Human Resource Management Toolkit By Lisette T. Jacobson, MPA, MA, PHR University of Kansas School of Medicine – Wichita 2011 Kansas Public Health Association

Human Resource

Management Toolkit

By Lisette T. Jacobson, MPA, MA, PHRUniversity of Kansas School of Medicine – Wichita

2011 Kansas Public Health Association Fall Conference

The HR Function in Organizations

• Workforce Planning and Employment– Key legislation affecting employee rights (Title VII of the Civil

Rights Act (1964), Americans with Disabilities Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, etc.)

– Harassment in the workplace– Staffing, selection, and recruitment– Records management

• Training and Development– Talent management– Succession planning– Performance management

• Total Rewards– Compensation– Benefits

• Employee and Labor Relations

– Key legislation (EEO laws)– Policies, procedures, and work rules– Discipline and complaint resolution– Labor relations and collective bargaining

• Risk Management– Key legislation (Occupational Safety and Health Act (1970), Drug-Free

Workplace Act (1988), US Patriot Act (2001), Sarbanes-Oxley Act (2002), Homeland Security Act (2002), etc.)

– Workplace safety, security, privacy, and ergonomics

– Employee health and employee assistance programs

• Strategic Management– HR management functions

– Strategic planning: Aligning HR with organizational goals

– Legislative and regulatory environment


What aspects of HR will we focus on today?

• Workforce Planning and Employment– Job Description– Selection and Recruitment – Interview Questions

• Training and Development– Performance Management

• Employee and Labor Relations– Progressive Disciplinary Policy– Employee Grievance Procedure


Workforce Planning – Job Description

What is a job description? A job description summarizes the most

important features of a job including the job specifications that list the qualifications necessary for an individual to be able to perform the job

What is so significant about a job description?

• Elements of a job description – – Summary – a short overview that summarizes the

purpose and objectives of the job including primary responsibilities, expected results, and degree of freedom (i.e. work independently or work under direct supervision)

– Essential functions – tasks, duties, and responsibilities of the job

– Nonessential functions – desirable aspects of the job


• Elements of a job description (cont’d) – – Knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA’s) – specific competencies

required for the job

• Knowledge – body of information necessary for task performance

• Skills – level of proficiency needed for task performance• Abilities – capabilities necessary to perform the job

– Supervisory responsibilities– Working conditions – environment in which job is performed– Minimum qualifications – minimum knowledge, skills, and

abilities required for the job


Guidelines to write a job description - – Give jobs realistic, descriptive titles– Identify the FLSA exempt or non-exempt status– Keep the summary brief– List only principal duties, tasks, or responsibilities– Identify the essential job functions (non-essential job functions

can be included but must be defined as “non-essential’)– Ensure that knowledge, skills, and abilities are job-related, NOT

related to the person holding the job– Secure approvals and dates from your superiors– Include disclaimers such as “other duties as assigned”– Do NOT include demeaning titles (i.e. “junior”)– Do NOT include gender-specific or generic titles (i.e. “salesman”

or “coordinator”)– Do NOT include percentages


Analyzing the application form -• Compare applicant’s qualifications to job’s requirements• Review education requirements• Review work history• Credentials/Licensure• Red flags to watch for on the application

– Insufficient education or experience– Gaps in employment– Downward spiral of jobs with less and less responsibility and

authority– Clearly over-qualified for the position at hand– Incomplete application

Workforce Employment –Selection & Recruitment

• Review the job description and job specifications

• Identify the duties, requirements, tasks, qualifications, licensures, and education

• Review KSA’s needed for the job• Know the salary range of the job• Hire “great” individuals



“An organization is no better than the individuals in it…”

(Joe Pisciotte, Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs, Wichita State University, 2006)

“the right people are our most important assets”

(Collins,J. (2001). Good to Great. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.)

Interview preparation • Types of interviews -

– Prescreening interviews – conducted by HR when there is a high volume of applicants for a job

– In-depth interviews• Structured interview – interviewer asks every applicant the same

set of questions, ensures similar information gathered from each applicant

• Stress interview – interviewer evaluates how an applicant responds to stressful situations, used in law enforcement

• Directive interview – interviewer poses specific questions and keeps control, is highly structured


Interview preparation (cont’d)

• Nondirective interview – interviewer asks open-ended questions, provides general direction, allows applicant to guide the process, difficult to maintain job-relatedness of questions

• Behavioral interview – focus is on how the applicant handled situations previously, based on real experiences of past performance, intent is to predict future behavior

• Situational interview – interviewer asks questions designed to elicit stories and examples that demonstrate the applicant’s skills and qualifications, intent is to predict future behavior based on hypothetical situations

• Group interview – also called panel interviews or team interviews, used for positions that rely on team cooperation, can be threatening to applicant


Interview preparation (cont’d)• Develop interview guide

• Ask the same questions of every candidate

• Appropriate location to conduct interviews

• Establish interview times/schedules

• Review application and resume prior to interview


Successful Interviews

• Greeting the Candidate: »Introduce yourself and shake hands. »Ensure seating is conducive to talking, and be sure the candidate will not see your notes »Initiate small talk to build rapport and put candidate at ease

• Open the Interview: »Describe the position and provide job description»Define KSA’s of the job »Emphasize the answers are not “right” or “wrong” »Mention notes will be taken Never take notes on the application – This is a legal document!!! »Mention the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the interview


Successful Interviews (cont’d)• Conduct Interview:

»Stick to the prepared questions (KSA’s) »Ask open-ended questions that are job related »Probe for behavioral examples »Look for abilities: training, skills, and experience

»Look at characteristics: work approach, working with others, oral communication skills, reliability, and consistency »Make decisions based on occupational qualifications

• Close the Interview: »Answer candidate’s questions

»Provide clarifications regarding the interview process

»End the discussion on a positive note

»Establish next steps in process »Thank the candidate for a productive interview



Examples of Behavioral Questions

• What were your key job objectives during the past year and how well did you perform against them?

• Suppose you are in a situation where deadlines and priorities change frequently. How would you handle it?

• Describe a situation where you failed to reach a goal. What would you do next time?

• It’s 4:30 on a Friday afternoon. Your supervisor gives you an assignment that needs to be finished by 8:00 the following Monday morning. You have already made plans to be away the entire weekend. What would you do?


Examples of Situational Scenarios

• Real situations that the candidate must deal with in a new job.

• Hypothetical situations that are designed to simulate a real problem the candidate is likely to encounter in the job.

• Actual situations that the candidate has encountered in past jobs that resemble those that will be encountered in the new job.

Legality of Questions

• If question is job-related, probably legal.• Not job-related, be CAREFUL!• Questions that involve race, creed, gender,

national origin, marital status, number of children, disability, and so on are illegal. Such questions should be avoided in interviews!

• Become familiar with questions you may ask, and those you may not ask.



Common Interview Biases• Stereotyping:

Forming generalized opinions about how people of a given gender, religion, or race appear, think, act, feel or respond (for example, presuming that a woman would prefer a desk job over working outdoors constitutes stereotyping)

• Inconsistency in Questions: Asking different questions of candidates (an example is asking a Caucasian male candidate to describe his successes on previous jobs, but not asking the same question of a Caucasian female)


Common Interview Biases (cont’d)

• First Impression Error: The Interviewer makes snap judgments and lets his/her first impression cloud the entire interview (for example, the fact that the candidate graduated from the interviewer’s alma mater is given more credence than the applicant’s knowledge, skills, or abilities)

• Negative Emphasis: Rejecting a candidate on the basis of a small amount of negative information (this could happen when subjective factors like dress or nonverbal communication taint the interviewer’s judgment)

Reminders• Stay focused on the job and its requirements,

not on any preconceived assumptions about what the applicant can or cannot do.

• “Sell” the job and the department/organization while keeping your pitch realistic. Unrealistic expectations will generally lead to employee dissatisfaction and higher turnover.

• Make sure you elicit questions or provide information which will help clear up any unanswered questions or doubts that may be lingering in the applicant’s mind.


Reminders (cont’d)• Verify professional experience and educational credentials• Verify licensing requirements• End the interview on a friendly note, and if possible,

apprise the candidate of the next step and time frame for a decision.

• Conduct reference checks• Make a fair and unbiased recommendation or decision

based on the job-related qualifications of the applicant• Interviewing practice and techniques will help you recruit

and retain “great” people


• Employee Performance Evaluation

• Performance Evaluation Checklist– Be prepared– Time and place– Conducting the interview– Conclusion– Follow-up

• Use on-going coaching throughout performance year

• Focus on performance, not the person!!!

Training and Development –Performance Management

More Common Interview Biases

• Negative Emphasis/Nonverbal Bias: Allowing recent, below average performance on a specific task to color the overall course of the performance evaluation.Negative emphasis often happens when subjective factors like dress or nonverbal communication taint the interviewer’s judgment.

• Contrast Effect: Strong performers who interview after weak ones may appear even more qualified than they actually are because of the contrast.

• Similar-to-Me Error: Based on personal characteristics that employees share with the interviewer rather than job-related criteria.


Interview Biases (cont’d)

• Halo/horn effect: The interviewer allows one strong area of

performance that he or she values highly to overshadow all other information.

When this works in the employee’s favor, it is called the halo effect. When it works in the opposite direction and the interviewer judges the employee unfavorably in all areas on the basis of one trait, it is called the horn effect.


• Before disciplining an employee, ensure a Progressive Disciplinary Policy is in place

• Policy should contain –– General statement on employee’s responsibility toward job and

job expectations including those of supervisors, managers, and directors

– Discipline is generally either verbal or written– A verbal warning must be documented in writing– Use designated forms to record warnings– Documentation must be signed by both employee and supervisor

Employee & Labor Relations –Progressive Discipline

– If employee refuses to sign, note this on form– “Progressive” is what it means –

• Warning #1 – Verbal • Warning #2 – Written• Warning #3 – Suspension• Warning #4 – Termination

– Group offenses into clusters – see example policy– Timeline

• Flexibility in administering discipline exists, but largely depends on precedence and consistency


• Be consistent and fair

• When in doubt, consult with your health department administrator/HR professional!

• Before terminating an employee, ALWAYS consult with your health department administrator/HR professional and/or legal counsel!!!

• What recourse does an employee have who enters the disciplinary process?– Employee Grievance Procedure


• In an individual personnel file folder located in your Human Resources area

• Personnel files are confidential and should never be kept anywhere else!!!

Where is personnel related documentation located?

Useful HR Books

• Human Resource Essentials:Your Guide to Starting and Running the HR Function (2010)

By Lin Grensing-Pophal

$38.25 (amazon.com)

• The Essential Guide to Federal Employment Laws (2009)

By Lisa Guerin & Amy DelPo

$29.69 (amazon.com)

Questions?

Thank you!!

Documents

Human Resource Management Toolkit By Lisette T. Jacobson, MPA, MA, PHR University of Kansas School of Medicine – Wichita 2011 Kansas Public Health Association