What are some common interview mistakes?
Some common interview mistakes include: making snap judgments based on the candidates resume or test scores. Interviewers may also be influenced by the candidate’s attractiveness or gender or even non-verbal behaviours which may be attributed to cultural background or ethnicity, such as: eye contact, smiling, and nodding. Some interviewers may have poor job knowledge which may lead to bad hiring decisions. Other mistakes include focusing on a candidate’s unfavourable attributes over his or her favourable attributes or distorting one’s opinion about a candidate as a result of a positive initial impression, also known as the halo affect.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Career Counselling and HR
A. What are some aspects of career counseling HR practitioners are using?
B. HR has a variety of career-based activites it can use to promote longevity with the company and increase employee motivation. In fact, through career counseling, employee recruitment, development, performance, and retention can be linked together. Career development activities include: career and job profiling; career pathing; career management; and professional development and training.
A. Can you explain the differences between these activities?
B. Sure. Career or job profiling identifies the skills and skill levels needed to perform the job effectively. This can be achieved through task and skill analysis. So, by defining the skills required, HR, managers, and employees can identify areas where the employee needs to improve, as well as identifying potential areas of interest. Career pathing, as Linda Pharr, President and COO of Batrus Hollweg, so nicely describes, “shows employees what their future can look like within a company and provides a roadmap of how to get there”. Elements of career pathing include: a visual map outlining career progression which is available to all employees; detailed competency and behaviour models which communicate clear performance expectations; and performance management tools and succession planning tools and processes to measure progress. Whereas, career management plays more of a supporting role by communicating the organization’s goals, ensuring opportunities for movement, and offering career-related workshops. Finally, professional development and training are specific activities, includeing: in-house training; coaching or mentoring; or external training, used to build the skills required for maintaining a specific career path.
References
http://www.batrushollweg.com/InsightsAndResearch/InsightArticles/CareerPathing.pdf
B. HR has a variety of career-based activites it can use to promote longevity with the company and increase employee motivation. In fact, through career counseling, employee recruitment, development, performance, and retention can be linked together. Career development activities include: career and job profiling; career pathing; career management; and professional development and training.
A. Can you explain the differences between these activities?
B. Sure. Career or job profiling identifies the skills and skill levels needed to perform the job effectively. This can be achieved through task and skill analysis. So, by defining the skills required, HR, managers, and employees can identify areas where the employee needs to improve, as well as identifying potential areas of interest. Career pathing, as Linda Pharr, President and COO of Batrus Hollweg, so nicely describes, “shows employees what their future can look like within a company and provides a roadmap of how to get there”. Elements of career pathing include: a visual map outlining career progression which is available to all employees; detailed competency and behaviour models which communicate clear performance expectations; and performance management tools and succession planning tools and processes to measure progress. Whereas, career management plays more of a supporting role by communicating the organization’s goals, ensuring opportunities for movement, and offering career-related workshops. Finally, professional development and training are specific activities, includeing: in-house training; coaching or mentoring; or external training, used to build the skills required for maintaining a specific career path.
References
http://www.batrushollweg.com/InsightsAndResearch/InsightArticles/CareerPathing.pdf
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Wage Compression
A. What is wage compression?
B. Wage or salary compression is a compensation problem that occurs when "salary structures are not proportional to professional maturity."(1) By professional maturity, I mean, rank and time in rank. In other words, the increase in starting salaries is creating a smaller gap between new employees and more senior employees. Wage compression can occur in tight labour markets, where demand exceeds supply or in companies where senior employees experience a lack of mobility.
A. How can companies deal with this concern?
B. Higher learning educational institutions like, UBC have created a compression fund to supplement their faculties’ salary based on specific qualifying guidelines. Another option is to implement progressive employee benefits such as sabbatical leave, professional development, or special privileges.
References
1. Snyder, J.K., G.W. McLauglin, and J.R. Montgomery. "Diagnosing and Dealing with Salary Compression." Research in Higher Education, vol. 33, (February, 1992), pp. 113-24.
B. Wage or salary compression is a compensation problem that occurs when "salary structures are not proportional to professional maturity."(1) By professional maturity, I mean, rank and time in rank. In other words, the increase in starting salaries is creating a smaller gap between new employees and more senior employees. Wage compression can occur in tight labour markets, where demand exceeds supply or in companies where senior employees experience a lack of mobility.
A. How can companies deal with this concern?
B. Higher learning educational institutions like, UBC have created a compression fund to supplement their faculties’ salary based on specific qualifying guidelines. Another option is to implement progressive employee benefits such as sabbatical leave, professional development, or special privileges.
References
1. Snyder, J.K., G.W. McLauglin, and J.R. Montgomery. "Diagnosing and Dealing with Salary Compression." Research in Higher Education, vol. 33, (February, 1992), pp. 113-24.
Collective Bargaining Process
A. What are the steps involved in collective bargaining?
B. Collective bargaining can be broken into five steps: pre-bargaining, phase one, phase two, phase three, and ratification.
A. So, what happens if labour and management can not come to an agreement?
B. In the case where an agreement can’t be made, the dispute can be taken to conciliation, mediation, or arbitration.
A. What’s the difference between these?
B. During conciliation the third party’s purpose is to help continue negotiations in hopes that labour and management will voluntarily reach a solution. Mediation is similar in the fact that no solution is imposed, rather the third party helps by producing facts that may clarify positions. However, during arbitration, the third party makes the final decision.
B. Collective bargaining can be broken into five steps: pre-bargaining, phase one, phase two, phase three, and ratification.
- In the pre-bargaining stage participants prepare for the bargaining session. This includes determining proposal goals and gathering the necessary data to support those goals.
- During phase one of the bargaining process, members should be introduced and ground rules established. Following, both participants present and justify their proposal.
- Phase two involves reaching a tentative agreement on many of the language issues.
- Phase three is where the economic factors are introduced. These are discussed near the end of the negotiations because they usually cause the most disagreements and have the greatest potential to stall discussions.
- During the final ratification stage, union members are presented with the proposed contract and vote to accept the terms of the negotiated agreement.
A. So, what happens if labour and management can not come to an agreement?
B. In the case where an agreement can’t be made, the dispute can be taken to conciliation, mediation, or arbitration.
A. What’s the difference between these?
B. During conciliation the third party’s purpose is to help continue negotiations in hopes that labour and management will voluntarily reach a solution. Mediation is similar in the fact that no solution is imposed, rather the third party helps by producing facts that may clarify positions. However, during arbitration, the third party makes the final decision.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Flexible Benefits
A. When designing a flexible benefits program, what are some options employers have?
B. Flexible benefits options include cafeteria-style benefits plan, modular benefits plan, and core-plus options plan. Similar to a buffet, the cafeteria-style benefits allow employees to choose the benefits that suit their particular needs or wants. The modular benefits plan, on the other hand, has a number of pre-packaged benefit sets that employees can choose from; while, the core-plus options plan provides employees with a basic level of protection and then allows employees to augment their plan by choosing various options.
B. Flexible benefits options include cafeteria-style benefits plan, modular benefits plan, and core-plus options plan. Similar to a buffet, the cafeteria-style benefits allow employees to choose the benefits that suit their particular needs or wants. The modular benefits plan, on the other hand, has a number of pre-packaged benefit sets that employees can choose from; while, the core-plus options plan provides employees with a basic level of protection and then allows employees to augment their plan by choosing various options.
Performance Appraisal Methods
A. What do performance appraisal measure?
Trait-based performance appraisals include the employees characteristics, what an employee is, such as dependability, creativity, leadership, and initiative. Trait- focused performance appraisals include graphic rating scale or forced-choice method. While these methods are fairly inexpensive to implement they are prone to rater errors such as halo error, leniency error, or central tendency.
Behavior-based performance appraisals include what the employee does and should do different; in other words, specific actions exhibited by the employee on the job. Behavior methods include: critical incident and behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS).
Results-based performance appraisals focus on the employees accomplishments. Quantitative data such as: sales, production numbers, and errors, can be used. Common methods for performing results-based appraisals include: productivity measures and management by objectives (MBO)
B. Performance appraisals measure traits, behaviours, or results.
Trait-based performance appraisals include the employees characteristics, what an employee is, such as dependability, creativity, leadership, and initiative. Trait- focused performance appraisals include graphic rating scale or forced-choice method. While these methods are fairly inexpensive to implement they are prone to rater errors such as halo error, leniency error, or central tendency.
Behavior-based performance appraisals include what the employee does and should do different; in other words, specific actions exhibited by the employee on the job. Behavior methods include: critical incident and behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS).
Results-based performance appraisals focus on the employees accomplishments. Quantitative data such as: sales, production numbers, and errors, can be used. Common methods for performing results-based appraisals include: productivity measures and management by objectives (MBO)
Gender Equity
A. What are some steps companies can take to achieve gender equity?
B. First, companies need to ensure that talented men and women are given the same opportunities to grow, develop, and contribute with in the company. As well, companies with management support systems and networks need to ensure that both men and women are participating. Once that is in place, other initiatives can be put in place; such as, creating succession plans, which identify women as potential managers early in their careers and helping them advance, or fast-track programs, which accelerate the development of qualified women.
B. First, companies need to ensure that talented men and women are given the same opportunities to grow, develop, and contribute with in the company. As well, companies with management support systems and networks need to ensure that both men and women are participating. Once that is in place, other initiatives can be put in place; such as, creating succession plans, which identify women as potential managers early in their careers and helping them advance, or fast-track programs, which accelerate the development of qualified women.
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