Exam 11: Human Resource Management: Finding and Keeping the Best Employees

The effectiveness of the EEOC has been limited because Congress never gave it any authority to enforce its mandates.

Today's workers have an increased demand for benefits tailored to their individual needs.

Because current legal guidelines limit the types of questions that can be asked, completed job application forms contain very little useful information about job candidates.

The marketing manager at Cool Rags, Inc., was very critical of the way one of the distribution analysts was handling negotiations with a manufacturer in Malaysia. On a number of occasions, she thought the discussions could have resulted in more of a win-win situation. In order to follow correct procedures, the manager made notes on these issues and decided to wait until the performance appraisal, eight months down the road, to discuss the situation with the analysts. If Cool Rags has a formal performance appraisal process in place, this is the best approach to this situation.

Recruitment is a set of activities undertaken for attracting qualified people, at the right time.

is the process of establishing and maintaining contacts with key managers in one's own organization and in other organizations, and using those contacts to establish strong relationships that serve as informal development systems.

Like all management, human resource management begins with planning.

An advantage of a skill-based system of pay for compensating teams is that such a system is easy to apply and administer.

Selected employees who work as assistants to higher-level managers and participate in managerial functions are given such titles as:

Tony is an office manager with a financial company. His company recently announced that it will soon implement a flextime plan. Under this new system, Donnie is likely to find that:

When Carl Remmick lost his job as a highly skilled craftsman at a metal working shop, he searched for a good job for several months before finally accepting a position as a maintenance worker at a local community college. He is happy to have a job, but frustrated by the fact that he had to settle for a job that did not take full advantage of his skills. Carl is a(n):

Evan McConnell is angry because he was passed over for a promotion even though he believes he was the most qualified candidate. He heard through the company grapevine the promotion went to a female because the firm was afraid of possible action by the EEOC if they did not select a female. What Evan is experiencing is known as:

A job specification is a statement of the job itself, while a job description is a statement about the person who does the job.

Congress has given the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission broad powers to issue guidelines for acceptable employer behavior concerning employment opportunities.

According to the "Spotlight on Small Business" box in Chapter 11, which of the following strategies can be used to attract qualified employees to work for a small business?

Internal promotions (from within the company) are a cost effective way of filling positions within a firm because the employees filling the position are already familiar with the organization's culture and procedures.

workers do not have the expectation of regular, full-time employment.

Employees at The Eastern Eagle newspaper are paid according to the Hay system. Ralph and Steve do the same type of work and report to the same supervisor. Ralph has worked at the newspaper for 14 years while this is Steve's third year. The supervisor believes Steve is the more enthusiastic and hard-working of the two. Under the Hay system, Steve will probably earn more than Ralph.

Mini-Case Dee Pozitt had been the assistant human resource director at Fleesum Financial Services for a bit more than a year when the company's human resource director was injured in a sky diving accident. Because of his injuries the director would be unable to work for several months. Howie Fleesum, the company's CEO, decided to name Dee the acting director of human resources. Though she had been at the firm for a shorter period of time than most other managers, he felt that her position as the director's assistant had given her insights into the company's human resource issues that the other managers lacked. He also was very impressed by the glowing performance appraisal Dee recently received from the director, her peers, and even subordinates. Before accepting the position as acting director, Dee made sure that Mr. Fleesum recognized her authority to implement some major changes in policies she and the director had been planning before his accident. The changes were intended to make the company more responsive to the needs of employees, thus improving morale and reducing worker turnover. Although Dee was sorry the director was injured, she was pleased that Mr. Fleesum had confidence in her and was willing to give her the authority to implement important new programs. The only aspect of her opportunity that worried her was the resentment and hostility she sensed from a few of the older, more experienced managers. One of the most hostile coworkers was a fellow named Mort Gage. Dee decided she had better talk to Mort and find out why he was so upset. -When Dee talked to Mort about his resentment toward her, he said that he should have been promoted to the position instead of her. "The only reason you got the job," Mort told her, "was that Mr. Fleesum wanted to promote a woman. I was more experienced and better qualified, so I should have gotten the job." Mort's statement suggests that he thinks he was a victim of:

Help wanted ads, public and private employment agencies, and college placement bureaus are all sources that human resource managers can use in the recruiting efforts.