Workforce Management Strategies

Question 1

What is another name for “Flexible Staffing Alternatives”?

Answer 1

Alternative Staffing

Question 2

What is Alternative Staffing?

Answer 2

The use of alternative recruiting sources and workers who are not regular employees.

Question 3

Give four examples where flexible staffing alternatives are appropriate:

Answer 3

1. Special projects that demand specific skills
2. Operational upturns and downturns that make permanent headcount impractical.
3. Seasonal peak demands for operations.
4. Shortages of available workers for open positions.

Question 4

Name at least three or more types of flexible staffing administration by the organization:

Answer 4

Temporary assignments, temporary employees, remote workers, interns, on-call workers, part-time employees, job sharing, seasonal workers, or phased retirement.

Question 5

Name three types of flexible staffing administration that are outsourced:

Answer 5

Finite temporary help, temp-to-hire programs, contract workers.

Question 6

Employees hired to work on a specified job to supplement the regular workforce on a short-term basis or for a specific period of time.

Answer 6

Temporary Assignments

Question 7

Employees hired to work directly on the organization’s payroll on a short- term basis or for a specific period of time to rotate among several positions or departments as needed.

Answer 7

Temporary Employees

Question 8

Employees who do not work from a main office location.

Answer 8

Remote Workers

Question 9

Professional learning experience that offers meaningful, practical work related to a student’s field of study or career interest. An internship gives a student the opportunity for career exploration and development; they can also learn new skills. It offers the employer the opportunity to bring new ideas and energy into the workplace, develop talent, and potentially build a pipeline for future full-time employees.

Answer 9

Interns

Question 10

Employees who report to work only when needed.

Answer 10

On-call workers

Question 11

Employees are scheduled to work less than a regular workweek on an ongoing basis; benefits eligibility may depend on various factors (such as number of hours worked).

Answer 11

Part-time employees

Question 12

The practice of having two different employees performing the tasks of one full-time position. Each of the job-sharing partners works a part-time schedule, but together they are accountable for the duties of one full-time position. Communication between the two employees is key to success.

Answer 12

Job Sharing

Question 13

Part-time or “casual” workers hired to perform seasonal work in a variety of industries (for example, agriculture, construction, tourism, and recreation); may or may not be eligible for benefits (such as paid time off).

Answer 13

Seasonal Workers

Question 14

Any work arrangement that falls somewhere in between full-time retirement and working full-time; these types of programs allow mature employees to work on a reduced or modified basis as they approach retirement.

Answer 14

Phased retirement

Question 15

Workers who are recruited, screened, and employed by a temporary help firm; the temporary firm assigns individuals to work at client sites for a finite duration (such as to cover an employee’s medical/maternity leave).

Answer 15

Finite temporary help

Question 16

Workers hired temporarily (usually through a temporary firm) with the understanding that they may be offered regular employment if they perform competently for a specified time.

Answer 16

Temp-to-hire

Question 17

This may include highly skilled workers (for example, engineers, and data processing specialists) supplied for long-term projects under contract between the organization and a technical services firm or gig workers who contract independently and provide varying levels of skills.

Answer 17

Contract Workers

Question 18

What makes the universal of solutions impossible when dealing with flexible staffing alternatives?

Answer 18

Local laws, culture, and practices make universal arrangements impossible for flexible staffing alternatives because there is no one-size-fits-all-all.

Question 19

An organization identifies specific people and refers them to a staffing firm, which employs them and assigns them to work at the organization; the arrangement is usually at a lower cost than traditional (finite) temporary help.

Answer 19

Payrolling

Question 20

In an explicit joint venture, an organization transfers all or substantially all employees at a discrete site or facility to the payroll of an employee leasing firm; the PEO leases employees back to the organization while handling most of the HR administrative functions (for example, payroll, and benefits).

Answer 20

Employee leasing or professional employer organization (PEO)

Question 21

An organization contracts with two (usually affiliated) staffing firms—generally a temporary service and a PEO; the temporary firm assigns long-term temporaries to a client organization and, after some time, the employees are promoted to lease status and become eligible for benefits from the PEO.

Answer 21

Temp-to-lease programs

Question 22

An independent organization with expertise in operating a specific function contracts with an organization to assume full responsibility for the function (as opposed to just supplying personnel); functions may be peripheral to the core business (for example, security, and food services) or closer to operations (such as managing all flexible staffing programs or the IT function).

Answer 22

Outsourcing or managed services

Question 23

What is co-employment, or joint employment?

Answer 23

It describes a situation in which an organization shares responsibility and liability for its alternative workers with the alternative staffing supplier.

Question 24

Independent contractors are also known as?

Answer 24

Consultants or freelancers

Question 25

Why are independent contractors used instead of employees?

Answer 25

It gives the organization greater workplace flexibility or manage uncertainty associated with entering a new market

Question 26

What are three things an independent contractor can do to maintain their independent status with an organization?

Answer 26

The contractor should retain control (for the most part) over when, where, and how the work is done; contracts should avoid requirements commonly associated with actual employment, such as dictating the contractor’s hours of work, and lastly, payments should be tied to deliverables rather than a schedule.

Question 27

(True or false) When it comes to dealing with independent contractors, governments are likely to use the appearance of the working relationship rather than the formal terms of a contract to determine whether a worker is a regular employee or an independent contractor.

Answer 27

True

Question 28

It is the act of reorganizing legal, ownership, operational, or other organizational structures. It’s also a proactive adjustment to meet changing business needs.

Answer 28

Restructuring

Question 29

____ intersects with workforce management when an organization makes changes in the size, number, or relationship of _____

Answer 29

Restructuring, departments

Question 30

What are the four main drivers of restructuring?

Answer 30

Strategy, structure, downsizing, robotics, AI, and expansion.

Question 31

When organizations change their _______, they may create new divisions to facilitate new products or services or to move into new markets. The new ____ may mean staff increases in some areas and decreases in others, which will then require restructuring.

Answer 31

Strategy

Question 32

Organizations may rearrange their ____ to follow a new business model, improve efficiency, or reduce costs. Restructuring is then required to meet the needs of the new organization.

Answer 32

structure

Question 33

Organizations commonly _____ to remain functional during a loss of revenue. They may choose to close departments, drop product lines, lay off staff, or sell facilities. Restructuring may then be required to meet the needs of the new smaller organization.

Answer 33

downsize

Question 34

When an organization ______ new department may be required to accommodate new products or facilities. The structure is then rearranged to include new staff and departments.

Answer 34

Expands

Question 35

Whole departments may be eliminated or initiated if certain technological changes are made, and often employee_____ and _____ are priorities to close the skill gap in the workforce.

Answer 35

re-skilling, up-skilling

Question 36

Organizations may also try to enhance their productivity and competitiveness by adding to the value of the firm (such as increasing assets or accessing new markets) through _____ and _____ or by shedding assets that do not contribute to the bottom line through ______.

Answer 36

Merger, acquisition, divestiture

Question 37

Whether the organization is using mergers and acquisitions or divestiture, in both cases, restructuring is required to align ______ and ______.

Answer 37

leadership, functions

Question 38

_______ ________ is the process of investigating a decision thoroughly before finalizing it to identify all potential factors that could affect the positive and negative impacts of the decision.

Answer 38

Due diligence

Question 39

(In the context of M&A), HR identifies what type of issues) Such as reporting requirements that differ by jurisdiction or type of business, legal constraints on the closing of facilities or elimination of redundant personnel, and benefit and non-benefit issues (such as severance and tax codes)

Answer 39

Legal issues

Question 40

(In the context of M&A), HR identifies what type of issues) such as the compensation structure, union contracts, obligations to a union pension fund, stock options, incentive plans, and the full range of benefits administration.

Answer 40

Financial Considerations

Question 41

(In the context of M&A), HR identifies what type of issues) such as direct product/service provisions; mechanisms for communication and data tracking; the use, type, and impact of each organization’s enterprise management tools; and the ability to integrate the technology.

Answer 41

Technological Considerations

Question 42

(In the context of M&A), HR identifies what type of issues) such as the duplication of work processes and personnel, differences in organizational culture, conflicts in HR policies and practices, the arrangement of reporting relationships, and titles, the design of how the organizations interact with customers/clients, and the relationships with vendors

Answer 42

Structural Issues

Question 43

Throughout the M&A process, the job of HR is to maintain focus on the “______” dimension while it conducts HR due diligence and plans the M&A HR integration strategy, implements, monitors, and evaluates.

Answer 43

People

Question 44

In the Merger and acquisition plan, HR ensures that stakeholders - such as ____ or supply chain _____ and affected _____ - are included in both planning and implementation.

Answer 44

Vendors, partners, communities

Question 45

After the M & A process, HR uses ______ of mission and ______ to build cohesion.

Answer 45

communicating, values

Question 46

RIF (______ in _______) or ________, refers to the termination of employment of individual employees or groups of employees for reasons other than performance.

Answer 46

Reduction, force, downsizing

Question 47

HR professionals should be aware of ______and _____ ______ ____ and union contracts that affect an employer’s ability to reduce the size of its workforce.

Answer 47

National, and local labor laws

Question 48

______ ______refers to the development and integration of HR processes that retain the knowledge, skills, and abilities of employees that will meet current and future organizational needs.

Answer 48

Talent management

Question 49

Effective talent management therefore requires: ________ to create a positive workplace and an engaged workforce.

Answer 49

committing

Question 50

______ the organization’s values and commitment to diversity, equity, and employee development.

Answer 50

Reflecting

Question 51

______ external conditions that affect the availability of talent, such as highly competitive job markets, demographic conditions (for example, bulges in the size of certain population age ranges), or changes in technology that call for new knowledge and skills.

Answer 51

Tracking

Question 52

_______ the implications of the organization’s business strategy in terms of required competencies. Talent management is a strategic approach to managing human capital and as such must be aligned with the organization’s strategy and strategic business goals. It should be perceived as a long-term and continuous process that is most effective when it is an integrated effort and is perceived as continuous and dynamic, always evolving with the strategic direction of the organization.

Answer 52

Understanding

Question 53

When ______ _______ is carefully aligned with long-term business and strategic planning, the organization can develop a well-planned approach to giving employees who have specific skill sets the developmental experiences they need to prepare them for the future.

Answer 53

talent management

Question 54

Developing _____ ______ requires a deep understanding of the organization’s strategy and what types of activities have the greatest impact on measurable success and then focusing development efforts on the employees performing those activities.

Answer 54

pivotal talent

Question 55

Used appropriately, ______ ______ can be created and developed to fill the gaps between the talent that the organization will need and the talent that is likely to be available.

Answer 55

talent pools

Question 56

______ ______ is an important talent management strategy to help identify and foster the development of high-potential employees. _______ _______ focus on positions that are the most critical to the future needs of the organization. The goal is to “keep talent in the pipeline” and have people in place for future roles in the organization.

Answer 56

Succession planning

Question 57

Succession plans help to ensure that individuals in specific ______ ______obtain the insights, awareness, and field experience necessary to make ongoing contributions to the organization.

Answer 57

talent pools

Question 58

______ ______ experiences provide the knowledge and skills necessary for success in various positions on the career advancement ladder.

Answer 58

Structured training

Question 59

Succession planning must also be carefully aligned with the _______ _______ ________ process to ensure that future managers and functional experts receive the ongoing developmental feedback, critical evaluation, and mentoring required to maintain their professional development.

Answer 59

organization’s performance management

Question 60

Succession planning is a strategy that targets_____ - ______needs and focuses on the cultivation of talent to satisfy those needs.

Answer 60

long-range

Question 61

______ _____concentrates on immediate needs and a “snapshot” assessment of the availability of qualified backup for individuals in key positions. ______ ______ is an important element in business continuity planning in the event of an emergency or business interruption.

Answer 61

Replacement planning

Question 62

A _____ - ______ ______ can also be used as part of talent management/pool discussions, helping to assess employees’ ability to contribute to the organization now and in the future

Answer 62

nine-box grid