than rises in CPI - the real earning power of wages
wage and salary survey
survey of wages paid to employees of other employers in that specific labour market
pay grades
groups of jobs within a particular class that are paid the same rate or rate range
competency-based pay
pay based on how many capabilities employees have or how many jobs they can perform
eldercare
care provided to an elderly relative by employee who remains active at work (similar to childcare but for elders)
employee rights
expectations of fair treatment from employers
negligence
failure to provide reasonable care that results in injury to consumers/other employees
statutory rights
rights deriving from legislation
contractual rights
rights deriving from contracts
due process
employee’s right to a fair process in making a decision related to employment relationship
discipline
- treatment that punishes
- orderly behaviour in organizational setting
- training that molds/strengthens desirable conduct, correct undesirable conduct, develops self control
progressive discipline
application of corrective measures by increasing degrees (severity)
positive (nonpunitive) discipline
system that focuses on early correction of misconduct, with employee taking total responsibility for correcting the problem
wrongful dismissal
terminating an employee’s employment without just cause
constructive dismissal
changing employee’s working conditions such that compensation, status, or prestige is reduced
alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
different types of employee complaint or dispute resolution procedures
Mediation
use of impartial 3rd parth to help facilitate resolution to employment disputes
step-review system
system for reviewing employee complains and disputes by successively higher levels of management
hearing officer
person with full-time position in organization but assumes neutral role when deciding cases between management and aggrieved employees
open-door policy
policy of settling grievances that identifies various levels of management above immediate supervisor for employee to contact
ombudsperson
designated individual from whom employees may seek counsel for resolution of their complaints
labour relations process
- workers desire collective representation
- union begins organizing campaign
- collective negotiations lead to contract
- contract is administered
union shop
provision of collective agreement that requires employees to join the union as a condition of their employment
closed shop
provision of collective agreement that requires employers to only hire union members
open shop
provision of collective agreement that allows employees to join/not join union
membership card
statement signed by employee authorizing a union to act as a representative of the employee for purposes of collective bargaining
bargaining unit
2+ employees who share common employment interests/conditions and can be grouped together for collective bargaining
unfair labour practices
specific employer and union illegal practices that operate to deny employees their rights and benefits under labour law
union certification
acquisition of exclusive rights by union to represent the employees
management rights
decisions regarding organizational operations over which management claims exclusive rights
union (shop) steward
employee (unpaid union official) represents interests of members in relations with management
business agent
paid labour official responsible for negotiating/administering collective agreement and working to resolve union members’ problems
interest-based bargaining
problem-solving bargaining based on win-win philosophy and development of a positive long term relationship
strike
unionized workers refuse to perform their work during labour negotiations
lockout
employer denying employees opportunity to work by closing operations
mediator (labour relations)
3rd party in labour dispute, meet with parties 1 at a time to suggest compromise solutions and recommend concessions that will lead to agreement
arbitrator (labour relations)
3rd party neutral who resolves labour dispute by issuing a final binding decision in an agreement
interest arbitration
mechanism to renew/establish new collective agreement
rights arbitration
mechanism to resolve disputes about interpretation/application of collective agreement during the term of that collective agreement
residual rights
concept that management’s authority is supreme in all matters except those it has expressly conceded to the union in the collective agreement
defined rights
concept that management’s authority should be expressly defined and clarified in collective agreement
grievance procedure (labour relations)
formal procedure that provides union a way to process complaint that something in collective agreement has been violated
grievance resolution
process in which a neutral 3rd party assists in resolution of employee grievance (arbitrator, board, or panel hears case)
arbitration award
final and binding award issued by arbitrator in labour-management dispute