Human Resource

Management
Chapter Twelve
High Performance Work Practices

 Lead to both high individual and high

organizational performance.
 Improving the knowledge, skills, and abilities
of an organization’s employees.
 Increasing employee motivation.
 Reducing loafing on the job.
 Enhancing the retention of quality employees
while encouraging low performers to leave.
Examples of High Performance
Work Practices
 Self-directed work teams
 Job rotation
 High levels of skills
training
 Problem-solving groups
 Encouragement of
innovative and creative
behavior
 Extensive employee
involvement and training
 Implementation of
employee suggestions
 Contingent pay based on
performance
 Coaching/mentoring
 Info sharing
 Use of employee attitude
surveys
 Comprehensive
employee recruitment
and selection
procedures
Human Resource Management
Process
 Activities necessary for staffing the
organization and sustaining high
employee performance.
Human Resource Management
Process
External Environment

Human Recruitment Selection Competent

Resource Employees
Planning Decruitment

Adapted, competent employees

Orientation Training
with current skills and knowledge

Performance Compensation Career High performing

Management and Development employees over
Benefits the long term

External Environment
External Environment

 Labor unions—an organization that

represents workers and seeks to protect
their interests through collective
bargaining
 Government laws and regulations
 Unemployment rate
Human Resource Planning

1. Assessing current human resources

2. Assessing future human resource
needs
3. Developing a program to meet those
future needs
Assessing Current Human
Resources
 Human resource inventory
 Name, education, training, prior employment,
languages spoken, special capabilities, and
specialized skills
 Job analysis—defines jobs and behaviors
necessary to perform them
 Direct observation, filming, interviewing employees
and managers, questionnaires
 Job description—what a jobholder does, how it
is done, and why it is done
 Job specification—minimum qualifications
Meeting Future Human Resource
Needs
 Future human resource needs are
determined by an organization’s mission,
goals, and strategies
 Estimate HR shortages and overstaffing
issues (number, type)
Recruitment and Decruitment
Recruitment

 Process of locating, identifying, and

attracting capable applicants
Sources of Potential Job Candidates

Source Advantages Disadvantages

Internet Reaches large number of Generates many
people; can get immediate unqualified candidates
feedback
Employee Can generate strong May not increase diversity
referrals candidates b/c a referral and mix of employees
reflects on the
recommender
Company Wide distribution; can be Generates many
website targeted to specific groups unqualified candidates

College Large centralized body of Might be limited to entry-

recruiting candidates level positions with
undergrads
Decruitment

 Techniques for reducing the labor supply

within an organization
Decruitment Options
Option Description
Firing Permanent involuntary termination
Layoffs Temporary involuntary termination; may last only a
few day or extend to years
Attrition Not filling openings created by voluntary
resignations or normal retirements
Transfers Moving employees laterally or downward

Reduced Having employees work fewer hours or share jobs

workweeks
Early Providing incentives to more senior employees to
retirements have them retire before their normal retirement date
Selection
Selection Process
 Screening job applicants to ensure that the
most appropriate candidates are hired
 Reject errors—rejecting candidates who would
have performed well on the job
 Cost of ongoing screening, charges of
discrimination
 Accept errors—accepting candidates who
ultimately perform poorly
 Costs of training the employee, profits lost,
severance, subsequent recruiting and screening
Types of Selection Devices
 Application forms
 Written tests—aptitude, intelligence, ability,
personality, and Emotional Intelligence
 Performance-simulation tests
 Work sampling—do the job
 Assessment centers—simulate real problems
candidates would encounter
 Interviews
 Background investigations
 Physical examinations
Suggestions for Interviewing

1. Structure a fixed set of questions for all

applicants
2. Have detailed info about the job
3. Ask questions that require applicants to
give details of actual job behaviors
4. Take notes during the interview
5. Role play in mock scenarios
Human Resource Management
Process
External Environment

Human Recruitment Selection Competent

Resource Employees
Planning Decruitment

Adapted, competent employees

Orientation Training
with current skills and knowledge

Performance Compensation Career High performing

Management and Development employees over
Benefits the long term

External Environment
Microsoft Interview Questions
 “Tell me about your most intellectually
challenging and difficult problem. Why was it
difficult? How did you work through it? How
did it work out?”
 “Tell me about one of the most high potential
people you have had the opportunity to work
with. What did you do to support that person’s
development?”
 “Tell me about a time that you had to discipline
an employee. What was your approach to the
conversation? What was your strategy? What
was the outcome?”
Orientation
Orientation

 Introduction of a new employee to his or

her job, the organization, and the culture
 May be formal or informal
 Example of intense orientation—Trilogy’s
Trilogy University
Work Unit Orientation

 Familiarizes the employee with the goals

of the work unit, clarifies how his/her job
contributes to the work unit, and includes
an introduction to coworkers
Organization Orientation

 Informs the new employee about the

organization’s objectives, history,
philosophy, procedures, and rules.
Employee Training
Types of Training
Type Includes
Interpersonal skills Leadership, coaching, communication, conflict
resolution, team building, diversity
Technical Product training and knowledge, sales process,
information technology, job specific
Business Finance, marketing, quality, strategic planning,
project management, sales
Mandatory Safety, health, sexual harassment

Problem solving Defining problems, analyzing alternatives

Personal Career planning, time management, wellness,

personal financial planning
Employee Training Methods
 Traditional Training Methods
 On-the-job
 Job rotation
 Mentoring and coaching
 Experiential exercises
 Workbooks and manuals
 Technology-based Training Methods
 CD-ROM, DVD, videotape
 Videoconference
 E-learning
Employee Performance
Management
Performance Management System

 A process of establishing performance

standards and evaluating performance in
order to arrive at objective human
resource decisions as well as to provide
documentation to support those
decisions.
Performance Appraisal Methods
Method Advantage Disadvantage
Written Simple to use Dependent upon the
essays evaluator’s writing skills
Graphic Quantitative; less time No depth about job
rating scales consuming behaviors
BARS Focus on specific and Time consuming; difficult
measurable job behaviors to develop
Multi-person Compares employees Unwieldy with large
comparisons numbers of employees
MBO Results-oriented Time consuming

360-degree Thorough Time consuming

appraisals
Compensation and Benefits
Factors that Influence
Compensation and Benefits
 Employee tenure  Industry
and performance  Company size
 Kind of job  Geographical
performed location
 Management  Company profitability
philosophy
 Unionization
Skill-based Pay

 A pay system that rewards employees

for the job skills they can demonstrate.
Current Issues in Human
Resource Management
Managing Downsizing

 Open and honest communication

 Inform people being let go as soon as
possible
 Inform survivors about the company’s new
goals, impact on their jobs, and future plans
 Severance pay and benefits
 Job search assistance
 Support for survivors
Managing Workforce Diversity
 Recruitment
 Widen recruitment net to include non-traditional
sources such as women’s job networks, over-50
clubs, and ethnic newspapers.
 Selection
 Make sure selection process does not discriminate.
 Make sure applicants are comfortable with the
organization’s culture.
 Orientation and Training
 Mentoring programs; required diversity training