Chapter 1 – The Strategic Role of Human Resources Management
Welcome to Chapter 1
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HRM manages talent in organization to help organizations achieve mission
Affected by internal and external environment – technology, culture, legislation, government,
etc.
1.1 Define what human resources management is and analyze how it relates to the management
process and non-HR managers
Organization: consists of people with formally assigned roles who work together to achieve the
organization’s goals
Manager: responsible for accomplishing the organization's goals and does so by managing the efforts of
the organization’s people
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Managing involves performing five basic functions: planning, organization, staffing, leading and
controlling. Represents the management process:
o Planning: establishing goals and standards; developing rules and procedures; developing
plans and forecasting
o Organizing: giving each subordinate a specific task; establishing departments; delegating
authority to subordinates; establishing channels of authority and communication’
coordinating subordinates’ work
o Staffing: determining what type of employes you should hire; recruiting prospective
employees; selecting employees; training and developing employees; setting
performance standards; evaluating performance; counselling employees; compensating
employees
o Leading: getting others to get the job done; maintaining morale; motivating subordinates
o Controlling: Setting standards such as sales quotas, quality standards or production
levels; checking to see how actual performance compares with these standards; taking
corrective action, as needed
Human Resources Management refers to the management of people/employees in organizations
o The mutual gains model indicates that HRM activities, processes and procedures should
benefit both the organization and the employees
o HR professionals are responsible for ensuring that the organization attracts, retains, and
engages diverse talent required to meet operational and performance commitments
made to customers and shareholders
 Job is to ensure the organization finds and hires the best individuals available,
develop their talent, create productive work environment, and continually builds
and monitors the organization’s workforce
 Manages workforce to improve organization performance and achieve the
organization's strategic goals
HRM summarized along the concepts of the what, how and why of labour and talent
management in an organization
o Understanding of what practices help regulate employees (recruitment, compensation,
performance management, training, etc.)
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Clarity around how these practices or systems impact employee, team, business unit,
and company-level attitudes, behaviours and outcomes
o Considers why specific HR practices or systems are needed for each unique business
setting
HRM involves formulating and implementing HRM systems (recruitment, performance appraisal,
compensation) that are aligned with the organization’s strategy to ensure the workforce has the
competencies and behaviours required to achieve the organization's strategic objectives
o Must be aligned with the company’s strategic plan
A company’s competitive environment and internal strengths or weaknesses impact the
company’s strategic situation, and the strategic situation impacts the strategic plan
Organizational goals are viewed from the top down of the firm down to front-line employees as
chain or a hierarchy of goals
Journal Entry 1.1.1 – explain what HR management is and how it relates to the management process
Strategic Plan: company’s overall plan for how it will match its internal strengths and weaknesses with its
external opportunities and threats to maintain a competitive position
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This is not the same as a business model, which is company’s method for making money in the
current business environment
Strategy: course of action (what the business is doing)
Strategic management: process of identifying and executing the organization’s strategic plan by matching
the company’s capabilities (strengths and weaknesses) with the demands of its environment
(competitors, customers, supplies)
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Employers can’t design their HR polices and practices without understanding the role of these
policies and practices in achieving the companie’s strategic goals
Human capital: knowledge, education, training, skills and expertise of a firm’s workforce is required as
valuable human capital. Economic growth, knowledge and individual capabilities interact to advance
workplaces, productivity, and society at large. Different forms for investment – education and training,
make a person’s contributions more valuable in the workplace
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To be successful, strategic human capital management must link the organization strategy and
objectives with the employe’s sense of identify or purpose, their sense of community and their
intrinsic values
Effective HR practices are related to better organizational performance
o Profit sharing, results-oriented performance appraisal, and employment security have
statistically significant positive impact on important accounting measures of
performance
o Comprehensive employee recruitment and selection, incentive-based compensation and
performance management systems and extensive employee involvement and training
have a positive relationship with employee retention, productivity and corporate
financial performance
Why is HRM important to all Managers?
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Mistakes managers don’t want to make:
o Hire wrong person
o Experience high turnover
o Have employee work below performance expectations
o Waste time with useless interviews
o Have company taken to court because of discriminatory actions
o Have company cited under occupational safety laws for unsafe practices
o Have some employees think their salaries are unfair relative to others in the workplace
o Allow lack of training to undermine department’s effectiveness
o Commit any unfair labour practices
Shared Responsibility for Talent Management
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All potential managers must be aware of the basics of HR
Journal 1.1.2 – Reflect on your own work experience – paid or unpaid. How was the HR function at the
firm organized? Was it centralized or decentralized? What aspects of your employment relationships did
the manager have authority over and what did the HR department have authority or primary
responsibility for? Do you think the HR function was effective in delivering its services to you? Why or
why not?
Learning Sim – Holden Evan’s Country Comfort Coffee has been an industry leader for decades. Country
Comfort is considered a very high-quality standard style coffee that does not directly compete with the
super-premium, super expensive coffee shop style coffee that has become popular in recent years and is
available in stores for purchase. Country coffee needs to start strategic planning with respect to the
future. Your goal, as a member of CC strategic management team, is to provide input that will help your
boss assess the country comfort brand as it currently is configured and make decisions about future
strategic and actions.
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Key threats – many well-financed and well-known competitors in the grocery store market
(coffees linked to popular franchises
Key opportunities – pod-style coffee
Mission statement – to produce the world’s best-tasting coffee; pods fit with mission statement
as it encompasses all forms of coffee, including pod coffee as long as it tastes equal to other
forms of coffee
After deciding pods work, now analyze the market situation and formulate strategy. First step:
conduct a SWOT analysis
o Competitor also looking to move to pod market, primary external threat – the analysis
needs to focus on products that will directly compete with yours. Best choice is an
industry insider already published a glowing review of the pod coffee prototype from
erudite beans in the local trade publication
o Opportunity: according to review of Erudite’s beans pod coffee, company is charging
more for its new pod product. Customers are not happy about the higher cost and are
beginning to hesitate at the price
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Strengths: utilize economies of scale due to large company, could compete on price;
country comfort’s ground coffee won the coffee of he year award from consumer
reports managinze last year
Weakness: known for decades as the coffee for conservative, middle brow drinkers who
are less likely to be interested in new products
Corporate strategy goal: focuses on growth by developing new products or seeking out
new markets for HE existing products
Growth: concentration strategy which focuses on increasing the number of products
offered or markets served in this primary business
Competitive strategy: focuses on core competencies – do something better than
competitors
Core competency: to pursues a cost leadership strategu in which country comfort can
deliver better quality at lower price than competitors
Quiz
1. A good definition of human resources management would be: the management of people in
organizations to drive successful organizational performance and achievement of the
organization’s strategic goals
2. The company’s strategic situation is impacted by: (NOT THE COMPANY’S STRATEGIC PLAN) –
asking what leads into or influences the company’s strategy) – the organization’s competitive
environment
3. An employee who has high levels of education and experience would be perceived as having
BLANK for their role in the company: high levels of human capital
4. The collective functions of planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling are known as:
management process
5. Approximately BLANK percent of the top HR mangers in Fortune 100 firms moved to their role
from a non-HR functional area: 33%
1.2 HR Management: Past, Present and Future
- Later 1800s, personnel tasks mostly part of manager’s job; labour problems began arising in
many of the post-industrial revolution’s new factories – setting up welfare offices and welfare
secretaries to manage areas
- Early 1900s, hiring offices, training programs and factory schools setup – personnel management
o Took over hiring and firing from supervisors, ran payroll departments and administered
benefits plan
o New union laws in 1930s expanded the role of HR to help the employer work with
unions
o Globalization made gaining a competitive edge through engaged employees
- 1980s and 1990s – technological advances resulted in outsourcing much of operational HR
activities
o 1995 – equity orientated laws made employers more reliant on HRM experts to engage
fairer practices to prevent discrimination in workplace
- Present – traditional = silos
o Split into executive and technical employees, managers and rank and file employees
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Transactional HR teams – provide specialized support in day-to-day HR activities through
centralized call centers or outside vendors
Corporate HR teams – assist top management in top-level issues
Embedded HR teams – HR generalizes assigned to functional departments such as sales and
production
o HRBP – focus on coaching and mentoring other department leaders to help align
workforce efforts with organizational goals
Centers of excellence – specialized HR consulting firms within the company
HR managers must speak the CFOs language by defending HR plans in measurable terms (ROI)
Must understand strategic planning, marketing, production and finance
Must serve as subject matter experts or in-house consultants to line managers, offering advice
and formulating HR policies and procedures, providing wide range of HR services
Evolved to help organizations achieve their strategic objectives
Future of HR Manager
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Most organizations focused on workforce growth, recognizing that hiring practices needed to
evolve for new technologies and novel workforce expectations
o How to best brand company as an employer of choice, how to best integrate employees,
and how to determine selection based on evolving job and company requirements
Almost all Fortune 500 companies relied on new generation talent platforms (Upwork, Toptal,
Amazon Mechanical Turk) to access highly skilled workers on demand as part of gig economy
o More strategic approach is required
Finding new ways to build employee engagement, organizational culture and manager
performance will continue to be pressing issues in most organizations
Managing DEI
o Need for strategic and integrated approach to providing equal opportunities to potential
employees, removing barriers to full employment and reducing biases in the workplace
o Allyship is expected, indicates the strength of the organization’s employment brand in
the marketplace and directly affects the quality of the workforce
Moving forward, involved in complex activities that require higher order thinking, advanced
forecasting and communication skills, strategic thinking
Journal 1.2 – we know that BLM movement has had a large impact on building awareness regarding
social inequities. What systemic issues leave certain groups out of promotion and advancement
opportunities?
Quiz
1. In the 1800s, who was most likely to complete HR tasks such as attracting, selecting, training and
motivating workers?: managers
2. What types of advancements in the 1980s and 1990s resulted in outsourcing of many
operational HR activities?: technology
3. In what type of team would HR provide specialized support in day to day HR activites?:
transactional
4. On what type of team would HR generalists be assigned to functional departments such as sales
and production? : embedded HR teams
5. What metric indicates the strength of the organization’s employment brand in the marketplace
and directly affects the quality of the workforce?: allyship
1.3 Evidence-Based HRM
1.4 Identify tools to help make evidence-based HRM decisions
Evidence-Based HRM: use of data, facts, analytics, scientific rigour, critical evaluation and critically
evaluated research/case studies to support human resources management proposals, decisions,
practices and conclusions
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Using the best available evidence in making decisions about the HRM practices that the
company is focusing on
May come from actual measures (how did the trainees like this program?), existing data (what
happened to company profits after we installed this training program?), research studies (what
does the research literature conclude about the best way to ensure that trainees remember
what they learn?)
Need to be able to measure the value and impact of their organization’s human capital and HRM
practices
Traditional operation measures focused on the amount of activity and the costs of the HR
function but today measures need to reflect the quality of people and the effectiveness of HRM
initiatives that build workforce capability
o Linked to outcomes such as productivity, product or service quality, sales, market shares,
profits
o E.g. percentage of first-choice job candidates accepting job offer indicates the strength
of the organization’s employment brand in the marketplace and directly affects the
quality of the workforce
Tools used:
o Strategy Map: summarizes how each department’s performance contributes to
achieving the company’s overall strategic goals. Graphical tool that summarizes the
chain of activities that contribute to a company’s success. It shows the big picture of
how their performance contributes to achieving the company’s overall strategic goals
 Helps manager and each employee visualize and understand their role their
department plays in achieving the company’s strategic plan. Clarifies “line of
sight”
o HR Scorecard: measures of the impact of HRM on organization outcomes. Process for
assigning financial and non-financial goals or metrics of the human resource
management-related chain of activities required for achieving the company’s strategic
aims and for monitoring results
 Translates organization’s strategy into a comprehensive set of performance
measures
 Balances long-term and short-term actions and measures of success relating to
financial results, customers, internal business processes and human capital
management
 E.g. percentage of senior management positions with subordinates who
are fully job-ready to move to the management role when or if the
position becomes vacant (Succession planning)
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Special software is used to quantify relationships between the HR activities,
resulting employee behaviors, resulting firm-wide strategic outcomes and
performances
Digital Dashboard: presents the manager with desktop graphs, charts, showing
computerized picture of how the company is doing on all the metrics from the HR
scorecard process. Presents managers with desktop graphs and charts so they get a
picture of where the company has been and where it’s going in terms of each activity in
a strategy map
Quiz
1. What is the common element in the strategic map, balanced scorecard and digital dashboard?
a. They all link individual or business unit performance to the organization’s goals
2. Evidence based HR means that you are
a. Using the best available evidence in making decisions about the human resources
management practices you are focusing on
3. What metric best indicates the strength of the organization’s employment brand in the
marketplace and directly affects the quality of the workforce?
a. Percentage of first-choice job candidates accepting a job offer
4. An HR infographic that shows HR progress or results is known as a
a. Digital dashboard
5. What measurement system can balance hard data such as financial measures with soft data such
as customer satisfaction in assessing a company’s performance?
a. Balanced scorecard
1.4 Growing Professionalism in HRM
1.4 describe professionalism and ethics in the HRM function
Every profession has several characteristics:
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a common body of knowledge
benchmarked performance standards
representative professional association
external perception as a profession
code of ethics
required training credentials for entry and career mobility
ongoing need for skill development
need to ensure professional competence is maintained and put to socially responsible uses
certification: by a professional body indicates that specific professional standards have been met
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Canada - Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR)
Ontario – Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA)
o Certified Human Resources Professional
o Certified Human Resources Leader
o Certified Human Resources Executive
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Other important associations for HR specialists: Canadian Industrial Relations Association,
WorldatWork for compensation and reward issues, health and safety associations, Construction
Safety Association; Canadian society for training and development
Group Benefits Association; Registered Professional Recruiter, Canadian Payroll Manager,
Certified Professional in Talent Development, Certified Training Professional
Ethics: principles of conduct governing an individual or a group
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Rooted in morality
Prevalent ethical issues – pertain to security of information, employee and client privacy,
environmental issues, governance and conflicts of interest
 Major reasons for failure = lack of effective leadership and inadequate training
How managers can create ethical environments:
 Reduce job related pressures
 Make it clear what’s okay and not okay
 Model the desired behaviour
 Reinforce the desired behaviour, not the undesirable behaviour
 Take it seriously
How HRM can create more ethical environments:
 Institute ethics policies and codes
 Enforce the rules
Social responsibility important (e.g. MEC)
Quiz
1. The current HR designation in Canada outside of Ontario is known as
a. Chartered Professionals in Human Resources
2. What are the three levels of designation (in order of lowers to highest) in Ontario:
a. CHRP, CHRL, CHRE
3. Roughly how many HR professionals say they have been coerced into doing something morally
or legally ambiguous at least once in their careers?
a. Three of every four
4. How can managers create an ethical environment?
a. Reduce job related stress
5. By launching green initiatives and supporting workers who are involved in community activities,
MEC is demonstrating
a. Social responsibility
1.5 Environmental Influences on HRM – Discuss the internal and external environmental factors affecting
HRM policies and practices, and explain their impact
 All managers must monitor the environment on ongoing basis, assess the impact of any changes,
be proactive in responding to such challenges
 External: labour market issues, economic conditions, technology, government, globalization,
environment
 Internal: organizational culture, organizational climate, management practices
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Labour Market
o Changes to workforce composition, generational differences and contingent workers
 Workforce composition:
 Emphasis on DEI
o Equity – fairness embedded in associated processes. Aimed at
ensuring all employees have equal access to opportunities to
succeed and grow organization
o Diversity reflects variations in group characteristics, which
include identity and cognitive skills and personality traits
o Inclusion = environment or organizational climate where
individuals feel respected, accepted, supported values
 Four identifiable groups – women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with
disabilities and visible minorities
 Generational differences:
 From 2021-2025, members of all five generations in the workforce, by
2028 Generation X expected to outnumber baby boomers, highest
percentage of startup founders
o Gen x – highly pragmatic and self-reliant, often demanding work
life balance, skeptical of overly structured environments
o Baby boomer – optimistic with high demands for both career
equality and career involvement, appreciate team orientated
activities
o Gen Y – members of labour force appreciate diversity, respect
civic duty and often demand immediate access to information
and services
o Traditionalist – quiet, loyal and self-sacrificing
o Gen Z – highly technologically literate, entrepreneurial and value
independence and difference
 Non-standard or contingent workers
o Workers who don’t fit the traditional definition of permanent,
full-time employment with the same employer on the an
indeterminate basis
 Provide flexible, on-demand labour without the same
guarantees for continued employment, employee
development or benefits
 11.9% Canadians are self-employed according to 2026
census
 63% seen increase in use of contract workers in
organization in past five years’ 51.2% indicate contract
workers in company received no benefits at all; 23.6%
company did not have well-defined processes in place to
manage contract workers
Economic Conditions
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Affect supply and demand for products and services, which have a dramatic impact on
the number and types of employees required, as well as employee’s ability to pay wages
and provide benefits
o Primary sector represents only 4% of jobs
o Secondary sector represents 17%
o Tertiary or service sector represents 79%
Technology
o Five main types of digital technologies driving transfer of functionality from HR
professionals to automation (mobile applications, gaming, cloud computing, data
analytics and talent analytics)
 Using mobile applications to monitor employees’ locations and track work
progress
 cloud computing – enables employers to monitor and report on things such as
team’s goal attainment and provide real time feedback
 data analytics – using statistical techniques, algorithms and problem solving to
identify relationships
 talent analytics – data analytics called this in HR
Government
Globalization
o Emergence of a single global market for most products and services
Environmental concerns
Organizational culture
o Consists of core values, beliefs and assumptions that are widely shared by members of
an organization
Organizational climate
o Prevailing atmosphere that exists in an organization and its impact on employees
Management practices
Quiz
1. Which of the following is not a key characteristic of members of GenY?
a. Technologically advanced
2. Roughly what proportion of persons working in candida or self employed?
a. 12%
3. What does productivity refer to?
a. The ratio of an organization’s outputs to inputs
4. A legislated increase in minimum wage fall into which category of external environmental
influences on HR?
a. Government
5. Which groups are identified as protected groups in candida?
a. Women, indigenous, person with disabilities and visible minorities
Chapter 1 Quiz
1. The company’s plan for how it will balance internal strengths and weaknesses with external
opportunities and threats to maintain a competitive advantage is known as: strategy
2. The growing integration of the world economy into a single, huge marketplace is increasing the
intensity of competition and leading most organizations to expand their operations around the
world. This is know as: globalization
3. Which of the following demographic groups is most likely be optimistic and career focused?:
baby boomers
4. Data control, accuracy, the right to privacy and ethics are at the core of a growing controversy
brought about by: new information technologies
5. How does the professionalization of HRM in Canada hold HR professionals accountable for
ethical behaviour?: it has a uniform code of ethics
6. What competency does evidence based HR require?: numeracy
7. What is leading fortune 500 companies to rely on next generation talent platforms like Upwork
and TopTal?: access to highly skilled gig workers
8. What is it called when women are overrepresented in jobs such as nursing?: occupational
segregation
9. Human capital refers to which of the following?: the knowledge, education, training, skills and
expertise of an organization’s workforce
10. Which of the following is NOT a consideration for the future role of HR management?: work
simplification
Chapter 2 – The Changing Legal Emphasis
2.1 The Legal Framework for Employment Law in Canada – explain how employment-related issues are
governed in Canada
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business acumen most critical piece of knowledge required in HR role, followed by employment
law, legislative awareness and talent management
primary objective of most employment legislation in Canada is to prevent employers from
exploiting paid workers, assuming that an implicit power imbalance exists in favour of the
employer
Hierarchy of employment legislation in Canada
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precedent refers to how the decision or interpretation of a court of another jurisdiction or
comparable case can act as a persuasive authority regarding how legislation is to be interpreted
and applied in other jurisdictions or cases
constitutional law, particularly Charter of Rights and Freedoms
federal provincial and territorial human rights legislation ensure that the rights of every
Canadian are protected and that all persons are treated with equality and respect
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms focuses on basic rights guaranteed to all persons
residing in Canada
Humans Rights legislation provides protection from discrimination in employment relationships
and the delivery of goods and services
Employment standards legislation establishes minimum terms and conditions of the
employment relationship within each jurisdiction (e.g. Minimum wages, hours of work,
maternity leave)
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Ordinary laws provide protection under context or context-specific laws affecting workplaces
(like occupational health and safety)
Collective bargaining agreements provide legally binding agreement establishing minimum terms
and conditions of employment affecting unionized positions
Employment contracts focus on contracts between an individual employee and their employer
regarding specified employment conditions in specific roles
Tort Law
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Tort law is primarily judge-based law, whereby a victim is provided compensation for losses or
damages in civil court (not criminal court)
o Intentional torts (assault, battery, trespass, intentional affliction of mental distress)
o Unintentional torts (negligence based on events in which harm is caused by
carelessness)
Bodies like human rights commissions and ministries of labour special regulatory bodies to
enforce compliance
Who is an Employee?
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Government of Canada indicates an employee status is determined by the nature of the working
relationship, not based on how people are paid
Six factors to consider when determining if the relationship is an employer-employee
relationship or a business relationship
o Control – who has control over how and what work is done?
o Tools and Equipment – who owns and provides the tools and equipment needed to
complete the assigned work?
o Subtracting – can the individual hire workers directly or subcontract work to others?
o Financial risk – are there fixed, ongoing costs that the individual bears for which they are
not reimbursed?
o Investment and management – who is responsible for making decisions that affect profit
and loss?
o Opportunity for profit – from the worker’s perspective, do they have a share of the
profits or suffer losses when the company as a whole enjoys profits or suffers loses?
Benefits?
Quiz 2.1
1. According to recent research, what does HR professionals identify as the most critical piece of
knowledge required in their roles?: business acumen
2. Who is responsible for abiding by legislated rules and regulations?: HR professionals, supervisors
and managers
3. Most employment legislation in Canada assumes that BLANK: there is a power imbalance
between employers and employees in favour of employers
4. Which of the following is true about the employment legislation hierarchy in Canada?: the levels
of the legislation are set from broad to narrow, with the broader legislation superseding the
narrow legislation
5. Under which of the following work situations would the person be defined as an “employee”:
the company decides what work is completed and when
Legislation Protecting the General Population
2.2 Discuss at least five prohibited grounds of discrimination under human rights legislation and
requirements for reasonable accommodation
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms
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Charter of Rights and Freedoms – applies to the actions of all levels of government and agencies
under their jurisdiction as they go about their work of creating laws; takes precedence over all
other laws
o Exceptions: allows practices to infringe on Charter rights if they can be demonstrably
justified as reasonable limits in the “Free and democratic society” since demonstrably
justified and reasonable are open to interpretation, many issues challenged eventually
end up under before Supreme Court of Canada
o When a legislative body invokes the notwithstanding provision, which allows the
legislation to be exempted from challenge under the Charter
The charter provides the following fundamental rights and freedoms: freedom of conscious and
religion; freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and
other communication media; freedom of peaceful assembly; freedom of association
o Multicultural heritage rights
Equality rights – provides the basis for human rights legislation, guarantees the right to equal
protection and benefit of the law without discrimination
Human Rights Legislation
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Every person residing in Canada is protected by human rights legislation, which prohibits
intentional and unintentional discrimination in employment situations and the delivery fo goods
and services
Discrimination Defined
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Employment discrimination as intergroup biases that occur because of social group membership,
which often create an identify of how we define and see ourselves versus others
Intentional discrimination – prohibited, not necessarily overt
Prohibited rom intentional discrimination in the form of differential or unequal treatment
Unintentional discrimination – most difficult to detect/combat, embedded in policies and
practices that appear neutral on the surface and are implemented partially but have an adverse
impact on specific groups of people for reasons that are not job related or required for safe and
efficient operation of the business
Permissible discrimination via Bona Fide Occupational Requirements – permitted to discriminate
if employment requirements are based on a bona fide occupational requirement (BFOR)
o Question of rationale
o Question of good faith
o Question of reasonable necessity
Duty to accommodate
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Requirement for reasonable accommodation
If discrimination does exist, the company must demonstrate individualized attempts to
accommodate to the point of undue hardship
Employers are expected to accommodate to the point of undue hardship, meaning that
the financial cost of the accommodation or health and safety risks to the individual
concerned or other employees would make accommodation too difficult for the
employer
Human Rights Case Examples
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If there were 20 criteria used to make a decision and even one of those criteria violated
protection against discrimination as per the applicable human rights legislation, then the entire
decision made but he employer can be deemed illegal
Claims of discrimination based on disability make up almost half of all human rights claims
53% increase in the number of complaints received by the Canadian Huma Rights Commission
based on race or religion from 2015-2020
Religion – can take many forms
Sexual orientation – prohibited in all jurisdictions in Canada
Age – justifiable to specific minimum or maximum ages for certain jobs, however evidence rarely
available to support the belief that age is an accurate indicator of a person’s ability to perform a
particular type of work
Based on association – denial of rights because of friendship or other relationships with a
protected group member
Human Rights Enforcement
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All costs are borne by the commission, not by the complainant; commission itself can initiate a
complaint
First heard by human rights tribunal
When selecting a Workplace Investigator:
o Internal or external investigators
o One investigator or two
o Respecting the mandate
o Impartiality or neutrality
o Reliable, thorough and professional
o Quality of the written report
o Respects confidentiality
Employers obligations include the following:
o Demonstrating an awareness of the issues of discrimination or harassment
o Fulfilling post-complaint actions
o Resolving the complaint by demonstrating a reasonable resolution and communication
Supreme court of Canada suggested three broad inquiries to determine if discrimination has
taken place:
o Differential treatment
o An enumerated ground
o Discrimination in a substantive sense
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If discrimination is found, two forms of remedies can be imposed:
o Systemic remedies (forward looking) – require the respondent to take positive steps to
ensure compliance with legislation
o Restitutional remedies includes monetary compensation for complainants to put them
back in position they would be in the discrimination had not occurred
 Lost wages
2.2 Quiz
1. What does bona fide occupational requirement mean?: There is a justified reason for
discrimination based on a rale business or job requirement
2. Which one of the following is not one of the established criteria used to assess if discrimination
qualifies as BFOR?: question of social impact
3. Up to which point are employers expected to provide reasonable accommodation in
employment policies and practices so that no individual is prevented from doing their job on the
basis of prohibited grounds for discrimination?: up to the point of undue hardship
4. Which of the following is true about discrimination based on a protected clause in the Human
Rights Act?: There was a large increase in complains based on race or religion between 2015 and
2020
5. A local basketball association has a rule that referees must be a minimum of 5’10” tall. What is
this an example of?: Unintentional discrimination
Harassment
2.3 Describe Behavior that could constitute harassment, and explain employers’’ responsibilities
regarding harassment
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1982 sexual harassment case
Intentional harassment = bullying
Sexual harassment – divided into sexual coercion and sexual annoyance
o Coercion = involves harassment of a sexual nature that results in some direct
consequence to the worker’s employment status or some gain in or loss of tangible job
benefits
o Annoyance = sexually related conduct that is hostile, intimidating or offensive to the
employee but has no direct link to tangible job benefits
Harassment Policies
-
Effective harassment policies should include the following:
o An anti-harassment policy statement
o Information for victims
o Employees’ rights and responsibilities
o Employers’ and mangers’ responsibilities
o Anti-harassment policy procedures
o Penalties for retaliation against a complainant
o Guidelines for appeals
o Other options such as union grievance procedures and human rights complaints
o
How the policy will be monitored and adjusted
2.3 Quiz
1. Which of the following is not an example of harassment?: an employee asks a co-worker why
they appear so stressed out today
2. Which of the following is true about harassment?: psychological harassment is more prevalent
and pervasive in workplaces than physical violence
3. What is the significance of the ruling in the Vancouver Public Library case where a security guard
asked a library worker if she was interested in having drinks together after work?: the court
determined that a single event with no adverse impact did not meet the threshold of sexual
harassment
4. Reen’s boss asked her out on a date. She refused. After her refusal, Reena noticed that her shifts
at work were altered, and she had reduced hours. What could this be an example of?: sexual
coercion
5. The supreme court has made it clear that protecting employees from harassment is part of a
BLANK responsibility to provide a safe and healthy working environment: employer’s
Employment Equity and Provincial Employment standards Act
2.4 describe the purpose of employment equity programs and explain the role of minimums established
in employment standards legislation
- four designated groups (women, indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, visible mnorites)
-
The Employment Equity Act applies to federally regulated industries, Crown corporations, federal
organizations with more than 100 employees and other specific organizations (RCMP)
Employment equity program designed to achieve a balance representation of members of the
four designated groups in the organization
The status of the Four Designated Groups
-
In 2020, women accounted for 47 percent of the employed workforce
Glass ceiling – invisible barrier caused by attitudinal organizational bias that limits the
advancement opportunities of qualified designated group members
Equal pay for equal work – specified employer cannot pay males and female employees
differently if they are performing the same or substantially similar work
Indigenous People
-
-
Bill C-3 (Gender Equity in Indian Registration Act) amended to ensure grandchildren of
indigenous women who lost their indigenous status when they married a non-indigenous man
would be entitled to Indian status
2015 Truth and reconciliation Commission
Persons with Disabilities
-
In 2017, Canadians 25-64 with a disability had a significant lower employment rte than without
(41 vs 80)
Visible Minorities
-
2016 Census, 21.9 percent of Canadian population reports they were born outside of Canada
Employment/Labour Standards Legislation
-
All employees in Canada covered by employment standards legislation
o Intent of an ESA/LSA is to establish minimum terms and conditions for workplaces
pertaining to such issues as wages, paid holidays and vacations, maternity, parental or
adoption leave, bereavement leave, compassionate care leave, termination notice and
overtime pay
o Neither party can choose to opt out of or waive the rights established in the applicable
ESA/LSA
o Conflict between applicable ESA/LSA and another contract, the principle of greater
benefit is applied e.g. employment policy or contract is communicated to employes
stating that in the case of a layoff, employees will be provided with one-month notice for
ever year that they worked if they were laid off. Employees who worked 10 years would
be given greater benefit, not the minimum under the ESA/LSA to preserve the greater
benefit to the employee
o Violators can be fined. Occurs through filing of a formal written or electronic complaint
against the violator to the appropriate authorities
2.4 Quiz
1. Employment contracts are required for which group of employees?: all individuals who complete
work for the organization
2. In order to comply with employment legislation, the HR department should develop programs,
policies and procedures that: are fair, equitable and prevent discrimination
3. The Employment Standards Act in a specific province indicates that employees must get at least
30 minutes of rest during a six-hour shift. What is not allowed in the independent employment
contract?: agreeing to remove the breaks from a 7-hour shift as long as the employee signs off
on it
4. Two new tenure-track faculty members who just completed their Ph.Ds in management with a
specialization in HR were recently hired by a local university. Although their background, training
and previous experience were comparable, the person who identifies as female was offered a
starting salary of $111,000 and the person who identifies as male was offered a starting salary of
$129,000. What legal consideration might be violated in this scenario?: equal pay for equal work
5. An office management company has a head office in Nova Scotia with 150 employees, but also
has 50 employees in a branch office in British Columbia and 300 employees in a branch office in
Alberta. What provincial employment standards acts should the HR department follow?: the ESA
of Alberta, Nova Scotia or British Columbia, depending on where the employee works
Chapter 2 Quiz
1. If Zev works with a Canadian chartered bank, what jurisdiction would govern the employment
relationship under which Zev works: the federal government
2. Which of the following is not included in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms?:
freedom to refuse unsafe work
3. Mariam is upset. She has been told she did not get a promotion because she may not have
enough time to devote to a more senior role. Mariam thinks this is because her employer knows
that she has two children. What can Mariam do?: complain to the Human Rights Commission in
her province
4. Franklin johns recently signed a collective agreement with his union that provides more vacation
than the employment standards act provisions. Johs new plant manager wants to voice the
collective agreement provision and use the minimum entitlement in the act instead to save
money. Which of the following statements is accurate?: if there is a conflict between the ESA and
another contract, the principle of greater benefit is applied
5. A vice-president of human resources for a larger farm equipment contractor has developed a
drug-free workplace compliance policy that defines expected employee behaviours and states
penalties for non-compliance. This policy should also include: substance abuse awareness
programs for al employees
6. Before 1982, sexual harassment was not interpreted as a form of sex discrimination (and
therefor not illegal). Employers were also perceived as not being responsible for the actions of
their employees: this statement is true
7. What is the definition of tort law?: judge-based law, whereby the precedent and jurisprudences
set by one judge through their assessment of a case establishes how similar cases will be
interpreted
8. According to the supreme court of Canada, what is the focus of a disability?: not simply the
presence of the disability, but the effect of the disability
9. Which of the following is a prohibited ground of discrimination in employment in only some
jurisdictions?: language
Chapter 3: Human Resources Management and Technology
Welcome
-
Move to remote work and technology enabled
3.1 Trends in the Nature of Work
Explain trends in the nature of work and the relationship these have with technology or automation
Automation
-
-
Reduces need for manual labour – 2020, 10.6% of workers at risk of having 70% of their job
automated
Intent of automation is to improve productivity, reduce costs or manage labour shortages
o Jobs at risk include: office support occupations, service supervisors, specialized service
occupations (chefs, butchers, hairstylists, tailors), industrial, electrical and construction
trades
Could result in job transformation
-
-
Initial investment in automation may be outside firm’s budget or there may be a shortage of
complementary skills
o Least risk of automation: professional occupations, community and government services
and education services
o Higher the level of employee’s education, the lower their risk of job loss due to
automation
Varies based on industry – accommodation and food services, manufacturing, transportation
and warehousing, agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting all have 57% or greater automation
potential
o Manufacturing jobs moved to low-wage countries to be more globally competitive,
produce more with fewer workers
Information and communication Technology (ICT)
-
-
-
ICT increases workers’ flexibility and the degree of integration between various functional areas;
decreases degree of centralization in the organization, resulting in a flattening of organizational
structures – perceived to increase efficiency
Main obstacles are lack of interaction with coworkers, caring for children/family, need to do
additional work to fulfill job functions, technology access issues and inadequate physical
workspaces
Increased focus on work-life balance in Canada
Knowledge work and Human Capital
-
Jobs now require more education and more skills development prior to employment than
before; this means relying more on knowledge workers and therefore on human capital
Collecting and Organization HR information
-
-
HRMs often collect data on matters such as employee turnover and safety via human resources
audits – an analysis by which an organization measures where it currently stands and determines
what it has to accomplish to improve its HR function
o Involves reviewing the company’s human resources functions, usually using a checklist,
as well as ensuring that the firm is adhering to regulations, lws, and company policies
Benchmarks results to those of comparable companies
o Roles and headcount
o Compliance with federal, provincial and local employment=related legislation
o Recruitment and selection
o Compensation
o Employee relations
o Mandated benefits
o Group benefits
o Payroll
o Documentation and record keeping
o Training and development
o Employee communications
o Termination and transition policies and practices
Talent Management Analytics
-
Managers use special workforce analytics software tools to convert their workforce data into
actionable information
Uses talent analytics to answer six types of talent management:
o Human capital facts: what are the key indicators of my organization’s overall health?
o Analytical HR: which units, departments or individuals need attention?
o Human capital investment analysis: which actions have the greatest impact on my
business?
o Workforce forecasts: predicts future required headcounts for each unit based on
predictions for things like sales trends
o Talent value model: why do employees choose to stay with or leave my company?
o Talent supply chain: how should my workforce needs adapt to changes in the business
environment?
Quiz 3.1
1. What is the purpose of an HR audit?: it’s a snapshot of where the organization currently stands
in regard to its HR functions and outcomes
2. What is the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on organizations?: ICT
increases both workers’ flexibility and the degree of integration between various functional
areas
3. In 2020, roughly what percentage of workers were at risk of having most of their job (70%)
automated?: 10%
4. Which of the following jobs are least likely to be automated?: social worker
5. Which of the statements about ICT workers are true?: their average salaries are more than 50%
higher than average salaries in Canada
The Impact of HR Technology
3.2 Describe the impact that HR technology has on the role of the HR professional and the resulting
three major changes to the role of HR
The Strategic Importance of Technology in HRM
-
HR technology: any technology that is used to attract, hire, retain and maintain talent; support
workforce administration and optimize workforce management
o Strengths determined by seven factors:
 Visibility – HRM targets and practices known by employees?
 Clarity – is the information easy for employees to understand?
 Acceptability: do employees accept or buy into the system?
 Administrative consistency: ae practices uniformly applied?
 Effectiveness of administration and design: are hr practices and technologies
doing what they are designed to do?
 Internal consistency: do practices and programs fit across and between
organization?
 Intensity: what time and effort is dedicated to implementing practices?
-
-
Important it reduces administrative burden on HR department members to focus on more
meaningful HR activities, such as providing line manages with appropriate decision making tools
to enable them to make more effective HR related decision
Next decade there will be a significant pressures on HR departments to manage costs and deliver
effective and efficient services
Strong strategic relationship between HR and technologies will enable HR to achieve three key
objectives:
o Strategic alignment with business objectives
o Business intelligence that provides users with relevant data
o Effectiveness and efficiency that changes how HR work is performed by reducing lead
times and costs and increasing service levels
Impact of Technology on the Role of HR
-
Has enabled HR to decrease its involvement in transactional activities and to increase its focus
on how to improve its delivery of strategic services
As a result of technology, traditional HR role has changed:
o Decreased transactional activities
o Increased client/customer focus
o Increased delivery of strategic services
HR and IT department: developing good working relationships
-
HR practitioners need to speak language of IT and gain greater understanding of IT
Respecting Employee Privacy
-
Employers are grappling with monitoring employees and privacy
The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) governs the
collection, use and disclosure of personal information across Canada
Courts have permitted electronic surveillance as long as there is proper balancing of opposing
interests
Quiz 3.2
1. The traditional HR role has changed as a result of the technologically enabled environment in all
the following ways except: increased operational focus
2. Which of the following is not an expectation that internal customers have of HR: offer
competitive pricing
3. HR system strength is determined by seven factors. What is the term used to identify if
information is easy for employees to understand?: clarity
4. In a study of top executives, what was the role most identified for HR leaders?: business partners
5. PIPEDA stands for: Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act
Human Resources Information Systems
3.3 Explain the key functions of HR systems and their strategic importance
-
cost to implement HRIS usually $8,750 per user
-
human resources information system (HRIS): integrated system used to gather, store and analyze
information regarding an organization’s human resources
o top reasons: gaining greater functionality, consolidating disparate systems, increasing
efficiency
o basic purpose is to manage people, policies and procedures like recruitment, benefits
administration, absence management, compensation, training and development,
workforce, self-service, reporting
The Relationship between HRM and HRIS
-
HRIS composite of databases, computer applications, hardware, and software necessary to
collect, record, store, manage, deliver, manipulate and present data regarding human resources
o Transaction processor, editor and record keeper, maintaining employee, organizational
and HR related data
o Provides information to clients
Strategic Alignment of Information Systems
-
Information from system can help organizations align more effectively with their strategic plan
The Major Components of an HRIS
-
Subsystems in an HRIS: administration, recruitment, time and attendance, training and
development, pension administration, employment equity, performance evaluation,
compensation and benefits administration, organization management, health and safety, labour
relations and payroll
Quiz 3.3
1. Which of the following is an example of an HR metric that can come from an HRIS: number of
accidents and injuries
2. Which of the following is a major benefit of a human resources information system (HRIS)?:
reduces administrative and compliance activities through automation
3. A company record showing present performance and promotability of inside candidates for the
most important positions is known as an: personnel replacement chart
4. What is the term used to describe the set of activities used to find new, hidden, or unexpected
patterns in data: data mining
5. What is the term used to refer to the online system that helps employers attract, gather, screen,
compile, and manage applicants?: applicant tracking system
Selecting and Implementing an HRIS
3.4 Describe the three-step process involved in selecting and implementing an HR information system
and the benefits of online service applications
-
The choice of technology revolves around what is the desired amount of customization? What
type of system is required or preferred?
Types of HRIS
-
-
-
-
-
Smaller firms might use generic software applications such as Microsoft Excel and Access; payroll
and benefits administration, time and attendance reporting and an employee scheduling
function
Mid-sized require compliance tracking and reporting, health claims administration, payroll, and
compensation and benefits administration; data integration
Large organizations require greater functionality, require employee screening, resume
processing and tracking and additional compliance and reporting requirements, such as
employment equity
Phase 1: Adoption – Determining a Need
o Company background
o Management considerations
o Technical considerations
o HR considerations
o Cost considerations
Request for proposals sent to firms
Phase 2: Implementation
o Getting the system up and running
o Privacy and security concern when setting up HRIS
Phase 3: Integration
o Employees need to be trained
Cautions Regarding e-HR
-
Although 80% of respondents agreed that self-service systems can lower HR operation costs,
only 40% believe that their company actually achieving this result
Review
-
-
An online system called an applicant tracking system helps employers attract, gather, screen,
compile and manage applicants
Employee self-service enables employees to access and manage their personal information
directly
An enterprise resource planning system supports organization-wide or cross-functional
requirements rather than a single department within the organization
Management self-service enables managers to access a range of information about themselves
and the employees who report to them and to process HR related paperwork that pertains to
their staff
Workforce analytics allows for statistical measures of the impact of HRM practices on the
performance of an organization’s human capital
Quiz 3.4
1. What are the three steps in the process to choose an HRIS, in the correct order?: adoption
phase, implementation phase and integration (institutionalization) phase
2. One privacy concern when stetting up an HRIS is what data can be seen by specific people in the
organization. Other privacy concerns include: who can access and change data
3. Getaway Travel, a large tour operator, is determining whether it requires an HRIS. Which factor
would not be a consideration in the adoption phase of an HRIS?: the gross revenue of the
company
4. When implementing an HRIS, it is common to ask “what type of daily requests and which
employee transactions would make the most sense to automate”? This falls into the category of
BLANK considerations: HR
5. What is the impact of management self-service systems on HR?: they reduce the HR workload by
roughly 20%
Chapter 3 Quiz
1. What term is used to reflect the knowledge, education, training, skills and expertise of a firm’s
workers?: human capital
2. Which of the following is not a major component of an HRIS?: interviewing
3. What is a learning management system (LMS)?: An LMS includes special software tools to help
employers identify training needs, and to schedule, deliver, assess and manage the online
training itself
4. Which of the following is not a function offered by employee self-service (ESS)?: changing salary
information
5. What is the major advantage of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system over relational
databases?: An ERP allows functions – such as HR information and accounting- to be integrated
6. HR technology is used for all the following purposes except: to discipline employees
7. Human resources information systems (HRIS) are used by various stakeholders including
managers, HR professionals and: employees
8. Technology has affected the role of HR by allowing HR to focus BLANK on administrative tasks
and BLANK on operational tasks: less; more
9. Shetu, a manager at GloboCor, is responsible for determining the salary budget for her
department. When it became time for annual increases, she requested that HR provide her with
a report that showed her employees’ current salary, the history of salary increases, a review of
the compensation policies and each employees performance history to help her make the most
informed decision. In this case, the HRIS was performing which of the following functions:
enhancing decision-making
10. Which of the following is a recruitment and selection function that can be performed through an
HRIS: scan resumes for key words
Chapter 4: Designing and Analyzing Jobs
-
Creative job titles have downfalls
4.1 Talent Management Process
Define talent management and explain what talent management-oriented managers do
1. Decide what positions to fill through job analysis, workforce planning and forecasting
2. Build a pool of job applicants by recruiting internal or external candidates
3. Obtain application forms and perhaps have initial screening interviews
4. Use selection tools like tests, interviews, background checks and legal permissible physical exams
to identify viable candidates
5. Decide to whom to make an offer
6. Orient, train and develop employees so they have the competencies to do their jobs
7. Appraise employees to assess how they’re doing
8. Compensate employees to maintain their motivation
- Problem with stepwise view (above): process usually isn’t consistently stepwise – view them as
holistically; focusing on each step may cause the manger to miss the forest for the trees – results
obtained by applying them together that’s important
- View steps as coordinated talent management effort: holistic, integrated and results and goal
oriented process of planning, recruiting, selecting, developing, managing and compensating
employees
This looks like:
1. They start with the results and ask “what recruiting, testing, training or pay action should I take
to produce the employee competencies we need to achieve our company’s goals?
2. They treat activities such as recruiting and training as interrelated
3. Because talent management is holistic and integrated, they will probably use the same profile of
required human skills, knowledge and behaviours (competencies) for formulating job’s
recruitment plans as for making selection, training, appraisal and compensation decisions for it
4. And to ensure the activities are all focused on the same ends, the manager will take steps to
coordinate the talent management functions (recruiting and training, for example). Doing so
often involves using talent management software
Talen Management Software
-
Used to help ensure that their talent management activities are aimed in a coordinated way to
achieve the company’s HR aims
4.1 Quiz
1. How is talent management defined?: taking an integrated and results/goal-oriented
approach to human resources management
2. Which of the following is true about talent management?: it requires manager coordination
for recruitment and training
3. What is the first step in the talent management process?: decide what positions to fill
4.2 The Basics of Job Analysis
What is Job Analysis?
-
-
Job analysis is a process by which information about jobs is systemically gathered and organized
A job consists of a group of related activities and duties. Ideally, the duties of a job should be
clear and distinct from those of other jobs and they should involve natural units of work that are
similar and related
The collection of tasks and responsibilities performed by one person is known as a position
Uses of Job Analyss Information
-
-
-
Job analysis: procedure firms used to determine the tasks, duties and responsibilities of each job
and the human attributes required to perform it. Once gathered it is used for developing job
descriptions and job specifications
The supervisor or human resources specialist normally collects one or more of the following
types of information via the job analysis:
o Work activities
o Human behaviours
o Machines, tools, equipment and work aids
o Performance standards
o Job context
o Human requirements
Recruitment and selection: job description and job specification information should be used to
decide what sort of person to recruit and hire; bona fide occupational requirements
Compensation: should be based on required skills, physical and mental demands, responsibilities
and working conditions
Performance management: must be directly related to duties and responsibilities identified
through job analysis
Training, development and career management: gaps are determined that require training
programs
Restructuring: ensures all duties that need to be done are assigned, may lead to identification of
unnecessary requirements
4.2 Quiz
1. An organization has five cashiers and three inventory clerks working at a given time. How many
jobs and positions does it have?: two jobs and eight positions
2. Which of the following is an example of a work activity included in a job analysis?: painting
3. Which of the following is an example of human behaviours included in a job analysis?: walking
long distances
4. What is the role of the union in the job analysis process?: job descriptions developed form the
job analysis information are generally subject to union approval before being finalized
5. How can job analysis performance standards be legally defensible?: Criteria used to assess
employee performance must be directly related to the duties and responsibilities identified
through job analysis
6. How can job analysis be used for restricting decisions?: to identify overlap within duties
4.3 Steps in Job Analysis
-
Six critical steps involved in analyzing jobs:
o relevant organizational information is reviewed
 organizational structure refers to the formal relationships among jobs in an
organization
 organization chart is often used to depict the organization’s structure
o Three common types of structures:
 Bureaucratic, flat and matrix
o
o
o
o
o
jobs are selected to be analyzed
 job design is the process of systemically organizing work into the tasks that are
required to perform the specific job
using one or more job analysis techniques, data are collected on job activities
 interviews: individual interviews, group interviews, supervisory interviews
 The job analyst and supervisor should work together to identify the
employees who know the job best
 Rapport should be established quickly with the interviewee by using the
individual’s name, speaking in easily understood language, briefly
reviewing the purpose of the interview and explaining how the person
came to be chosen
 A structured guide or checklist that lists questions and provides spaces
for answers should be used
 When duties are not performed in a regular manner, the incumbent
should be asked to list their duties in order of importance of frequency
of occurrence
 The data should be reviewed and verified by both the interviewee and
their immediate supervisor
 Involves a face-to-face or technology-based discussion using a
structured format to collect information
 Questionnaire: have employees or supervisors fill out
 Observation – a third party often watches the employee perform their work
while recording information regarding the nature of performance and desired
behaviours
 Participation diary or log: involves an employee keeping detailed notes regarding
the frequency and duration of their activities during the average workday
 The national occupational classification
 Functional job analysis: uses the established questions that rate jobs based on
responsibility for three different areas: data, people and things
 Position analysis questionnaire: involves analyzing 194 items in regard to how
important they are in relation to job success
the information collected in step 3 is then verified and modified, if required
 verified with any workers performing job and with immediate supervisor
job descriptions and specifications are developed based on the verified information
 written statement of what the jobholder actually does, how they do it, and
under what conditions the job is performed
 job identification
 job summary
 relationships
 duties and responsibilities
 authority
 performance standards or indicators
 working conditions and physical environment
the information is then communicated and updated on an as-needed basis
4.3 Quiz
1. What is the definition of organizational structure?: the formal relationships among jobs in an
organization
2. what is the first step in the job analysis process?: review relevant organizational information
3. what is the last step in the job analysis process?: communicate information
4. Who is the incumbent?: the person currently employed in the job
5. what are the two major decisions to be made when developing the job analysis questionnaire?:
how structured the questionnaire is and who will complete the questionnaire
6. What is the name of the pre-developed questionnaire including 194 work items that is often
used by a job analysis?: position analysis questionnaire
7. What is the name of the reference tool prepared by the government for writing job descriptions
and job specifications?: National Occupational Classification
8. Which of the following is an example of a job identification?: job title
9. What is no more than 2 percent of units are rejected an example of?: performance expectations
10. Where will information about who the job reports to be identified in a job description:
relationships
4.4 The Evolution of Jobs and Job Design
- Work simplification: work can be broken down into clearly defined, highly specialized, repetitive
tasks to maximize efficiency
Industrial Engineering
-
Industrial engineering: concerned with analyzing work methods and establishing time standards
to improve efficiency
Business processing reengineering
-
Means redesigning business processes, usually by combining steps, so that small multifunction
teams, often using information technology, do the jobs formerly done by the sequence of
departments
o Identify a business process to be redesigned
o Measure the performance of the existing processes
o Identify opportunities to improve these processes
o Redesign and implement a new way of doing the work
o Assign ownership of sets of formerly separate tasks to an individual or a team who use
new computerized systems to support the new arrangement
Job Redesign
-
Job enlargement: assigning workers additional same-level activities
Job rotation: workers are systemically moved from one job to another
Job enrichment: jobs are redesigned in a way that increases the opportunities for the worker to
experience feelings of responsibility, achievement, growth and recognition and therefore
motivation
Quiz 4.4
1. What type of job design is based on the premise that work can be broken down into clearly
defined, highly specialized, repetitive tasks to maximize efficiency?: work simplification
2. How can jobs be enriched?: adding new tasks requiring training, thereby providing an
opportunity for growth
3. Industrial engineering is a field of study concerned with analyzing work methods, establishing
time standards and: making work cycles more efficient
4.5 Competency-Based Job Analysis
- Competency based job analysis: writing job descriptions based on competencies rather than job
duties
- Competencies are demonstrable characteristics of a person that enable job performance
Three reasons to use competency analysis
1. Traditional job descriptions may actually backfire if a high-performance work system is the goal
2. Describing the job in terms of the skills, knowledge and competencies the worker needs is more
strategic
3. Measurable skills, knowledge and competencies support the employee’s performance
management process
How to Write Competency statements
-
Will include three elements: name and brief description of competency, description of
observable behaviours that represent proficiency in the competency, proficiency levels
Comparing Traditional versus Competency-Based Job Analysis
Team-Based Job Designs
-
Increasing use of team-based job designs, which focuses on giving a team rather than an
individual a whole and meaningful piece of work to do
Quiz 4.5
1. Under which situation should an organization consider using traditional job descriptions rather
than competency analysis?: when work requires a high degree of supervision and low levels of
overlap
2. What sentence is often used to identify a competency?: In order to perform this job completely,
the employee should be able to…
3. What is a competency?: a list of demonstrable characteristics of a person that enable
performance
4. What proficiency level is the competency “anticipates changing conditions and impact to risks
and dependencies and takes preventive action” associated with?: 3
Chapter 4 Quiz
1. A manager is concerned that a key employee is getting bored. The manager ads mor meaningful
tasks and duties to the employee’s potion. Which job enhancement technique it he manger
using?: job enrichment
2. Hassan is the human resources director of a highly creative organization. Employees have to
develop new systems and the organization itself must have a high degree of flexibility. They hired
and promoted based on their broad skill set, ability to adapt, and innovation. Hassan is
developing a job analysis process. Which of the following would be most appropriate for
Hassan’s organization?: competency analysis
3. Traditional job analysis is BLANK focused; competency based analysis is BLANK focused:
job;worker
4. Bob has decided that he will specify that entry-level positions at his firm will require a minimum
of an undergraduate degree even though job analysis concluded that high school education
would be appropriate. Which of the following would be true?: the qualifications are not bona
fide occupational requirements
5. Which of the following is not a use of job analysis?: benefits
6. What is the relationship between job analysis, job descriptions and job specifications?: job
analysis is the procedure that is used to develop the job description and job specification
7. Huda is meeting with a member of the human resources department to determine if the duties,
tasks and responsibilities that HR has determined in her job match what she actually does. What
step is this in the job analysis process?: review information with job incumbents
8. Which of these talent management steps can occur in a loop or simultaneously?: orient, train
and develop employees; appraise employees
9. What is the difference between a position and a job?: a position is a job that is done by one
person
10. When is it best to use the group interview to collect job analysis information?: the group
interview is best used when a large number of employees are performing similar or identical
work, and it can be a quick and inexpensive way of learning about the job
Chapter 5: Human Resources Planning
5.1 The Strategic Importance of Human Resources Planning
Human Resources Planning: process of forecasting future human resources requirements to ensure that
the organization will have the required number of employees with the necessary skills to meet its
strategic objectives
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Anticipates and influences
Key steps in the HRP process include analyzing forecasted labour supply, forecasting labour
demands, and then planning and implementing HR programs to balance supply and demand
The Relationship Between HRP and Strategic Planning
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Must align with the overall goals of the organization as well as both the longterm and short term
strategic plans set by the organization
Four Seasons lets employees work anywhere in the world and transfer
Importance of Environmental Scanning
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Environment Scanning: involves assessing factors that affect the external labour market, as well
as the organization’s ability to find and secure talent from outside of the organization
External environmental factors most frequently monitored include the following:
o Economic conditions
o Market and competitive tends
o New or revised laws and the decisions of courts and quasi-judicial bodies
o Social concerns such as healthcare, childcare and educational priorities
o Technological changes affecting processes, products and people
o Demographic trends of an internal and external labour force
Impact of Trends of Labour Supply Demand
1. An aging workforce decreases the future supply of talent
2. An increase in customer demand for organizational products or services increases the
demand for talent
3. A policy that is focused on hiring from within increases demands for training talent
4. A competitor launching a branch office close to your location decreases demand for talent
5. Automating a work process that was once labour intensive decreases demand for talent
6. A government initiative aimed at increasing the number of scholarships and positions
available for people who study in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
decreases the supply of talent in the short term and increases the supply the talent in the
long term
Mini Sim
Meet with graphic designer – best choice to do 2 days for product design, and 5 days for graphics –
middle cost
Meet with the content author - best choice 8 days to outline a simple product, and 20 days for a single
writer to author content – middle cost
Meet with the Lead Programmer – 30 days to code the application internally, 4 days for 3 people to enter
content. – low cost (ok choice)
Head of Quality Assurance – minimal proofreading. Rely on users to catch errors – ok choice, should have
been no proofreading?
PERT Network Flowchart – flawed flowchart in that two of the steps are being performed simultaneously
even though one of them depends on the completion of the other
Put more people entering content in Gantt Chart
Reducing budget in Gantt Chart – reduce the item that has the highest cost but has flexibility to reduce
that cost
Quiz 5.1
1. What is the current trend in GDP growth and labour force growth in Canada from 2000 to 2019?:
GDP growth is greater than labour force growth
2. What can being proactive and strategic about HR plans help an organization do?: ensure it has
the right quantity and quality of employees needed in the future
3. What are the correct steps in the hr planning model?: forecast labour supply and demand,
conduct gap analysis, and conduct solutions analysis
4. Which of the following is a social concern in the environmental scanning process?: a trend
toward securing higher education
5. Which of the following are not frequently monitored external environmental factors?: skills,
knowledge and abilities of current employees
5.2
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Forecasting Human Resources Needs (supply)
HRP aligns forecasted labour supply with the predicted labour demands of the organization
An organization must forecast future HR demands and forecast future HR supply
Two sources of supply:
o Internal
o External
Skills inventories contain comprehensive information about the capabilities of current
employees
Data pertaining to managerial staff are compiled in management inventories
Replacement charts are typically used to keep track of potential internal candidates for the firm’s
most critical positions
Replacement summaries: list likely replacements for each position and their relevant strengths
and weaknesses
Succession planning – plans a company makes to fill its most important executive positions
Markov analysis: tracks pattern of employee movements through various jobs and develop a
transitional probability matrix for forecasting internal supply by specific categories such as
position or gender
Forecasting the supply of External Candidates
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Employers assess general economic conditions, labour market conditions and occupational
market conditions
Quiz 5.2
1. Which steps of the HR planning process can be done simultaneously?: demand and supply
forecasts
2. What type of information is usually not provided in the skills inventory?: number of sick days
used
3. What is the difference between succession planning and replacement plans?: succession plans
are focused on senior or key jobs, while replacement plans can be focused on any job
4. What is the definition of replacement summaries?: lists of likely replacements of each position
and their relative strengths and weaknesses, as well as information about current position,
performance, promotability, age and experience
5. What type of information is not provided in a Markov analysis?: employee training initiatives at
each level
5.3 Forecasting Future Human Resources Needs (demand)
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key component of HRP is forecasting the number and type of people needed to meet
organizational objectives
managers should consider 7 factors when forecasting such requirements:
projected turnover
quality and nature of employees
decision to upgrade the quality of products or services or enter into new markets
planning technological and administrative changes aimed at increasing productivity and reducing
employee head count
financial resources available to each department
in large organizations, needs forecasting is primarily quantitative in nature and is the
responsibility of highly trained specialists
Quantitative Approach to Forecasting Human Resources Demand
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trend analysis – studying the firm’s employment levels over the last three to five years to predict
future needs
ratio analysis – making forecasts based on the ratio between some causal factor and the number
of employees required
scatterplot – graphic visualization used to determine whether two factors are related
regression analysis – determine line of best fit, involving multiple variables
Qualitative Approaches to Forecasting Human Resources Demand
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rely solely on expert judgements
Nominal Group Technique = involves group of experts meeting face to face; used to deal with
issues and problems
Steps:
o Each member of the group independently writes down their ideas on the problem or
issue
o Going one by one through meeting attendees, each member then presents one idea
o Clarification is then sought, as necessary, followed by group discission and evaluation
o Each member is asked to rank the ideas
Delphi Technique – useful for long-range forecasting and other strategic planning issues
Steps:
o The problem is identified and each group member is required to submit a potential
solution by completing a carefully designed questionnaire. Direct face-to-face contact
not permitted
o After each member independently and anonymously completes the initial questionnaire,
the results are compiled at the centralized location
o Each group member is then given a copy of the results
o If there are differences in opinion, each individual uses the feedback from other experts
to fine-tune their independent assessment
o The third and fourth steps are repeated as often as necessary until consensus is reached
Quiz 5.3
1. What is the basic assumption in trend analysis?: that the past is a good predictor of the future
2. Which of the following is a good example of a ratio used for demand assessment in HR
planning?: sales of $500 per hour worked
3. Which of the following is a strength of the scatterplot?: it provides a visualization of the
relationship between two factors
4. Which of the following is an example of a qualitative approach to forecasting HR demand?:
Delphi technique
5. What is the key difference between the nominal group technique (NGT) and the Delphi
technique?: In NGT, managers meet face to face to discuss estimates; in delphi they
independently and anonymously make estimates
5.4 Planning and Implementing HR Programs to Balance Supply and demand
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long-term range plans are general statements of potential staffing needs and may not include
specific numbers
Short-term plans are more specific and are often depicted in a staffing table
o Staffing table: pictorial representation of all jobs within the organization, along with the
number of current incumbents and future requirements for each
Specific strategies must be formulated ot balance supply and demand considerations. There are
three possible scenarios:
o Projected labour demand matches projected labour supply (equilibrium)
 Internal or external replacement/transfers for vacancies only
o Projected labour supply exceeds projected demand (surplus)
 Hiring freeze
 Openings are filled by reassigning current employees and no outsiders
are hired
 Leave of absence
 Layoff
 Terminations
 Reduced hours through job sharing
 Reduced workweeks
 Downsizing through attrition
 Normal separation of employees because of resignation, retirement or
death
 Accelerate attrition by offering incentives to employees to leave, such as
early retirement buyout programs
o Projected labour demand exceeds projected supply (shortage)
 Scheduling overtime hours
 Hiring temporary workers
 External recruitment
 Subcontracting work
 Internal solutions to labour shortage: transfer, promotion
Quiz 5.4
1. A department currently employees 12 workers at 30 hours a week. The department projects a
25% increase in demand and expects one employee to quit and four employees to be hired.
What is a gap analysis in this situation?: labour equilibrium
2. What is a possible solution to a labour surplus situation?: layoffs
3. Due to labour surplus, both Bob and Larry agreed to work half-time in their similar positions.
What is this solution considered?: job sharing
4. Which of the following is not a possible solution for dealing with a labour surplus?: scheduling
overtime hours
5. You are the manager of a local sandwich restaurant. The head office just mailed coupons to
Canadian households, and you anticipate demand will double for the next two weeks (while the
coupons are valid). What is the best option for dealing with the anticipated labour shortage?:
hiring temporary workers
6. Which of the following is a method for dealing with a labour shortage?: recruitment
Chapter 5 Quiz
1. Which of the following is a qualitative approach to forecasting human resource demand?:
nominal group technique
2. What is the direction of movement in a transfer and a promotion?: transfers involve lateral
movement, and promotions involve vertical movement
3. Evelyn, the human resources director for a large power utility, has just determined that half of
the organization’s engineers will retire in the next two years and there are no candidates
available with the required skills. What function appears to be missing at this organization?:
forecasting external and internal candidate supply
4. On average, two out of every three job openings over the next decade will be focused on
replacing retiring workers. In addition, fertility rates in Canada continue to decline, resulting in
fewer possible workers for the future labour force. These conditions create a situation of: fierce
labour competition for employers
5. If the organization finds that there is a shortage of labour within the organization, what solution
can be considered?: using interns
6. Ali is engaged in human resources planning for his organization and has realized that there will
be a requirement for people who have the ability to operate high-tech equipment in the near
future. What factor in human resources forecasting is Aly considering?: forecasting the quality or
nature of employees
7. Liam is attempting to forecast the future human resources needs in his organization. It is
anticipated that there will be productivity improvements and service changes that will have an
impact on the number of people required. These types of changes have occurred in the past
also. Which forecasting technique would best fit Liam’s needs?: regression analysis
8. What is the most significant difference between the nominal group technique and the Delphi
technique as forecasting approaches?: with the nominal group technique, participants meet;
with Delphi, they do not meet
9. John is trying to determine who among his staff can fill a new key position within his
organization. Which of the following would be most useful to him in answering this question?:
skills inventory
10. A local grocer has decided to use self-serve checkouts to replace cashiers. What impact would
this have on the HR plan of the organization?: It would decrease demand for labour
Chapter 6 - Recruitment
Applicant Tracking Systems
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Software systems actively splice information from your resume and put them into a database.
Recruiter on other end uses specific search words to look at a few candidates or in cases of AI
enabled systems, allows the system to screen and shortlist candidates – ATS
Companies relying too heavily on ATS to screen candidates may miss candidates with great
potential – veterans, immigrants, refugees, caregivers, those with disabilities or mental health
challenges (hidden group)
6.1: The Strategic Importance of Recruitment
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Recruitment: process of searching out and attracting qualified job applicants
Should be designed to minimize social inequities, biases and prejudices
Recruitment is the process of making availabilities in the organization known and taking the
required steps and efforts to secure the best quality and quantity of applicants. Only information
gathering in the recruitment stage, where people become aware of job opportunities and take
the active step required to formally apply for a job and let the company know of that applicant’s
interest in working for them
Selection is the process of screening, evaluating, and assessing recruited applicants until a final
hire decision is made from the applicant pool secured in the recruitment phase
Organizations have to make decisions about which recruitment method to use based on the
resources they have access to:
o Human resource considerations – number of HR team members and their skills and
competencies
o Financial resources – recruitment budget based on time or based on the number, quality
and level of employee to be hired
o Time – organization has limited amount of time to make decisions and often needs to
balance the need for the best candidate with the need to fill the vacancy
o Technology – company’s ability to access and capitalize on technology can be a core
consideration when assessing which recruitment method to use
Employer Branding
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Employer branding: image or impression of an organization as an employer based on the
perceived benefits of being employed by the organization
o Encapsulates employee’s experience when working for a company based on feelings,
emotions, senses, realities and benefits
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Involves defining the target audience, developing the value proposition, and reinforcing
the value proposition in corporate communications
Steps:
1. Define the target audience
2. Develop the employee value proposition
3. Reinforce value proposition in communication
Quiz 6.1
1. Which of the following is not part of employer branding?: the candidate’s experience when
applying with a competitor
2. Which of the following is the best measure of success of an employer branding initiative?:
desirable candidates say I’d like to work there
3. Finding applicants for the employer’s open positions is known as: recruitment
6.2 The Recruitment Process
- Recruitment begins with identifying a position that requires staffing and is completed when
resumes or completed application forms are received from an adequate number of applicants
- Steps:
o 1. Job openings are identified through HR planning
o 2. The job requirements are determined – reviewing job description and job
specifications and updating them
o 3. Appropriate recruiting sources and methods are chosen
o 4. A pool of qualified recruits is generated
Using Recruitment Software and Applicant Tracking Systems
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For most employers, completion of an application form or uploading a resume into an applicant
tracking system that codes and logs data is a critical step in the recruitment process
o Provide an efficient means of collecting verifiable historical data from each candidate in
a standardized format – education, prior work history, other job-related skills
o Most systems are from application service providers (ASPs)
Most firms request that a standardized company application form be completed. Many reasons
for this practice:
o Candidate comparison is facilitated because the information is collected in the uniform
manner
o Information that the company requires is specifically requested
o Application forms typically ask candidate to provide written authorization for reference
checking
o Candidates are asked to acknowledge that the information provided is true and accurate
o Many application forms today have an optional section regarding designated group
member status
One type of application form is a biographical information blank (BIB) – biodata form
6.2 Quiz
1. When does the recruitment process start and end?: The process starts with the identification of
a position that needs to be filled and ends when information is received from an adequate
number of applicants
2. Mildred, a recruiter, is reviewing the job description for a vacant position with the manger to
whole the incumbent would report. What step of the recruitment process is Mildred engaged
in?: specify job requirements
3. What is a challenge associated with using online application forms?: results in too many
applicants to review
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6.3 Internal Recruitment
Filling open positions with inside candidates has several advantages – according to human
capital theory, the accumulation of firm-specific knowledge and experience involves a joint
investment by both employee and employer, therefore, both parties benefit from maintaining a
long-term relationship
Employees see that competence is required, thus enhancing their commitment, morale and
performance, makes it less likely to leave, require less orientation than outsiders do
Recruiting from within also has drawbacks – employees who apply for jobs and don’t get them
may experience discontentment, wasting considerable time when they already know who they
want to hire, may be less satisfied with an accepting of a boss appointed from within their own
ranks tan they would be a newcomer; possibility of inbreeding – tend to make decisions by the
book and maintain the status quo when innovative direction is needed
90% of companies continue to use job postings and 84% use job slotting frequently or very
frequently
Job Posting
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Job posting is a process of notifying current employees about vacant positions
Involves a notice outlining the job title, duties, qualifications, hours of work, pay range, posting
date and closing date
Advantages and disadvantages to using job postings to facilitate transfer and promotion of
qualified internal candidates:
o Advantages
 Provides every qualified employee with a chance for a transfer or promotion
 Reduces the likelihood of special deals and favoritism
 Demonstrates the organization’s commitment to career growth and
development
 Communicates to employees the organization’s policies and guidelines regarding
promotions and transfers
 Provides equal opportunity to all qualified employees
o Disadvantages
 Unsuccessful job candidates may become demotivated, demoralized,
discontented and unhappy if feedback is not communicated in a timely and
sensitive manner
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Tensions may rise if it appears that a qualified internal candidate was passed
over for an equally qualified or less qualified external candidate
The decision about which candidate to select may be more difficult if there are
two or more equally qualified candidates
Job Slotting
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Job slotting: internal recruitment process whereby a manager personally identifies a preferred
candidate for a vacancy, discusses the opportunity with the employee, and places the target
employee into a position if they are interested
o Relational process, candidate is predetermined
o Succession planning and replacement planning examples of job slotting
Huma Resources Records or Skills Inventories
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HR records are often consulted to ensure that qualified individuals are notified, individually, of
vacant positions. Examination of employee files, including resumes and application forms, may
uncover employees who are working in jobs below their education or skills levels’ people who
already have the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA’s) or individuals with the potential
to move into a vacant position if given some additional training
HR records often include a skills inventory, which lists core skills of each employee
Rarely possible to fill all non-entry level jobs with current employees
Quiz 6.3
1. Which of the following is not a problem associated with internal recruitment?: internal
candidates will be less qualified than external candidates
2. Edith is looking for candidates and has been advised to recruit internally. Which of the following
is a benefit to the organization for internal recruitment?: Managers have greater knowledge of
the performance of the candidate if the candidate has been with the organization for some time
3. What is one of the disadvantages of using job postings when hiring and promoting from within
an organization?: Tensions can arise if it appears that an internal candidate was passed over for
an external candidate
4. Which of the following is a good example of job slotting?: A preferred candidate is informed
about a vacancy and offered the position first
5. According to research, what is a benefit of job posting versus job slotting: Those hired via job
postings were more likely to be promoted than those hired via job slotting
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6.4 External Recruitment
Advantages of external recruitment:
o Access to a larger pool of qualified candidates
o availability of a more diverse applicant pool, which can assist in meeting employment
equity goals and timelines
o acquisition of skills or knowledge not currently available within the organization or the
introduction of new ideas and creative problem-solving techniques
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elimination of rivalry and competition caused by employees jockeying for transferring
and promotions, which can hinder interpersonal and interdepartmental cooperation
potential cost savings resulting from hiring individuals who already have the required
skills, rather than providing extensive training
Planning External Recruitment
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the type of job to be filled has a major impact on the recruitment method selected
yield ratios help to indicate which recruitment methods are the most effective at producing
qualified job candidates
yield ratio: percentage of applicants who proceed to the next stage of the selection process
time-lapse data are the average number of days from when the company initiates a recruitment
method to when the successful candidate begins to work
external recruitment can be divided into four main recruitment methods:
o online recruitment
 internet based job boards, corporate websites and social networking sites
o traditional networking
 cold calls, print advertising, employee referrals, former employees
o agency recruitment
 employment and social development Canada, executive search firms and private
employment agencies
o recruitment of non-permanent staff
 can come from temporary help agencies and contract workers
Online Recruiting
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two potential problems:
o older people and some minority group members are less likely to use the internet
o internet overload
accessing one or more internet job boards, using a corporate website or using social networking
sites:
o internet job boards: fast, easy and convenient
o corporate websites: pre-screening strategies is essential
o online networking sites – Accenture predicts that about 80% of their new recruits will
soon come through prospective employees’ social media connections
Traditional Networking
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cold calls – walk-ins and write-ins – apply without referral or invitation called walk-ins
print advertising – ad must attract attention, develop interest, create desire, instigate action
o want ads and blind ads
employee referrals – 30-50% of vacancies are filled with some element of employee referrals in
the recruitment process
Accessing External Candidate Pools
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multiple methods of organizing, meeting, networking with and collecting information regarding
large pools of external candidates, including open houses, job fairs, professional and trade
associations, labour organizations and military personnel
Agency Recruiters
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Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) – helps unemployed individuals find
suitable jobs and helps employers locate qualified candidates to meet their needs
Executive search firms – usually middle-to senior level professional and managerial positions
Private employment agencies – provide assistance to employers seeking clerical staff, functional
specialists and technical employees
o Organization does not have an HR department or does not have anyone with the
requisite time and/or expertise
o Firm has previously experienced difficulty in generating a pool of qualified candidates for
the position or a similar type of position
o Particular opening must be filled quickly
o Desire to recruit a greater number of designated group members than the firm has been
able to attract on its own
o Recruitment effort is aimed at reaching individuals who are currently employed and
might therefore feel more comfortable answering ads placed by an employment agency
and subsequently dealing with one
Recruiting Non-permanent Workers
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Employers increasingly supplement their permanent workforces by hiring contingent or
temporary workers often through temporary help employment agencies
o Trend toward organizing around short-term projects
o Flexibility
o Try out potential employees
Notable inequities related to temporary workers in Canada:
o Compensation – temporary workers earn 21% less than permanent workers, work 17%
less hours a week
o Gender – women represent 80% of all temporary employees in social assistance and
healthcare in Canada, 68% of all temporary employees in the education sector; women
16% more likely to work in casual or term contracts than men, men almost twice as likely
to have seasonal jobs than women
o Lack of protection – exempt from minimum standards established in employment
standards legislation
Two common sources of non-permanent staff are temporary help agencies and contract workers
o Temporary help agencies – specialize in providing temporary workers to cover for
employees who are ill, on vacation or on leave of absence; seasonal work, peak
workloads and special projects
o temporary workers major benefits:
 they cost less than permanent employees
 if temp performs unsatisfactorily, a substitute can be requested immediately
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individuals working on temps who are seeking full-time employment are often
highly motivated
o Contract workers
o Offshoring and outsourcing jobs – reduced internal demand for labour to match the
lower levels of HR supply
Executive search firms can be used to fill critical positions in an organization, including middle to
senior level professionals…
Private employment agencies are used to find candidates when an organization experiences
difficulty…
Educational institutions are effective when searching for candidates who require formal
training….
Professional and trade associations are extremely helpful when trying to secure candidates with
specialized skills…
Union hiring halls often maintain a roster of members such as skilled tradespeople…
Online networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter…
Quiz 6.4
1. In an organization where 400 applicants apply for a position, 100 are interviewed and 59 are
hired, what is the number of leads generated?: 400
2. What did employees across Canada identify as the primary tool they used to find their most
recent job?: online job boards
3. Which of the following statements about employee referrals are false?: employee referrals
decrease the potential for inbreeding and nepotism
4. What job might cold calls (walk-ins or write-ins) be least suited for?: junior public schools
5. Which of the following is an example of a job fair?: fifteen local employers set up booths at a
community centre where they share information about their organization and job opportunities
with those in attendance
6.5 Recruiting a More Diverse Workforce
Attracting Older Workers
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Hiring and retaining older employees has a significant benefits – typically have high job
satisfaction, strong sense of loyalty and organizational commitment, strong work ethic, good
people skills and willingness to work in a variety of roles, including part-time
Ensure policies don’t discriminate against older employees
Attracting Younger Employees
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Younger generation aims to take advantage of every form of technology to make their job search
successful and easier – attract via online searches
o Ads should include – fast-paced environment, individual contribution, work-life balance,
do it your way, opportunity to grow, no rules and state-of the art technology
Recruiting Designated Group Members
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BIPIC
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Indigenous Peoples, women, members of visible minorities and persons with disabilities
Building inclusive environment starts with goal setting from organizational leaders
Training about unconscious biases essential step to inclusive recruitment
Words such as competitive or determined perceived as masculine
Job fairs in accessible buildings
Quiz 6.5
1. Which of the following is not a trend that is leading to increased diversity in the Canadian
workforce?: an increase in the availability of young people
2. Yolanda has decided to focus on attracting older workers to apply to work with her organization
since hiring older workers has many benefits. These workers typically have a strong sense of
loyalty and organizational commitment, a strong work ethic, good people skills and: a willingness
to work in a variety of roles
3. The formal designated equity groups in Canada include: women, members of visible minorities,
Indigenous Peoples and persons with disabilities
Chapter 6 Quiz
1. What generation is best targeted for recruitment at educational institutions?: Millennials (Gen Y)
2. What type of advertising works best to attract individuals who hadn’t previously thought about
changing jobs and assists with ensuring that the candidates meet the required skill sets and
professional capabilities of their profession?: trade associations
3. An executive search firm: fills mid-to senior level professional and managerial positions in the
client’s firm
4. Mariam is the human resource director for a large credit union. She wants to ensure that her
organization can attract the most appropriate candidates so that it can succeed in the future.
Mariam wants her organization to be the employer of choice for the ideal candidate. Which of
the following would best describe what Mariam is thinking about: employer branding
5. Which of the following is not a drawback of internal recruiting?: orientation and training costs
are increased
6. What is the impact of employee referrals on the diversity initiatives of the organization?: they
maintain the existing diversity levels in the organization
7. Which of the following would not be included in a typical job posting?: name of the incumbent
8. Which of the following is not true about the use of web-based application forms for
recruitment?: reference checking is easier when web-based application forms are used
9. Provincial Major University is seeking a new president to lead this large institution in a time of
significant change. The ideal candidate is highly experienced and successful person who is
probably currently working at a senior level in a university. Which recruitment method would be
most appropriate in this situation?: executive search firm
10. Kai is reviewing the recruitment yield ratios that he has recently calculated. What can be
determined using yield ratios? The percentage of applicants that proceed to the next stage of
the selection process
Chapter 7- Selection
Intro
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Choose candidate using selection
Interviews and other tools
In-person interviews are preferred
7.1 The Strategic Importance of Employee Selection
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Selection is the process by which recruited applicants are screened, evaluated, and assessed
until a final hire decision is made out of the applicant pool secured in the recruitment phase
Begins when a pool of applicants has submitted their resumes or completed application forms
required in the recruiting process
Successful candidates must fit with the strategic direction of the organization
Recruiting and hiring is costly
o Hidden costs, internal disorganization, disruption, customer alienation
Inept hiring has legal consequences
Negligent hiring: an employer hires an employee with a questionable background, ignoring
concerns that indicate a higher likelihood for issues or workplace accidents e.g. fails to
investigate an employee’s background
The Selection Process
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Multiple-hurdle strategy – an approach to selection involving a series of successive steps or
hurdles. Only candidates clearing the hurdle are permitted to move on to the next steps
Six typical hurdles:
o 1. Preliminary applicant screening
o 2. Selection testing
o 3. Selection interview
o 4. Background investigation/reference checking
o 5. Supervisory interview and realistic job preview
o 6. Hiring decision and candidate notification
Five steps to designing an effective selection process:
o 1. Decide who will be involved in the selection process and develop selection criteria
(prior to recruitment)
o 2. Specify must and want criteria and reconsider the want criteria (prior to recruitment)
o 3. Determine assessment strategies and develop an evaluation form
o 4. Develop interview questions to be asked of all candidates
o 5. Develop candidate-specific questions
Quiz 7.1
1. For the position of a police officer, which of the following is a “must criteria”? – ability to work
independently
2. At what point does the selection process start? – when the job becomes vacant
3. What would be the focus of selection for a company strategically planning an international
expansion? – language skills
7.2 Preliminary Applicant Screening
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Initial applicant screening – applicant forms and resumes are reviewed, and those candidates not
meeting the essential selection criteria are eliminated first. Then the remaining applications
(short list of candidates) are examined to identify those who most closely match the remaining
job specifications
Technology being used
Selection Ratios
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Certain vacant positions may be subject to labour shortage (based on job requirements, location,
work environment, etc.); other vacant positions may be subject to labour surplus
Selection ratio: ratio of the number of applicants hired to the total number of applicants
available, as follows: Number of applicants hired + total number of applicants = selection ratio
Small selection ratio may indicate limited number of applicants from which to select, and it may
also mean low-quality recruits
With a small selection ratio, it is generally better to start the recruitment process over again
rather than taking the risk of hiring an employee who will be a marginal performer at best, even
if it means a hiring delay
Large selection ratio may indicate that the job ad is too vague, that here is an oversupply of
available labour in the workforce, or that the company is an employer of choice among
candidates
Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics
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Technology being used to screen and progress applicants who meet the desired profile more
easily
AI systems build selection and decision rules based on multiple data points and have been
known to perpetuate previous biases embedded in prior decisions
Crowdsourcing
-
Google found a way to foster employee interactions by using crowdsourcing for screening
decisions – info goes into applicant tracking system (ATS) – asks Google employees to comment
on applicant’s suitability for the position
Acquiring Employees and the Law
-
Entire process must comply with human rights legislation
May challenge entire recruitment and selection process’s legality
Keep following guidelines in mind:
o 1. Ensure all selection criteria and strategies are based on the job description and the job
specifications
o 2. Do not ask questions that would violate human rights legislation, either directly or
indirectly
o 3. Obtain written authorization for reference checking from prospective employees, and
check references carefully
o
o
4. Save all records and information obtained about the applicant during each stage of
the selecting process
5. Reject applicants who make false statements on their application forms and resume
Quiz 7.2
1. What is the selection ratio? - number of applicants hired + totally number of applicants
2. What could a large selection ratio indicate? – there is an oversupply of labour available
3. Which of the following is not an example of managing the selection process in a legally
defensible way? – Ask questions about compensation history and childcare arrangements
indirectly to determine possible accommodations
7.3 The Basics of Testing and Selecting Employees
-
Selection testing common screening device used by approximately two-thirds of Canadian
organizations to assess specific job-related skills as well as general intelligence, personality
characteristics, mental abilities, interests and preferences
o Tests of cognitive abilities, job-specific tests, personality and interests, physical
examination tests
The Importance of Reliability and Validity
-
Reliability – degree to which interviews, tests and other selection procedures yield comparable
data over time
- Inter-rater reliability – assesses the extend to which there is agreement between two or more
raters
- Validity – indicator of the extend to which data from the selection technique, such as test or
interview, are related to or predictive of subsequent performance on the job
o E.g. high impulsivity correlated with low productivity
- Separate validation studies of selection techniques should be conducted for different subgroups,
such as visible minorities and women, to assess differential validity
- Criterion related validity – extent to which a selection tool predicts or significantly correlates
with important elements of work behaviour is known as criterion-related validity
- Content validity – when a selection instrument adequately samples the knowledge and skills
needed to perform the job, content validity is assumed to exist
- Construct validity – extent to which a selection tool accurately measures a theoretical construct
or trait deemed necessary to perform the job successfully
1. Lauren took a test for a position as a firefighter. During the test, she was asked to carry 50
pounds up a fight of stairs repeatedly in the two-minute period, created to reflect parts of the
job requirement. The first time she took the test, she completed six runs. The second time she
took the test, she completed nine runs. This test is: valid and unreliable
2. In an interview for the position of team lead, Daniela was asked how many hours she spends
completing group fitness activities when not at work. The interviewer felt this was a good
reflection of whether or not she could lead the team effectively. Varied based on weather and
other commitments she had: invalid and unreliable
3. Monty, part of test, asked to complete questionnaire measuring level of extroversion. Took it
twice, once on paper and once using a computer, both times scored around 150 points. This test
is: invalid and reliable
4. Minjin asked questions associated with different situations that she might encounter as a lawyer.
In each situation, she was given possible answers and asked to first indicate the best possible
answer and then provide rationale for her choice. In both phases, Minjin did exceptionally well
on the tests. This test is valid and reliable
Tests of Cognitive Abilities
-
Intelligence (IQ) tests – number of abilities, research suggests that general mental ability is the
strongest general predictor of job performance at one’s chosen occupation
Emotional Intelligence Tests – measure person’s ability to monitor their own emotions and
emotions of others
Specific cognitive abilities – aptitude tests
Job Specific Tests
-
Evaluates a candidate’s ability to perform core functions critical to job performance
Motor abilities
Physical abilities, five considerations:
o 1. Basing such tests on job duties identified through job analysis and a physical demands
analysis
o 2. Checking that the tests duplicate the actual physical requirements of the job
o 3. Developing and imposing tests honestly and in good faith
o 4. Ensuring that those administering the tests are properly trained and administer the
tests in a consistent manner
o 5. Ensuring that testing standards are objectively related to job performance
Work Sampling
-
Focus on measuring job performance directly and thus are among the best predictors of job
performance
Achievement Tests
-
Measure of what people have learned
Micro-Assessments
-
Entirely performance-based testing strategy that focuses on individual performance
Tests of Personality and Interest
-
Person’s motivation and interpersonal skills, measures personality such as introversion, stability
and conscientiousness
Interest inventories: compare candidates interest with those of people in various occupations
Physical Examinations
Main reasons:
1. To determine that the applicant qualifies for the physical requirements of the position and if not
to document any accommodation requirements
2. To establish a record and baseline of the applicant’s health for future insurance or compensation
claims
3. To reduce absenteeism and accidents by identifying any health issues or concerns that must be
addressed
- Permitted only after a written offer of employment has been extended
Polygraph Tests
-
Widely rejected tests as they’ve failed to produce valid or reliable results, ESA prohibits use of
polygraphs
Use of Assessment Centers
-
Examples:
o 1. An in-basket exercise
o Leaderless group discussion
o Simulations
o Individual presentations
o Objective tests
o Interview
7.3 Quiz
1. According to research, which of the following tests is the strongest predictor of job success? – general
mental ability test
2. Which of the following is true about personality tests? – faking us a threat to the validity of personality
tests inventory in the assessment process
3. What is differential validity? – confirmation that a selection tool accurately predicts the performance
of all possible employee subgroups
4. When a job candidate is asked to perform key tasks associated with the job that they are applying to,
this is known as: work sampling
5. What is the major difference between intelligence quotient (IQ) and emotional intelligence (EQ) – IQ
measures intellectual abilities and EQ measures a person’s ability to understand emotional cues from
others
7.4 The Selection Interview
-
selection interview involves a process of two-way communication between the interviewee and
the interviewer and is defined as a procedure designed to predict future job performance on the
basis of applicants’ oral responses to oral inquiries
Structure of the interview
-
unstructured interview – questions are asked as they come to mind – low reliability and validity
structured interview – questions and acceptable responses are specified in advance and the
responses ae rated for appropriateness of content – high validity and reliability
between the two is the mixed (semi-structured) interview – combination of pre-set, structured
questions based on job description and specification and a series of candidate-specific questions,
job related questions based on information provided on the application form or resume
The Content of the Interview
-
situational interview – questions focus on the individual’s ability to project what their future
behaviour would be in a given situation
behavioural interview (behaviour description interview) involves describing various sitations and
asking interviewees how they behaved in the past in such situations
Administering the Interview
-
-
-
classified based on how they ae administered:
o One on one or by a panel of interviewers
o Sequentially or all at once
o Face to face or technology-aided
Panel interview involves candidates being interviewed simultaneously by a group of interviewers
Mass interview – panel poses problem to be solved and then sits back and watches which
candidate takes the lead in formulating an answer
Phone Interviews – can focus on answers, spontaneous answers
Online video interviews – things people overlook:
o Test first
o Do a dry run
o Relax
o Look presentable
o Clean up the room
Common Interview mistakes
o Poor planning
o Snap judgements
o Negative emphasis
o Halo effect
o Poor knowledge of the job
o Contrast (candidate order) error
o Influence of nonverbal behaviour
o Leading
o Too much/too little talking
o Similar to me bias
o Stereotyping
Designing and Conducting an Effective Interview
-
Planning the interview
o Agreement should be reached on the procedure that will be followed
-
-
Establishing rapport
o Candidate should be greeted in a friendly manner and put at ease
Asking Questions
o Questions written in advance should then be asked in order
Closing the interview
o Time should be allocated to answer any questions candidate may have and if
appropriate, to advocate for the firm and position
Evaluating the candidate
o Interview performance should be rated by each panel member independently
7.4 Quiz
1. in which evaluation technique are candidates presented with hypothetical circumstances
representative of the job for which they are applying (often on video) and evaluated on their responses?
– situational interview
2. Which of the following is not a common interviewing mistake? – using situational and behavioural
questions
3. Which of the following is the major benefit of a semi-structured interview compared to a structured
interview? – The interview is more conversational
4. How are the majority of interviews conducted? – sequentially and one on one
7.5 Background Investigation and Selection Decisions
-
Survey of 700 workers, 37% of Canadian workers admitted they knew at least one person who
provided false information on their resume
Background checks
Steps for making background check more valuable:
o Include on the application form a statement for applicants to sign explicitly authorizing
a background check
o Phone references tend to produce more candid assessment
o Persistence and attentiveness to possible red flags improve results
o Compare the application to the resume
o Try to ask open ended questions to get references to discuss the candidate
o Ask references supplied by the applicant to suggest other references
o Aim for 360 reference checking
Providing references
-
Qualified privilege is important
Obtaining written permission
-
Applicants should be asked to indicate, in writing, their willingness for the firm to check with
current or former employers and other references
Supervisory interview and realistic job preview
-
Supervisor knows the technical aspects of the job, is most qualified to assess the applicant’s job
knowledge and skills, best equipped to answer any job-specific questions from the candidate
Realistic job preview provides potential employee with a chance to work the actual job in a real
or simulated environment for a relatively short time prior to selection, should be provided at
the time of the supervisory interview
Hiring Decision and Candidate Notification
-
Statistical strategy – combining all the information, identifying the most valid predictors and
weighing them through statistical methods and giving the job to the candidate with the highest
score. Research shows this approach is generally more reliable and valid than is a subjective
evaluation
7.5 Quiz
1. Mildred has decided to check on the social networking sites of job applicants to get a better
awareness of who the applicants are. Which of the following is true? – Mildred can do this as social
networking is public
2. Which of the following is not an appropriate question for a reference check, either written or verbal? –
information pertaining to lifestyle and personal relationships
3. when you provide a reference for a former employee and your comments are made in confidence for
a public purpose, without malice, and are honestly believed, you: can rely on the defense of qualified
privilege
4. Who commonly makes the final hiring or selection decision?: immediate supervisor
5. Research has shown that this strategy is best for building a reliable and valid selection decision: using
statistical strategy (objective) alone
Chapter 7 Quiz
1. Jennifer is frustrated. An important job opening that she advertised has received only four
responses and only one person meets the minimum qualifications and only marginally. What is
likely the most appropriate course of action for Jennifer? – repost or readvertise the job, perhaps
through different media
2. Confirmation that the selection tool accurately predicts the performance of all possible
employee subgroups, including white males, women, visible minorities, persons with disabilities,
and Indigenous Peoples, is called: differential validity
3. If George has decided to measure the temperature of his coffee using a ruler, which of the
following would be true? – George would be getting a reliable measure, but one that is not valid
4. Bob, Stella and Amir interviewed two candidates for a position with their organization, Tradco
Industries, but at the end of the interviews, Bob, Stella and Amir had reached vastly different
conclusions regarding the candidates. What would be true in this situation?: this interview is not
a reliable measure, but it might be valid
5. You are responsible for screening applicants for several vacancies in your company’s sales
department. In addition to the usual selection criteria, the hiring manger has asked you to
identify outgoing, people-oriented candidates. Which screening tool would be most
appropriate? – Myers- Briggs Type indicator
6. A strategy used to provide applicants with information-both positive and negative- about the job
demands, the organization’s expectations, and the work environment is known as an: realistic
job preview
7. In an interview for a customer service position with a cellular phone company, mike was asked a
series of questions such as tell me about a time when you had a conflict with a co-worker. What
happened and how was it resolved? What type of interview question is mike experiencing? –
behavioural
8. Elisha has just finished interviewing Jennifer for the position of help desk associate for a
computer company. Elisha is very impressed when she first met Jennifer. With Jennifer’s firm
handshake and confident demeanor, Elisha is sure that she will perform extremely well in this
position. Which of the following most correctly described what is happening in this situation? –
halo effect
9. Applicants for the job of air traffic controller must be able to visualize objects moving in three
dimensions and write a test to determine if they have this ability. What category would this test
fall into? – aptitude test
10. Jason was in a hurry to fill his open sales position, so he allowed his new employee to start
before the background check was complete. The new employee was involved in an incident of
workplace theft, and it was later discovered that this was not the first time. Jason could be held
liable for which of the following? – negligent hiring
Chapter 8 – Onboarding and Training
Onboarding Remote Workers
Employers should use some of the following best practices when onboarding and managing remote
workers:




Provide orientation and training not just on organizational processes, but also on hardware,
software, cybersecurity, and other technologies to help employees use these tools to be
productive while working remotely.
Facilitate socialization and team introductions to the same extent you would for workers in the
office. This will assist in building the connections that are required for work completion and help
workers know how and with whom to collaborate.
Assign a mentor—who may also work remotely—to help acclimatize the new employee to the
organizational culture
Proactively identify and prepare for the unique health and safety issues and data security
concerns of remote workers, such as ergonomics issues and stress management. This might
include a home office allowance for an ergonomic chair, an adjustable height desk, audiodictation software, etc.

Conduct regular and scheduled one-on-one check-ins to get feedback from employees about
what is working and where they might need assistance.
8.1 Onboarding and Orientation of New Employees
- orientation: long-term, continuous socialization process that considers both employee and employer
expectations or obligations – focusing on organization-specific topics, transfer learning into behaviour
using disciplined, consistent efforts
- training – short term, discrete efforts in which organization impart information and instructions to help
the recipient gain required skills or knowledge to perform the job at adequate levels
Content of Orientation Programs
-
Internal publications, including employee handbooks
Facility tours and staff introductions
Job-related documents, including an explanation of job procedures, duties and responsibilities,
working hours, attendance expectations, vacation, holidays, payroll, etc
Expected training to be received
Performance appraisal criteria, including the estimated time to achieve full productivity
Purpose on Onboarding programs
-
Accomplish four things when orientating new employee:
o Make new employee feel welcome into organization and part of team
o Ensure new employee has essential information to function effectively
o Help new employee understand organization in the broad sense
o Start socializing person into firm’s culture and ways of doing things
Considerations for Onboarding
-
Mentorship opportunities:
o Mentorship to women
o Mentorship to minorities
o Mentorship to persons with disabilities
o Mentorship to indigenous Peoples
Executive integration critical and should include:
-
Identifying position specifications
Providing realistic information to job candidates and providing support regarding reality shock
Assessing each candidate’s previous record at making organizational transitions
Announcing hiring with enthusiasm
Stressing the importance of listening as well as demonstrating competency and promoting more
time spent talking with boss
Assisting new executives who are balancing their work to change cultural norms while they
themselves are part of culture itself
Evaluation of Orientation Programs
1. Employee reaction
2. Socialization effects
3. Cost/benefits analysis
Quiz 8.1
1. What is the main difference between onboarding and training?: training addresses doing the job,
onboarding addresses working in the organization
2. Which of the following would not typically be included in an onboarding program?: an interview
ot determine fit in the organization
3. Which of the statements about executive integration is true?: full integration of executives can
take up to 18 months
4. Courts may find that: employee handbook contents are legally binding
5. A well-developed employee orientation (onboarding) program has a number of advantages, such
as fewer instances of corrective discipline, fewer employee grievances and: a reduced number of
workplace injuries
6. Which of the following phrases best describes socialization?: a process of instilling attitudes,
values and patterns of behavior in new employee
7. How long can full executive integration take: 18 months
8.2 The Training Program


training focuses on skills and competencies needed to perform employees’ current job, whereas
development is broader and long-term nature
negligent training occurs when employer fails to train adequately and an employee subsequently
harms a third party
Quiz 8.2
1. negligent training occurs when an employer fails to: train adequately and an employee
subsequently harms a third party
2. according to the text, on average, training costs equate to what percent of an organization’s
payroll budget?: 1.4%
8.3 The Five Step Training Program
1. Training Needs Analysis
- task analysis + establish training objectives
2. Instructional Design
- programmed learning
3. Validation
4. Implementation
5. Evaluation of Training
- transfer of training
Quiz 8.3
1. there are five steps to the training and development process. Which step identifies specific job
performance skills to improve performance and productivity?: Needs analysis
2. what is the difference between task analysis and performance analysis?: Task analysis looks at
the job; performance analysis looks at the person doing the job
3. A controlled experiment: uses both a training group and a control group (that receives no
training) to isolate and assess the impact of the training
4. Distinguishing between the employee’s ability to do a task and the employee’s willingness to to
a task is part of what element of the training process?: performance analysis
5. What is a challenge with on the job training?: it needs quick feedback
6. What training effect is an assessment of how customer satisfaction scores changed after
employees were trained?: behaviour
8.4 Training for Special Purposes
Literacy and Essential Skills Training
-
Functional literacy serious problem for employers
Training for global business and diverse workforces
-
Four global literacies: personal literacy, social literacy, business literacy, cultural literacy
Customer Service training
Training for Teamwork
Training for First-time Supervisors and Managers
8.4 Quiz
1. cultural safety training is best described by which of the following phrase?: it develops understanding
of views of different groups
2. Which of the following has not been identified as a critical competence required to succeed in the
global economy?: financial literacy
3. Which industry would benefit the most from customer service training?: retail
4. Which workplace would benefit the most from training for first-time managers?: workplace with an
aging workforce
Chapter 8 quiz
Chapter 9 – Career and Management Development
9.1 Managing Organizational Change Programs
- Most major change programs aim to achieve one of five basic purposes or quests: customer
focus, nimbleness, innovation, sustainability, boosting global presence
Lewin’s change Process
-
Three steps to process:
1. Unfreezing means reducing forces that are striving to maintain the status quo
2. Moving means developing new behaviours, values and attitudes
3. Refreezing means building in the reinforcement to make sure the organization doesn’t slide
back into former ways of doing things
-
Establish sense of urgency
-
Mobilize commitment through joint diagnoses of problems
-
Create a guiding coalition
-
Develop and communicate shared vision of benefits and purpose of change
-
Help employees make the change
-
Aim first for attainable short-term accomplishments
-
Reinforce the new ways of doing things with changes to the company’s systems and procedures
-
Monitor and assess progress
Using Organizational Development
-
Usually involves action research
Applies behavioural science knowledge to improve organization’s effectiveness
Changes organization in a particular direction – toward empowerment, improved problem
solving, responsiveness, quality of work, effectiveness
9.1 Quiz
1. Lewin’s change model includes what phases?: unfreezing, moving, refreezing
2. Which of the following is not a distinguishing characteristic of organizational development?: it uses
executives and mangers to collect information for decision making
3. In which situation is change management likely to fall?: the company’s performance is fairly stable
4. In a presentation about upcoming changes for their company, the CEO included the story of a
company that didn’t make the necessary changes and went out of business. Which method did the CEO
employ to facilitate change?: establishing a sense of urgency
5. you are the CEO of a large supermarket chain. You have decided that your company should
switch…hold a meeting with store managers and emphasize that you want your company to become
synonymous with healthy lifestyle…engaging which step of Lewin’s change process?: moving
9.2 Career Planning and Development
- career series of work-related positions specific to individual and helps them grow in job skills, success
and fulfillment
Career development-lifelong series of activities
Career planning – deliberate process through which someone becomes aware of personal skills,
interests, knowledge, motivations and other characteristics
Three distinct career paths:
-
Identity-oriented path
Contribution-oriented path
Practice-oriented path
Careers Today
The Physchological Contract
-
Identifies party’s mutual expectations
Managing Your Career
-
Eight career anchors:
1. Technical/functional
2. Managerial competence
3. Creativity
4. Autonomy and independence
5. Security
6. Service/dedication
7. Pure challenge
8. Lifestyle
Roles in Career Development
-
Networking
Boundaryless Careers and the Gig economy
-
To succeed in boundaryless career, individuals need to excel at three main career competencies:
o Know how
o Know who
o Know why
Continuous Learning Approaches
9.2 Quiz
1. a more dynamic and holistic approach to career development is emerging, with a focus on lifelong
learning, flexibility and: adaptability
2. Which one of the following is not a career anchor?: self-reliance
3. what is career development?: the lifelong series of activities that contribute to a person's career
exploration, establishment, success and fulfillment
4. Who is responsible for career development in a person’s career?: the employee themselves
5. In which type of career are individuals most likely to be high skilled and highly educated?:
boundaryless career: boundaryless career
9.3 Employee Life Cycle and Career Management
Making Promotion Decisions
Decision 1: is seniority or competence the rule?
Decision 2: how is competence measured?
Decision 3: is the process formal or informal
Decision 4: vertical, horizontal or other?
9.3 Quiz
1. Which of the following is not highlighted as one of the criteria for making promotion decisions?: is the
measure of past performance straightforward?
2. Why should companies consider making the promotion process formal?: it makes promotion a more
effective reward for performance
3. why do most employees reject opportunities to transfer to a different location?: family or spousal
concerns
4. Catalina is an assistant manager in the customer service department of her company. She has been
selected for a position as an assistant manager in human resources. This is an example of which type of
promotion?: horizontal
5. juan is an exceptional performer; however, he isn’t a good candidate to become a manager. Instead of
promoting juan as management, his company promoted him from engineer to senior engineer. This is an
example of which of the following?: parallel career path
9.4 Management and Leadership Development
Succession planning steps:
1. Establish a strategic direction for the organization and jobs that are critical to achieving that
strategic direction
2. Identify core skills and competencies needed in jobs that are critical to achieve the strategy
3. Identify people inside the organization who have, or can acquire, those skills and providing them
with developmental opportunities
Management Development Techniques
-
Developmental job rotation
Mentoring
Coaching/understudy approach
Action learning
College/university related programs
In-house development centres
Behaviour modelling
Quiz 9.4
1. What management development technique helps to prevent stagnation through the constant
introduction of new points of views in each department: developmental job rotation
2. Behaviour modelling involves the following steps except: allowing for self-assessment of
behaviour
3. Which of the following topics would typically not be addressed with reverse mentoring?:
navigating political pitfalls
4. At the executive level, 70% of learning comes from job experience, 20% comes from other
individuals such as mentors and coaches, and 10% comes from: formal training
5. Which of the following would be the best structure for a leadership development program?:face
to face and practice based
Chapter 9 Quiz
Chapter 10 – The Strategic Importance of Performance Management
-
-
Performance appraisal three step process: setting work standards, assessing the employee’s
actual performance relative to those standards, providing feedback to the employee to help
eliminate performance deficiencies or to continue to perform above par
Performance management
Performance management broader/more strategic activity than performance appraisal
10.2
- Performance management process:
1. Defining performance expectations and goals
- SMART Goals; basic job dimensions or traits
2. Providing ongoing feedback and coaching
3. Conducting Performance appraisal and evaluation discussions
- Electronic Performance Monitoring
4. Determining performance rewards/consequences
5. Conducting development and career opportunities
10.3 Formal Appraisal Methods
Comparative Methods:
-
Graphic Rating Scale
Qualitative Methods
-
Critical Incident Method
Narrative Forms
Advanced Quantitative Methods
-
Behaviorally anchored Rating scales
Management by Objectives
Mixing the Methods
10.4 Performance Appraisal Problems and Solutions
- Validity and Reliability
- Rating Scale Problems
o Unclear performance standards
o Halo effect
o Central tendency
o Strictness/leniency
o Appraisal bias
- How to avoid
10.5 Who Should do the Appraising?
Sources of Performance Appraisal
-
Supervisors
Self
Peers
Committees
Subordinates
360 Degree Appraisal
Chapter 11 – Strategic Pay Plans
11.1 – Total Employee Rewards





employee compensation includes all forms of pay going to employees and arising from their
employment
two main components: direct financial payments and indirect financial payments
management should produce an aligned reward strategy – creating comp package that produces
the employee behaviours the firm needs to achieve its competitive strategy
legal considerations: Employment/Labour Standards Acts, Workers’ Compensation Laws, Human
Rights Acts, Canada/Quebec Pension Plan
union considerations
11.2 – Equity and its Impact on Pay Rates
-
-
-
equity theory of motivation – people are motivated to maintain a balance between their
perceived contributions and their rewards
external, internal, individual and procedural equity
o external – how a job’s pay rate in one company compares toa similar job’s pay rate in
other companies
o internal – how fair the job’s pay rate is when compared to other jobs within the same
company
o individual – fairness of an individual’s pay compared to what their co-workers are
earning for the same or very similar jobs within the company, based on each person’s
performance
o procedural – perceived fairness of the process and procedures used to make decisions
regarding allocations of pay
pay equity – original purpose to redress systemic gender discrimination in compensation for
work performed by employees in female-dominated job classes
o today, pay equity requires that comparable wages be paid for jobs of equal value or
worth to the employer, as determined by genderneutral job evaluation techniques
women do more part=time work than men, even full-time, gap has stalled at 30% since 1998
address using salary surveys, job analysis, performance appraisals and incentive pay
11.3 Establishing Pay Rates
Three stages:
1) Prepare for Job Evaluation
2) Conduct Wage/Salary Survey
3) Combine the Job Evaluation and Salary Survey Information to Determine Pay for Jobs
- Job evaluation aims to determine a job’s relative worth, focuses on benchmark jobs
- Job evaluation committee
Ranking Method
1.
2.
3.
4.
Obtain job information
Select and group jobs
Select compensable factors
Rank jobs
5. Combine ratings
6. Compare current pay with what others pay based on salary survey
7. Assign a new pay scale
- Job classification method
- Point method
Conducting a Wage/Salary Survey
Combining the Job Evaluation and Salary Survey information to Determine Pay for Jobs
-
Wage curve
Correcting out of line rates
11.4 – Special Considerations in Compensation
Pay for knowledge: Competency Based Pay Plans
-
Pay for knowledge systems are known as competency-based pay and skill=based pay
Core competencies
Pay for Executive, Managerial and Professional Jobs
-
Executive compensation tends to emphasize performance incentives more than other employee
pay plans do
Compensating Professional Employees
-
Use market-pricing approach
Chapter 12 – Pay-For-Performance and Financial Incentives
12.1 Money and Motivation
- Frederick Taylor popularized using financial incentives in the late 1800
- need for fair day’s work; scientific management movement; incentive pay to reward employees
who produced over standard
Fixed and Variable Pay Plans
-
All incentive plans are pay for performance plans
Fixed pay represents compensation that is independent of the performance level of the
individual, group or organization
Variable pay represents compensation plan that links pay with productivity, profitability or some
other measure of organizational performance, is inconsistent
Motivation and Incentives
-
-
-
Frederick Herzberg best way to motivate someone is to organize the job so that doing it
provides the challenge and recognition that we all need to help satisfy higher level needs, such
as accomplishment and recognition
Factors (hygienes) that satisfy lower-level needs are different than those (motivators) that
satisfy or partially satisfy higher-level needs
Demotivators and Edward Deci
o Extrinsic rewards may backfaire and detract from person’s intrinsic motivation
Expectancy theory and victor vroom
o Expectancy motivation – person’s motivation to exert some level of effort depends on
three things: the person’s expectancy, instrumentality, valence
Behaviour Modification/Reinforcement
o Behaviour modification – changing behaviours through rewards or punishments
12.2 – Types of Incentive Plans
- incentives for all employees
-
Merit Pay: salary increase awarded to an employee based on individual performance
Employee share purchase/stock ownership plans
Profit sharing plans
Gainsharing plans
incentives for professional employees
-
Making incentive pay decisions for professional employees is challenging
Non-financial and recognition-based awards
Piecework plans
incentives for operations employees
team or group incentives
-
-
Set work standards for each member fo the group and maintain a count of the output of each
member
Paid based on 1. All members receive the pay earned by the highest producer; 2. All members
retrieve the pay earned by the lowest producer; 3. All members receive a payment equal to the
average pay earned by the group
Second is set production standard based on group’s final output as a whole
Third is choose measurable definition of group performance or productivity that the group can
control
incentives for senior managers and executives
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Short term incentives, eligibility, how much to pay out, determining individual awards, longterm incentives, stock options, plans providing share units
incentives for salespeople
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Salary plan for salespeople
Commission plans for salespeople
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Combination plans for salespeople
Maximizing sales results
and organization-wide incentives
12.3 Developing Effective Incentive Plans
1. although compensation professionals believed that total rewards programs can influence employee
engagement, less than half of them did not specifically include employee engagement as one of the
goals of their comp plans
2. compensation professionals indicated that the most direct ways to encourage employee engagement
with incentives are to measure extend that supervisors are encouraging their subordinates to be
engaged, to use incentives to reward supervisors for improving employee engagement; getting
employees involved in developing the rewards programs was fundamental to building employee
cooperation and commitment
When to Use Incentives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Performance pay cannot replace good management
Firms get what they pay for
Pay is not a motivator
Rewards rupture relationships
Rewards may undermine responsiveness
Financial incentives
Non-financial incentives
How to Implement Incentive Plans
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Pay for performance
Link incentives to other activities that engage employees in business
Link incentives to measurable competencies that are valued by the organization
Match incentives to culture of organization
Keep group incentives clear and simple
Overcommunicate
Remember that the greatest incentive is work itself