Human Resource Management Terms

Equal Employment

All HR managers and employees should always have federal and state laws in mind when making HR decisions. These laws should dictate and determining all course of action to best protect the company from unnecessary lawsuits and EEO claims. Equal Opportunity Employment laws were created to protect individuals from discrimination based on certain factors. Equal employment refers to the act of making employment decisions based on factors not related to factors protected by the law. These factors include, but are not limited to, race, gender, sexuality, disabilities (ADA), and religious affiliations. Employers must always make sure that they are adhering to federal and state regulations regarding this matter. A company plagued by EEO lawsuits will incur costs that can eat into its budget as well as cause the company to be tainted in the public and professional psyche. These matters can be traced directly back to the Human Resource Management of a company. The stages were most EEO claims arise are the areas where the HR department is mostly in control. These tend to be the initial recruitment and hiring as well as promotions and terminations. At each one of these steps HR managers need to make sure that they have specific Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) on file to deal with each policy. Tight policies ensure that the entirety of the company has one specific group to look to for answers- HR- and that these policies are uniform (Dobbin, Sutton, Meyer & Scott, 1993). HR management must ensure with the highest attention to detail that all company HR policies related to the aforementioned areas are being adhered to by all managers within an organization. Proper and thorough training ensures that those in charge of these decisions understand that their actions must adhere to federal and state standards of ethics.

Unions

Keeping in line with the need to assure that a company’s practices towards employees are fair and legal, it is important for HR to be fully aware of the importance of union’s. While unions are a controversial and divisive matter for many, it is the role of HR management to be a calm and balanced voice in the conversation. HR again needs to be aware of the legal implications of the union in their particular organization. For example, many police departments have FOP’s (Fraternal Order of Police) that dictate guidelines and rules that must be adhered to with respect to terminations, suspensions, etc. It is therefore the responsibility of HR to be fully aware of all of the nuances related to the particular union they are dealing with. Without open communication between management and unions, there can be serious implications. HR managers and HR team members are the perfect bridge between these two groups. While each group is going for what is in their best interest, HR strives towards being balanced. This balance takes legality into account, as well as rules and regulations specific to the company and the union in question. It has been stated that that HR can be seen as even being solely responsible for the work environment being anti- or pro-union (Goddard, 2009). This belief alone brings home the importance of the HR department in creating an environment that will either ensure success or complete failure with respect to unions and employee relationships. This union-employee relationship, if not handled properly can lead to a situation where the particular company is seen as having anti-union sentiments which will make employees nervous about a few things. The main issue would be there is less security within a company when different leaders are at odds with each other, and another would be that employees may be fearful of organizing or joining a union. All of the above possibilities translate into concerns that can be avoided with proper HR management.

Management Mentoring

Managers are the front line in most companies with respect to monitoring employee progress and addressing employee concerns and grievances. For this main reason it is vital to the success of HR departments to make sure that they are mentoring and training their managers in all necessary HR topics. Management mentoring is the task of literally mentoring managers and teaching them how to deal and cope with all situations. Managers will many times need to make decisions and it may not be possible for them to consult HR for an answer. Many decisions are made in companies when HR managers and even HR support staff have left for the day.

A good example of this would be a retail store that may have an employee get hurt on the job after hours. While HR managers may have left, shift managers are generally always present. It is imperative that these front line managers are mentored and trained meticulously by HR managers. Quick thinking that is rationale and based on company policy as well as federal and state laws must be in the skill set of managers who make important decisions. These decisions will be made more efficiently after managers have had a chance to learn what HR is and what it does. By having mentoring, non-HR managers can see what it is like to see through the HR lens. Decisions that may have seemed one-dimensional will become multifaceted as they attempt to make simple decisions while looking at the many possible outcomes and ramifications of each decision’s possible outcome. That employee getting hurt after hours can turn into an HR nightmare if not handled properly. Simultaneously, quick, proper and uniform handling of that employee’s accident can lead to a happy employee as well as company that will have mitigated its vulnerability to claims. These managers will also need mentoring so that they are adequately prepared to handle employee disagreements and performance reviews.

Performance Management

In the field of Human Resources it is imperative that HR professionals are actively involved in monitoring performance of all levels of employees. Performance management is the act of evaluating the employee's productivity and quality of work. While it is important to mentor managers, it is also important to be available to support, train and monitor all employees. One way in which HR managers can ensure a company has the right people in the right positions, is to promote the right people. This process requires HR managers to develop and maintain SOP’s for the promotional and review processes that lead to employee mobility. Performance management happens to encompass the terms covered thus far. The importance in uniformity here ties back to EEO and making sure that performances reviews are taking both hard and soft skillsets into consideration, but that it is all as objective as possible. HR can protect a company from having EEO claims against them by maintaining tight paperwork that clearly shows why certain individuals were up for promotion, or were terminated. Documentation is an important part of HR’s job and performance management is one of the most common times that they need to complete detailed and accurate paperwork. Union’s also take part in all of this because HR managers will have to work with unions when there is one to ensure that performance reviews are following any additional standards and guidelines. The manager mentoring is also vital because managers are very involved in performance reviews at nearly every step. Since it is rare for HR managers to have day to day contact with employees, it is necessary that they receive their information from the front line managers. The job market is a tough and competitive place for employers (Marmer-Solomon 1997), so it is therefore central to HR management that performance management is done correctly and efficiently so that the best talent is always retained.

Job Description

Job descriptions are simply descriptions of a job and what tasks that job entails on a daily basis. These job descriptions will be the foundation of what an employee will see themselves as required to do on a daily basis. Not having correct job descriptions leads to confusion, dissatisfaction and a plethora of other HR concerns (Ployhart, 2006). Job descriptions tie directly into staffing concerns and making sure that all paperwork is in place when recruiting and hiring.

This is important because this is the first time an individual will see what they are applying for, or what job they are being offered. If it is required for a receptionist at a medical office to also be proficient in phlebotomy, then a job description must clearly state this. It is a disaster in the making if that receptionist only finds out about this expectation when there is a patient waiting in a room. This example clearly demonstrates the importance of HR mangers and their role in ensuring that job descriptions are made crystal clear and as detailed as possible. It is also detrimental to HR if the job descriptions are detailed beyond any necessity.

Doing this pigeon holes management and HR when time comes for performance reviews. Since the job description is the foundation of what an employee sees themselves as, they will stick with that description and all changes need to be made clear through HR and management in general. It is not enough to assume that an employee should have “known” or “assumed” a task was part of their job description. Conversations about “common sense” are not appropriate responses for a lack of HR attention to job description details. HR is seen as the group that makes sense of and sets boundaries up for what is “common sense” and it is therefore HR management that ensures titles, roles and their descriptions are clearly defined for all employees and applicants at all times.

Cross Training

Cross training is a HR practice that can assist at many levels in management, training and overall employee readiness by taking employees from one job description and teaching those tasks from another job description. Human capital is more important to manage that physical capital and the employees in a company can be the singular thing that gives them an advantage over other companies with similar products (Youndt, Snell, Dean, Lepak, 1996).

Cross training is another way that HR can ensure the success of its employees as well as its company. Through cross training HR can see to each employee being able to step in and do the job that needs to be done within many different departments in one company. This requires the clear SOP’s and job descriptions of each position within a company. Employees must know where their particular job description ends so that there is not a constant conflict. Conflicts will arise, as stated before, when employees are unaware of what they are accountable for. Once these employees are masters of their particular job description it is beneficial for them and for the company for them to be cross trained. This is a great step towards integrating an employee into a bigger picture for the company and increases their involvement in the company. It must also be stated that if and when there are individuals who quit, are terminated or are out sick on PTO or sick/ family leave, someone must be brought in to cover these positions. A company can benefit from having a staff that is full prepared to step in and do a job, rather than doing last minute scrambling. These last minute scrambles are a management and HR headache for a few reasons. The main reason is time; if a job needs to be done there is not time to hire or train anyone. The other option in a scramble is the use of temp workers which can be costly and inefficient. For these reasons it is vital to a company’s talent diversity if employees are masters of not only their specific job description and position, but a few.

Paid-Time-Off (PTO)

Most companies offer some level of PTO and vacation to its employees and these hours need to be maintained, monitored and regulated. Paid Time Off refers to an allotted, or pre-set number of days/ hours a full-time employee is given as part of a benefits package. While it may appear to be an easy task, monitoring these PTO hours and requests can be quite time consuming and cumbersome for HR. Spending on staffing budgets is justifiable if it furthers long term objectives of said budget and the company’s goals (Raguhuram & Arvey, 1994), and HR must always strive to ensure that a company stays within the financial parameters set forth by a company’s CFO.

PTO plays a role in this and HR must monitor whether or not it is being used properly. If a company has a policy of carrying over PTO hours from year to year then it absolutely must ensure that employees are made aware that it is mandatory to take the hours before they accumulate in too big a number. An employee who has worked for a company for 5 years and has never taken a PTO day, will have an enormous sum saved up. If said employee decides to leave then this amount must be cashed out by HR and this is not an efficient short or long term way to spend on staffing. This money will be an unexpected hit to that month and years budget and will have the concern of affecting other staffing budgets and plans in turn. This scenario may not seem too serious, but when you take into account that in a large company this can happen monthly then it becomes an area of major concern for HR managers. Even in a company where PTO expires at the end of the year and cannot be carried over HR needs to be careful. If employees are afforded PTO but never given an opportunity to use them then this can be seen as an unfair practice. HR must be involved with managers and must ensure that not only are employees taking their PTO hours, but that employees who are putting in requests to take PTO are being approved when there is even the slightest way of accommodating it.

Telework

Telework is a program that has benefits that it offers to both its employees as well as the company. It is newer territory and it must be stated that it also has some downsides that create challenges for HR departments. Telework basically is a program in which an employee is allowed to complete parts or all of their tasks from a home computer. In these scenarios companies tend to give the employee the tools that they may need to complete these tasks. These tools can include a computer, printer, scanner, telephone as well as office supplies like paper and ink. Many companies, and even the Federal government, allow their employee’s to either do telework as the main part of their job description, or to do telework a certain number of days every week. Benefits or perceived benefits of telework can be seen as freedom in schedule, an avoidance of traffic and the relaxed nature of the setting. These can also be seen as the opposite of beneficial by many who feel that their home turns into something that is seen as stressful and a place they are chained to (Gurstein & Armstrong, 2004).

This stress and discomfort needs to be addressed by HR managers, as does the “freedom” that some teleworkers feel. To understand the stress levels as they relate to HR means one needs to see how working from home can blur the lines of being “on” and “off” the clock. It is more difficult to determine if the correct numbers of hours are being worked and whether or not an employee is being given clear direction on the matter. When there is a telework program HR management assures that they have guidelines and support in place before problems arise. Clear language needs to be used to inform those physically in the store as well as those tele-working what is expected of them. It is also important that HR managers are involved with any grievances related to telework to assess what can or should be done to rectify cracks in the fluidity of the program.

HR Audit

The human resources department of a company should be no more immune to training and monitoring than the departments HR monitors. An HR audit is the act of having an objective, independent assessment of the HR process, rules, regulations and practices of the HR department of a company (Adler, 2008). These things can be audited by speaking independently to members of the HR team as well as looking through SOP’s and actual HR paperwork.

A thorough HR Audit is an important step in ensuring that not only is HR doing its best to serve the employees in a company, but that it is serving itself properly as well. Serving itself is also important because just like any other department, HR wants to ensure that it is performing to the best of its ability. During HR audits many different things should be looked for. One main item to check off a list is whether or not the HR department in question is adhering strictly to all federal, state and municipal laws that regulate matters of employment. This also requires the audit to assess whether or not all risk assessments are also being done to ensure that legal practices and business needs are reconciled so that both are being monitored to accuracy and success. As mentioned before it is also imperative to assess whether or not the human capital, one of the most valuable parts of a company, are being groomed, maintained and supported by the HR managers and HR team. Within the same vein it needs to be addressed during the audit the role and efficiency of HR to determine whether or not they are meeting expectations with respect to maintaining the best talent for the company. This combination of assessing paperwork and actual figures related to HR targets ensures that HR teams are being monitored and held to a high standard. HR is a central part of a companies overall internal controls and overall success, so it is vital that HR audits are completed to make sure that the HR department is running flawlessly and is held accountable.

References

Adler, R. (2008). The evolution of HR Audits. The institute of internal auditors. Retrieved from http://www.theiia.org/chapters/pubdocs/27/HR_Audit_White_Paper.pdf

Dobbin, F., Sutton, J.R, Meyer, J.W., Scott, R. (1993). Equal opportunity law and the construction of internal labor markets. The American Journal of Sociology, 99, (2). 396-427

Godard, J. (2009). Institutional environments, work and human resource practices, and unions: Canada versus England. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 62, (2), 173-199

Gurstein, P., Armstrong, M.A. (2004) Wired to the world, chained to the home: Telework in daily life. NWSA Journal, 16, (2). 240-242.

Mathis, Robert L., Jackson, John H. Human resource management 13th Edition. CENGAGE Publishing.

Marmer-Solomon, C. (1997). Keep them! Don't let your best people get away. Workforce, 76, (8). 46-52

Ployhart, R.E. (2006) Staffing in the 21st Century: New challenges and strategic opportunities. Journal of Management December, 32 (6). 868-897

Raguhuram, Sumita, Arvey, Richard D. (1994). Business strategy links with staffing and training practices. Human Resource Planning, 17, (3).

Youndt, M.A., Snell, S.A., Dean, J.W., Lepak, D. P. (1996). Human resource management, manufacturing strategy, and firm performance. The Academy of Management Journal, 39, (4). 836-866.