Appendix A
Glossary of Human Resource Management Terms
absentees Absentees are employees who are scheduled to be at work but are not present.
Accident and sickness policies Accident and sickness policies usually provide a minimum-care stipend for several weeks up to six months to help employees defray the loss of income while they are sick or recovering from an accident.
accreditation Accreditation is a process of certifying the competence of a person in an area of capability. The Society for Human Resource Management operates an accreditation program for personnel professionals.
active listening Active listening requires the listener to stop talking, to remove distractions, to be patient, and to empathize with the talker.
adverse selection Adverse selection occurs when an insurance company has a disproportionately high percentage of insureds who will make claims in the future.
Adverse selection often results when people are given a chance to buy insurance
without prescreening, which often means that a higher than normal proportion have a condition that is likely to cause them to be frequent claimants.
affirmative action programs Affirmative action programs are detailed plans developed by employers to undo the results of past employment discrimination, or to ensure equal opportunity in the future.
Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (as amended) This act prohibits discrimination on employment because of age against those who are 40 and older. American Federation of Labor and Congressof Industrial Organization(AFL-CIO) The AFL-CIO is a federation of most national unions. It exists to provide a unified focal point for the labor movement, to assist national unions, and to influence government policies that affect members and working people.
applied research Applied research is a study of practical problems, the solutions of which will lead to improved performance.
arbitration Arbitration is the submission of a dispute to a neutral third party.
assessmenct enters Assessment centers are a standardized form of employee appraisal that relies on multiple types of evaluation and multiple raters.
associatemembership Associate membership in a labor organization allows people who are not employed under a union contract to affiliate with a union by paying fees
and dues in return for union-supported benefits.
attitude surveys Attitude surveys are systematic methods of determining what employees
think about their organization. The surveys are usually done through questionnaires.
Attitude survey feedback results when the information collected is reported back to the participants. This process then is usually followed by action planning to identify and resolve specific areas of employee concern.
attrition Attrition is the loss of employees who leave the organization's employment.
audit report The audit report is a comprehensive description of personnel activities. It includes both commendation for effective practices and recommendations for improving practices that are ineffective.
audit team An audit team consists of those people who are responsible for evaluating the performance of the personnel department.
authorization cards Authorization cards are forms that prospective union members sign.
The cards indicate their wish to have an election to determine whether a labor
organization will represent the workers in their dealings with management. autonomouswork groups Autonomous work groups are teams of workers, without a formal company-appointed leader, who decide among themselves most decisions
traditionally handled by supervisors.
autonomy Autonomy is having control over one's work.
bargaining book A bargaining book is a compilation of the negotiation team's plans for collective bargaining with labor or management. Increasingly, the bargaining book is being replaced by information stored in accompany or union computer.
bargaining committee The union bargaining committee consists of union officials and stewards who negotiate with management's representatives to determine wages,
hours, and working conditions to be embodied in the labor agreement.
behaviorally anchored rating scales(BARS) BARS rate employees scale that has specific behavioral examples on it to guide the rater.
Behavioral modeling Behavioral modeling relies on the initiation or emulation of a desired behavior. A repetition of behavior modeling helps to develop appropriate responses in specified situations.
behavior modification Behavior modification states that behavior depends on its consequences.
blind ads Blind ads are want ads that do not identify the employer.
bona fide occupationalqualifications(BFOQ) A BFOQ occurs when an employer has a justified business reason for discriminating against a member of a protected class. The burden of proving a BFOQ generally falls on the employer.
bottom-line test The bottom-line test is applied by the Equal Employment Opportunity
