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

Dramatic changes in the U.S.labor force will make the work of human resource managers more interesting,and more difficult,in the future.Identify and describe three trends that will challenge future human resource managers.

Recent trends suggest that the best way for firms to control labor costs is to focus on limiting the growth of wages and salaries rather than controlling fringe benefits. Fringe benefits have grown faster than wages in recent years.U.S.companies now pay an average of about $13,000 per employee in benefits.Moreover,fringe benefit packages are becoming so complex that the cost of administering them has also become a major burden.

The first step in the human resource planning process is to prepare a job analysis for each available position within the firm.

Workers who are paid a __________ receive a fixed compensation weekly,biweekly,or monthly.

The main reason firms conduct performance appraisals is to establish a formal record of job performance that will protect them from lawsuits filed by unhappy workers. The key word here is performance.The main purpose of a performance appraisal is to improve employee performance.

Helen Caldwell is a human resource manager for a firm that is planning to switch to a more sophisticated production method.As a human resource manager,one of Helen's duties will be to forecast the demand for the type of labor needed to implement the new method. Assessing the future demand for various types of labor is one of the functions of a human resource manager.A proactive human resource manager anticipates the future needs of the organization and takes action to make sure that qualified workers are available when they are needed.

The benefit of a firm establishing "hoteling" is that it can reduce operating costs because it eliminates the need for office space,for employees that telecommute. Hoteling is the term used to describe firms that ask employees who telecommute to call and reserve office space when they plan to be at the office.The firm can cut down on permanent office space for these employees.

Employment tests should focus on general job skills rather than skills that are related directly to the job.

While efforts to train and develop women and minority managers appeal to many firms on the basis of legal and moral considerations,from an economic standpoint,it is rarely cost effective. Firms that take the initiative to develop female and minority managers recognize three important principles: (1)Grooming women and minorities for management positions broadens the base of talent coming into the firm,which is a key to long-term profitability; (2)a company that starts attracting and developing women and minority managers now will have an edge recruiting the most talented women and minority managers later;and (3)more women and minorities at all levels help the firm serve its increasingly female and minority customers better.

One purpose of a human resource inventory is to determine whether the labor force is technically up-to-date and well trained.

Betty Roosevelt is a human resource manager with Avondale Industries.Her current assignment is to revise and update Avondale's employment testing procedures.Betty should:

The appropriate term for employees whose skills and knowledge go beyond their current work environment and work responsibilities are underemployed workers.

What are the key features of flextime plans,compressed workweeks,and job sharing plans? Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches to scheduling employees.

Employers must verify that employment candidates are eligible to work in the U.S.as mandated by:

Kandew Electronics requires all employees who work as research specialists in its electrical engineering department to have a minimum of a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering (BSEE).This educational requirement would most likely be stated in the job _________ for this position.

Which of the following statements about human resource management opportunities and challenges is most accurate?

Transferring an experienced worker to a new position at the same level within an organization can be an effective way to motivate the worker to remain with the company.

One objective of a carefully managed compensation plan is to keep labor costs low.In order to achieve this objective,a firm should strive to keep wages,salaries and benefits at or below the compensation levels of its competitors. A well-managed compensation plan does strive to keep labor costs low.However,this does not necessarily mean that a firm should strive to pay wages and salaries that are at or below the level offered by competitors.Compensation is one of the main marketing tools that companies use to attract employees.Offering low wages may make it difficult to compete for the best employees.A carefully managed compensation and benefit program can help a firm accomplish a variety of objectives: attracting the kinds of people the organization needs,providing incentives for employees to work productively,keeping valued employees from leaving for better-paying positions with competitors (or even starting their own business),and maintaining morale by providing workers with some sense of financial security.These objectives are not necessarily accomplished by paying low wages.Instead,they may enable the firm to keep labor costs low by ensuring high productivity from a loyal workforce.

One implication of today's flatter corporate structures is that:

Charlie plans to hire three outside sales professionals for his small non-profit organization that operates out of a suburb of Chicago.The new recruits know that after a three-month period,only one will remain.He is using a method of recruitment called part-time,temporary employment. The nonprofit is test-driving employees,which is similar to hiring contingent workers.In this case,the contingent workers are competing for one permanent position.