HR and Downsizing Etiquette

Whether due to economic conditions or strategic business decisions, HR Professionals may find themselves in a scenario where they will need to layoff employees. Despite the number of individuals effected, downsizing with dignity is important to minimize any damages.

Key points to remember:
- treat employees with respect and dignity
- be available to answer questions and concerns

Key Terms
This week’s HR terminology includes:

Automation: If office or plant automation makes it possible to maintain production levels with fewer employees, the result may be employee layoffs.

Offshoring: When companies move part or all of their business operations to overseas locations, domestic employees are affected by layoffs.

Outsourcing: If an organization decides to utilize independent contractors to handle tasks that employees have been taking care of, the end result will often be staff layoffs.

Severance pay: A security benefit voluntarily offered by employers to employees who lose their jobs.

Non-Unionize Employees vs. Unionized Employees

HR Professionals in union environments with non-union employees may come across scenarios where unionized employee receive a signing bonus as part of the negotiated collective agreement while being left to deal with non-unionize employees. The following article displays the effects of not sharing the wealth.

Key points to remember:
- Communication and transparency
- Equity among the two groups while recognizing their differences (ie. signing bonus vs. performance-based bonus)

Key Terms
This week’s HR terminology includes:

Collective agreement: A contract negotiated between the employer and the union which states the terms and conditions of employment for unionized staff.

Collective bargaining: the method used to determine wages, hours and other conditions of employment through direct negotiations between the Employees’ Association/Union and the employer.

Accommodating working parents

HR Professionals will come across scenarios where working parents will need to be accommodated (ie. returning from maternity or parental leave). The following article describes how to best set up policies in order to protect your company from discrimination cases.

Key points to remember:
- What does employment standards require? (ie. employees returning from maternity leave must be given an equivalent position to the one they left).
- Has the company established a precedent? (To change the employee's conditions now could be construed as constructive dismissal).

Key Terms
This week’s HR terminology includes:

Alternative work arrangement: Non-traditional work arrangement such as flextime and a compressed work week that provide staff more flexibility while still achieving operational goals.

Constructive dismissal: Occurs when there is a significant change in the employment relationship without the employee’s actual or implied consent and the employee resigns within a reasonable time after learning of the changes.

Prima facie case: Latin for “at first view” or “at first appearance,” a prima-facie case is a lawsuit that requires an employer to articulate a reason that sufficiently proves that any decision or action taken was made based on legitimate and nondiscriminatory factors

Reasonable accommodation: A modification or adjustment to a job or work environment that enables a qualified individual with a disability to have equal employment opportunity.

Undue hardship: Condition created when making a reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities that imposes significant difficulty or expense on an employer.

Orientation

A. When an employee is hired, commonly they go through an orientation program.

B. That’s right, orientation programs provide employees with the information they need to perform their jobs satisfactorily, in addition to being a component of the socialization process.

A. What do you mean by socialization process?

B. Well, socialization is an on-going process of instilling the attitudes, standards, and values required by the organization. In other words, the socialization helps the employee fit in to the workplace culture.

A. Okay, so what kind of information should be provided to a new employee?

B. Well, some examples could be: an overview of the firm, including the firm’s vision, value, strategies and structures; specifics like: working hours, vacation, company benefits, payroll dates; in addition, any training information needed. Some companies may provide more information then others but hopefully the result is that the job expectations are clarified and the reality shock is reduced.

A. How can a firm know if its orientation program is effective?

B. Simply interviewing or surveying the new employees for their opinion of the usefulness of the orientation program is one way. In addition, firms should do a cost/ benefit analysis comparing the orientation costs of such things as printing the handbooks to the benefits of the orientation. In other words, is there a reduction in errors by the new employees?

Key Terms
This week’s HR terminology includes:

- orientation

- socialization
- workplace culture

Multiple-choice quiz
*Answer found at the end of the post.

1. Some problems with orientation programs are:

A. Information provided by the HR department is too broad to be meaningful

B. Little or no orientation is provided
C. Too many forms need to be filled out
D. Too much information is provided in a short time
E. All of the above


Answers: 1) E