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aPHR Certification Study Guide
Human Resource Managment (HRM) - Answer- HRM consists of an organization's "people practices" - the policies, practices, and systems that influence employees' behavior, attitudes, and performance. Explain how HRM contributes to an organization's performance - Answer- Through its practices or process, The HRM influences who works for the organization and how those people work. These human resources, if well managed, have the potential to be a source of sustainable competitive advantage, contributing to basic objectives such as quality, profits, and customer satisfaction. HRM Process/ practices - Answer- 1) Analysis and Design of work
- HR planning
- Recruitment
- Selection 5)Training and development 6)Compensation 7)Performance Management
- Employee Relations Human Capital - Answer- An Organization's employees, described in terms of their training, experience, judgement, intelligence, relationships, and insight. Human Resources qualities valuable to the success of organizations - Answer- 1) Human Resources are VALUABLE- high-quality employees provide a needed service as they perform many critical functions.
- Human Resources are RARE- a person with high levels of the needed skills and knowledge is not common
- Human Resources CANNOT BE IMITATED -
- Human Resources have NO GOOD SUBSTITUTES High Performance Work System - Answer- An organization in which technology, organizational structure, people, and processes work seamlessly to give an organization an advantage in the competitive environment. Maintaining a High-Performance Work System may include: - Answer- -Development of training programs -Recruitment of people with new skill sets
- Establishment of rewards for such behaviors as team work, flexibility, and learning
Ratio of HR employees to total employees - Answer- 2 full time HR staff persons for every 100 employees on payroll. In small organizations the ratio is much higher Administrative role of HRM - Answer- Handling administrative tasks ( hiring employees, answering questions about benefits) efficiently and with a commitment to quality. This requires expertise in the particular task Business Partner role of HRM - Answer- Developing effective HR systems that help the org meet its goals attracting, keeping, and developing people with the skill it needs. For the systems to be effective, HR people must understand the business so it can understand what the business needs Strategic partner role - Answer- Contributing to the company's strategies through an understanding of its existing and needed HR and ways HR practices can give the company a competitive advantage. For strategic ideas to be effective, HR people must understand the business, it's industry, and its competitors Job Analysis - Answer- The process of getting detailed information about jobs Work Flow Design - Answer- The process of analyzing the tasks necessary for the production of a product or service Job - Answer- A set of related duties Position - Answer- A set of duties performed by a particular person Job Description - Answer- A list of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities (TDRs) that a particular job entails Job Specification - Answer- A list if the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics that an individual must have to perform a particular job Job Design - Answer- The process of defining the way work will be performed and the tasks that a given job requires Industrial Engineering - Answer- The study of jobs to find the simplest way to structure work in order to maximize efficiency Job enlargement - Answer- Broadening the types of tasks performed in a job Job extension - Answer- Enlarging jobs by combining several relatively simple jobs to for a job with a wider range of tasks
Performance Management - Answer- The process of ensuring that employees' activities and output match the organization's goals. Compensation and benefits - Answer- This function includes Wage and salary administration, incentive pay, insurance, vacation leave administration, retirement plans, profit sharing, stock plans Employee Relations - Answer- Preparing and distributing employee handbooks, company publications, answer questions about benefits and company policy, address problems between employees and supervisors, communication with union representatives Workforce analytics - Answer- The use of quantitative tools and scientific methods to analyze data from human resource databases and other sources to make evidence- based decisions that support business goals. Organizational Strategy - Answer- Organization's plan for meeting broad goals such as profitability , quality, and market share How HR supports the organization's strategy - Answer- Understanding the organization's business operations, projecting how business trends might affect the business,reinforcing positive aspects of the organization's culture, developing talent for present and future needs, crafting effective HR strategies, effective human resource planning Human Resource Planning - Answer- Identifying the numbers and types of employees the organization will require to meet its objectives. Forecasting - Answer- The attempts to determine the supply of and demand for various types of human resources to predict areas within the organization where there will be labor shortages or surpluses Trend analysis - Answer- Constructing and applying statistical models that predict labor demand for the next year, given relatively objectives statistics from the previous year Leading indicators - Answer- Objective measures that accurately predict future labor demand Transitional Matrix - Answer- Statistical procedure to determine labor supply A chart that lists job categories held in one period and shows the proportion of employees in each of those job categories in a future period Core Competency - Answer- A set of knowledge and skills that make the organization superior to competitors and create value for customers
Options for reducing a surplus - Answer- Downsizing, pay reductions, demotions, transfers, work sharing, hiring freeze, natural attrition, early retirement, retraining Options for avoiding a shortage - Answer- Overtime, temporary employees, outsourcing, retrained transfers, turnover reductions, new external hires, technological innovations Workforce Utilization Review - Answer- A comparison of the proportion of employees in protected groups with the proportion that each group represents in the relevant labor market Talent Management - Answer- A systematic, planned effort to attract, retain, develop, and motivate highly skilled employees and managers Evidence-based HR - Answer- Collecting and using data to show that human resources practices have a positive influence on the company's bottom line or key stakeholders (employees, customers, community, and shareholders) Sustainability - Answer- An organization's ability to profit without depleting its resources, including employees, natural resources, and the support of the surrounding community Stakeholders - Answer- The parties with an interest in the company's 'success ( shareholders, community, customers, and employees ) HRM professionals' skills - Answer- Successful Members of The Human Resource department must be able to share information, build relationships, and influence persons inside and outside the company. The HR department needs to bring together a large pool of skills. These skills fall into six basic functions: 1-Credible activists, 2- cultural and change steward, 3-talent managers/ organizational designers, 4-strategic architects, 5-business allies, 6-operational executors. All of these competencies require interpersonal skills. HR responsibilities of supervisors - Answer- Supervisors typically have responsibilities related to all the HR functions. They help define jobs ( job analysis and design) Forecast HR needs( HR planning) Provide training Interview ( and select ) candidates Appraise performance Recommend increases and promotions Communicate policies Motivate, with support from pay, benefits, and other rewards Ethics - Answer- The fundamental principles of right and wrong. Ethical behavior is behavior that is consistent with those principles.
Employee Engagement - Answer- Full involvement in one's work and commitment to one's job and company. Is associated with higher productivity, better customer service, and lower turnover Teamwork - Answer- The assignment of work to groups of employees with various skills who interact to assemble a product or provide a service Business strategy: issues affecting HRM - Answer- Total Quality Management Mergers and Acquisitions Reengineering International Expansion Downsizing Outsourcing Total Quality Management TQM - Answer- A company wide effort to continually improve the ways people, machines, and systems accomplish work Outsourcing - Answer- The practice of having another company ( a vendor, third-party provider, or consultant) provide services Human Resource Information System (HRIS) - Answer- A computer system used to acquire, store, manipulate, analyze, retrieve, and distribute information related to an organization's human resources HRIS purpose - Answer- Large quantities of employee data ( including training records, skills, compensation rates, and benefits usage and costs) can easily be stored. Electronic Human Resource Management (e-HRM) - Answer- The processing and transmission of digitized HR information, especially using computer networking and the Internet how eHRM affects traditional HRM functions - Answer- Electronic HRM applications let employees enroll in and participate in training programs online. Employees can go online and select from items in a benefits package and enroll in the benefits they choose. They can look up answers to HR related questions and read company's news, perhaps downloading it as a podcast. Employees in different geographic areas can work together Companies can search for talent without geographic limitations Recruiting can include online job postings, applications, and candidate screening from the company's website or the websites of companies that specialize in online recruiting. Employees from different geographic locations can all receive the same training over the company's computer network HRM applications for Social networking - Answer- Creative organizations are applying social networking tools to HRM
Foe example: --Sites for capturing, sharing, storing knowledge are good for preserving knowledge that otherwise could be lost when employees retire. --Online surveys to gather employees' opinions, increase employees' engagement with the jobs and the organization -Networking tools to create online expert communities, identify employees expertise and make it available to those who can apply it. -Online discussions, such as commenting tools, promote creativity and innovation -Sites where users can post links to articles, webinars, training programs, and other information, reinforce lessons learned during training and on-the-job experience -Instant messaging and other communication tools to use with mentors and coaches, provide employee development through mentoring and coaching -Site where the HR department posts job openings and responds to candidates' questions, helps to identify and connect with promising job candidates New technologies influencing HRM - Answer- Internet portal, shared service centers, cloud computing, business intelligence, Data mining Internet Portal - Answer- Combines data from several sources into a singles site ; lets user customize data without programing skills ( a company's manager can track labor costs by work group) Shared service centers - Answer- Consolidate different HR functions into a single location; eliminate redundancy and reduce administrative costs; process all HR transactions at one time Cloud Computing, such as Application Service Providers (ASPs) - Answer- Let's companies rent space on a remote computer system and use the system's software to manage its HR activities, including security and upgrades. Access to cloud computing makes powerful HRIS tools available even to small organizations with limited computer hardware. Business intelligence - Answer- Provides insight into business trends and patterns and helps businesses improve decisions ( managers use the system to analyze costs and productivity among different employee groups) Data mining - Answer- Uses powerful computers to analyze large amount of data, such as data about employee traits Pay and performance( managers can identify high- potential employees throughout a large organization and offer them development opportunities e-HRM privacy - Answer- Most of HR information is confidential and privacy is an important issue in e-HRM. With any e-HRM app the organization must ensure that it has sufficient security measures in place to secure employees privacy. One solution is to set Up e-HRM on a INTRANET, which is a network that uses Internet tools but limits access to authorized users in the organization
Where EEOC posters should be displayed by an employer? - Answer- In prominent and accessible locations ( in the cafeteria or near its time clock. How long should employers keep documents related to employment decisions? - Answer- Employers must keep these records for at least 6 months or until a complaint is resolved, whichever is later. Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) - Answer- The agency responsible for enforcing the executive orders that cover companies doing business with the federal government Written affirmative-action plan Components - Answer- 1- utilization analysis - a comparison of the race, sex, and ethnic composition of the employer's workforce with that of the available labor supply. The percentage in the employer's workforce should not be greatly lower than the percentages in the labor supply 2- goals and timetables- The percentages of women and minorities the organization seeks to employ in each job group, and the dates by which the percentages are to be attained. The only requirement is that the employer have goals and be seeking to achieve the goals 3- Action steps- a plan for how the organization will meet its goals. Besides working towards its goals of hiring women and minorities, the company must take affirmative steps to hiring Vietnam veterans and individuals with disabilities The government role in providing for Equal Employment Opportunity - Answer- EEO requires that employers comply with EEO laws. To enforce those laws, the executive branch of the federal government uses the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission EEOC and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs OFCCP EEO-1 Report - Answer- The EEOC also monitors organizations's hiring practices. Each year organization's that are government contractors or subcontractors or have 100 or more employees must file an Employer Information Report (EEO-1) with the EEOC. The EEO-1 Report is an online questionnaire requesting the number of employees in each job category ( such as managers, professionals, and laborers ) broken down by their status as male or female, Hispanic or non-Hispanic, and members of various racial groups Thirteenth Amendment - Answer- Abolished slavery, covers all individuals, enforced by the Court System Fourteenth Amendment - Answer- Provides equal protection for all citizens and requires due process in state action. Covers State actions ( e.g., decisions of government organizations ) enforced by the court system Civil Rights Acts ( CRAs) of 1866 and 1871 (as amended) - Answer- Grant all citizens the right to make, perform, modify, and terminate contracts and enjoy all benefits, terms
and conditions of the contractual relationship. Covers all individuals. Enforced by the court system Equal Pay Act of 1963 - Answer- Requires that men and women performing equal jobs receive equal pay. Covers employers engaged in interstate commerce. Enforced by the EEOC Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ( Title VII) - Answer- Forbids discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Covers employers with 15 or more employees working 20 or more weeks per year; labor unions; and employment agencies. EEOC enforced Executive Order 11246 - Answer- issued by Lindon Johnson, prohibits federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. In addition, employers whose contracts meet minimum size requirements must engage in affirmative action to ensure against discrimination. Those receiving more than 10,000 from federal gov must take affirmative action and those with contracts exceeding 50,000 must develop a written affirmative action plan for each of their establishments Enforced by OFCCP Executive Order 11478 - Answer- Issued by Richard Nixon, requires the federal gov to base all its employment policies on merit and fitness. It's specifies that race, color, sex, religion, and national origin may not be considered. Covers the gov and contractors and subcontractors doing at least 10,000 worth of business with the federal gov The US Office of Personnel Management enforced Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 ( ADEA) - Answer- Prohibits discrimination in employment against individuals 40 years of age and older. Covers employers with 15 or more employees working 20 or more weeks per year; labor unions; employment agencies; federal government EEOC enforced Rehabilitation Act of 1973 - Answer- Requires affirmative action in the employment of individuals with disabilities. Covers government agencies, federal contractors and subcontractors with contracts greater than $2500 annually OFCCP enforced Affirmative Action - Answer- An organization's active effort to find opportunities to hire or promote people in a particular group Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 - Answer- Treats discrimination based on pregnancy-related conditions as illegal sex discrimination. Covers all employees covered by Tittle VII
Disparate Impact or Adverse Effect - Answer- When a policy or procedure has a negative effect on a protected group. A commonly used test of disparate impact is the Four-Fifths Rule Four-fifths Rule - Answer- Rule of thumb that finds evidence of potential discrimination if an organization's hiring rate ( not numbers of employees hired) for a minority group is less than four-fifths the hiring rate for the majority group
- find the rates : divide #hired by #applicants of each group
- compare the rates Difference between Disparate Treatment and Disparate Impact - Answer- The role of the employer's intent. EEO Policy - Answer- Employers can avoid discrimination and defend against claims of discrimination by establishing and enforcing an EEO Policy. The policy should define and prohibit unlawful behaviors, as well as provide procedures for making and investigate complaints. The policy should also require that employees at all levels engage in fair conduct and respectful language. Affirmative Action and Reverse Discrimination - Answer- When organizations engaged in affirmative action allegedly discriminate white or male candidates by increasing the proportions of minorities or female candidates hired or promoted Reasonable Accommodation - Answer- An employer's obligation to do something to enable an otherwise qualified person to perform a job. An accommodation is considered "reasonable" if it does not impose an undue hardship on the employer, such as an expense that is large in relation to a company's resources. Examples of Reasonable Accommodations under the ADA - Answer- Making facilities accessible, modifying work schedules, Acquiring or modifying equipment, providing qualified readers or interpreters, etc... Sexual Harassment - Answer- Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical contact of a sexual nature constitute Sexual Harassment when:
- Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment.
- Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual, or
- Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonable interfere in with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment How can organizations ensure a workplace free from Sexual harassment - Answer- 1) Develop a policy statement making it very clear that sexual harassment won't be tolerated in the workplace
- All employees, new and old, can be trained to identify inappropriate workplace behavior.
- Develop a mechanism for reporting sexual harassment in a way that encourages people to speak out.
- Management can prepare to act promptly to discipline those who engage in sexual harassment, as well as to protect the victims of sexual harassment Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) - Answer- Requires rehiring of employees who are absent for military service, with training and accommodation as needed. Covers veterans and members of reserve components Enforced by Veterans' Employment and Training Service of the Department of Labor Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 ( GINA) - Answer- Prohibits discrimination because of genetic information Covers employers with 15 or more employees EEOC Valuing Diversity - Answer- The practice of valuing diversity has no single form. It is not written into a law or business theory. Some organizations that practice " valuing diversity"define a diverse workforce as a competitive advantage that brings them a wider pool of talent and a greater insight into the needs and behaviors of their diverse customers. Occupational Safety and Health Act ( OSH Act) - Answer- US law authorizing the federal government to establish and enforce occupational safety and health standards for all places of employment engaging in interstate commerce. The OSH Act divided enforcement responsibilities between the Department of Labor (OSHA) and the Department of Health who is responsible for conducting research to determine the criteria for specific operations or occupations and for training employers to comply with the act. Much of the research is conducted by the NIOSH, National Institute For Occupational Safety and Health Employers Duties under the OSH Act - Answer- The act's general duty clause : -Each employer has a general duty to furnish each employees place of employment free from recognized hazards that cause or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm. ( as the main provision of the OSH Act states) -Employers must keep records of work-related injuries and illnesses and post an annual summary of these records from Feb 1 to April 30 in the following year even if no injuries or illnesses occurred. ( OSHA's Form 300A) Employees rights under OSH Act - Answer- Employees have the right to: -Request an inspection -Have a representative present at an inspection -Have dangerous substances identified
National Labor Relations Act ( NLRA) - Answer- Federal law that support collective bargaining and sets out the rights of employees to form unions Activities Protected By the NLRA - Answer- Under the National Labor Relations Act, most private sector employees have the right to: Organize a union to negotiate with employers concerning wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. -Form, join or assist a union.
- Bargain collectively through representatives of employees' own choosing for a contract setting wages, benefits, hours, and other working conditions.
- Discuss terms and conditions of employment or union organizing with co-workers or a union. -Engage in protected concerted activities with one or more co-workers to improve wages, benefits and other working conditions. -Choose not to do any of these activities, including joining or remaining a member of a union. Employees not covered by the NLRA - Answer- Most employees in the private sector are covered by the NLRA. However, workers employed under the following conditions are not covered: Employed as a supervisor Employed by a parent or spouse Employed as an independent contractor Employed in the domestic service of any person or family in a home Employed as agriculture laborers Employed by an employer subject to the Railway Labor Act Employed by a federal, state, or local government Employed by any other person who is not an employer as defined in the NLRA. Laws amending the NLRA - Answer- Originally, the NLRA did not list any unfair labor practices by unions. In later amendments to the NLRA- The Taft-Harley Act of 1947 and the Landrum-Griffin Act of 1959- congress established some restrictions on Union practices deemed unfair to employers and union members Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 - Answer- Unions may not restrain employers though actions such as following: -Mass picketing in such numbers that nonstriking employees physically cannot enter the workplace
- Engaging in violent acts in connection with a strike
- Threatening employees with physical injury or job loss if they do not support Union activities Right-to-Work Laws - Answer- state laws that make Union shops, maintenance of membership, and agency shops illegal ( because that restricts the employees' right to freedom of association
The Landrum-Griffin Act - Answer- Regulates unions' actions with regard to their members, including financial disclosure and the conduct of elections. This law establishes and protects rights of union members. These include the right to nominate candidates for Union office, participate in Union meetings and secret-ballot elections, and examine unions' financial records. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) - Answer- Federal Government agency that enforces the NLRA by conducting and certifying representation elections and investigating unfair labor practices It does not initiate any of these actions but responds to requests for actions Handling of complains regarding unfair labor practices - Answer- It begins when someone files a charge. The deadline for filing a charge is 6 months after the alleged unfair practice. All parties must be served with a copy of the charge. (Registered mail is recommended ) The charge is investigated by a regional office Which document fulfills all requirements when completing an I-9 form? - Answer- U.S. Passport, (Form I-9 requires that an employer verify both a new hire's identity and legal right to work in the U.S. "Third Shift" - Answer- The hours between 12:00 midnight to 8:00 AM beacuse these are the hours that the majority of people are at home sleeping, organizations frequentlyvoffer additional pay ( known as " shift diferential" ) to attract employees to work these non-standard hours. Glass-ceiling effect - Answer- Refers to an invisible barrier which appears to limit the growth of women above a certain level within the organization "Glass ceiling Initiatives - Answer- Efforts to address the "glass ceiling effect" Elements included in The Metrics for assessing a program - Answer- 1-Quantity ( volume) 2-Quality ( error or success rate) 3-Time (on time or the time to complete) 4- Money ( cost or revenue generated) 5- Satisfaction ( of the users) The three levels of metrics - Answer- Impact, effectiveness, efficiency Metrics you can collect and track - Answer- 1-Output ( unites produced, items sold, forms processed, productivity, tasks completed, new accounts generated) 2- Cost ( unit costs, variable costs, project cost savings, sales expenses, accident costs, operating costs, ) 3- Time ( processing time, learning time, meeting schedules, hiring for a position, time to project completion)
Lead-the-Market Pay Strategies - Answer- Organizations have a recruiting advantage if their policy is to take a "lead-the-market" approach to pay , that is pay more than the current market wages for a job. Higher pay can also make up for a job's less desirable features , such as working on a night shift or in dangerous conditions. Organizations that compete for applicants based on pay may use other forms of pay besides wages and salary like bonuses, stock options, etc Employment-at-will - Answer- Employment principle that if there is no specific employment contract saying otherwise, the employer or employee may end an employment relationship at any time, regardless of cause Due-process policies - Answer- Policies that formally lay out the steps an employee may take to appeal the employer's decision to terminate that employee Job applicants are more attracted to organizations with due-process policies, which imply greater job security and concern for protecting employees, than to organization's with employment-at-will policies Image Advertising - Answer- Advertising designed to create a generally favorable impression of the organization. Besides advertising specific job openings, organizations may advertise themselves as a good place to work in general. Is particularly important for organization's in highly competitive labor markets that perceive themselves as having a bad image. The image of an organization's brand ( innovative, dynamic, fun) influences the degree to which a person feels attracted to the organization. Recruitment Sources - Answer- Where to look for applicants, another critical element of an organization's recruitment strategies. The methods the org chooses for communicating its labor needs and the audience it targets will determine the size and nature of the labor market the organization taps to fill its vacant positions Internal Sources - Answer- Employees who currently hold other positions in the organization. Organizations recruit existing employees through Job Posting Managers also may identify candidates to recommend for vacancies. Policies that emphasize promotions and even lateral moves to achieve broader career experience can give applicants a favorable impression of the organization's jobs. The use of internal sources also affects what kind of people the organization recruits. Job Posting - Answer- The process of communicating information about a job vacancy on company bulletin boards, employee publications, on corporate intranets, and anywhere else the organization communicates with employees Internal sources advantages for the employer - Answer- - Generates applicants who are well known to the organization
- Applicants are relatively knowledgeable about the organization's vacancies, which minimizes unrealistic expectations about the job
- Is generally cheaper and faster than looking outside of the organization
- increases employee loyalty
- boosts productivity and profitability External Sources - Answer- When organizations recruit externally. For entry level positions or specialized upper-level positions. The most used sources are : direct applicants and referrals, advertisements, employment agencies, schools and websites Direct Applicants - Answer- People who apply for a vacancy without prompting from the organization Referrals - Answer- People who apply for a vacancy because someone in the organization prompted them to do so Best sources of new hires - Answer- Referrals and Direct applicants Lower cost than formal recruiting efforts, "self-selection" process direct applicants are to some extent already sold on the org, when current employees ( who are familiar with the vacancy and the person they are referring) refer friends or relatives Referrals cons - Answer- -Limit the likelihood of exposing the organization to fresh viewpoints. People tend to refer others who are like themselves
- sometimes contribute to hiring practices that are or appear to be unfair, for example nepotism Nepotism - Answer- The practice of hiring relatives Electronic Recruiting - Answer- Posting career information at company websites to address people who are interested in the particular company ( this works best for big, well known companies) and posting paid advertisements at career services to attract people who are searching for jobs. job boards large sites like monster and Careerbuilder are widely used. Also Small, more tailored websites called " Niche Boards" focus on certain industries Advertising in Newspapers and Magazines - Answer- When the goal is to find people w know the local community, advertising in the local newspaper can reach that audience. Similarly, when the goal is to find people in a specialized field, advertising in a trade p, professional, or industry publication can reach the right pool of job candidates. Public employment Agencies - Answer- The Social Security Act of 1935 requires that everyone receiving unemployment compensation be registered with a local state employment office. These state unemployment offices work with the U.S. Employment Service (USES) to try to ensure that unemployed individuals eventually get off state aid and get back on employer payrolls. To accomplish this, agencies collect information from the unemployed people about their skills and experience
