Introduction to HR WGU C232 Exam Study Guide

Attraction action program - After an assessment of an organization's needs has been conducted, action programming must be developed to serve those needs. For example, action programs may be designed to increase the supply of the right employees in the organization (if forecasts suggest that demand exceeds supply). Alternatively, an action program may be designed to decrease the number of current employees (if forecast suggests that supply exceeds demand). Baby boomers - People born between ; in general, they greatly value loyalty, financial security, stability and a positive work ethic. Background checks - Used to verify job-related requirements of the applicant, including items such as driving record, credit history, and academic records. Bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ) - Quality or attribute that employers are allowed to consider when making hiring and retention decisions, qualities that would otherwise be discrimination in other contexts. Example: mandatory retirement age for bus drivers. Cash plan - Provide for payment of profit shares at regular intervals, typically monthly or yearly. Civil Right Act of 1964 - Comprehensive civil rights legislation, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Content Validity - Method used to confirm that a selection test measures what it is intended to measure by comparing the test to the job description (knowledge, skills, and abilities required to complete a job). Delphi Technique - A method of group decision-making and forecasting that involves successively collating the judgements of experts. Development - Activities or actions that help an employee prepare for future jobs. Direct Compensation - Types of payment that include basic wages and performancebased pay. Diversity - Differences in people (gender, education, personality, race, thinking style and more). Affirmative Action - is any action taken by an employer to overcome discriminatory effects of past or current practices or policies that create barriers to equal employment opportunity. Affordable Care Act (ACA) - A federal law passed in 2010, which prohibits insurers from denying coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions, sets minimum standards for health insurance policies, includes an individual mandate for individuals to have a health insurance policy, and expands Medicaid eligibility for many individuals and families. Age Discrimination - The denial of rights or privileges or other unfair treatment of someone (an applicant or employee) because of age. Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) - A federal law that protects workers age 40 and older from employment discrimination based on their age. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) - A federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. The ADA ensures equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in all aspects of employment as well as in other public services. Business Ethics - The values and principles that are used to evaluate whether the collective behavior of an organization's members is appropriate. Civil Rights Act of 1991 - This Act allows for compensatory and punitive damages for violations of Title VII. Civil Rights Acts of 1866, 1870, and 1871 - These acts prohibit employers from discriminating against minorities. Correlation Coefficient - reflects the stability of a test over time—the higher the coefficient of stability, the more reliable the measure. Culture - represents an organization's value system. It includes factors such as employees' willingness to work, their ethics, how the organization thinks they should be treated, and so on. Define "Reliability" - The consistency or stability of a selection instrument Define "Validity" - How accurately and precisely a measure assesses an attribute; it assumes the appropriateness of using a given measuring device for drawing inferences about the criteria Demand - The number and types of employees you will need to achieve the organization's strategic mission Supply - The number and types of employees who will be available now or in the future to fill the jobs Defined Benefit Plan - A retirement plan in which the employer commits (and pays) a specific monthly benefit (or amount) to the employee when the employee retires. Defined Contribution Plan - A retirement plan in which the employer pays a specific amount, or contribution, to an employee's retirement during each pay period that the employee is with the firm. Both the traditional 401(k) and Roth 401(k) plans are examples of defined contribution plans. Deontological Theories - evaluate the rightness or wrongness of an action based on how well that action conforms to some rule or principle, regardless of the consequences. Developing Data - The first phase of the process of human resources planning. Includes inventories of the current workforce, projected future needs, and an understanding of what will be required to meet those needs. Disability - According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, a disability includes: a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; a record of such impairment; or being perceived as having such an impairment. Empirical Validity - (also called statistical or predictive validity) describes how closely scores on a test correspond (correlate) with behavior as measured in other contexts. Employee Benefits - The parts of the total compensation package (other than pay for time worked) provided to employees in whole or in part by employer payments such as life insurance, pension, worker's compensation, and vacation. Rewards are provided by the organization to employees for their membership and/or participation (attendance) in the organization. Employee Referral Programs - Word-of-mouth advertisements that generally involve rewarding employees for referring skilled job applicants to an organization. Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) - A federal law that sets minimum standards for pension plans in the private sector. Employment At-will - A common-law rule for employment contracts that presume an employer can generally hire, fire, or promote an employee for any reason at any time. In addition, employees can leave for any reason at any time. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) - A federal agency created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, tasked with formal enforcement of employment discrimination law. Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA) - A federal law requiring that employers provide equal pay for men and women who do similar work in the same workplace. Essential Functions - The fundamental job duties of a position. External Environment - The factors that organizations and their managers have no control over, such as legislation, changes in technology, competition, and so on. Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) - A federal law that restricts child labor and establishes minimum wage and overtime pay standards for employees. The intent of the law was to "put a floor under wages and a ceiling over hours of work and to abolish abuses of child labor."