Human Resources Management & Labour Relation

“Human Resources Management centres on the practices, policies and systems that
influence employees’ behaviours, attitudes, and performance”

Historical view of HR

● HR was primarily an administrative/operational function

● HR activities added to an organization’s expenses/costs but not to revenue
generation
● Minimal consideration of its strategic importance

Strategic view of HR

● Every segment of the organization must play a key role in an organization’s strategy
● Quality of work force is a significant source of competitive advantage
● $ put toward HR systems and activities viewed as investment
○ Increasing evidence that HR activities are associated with various indicators
of organizational performance (e.g., ROI, profitability, stock prices)

What is Strategic HRM?

First, let’s define Strategic Management

● Is concerned with addressing the competitive challenges an organization

faces
● An approach for creating and managing a pattern or plan that integrates an
organization’s major goals, policies, and actions into a cohesive whole”
● Involves analyzing the competitive situation, setting goals, devising a plan of
action, and allocating resources to achieve these goals

What is Strategic HRM?

● ​Integration of HRM systems to the overall mission, strategy, and success of the firm
● Aligning HR activities to enable an organization to achieve its goals / to achieve
competitive advantage
○ The formation, deployment and management of the workforce to achieve the
mission and strategic priorities of the organization.

Types of HR - Strategy Linkages

Integrative Linkage
● HR gets to implement the strategic plan
● Get to help formulate the plan

SHRM & Competitive Advantage

● Requires well-managed, highly-skilled workforce = intangible assets

● Intangible Assets / Capital
○ Human capital – knowledge, skills of workforce
○ Social capital – org culture; relationships
○ Customer capital – customer relationships, brand
○ Intellectual capital – patents, copyrights, etc.

Resource-based view (RBV)

● Superior firm performance and sustainable competitive advantage occurs when
organizations have resources that are:

● Valuable
● Rare
● Not readily imitated
● Not readily substituted

● Requires well-managed, highly-skilled workforce = intangible assets

● Intangible Assets / Capital
○ Human capital – knowledge, skills of workforce

Human Capital Leads to:

● Social capital – org culture; relationships

● Customer capital – customer relationships, brand
● Intellectual capital – patents, copyrights, etc.

Guiding Logic of SHRM

 ● “HRM practices must develop employees’ skills, knowledge, and motivation such that
employees behave in ways that are instrumental to the implementation of a particular
strategy”

4 Necessary Conditions to Enable Strategic HRM

1. Understand the organization's mission, goals, etc.

2. Have input into the strategic plan
3. Know what human capital (skills, attitudes, and behaviours) is available and needed
in the workforce to support strategic plan
4. Develop programs to ensure workforce possesses the necessary human capital
attributes

Outcomes of Strategic HRM

“When you align HR with organizational strategy, you’ll see growth in commitment, improved
financial results, and find yourself better able to attract and retain the right people.”

Major HRM Responsibilities

● Ensuring organizational strategy is achieved by:

○ Effective job design
○ Recruiting and selecting employees with requisite capabilities (Recruitment &
Selection)
○ Legal compliance
○ Preparing employees for current/future jobs (Training & Development)
○ Supporting and evaluating employee performance (Performance
Management)
○ Rewarding & motivating employees (compensation)
○ Creating engaging, healthy work environment (Employee & Labour Relations,
H&S)

Who does HRM?

Depends on company size

● All managers have HR responsibility

○ Hire, fire, supervise, evaluate performance, identify training needs, make pay
decisions, etc.
○ Often in consultation with HR department

HR Department / HR Professionals
● Have specialized expertise
● Lead / develop HR processes/programs
● Train, coach, support managers in these processes
● Ensure legal compliance

The HR Professional

°Certified Human Resources Professional designation

•Requirements
•Academic – coursework, etc.
•CHRP Knowledge Exam and CHRP Employment Law Exam
•Job Ready Program

°Ontario has 3 levels of certification

•CHRP, CHRL (Leader), CHRE (Executive)

To be successful…
•Need to understand how business works
•Remain current on relevant laws
•Manage interactions with and between others
•Provide guidance
•Lead and navigate
•Clearly communicate
•Manage HR both within and across borders
•Maintain confidentiality
•Critically evaluate information and make sound recommendations

Week 2 Lecture Notes

How Has the labour force changed in the last 5 years

Aging of the workforce

● Only growing group expected to be/is 55+ years (2016-2026)
● Fewer people entering than existing labour force

Multi-generational workforce
● 5 generations: Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, Generation
Z
● Generation Alpha: gamification in learning**

Diverse Workforce
● Immigration increases diversity and labour force growth

Knowledge Workers
● Main contribution is specialized knowledge

Technological Change Impacting HRM

Social Networking
● Use of platforms such as instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook

Artificial Intelligence
● Personal Assistants
● Predictive capabilities
 ● Wearable technologies

Robotics
● Robots can perform work tasks

HRIS
● Store large quantities of employee data

Mobile Devices
● Provide anytime and anywhere access

Cloud Computing
● Provides IT infrastructure over a network
● Self-service and on-demand model

Quiet Quitting: The Great Resignation

● Employees are making the choice to not go above and beyond what they are being
asked to do
● Mentally they are just not there

HR Trends
● Role of HRM in administration is decreasing. In fact, some companies are doing
away with HR departments
● Evidence-based HRM on the rise
● HR has become more agile
● Rise in non-traditional employment & the Gig economy
● Increase in offshoring
● Using technology to compete
● Normalization of remote work or hybrid work environments
● Gamification of learning

Human Resources Management & Labour Relations

Legal Dimensions to many HRM Systems

Canada’s Legal Framework for HRM

● What laws apply?

● Federal laws apply to federally regulated organizations
○ e.g. Canada Labour Code (CLC)
● Provincial (or territorial) laws apply to provincially (territorially) regulated
organizations
○ E.g. Employment Standards Act (ESA)

Human Rights Legislation

● Prohibits discrimination in employment and in the provision of goods and services

● 2 levels of legislation
○ Federal - Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA) - prohibits discrimination on
the basis of gender, ethnicity, age
○ Provincial - Ontario Human Rights Code (OHRC)
● Both Provide civil remedies
● Main difference is that the CHRA main jurisdiction covers service agencies ran by the
government

Prohibited Groups of Discrimination

Definition: Restriction or preference based on a prohibited ground that results in unequal
treatment/opportunity

Examples of Prohibited Grounds:

● Race or colour
● Ethnic or national origin
● Creed or religion
● Sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity
● Marital status, Family status
● Age
 ● Physical or mental disability

Ex: Black man wants to rent a place but is told it was already rented. White man tries to rent
apartment and is told it is still for sale

Discrimination

● Direct (Intentional) Discrimination

○ Employment practice that on its face discriminates on a prohibited ground
○ The deliberate use of prohibited grounds in employment decisions
○ Specifically exclude people
○ Based on biases and negative attitudes toward people

● Indirect (Adverse effect) Discrimination

○ Employment practice that results in discrimination against protected group,
even if neutrally intended
○ Focus on the impact, not intent
○ A person that sets out discrimination or who tells someone else to
discriminate can both be named in a human rights claim
○ Examples:

Case Study: O’Malley v. Simpson-Sears Ltd.

● Lower courts sided with employer

● Grounds: This was not intentional discrimination
● Supreme Court ruled it was adverse effect discrimination
● Not intentional, but had discriminatory effect
● Could have accommodated employee
● Ordered to pay lost wages due to discrimination

Is All Discrimination Illegal?

● No
● For example, hiring involves discrimination

● Key Questions
○ Is discrimination on the basis of prohibited grounds?
○ If yes, is there a bona fide occupational requirement (BFOR)?

Examples of Bona Fide Occupational Requirements

● Religious schools may hire only teachers of a particular faith
● Requiring adequate vision for airline pilots, transit drivers
● In advertising, manufacturer of women’s clothing can hire female models
● Theatrical productions & hiring actors

Criteria to Establish a BFOR?

°Is not something an employer “applies for”

°Can seek legal advice or consult precedents

°Complainant must 1st establish that a case of prima facie discrimination exists

°Defendant must prove on a balance of probabilities that the discriminatory standard is a

BFOR

Case Study: Meiorin Supreme Court Case - British Columbia*

°Court sided with complainant

°BC government had failed to establish the fitness requirement as a BFOR

°Lack of evidence showing this standard was required for job or that same aerobic capacity
was appropriate for both men and women

°Ordered reinstatement of Meiorin and 5 years back pay

Criteria Used to Assess BFOR

1.Is the standard rationally connected to the performance of the job?

2.Was the standard established in an honest and good faith belief that it was necessary to
accomplish this purpose (as per #1)?

3.Is the standard reasonably necessary to accomplish its purpose?

a.Must show it is impossible to accommodate employees without imposing undue hardship
on employer

Reasonable Accommodation

°Employer ‘s duty to take reasonable steps to accommodate an individual to avoid

discrimination and provide for equal opportunity

°Related to needs of those with disability, older workers, workers of religious faith, etc.

°Duty to accommodate does not apply if accommodation will cause employer “undue
hardship”

What Constitutes Undue Hardships?

°Burden is on employer to show data to support undue hardship

°May be a variety of considerations

•Financial cost
•Significant disruption of collective agreement – although, agreement may need to change
•Health and safety risk

Reasonable Accommodation

°Employer has responsibilities

1.Understand the need for accommodation
2.Explore options for accommodation
3.Determine feasibility vs undue hardship
°Failure to consider accommodation can be violation of the legislation

Example of Reasonable Accommodation

°Making existing facilities accessible

°Job restructuring; part-time or modified work schedules

°Acquiring or modifying equipment

°Changing tests, training materials, or policies

°Providing qualified readers or interpreters

Remedies for Human Rights Violations

°Early settlement, conciliation agreement, or tribunal decision

°Goal is to restore opportunities that were denied victim, stop the discriminatory practice in
order to prevent future discrimination

°Not punitive

Examples: Meiorin and O’Malley Cases - cost of case + time she spent doing part time work

Harassment
•Verbal or physical conduct that is unwelcome, andis related to a prohibited ground

•Offensive behaviour related to employee’s sex, race, religion, etc.

•May include verbal abuse, display of offensive material, unwelcome remarks, innuendo, etc.
● Employer has the responsibility to create a safe working environment

Sexual Harassment

°Unsolicited or unwelcome sex- or gender-based conduct

•Creates “hostile work environment” or has adverse employment consequences for target

Types of Sexual Harassment

Gender harassment
•Behaviours that express hostile/negative views of men/women, sexual orientation

Unwanted sexual attention

•Unwanted behaviours aimed at achieving sexual co-operation (sexually suggestive
comments, leering, etc.), but not tied to job-related consequences/promises

Sexual coercion (quid pro quo)

•Unwanted behaviours aimed at achieving sexual co-operation, tied to job-related
consequences/promises
Is it Sexual Harassment?
1.Respondent doesn’t know that the behaviour is unwelcome?
•Yes, if behaviour is “expressly or implicitly known by the respondent to be unwelcome”, then
it is harassment
•
2.The harassment stops when a person complains?
•Yes, if the complaint leads to negative employment consequences or other retribution, then
it is harassment
Is it Sexual Harassment?

What if…?
3.The target cooperates?
•Yes, it would still be considered harassment if the cooperation is due to employment-related
threats or promises

4.The comment or behaviour was intended as a joke?

•The test is whether it creates a hostile or poisoned work environment
•Using the “reasonable person” standard

Case: Robichaud v. The Queen (1987)

°Bonnie Robichaud was a lead hand at Air DefenceCommand Base in North Bay, Ont.
•In 1980, alleged harassment by her supervisor (Brennan)
•Sexual encounters had taken place
•HR Tribunal dismissed the harassment complaint

°Review Tribunal overturned, finding sexual harassment

•Evidence of coercion, threats
•Ruled both Brennan and DND were liable

°Court of appeal – partially overturned

•Agreed than harassment had occurred, but set aside the employer’s responsibility

°Supreme court overruled appeal court

•Ruled that employer shares responsibility for actions of supervisor
•Supervisor is agent of the employer; authority comes from employer
•“…only an employer can remedy undesirable effects of [harassment]; only an employer can
provide the most important remedy—a healthy work environment”

Introduction

°Every year, businesses spend billions of dollars as a result of worker accidents and injuries.
°Common causes of workplace injuries include…

°Why should organizations care?

•Because they have a legal, ethical and moral duty to provide a safe and healthy
environment.
•But also… impact on bottom line

H&S Then

°Until early 20th Century, employers took little responsibility for worker safety

°Assumption of risk was prevailing doctrine

•When worker accepts job, worker accepts risks associated with job
•Accidents = fault of the worker

… and Now

● Comprehensive H&S legislation emerged in 1970s

○ Influenced by 1976 Report of Royal Commission on the Health and Safety of
Workers in Mines
○ Introduced the Internal Responsibility system
○ Commission articulated 3 principal rights of workers
1. Safety first and safety always
2. Safety is everyone’s responsibility
3. Safe work is efficient work

H&S Legislation

°Federal and Provincial or Territorial legislation

°Concerned with identification, evaluation and control of hazards in the work environment
•Chemicals; Ergonomic; Health; Physical and Psychosocial

°Goals of legislation
•Ensure safe and healthy working conditions and provide penalties for violators
•“Shared responsibility” for employers and employees

Employer Duties and Responsibilities

● Take steps to implement measures to create and maintain a safe and healthy
workplace
● Provide health and safety devices, equipment, and apparel
● Conduct inspections / Maintain equipment and immediately report all critical injuries
● Appoint competent supervisors
● Train and educate supervisors and workers
● Create health and safety policies and committees.
Employee Responsibilities

°Duty to follow safety practices and procedures, comply with health and safety instructions
and take all necessary reasonable precautions to ensure their own and others’ health and
safety at work.

°Cooperate in fulfilling everyone’s duties and responsibilities under the legislation and report
health and safety hazards, contraventions and accidents to the employer.

Employee Rights

● Right to refuse dangerous work without penalty

○ Exceptions:
■ If the risk is a normal condition of the work
■ If refusal puts others at risk
● Right to know about hazards in the workplace
•E.g., WHMIS

°Right to participate in identifying & correcting problems

Enforcement of Occupational H&S Regulations

°Westray Mine Disaster, May 1992

°Explosion in coal mine, 26 miners killed

°Investigation revealed disregard of safety by management

•Methane gas not managed appropriately due to cost and time pressures

°Led to Bill C-45 – “Westray Bill” (2004)

•Amendment to criminal code – criminal liability of senior officers of corporation that neglect
duty of care

°Recent case: Metron Construction Corporation

Workplace Violence

°Any act in which a worker is abused, threatened, intimidated or assaulted in the course of
their employment

°Goes beyond physical acts of violence

Types of Workplace Violence

°Based on assailant’s relationship with target

°Type I: no legitimate relationship

•Enters workplace to commit criminal act (theft)
•Accounts for 85% of workplace homicides

°Type II: legitimate relationship

•Aggressive act committed during an interaction
•e.g., customer, client, patient
•Account for about 60% of nonfatal assaults

Types of Workplace Violence

°Type III: assailant is current or former employee

•Targets a coworker or supervisor
•Related to both individual and organizational characteristics
•Examples: Pierre LeBrun and Theresa Vince

°Type IV: assailant has ongoing or previous relationship with an individual employee
•E.g., domestic violence spilling over into workplace
•5% of workplace homicides
•Example: Lori Dupont

How common is workplace aggression?

°Overall 19% of women and 13% of men reported that they had experienced harassment
•13% women and 10% men reported verbal abuse
•6% women and 5% men reported humiliating behaviour
•4% women and less than 1 % men reported sexual harassment

°Source of Aggression
•53% of women said a client or customer was responsible for the harassment
•For men, the most common source of harassment was from their supervisor or manager at
39%
•35% of men and 34% of women were harassed by a colleague

Costs to the organization

°Damage to targets / witnesses

•Physical illness, psychological symptoms
•Demotivation
•Reduced performance
•Absenteeism

°Legal costs
•Litigation & settlements from victim claims
•Litigation & settlements from the accused harasser - claims of wrongful termination

°Wasted manager time

•Time spent disciplining
•Time dealing with victimized coworkers

°Organizational Performance
•Reduced innovation, creativity
•Less internal cooperation, citizenship
•Turnover; Impaired ability to recruit
Bill C-168

°Amendment to the OH&S Act (Ontario)

°Came into effect June 15, 2010

•Now known as Section 32 of OH&S Act

°Purpose:
•To protect workers from violence and harassment

°How?
•Increase employer’s responsibility to deal with violence and harassment

Bill C-168 - Definitions

°Workplace Violence
•Exercise of physical force
•Threat to exercise physical force

°Workplace Harassment
•“a course of vexatious comment or conduct against a worker in a workplace that is known or
ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome”
•Independent of prohibited grounds in HR legislation

Impetus for Bill C-168

1.Theresa Vince – 1996

2.Pierre LeBrun - 1999

3.Lori Dupont – 2005

What did these three cases have in common?

Bill C-168 - General Requirements

1.Develop written policies with respect to violence and harassment

2.Post policies in organizations with more than 5 employees and review annually; Provide
training to employees re: policy
3.Conduct risk assessments and communicate the results. This includes the evaluation of
workplace conditions to identify potential risks – from internal & external sources

4.Take steps to mitigate risks

5.Provide information to workers about an individual with a history of violence and

6.Allow workers to refuse unsafe work where workplace violence is likely to endanger their
safety

Job Related Risk Factors for Exposure to Workplace Aggression

°Working alone

°Working evenings or nights

°Handling valuables, guns, weapons, or dispensing drugs

°Exercising care or physical control over others

°Having contact with individuals under the influence of substances

°Being responsible for care of others

°Interacting with frustrated individuals

•Decisions that result in denial of a service/request

Bill C-168 Employer Obligations

°Employer obligations if become aware of violence/ harassment

•Investigate incident
•Immediate assistance for victim
•Discipline aggressor
•Safety, security measures

•Follow through – respond & prevent

Situational / Organization Predictors

°Physical conditions
•Crowding, heat, noise, etc.

°Perceived injustice

°Layoffs, downsizing

°Strict / abusive supervision

°Failure to address aggression / mistreatment

•Lack of a policy / enforcement
Consequences of Aggression

Physical
•Injury, death, somatic symptoms

Psychological
•Fear, anger, depression, anxiety
•Reduced job satisfaction, commitment

Behavioural
•Substance abuse, aggressive behaviour
•Reduced job performance, absenteeism, quitting

Workplace Violence: Employer Practices to Prevent Workplace Violence

1.Secure top management commitment and worker participation.

2.Develop a workplace violence prevention policy and program.

3.Identify all factors that contribute to workplace violence.

4.Assess the potential for violence in the workplace.

5.Develop and implement systematic controls.

6.Monitor, review and revise workplace prevention measures.

7.Develop and implement written emergency notification procedures.

8.Attempt to resolve all cases of workplace violence.

9.Provide thorough information, instruction and training on workplace violence.

10.Implement zero-tolerance workplace violence policy

Week 3 Lecture Notes

Human Rights in Ontario

Ontario Human Rights Code

The Human Rights System

● The Ontario Human Rights Commission

● The Human Rights Legal Support System
● The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario - decide if someones human rights have been
violated

4 Key Concepts

● Code has primacy

 ● Code is remedial, not punitive - whole point of HRC is not to punish but to remedy
● Code looks at effect, not intent
● Code applied at the provincial level

Different Types of Discrimination

1. Direct (or Intentional) Discrimination

2. Indirect (Adverse Effect) Discrimination

Creating Safe & Healthy Work Environments - Workplace Violence

● Any act in which a worker is abused, threatened, intimidated or assaulted in the

course of their employment
● Goes beyond physical acts of violence
● Has become a significant focus
● Human rights legislation prohibits behaviours such as harassment
● Certain occupational groups more at risk e.g. health care workers, teachers, social
service employers, EMS Workers

Workflow Design
•The process of analyzing the tasks necessary for the production of a product or
service
°Job
•A set of related duties
°Position
•The set of duties (job) performed by a particular person

Developing a Workflow Analysis

 ● Raw Inputs
● Equipment
● Human Resources
● Activity
● Output

How does the work fit with the Org Structure?

°Units and individuals must cooperate to create outputs

•Ideally, the structure brings together people to collaborate and efficiently produce
the outputs
°Organizations structured in a number of ways…
•Vertical & Horizontal Division of Labour
•Different forms of departmentation
•Tall vs. Flat
•Different levels of formalization and centralization
What is Job Analysis?

°Job analysis
•Focus is on analyzing existing jobs to gather information for other human resource
management practices such as selection, training, performance appraisal, and
compensation.

°Job Analysis identifies

•What work gets done – tasks, outputs, etc.
•What worker attributes are required to perform tasks?

Roots of Job Analysis

°Ancient Greece - Socrates

°Said society needed to recognize…
•Individuals differ in abilities
•Unique requirements exist for different occupations
•To achieve high quality performance, society must place people in occupations that
fit their abilities

Why Job Analysis?

°Recruitment & Selection
•Ensures decisions are based on job-relevant information
•Increases the likelihood of hiring good performer
•Legal defensibility

°Training & Development

•Job Analysis shows what skills are needed for job
•Skill deficit = training need

°Performance Management
•Job Analysis defines key tasks and performance standards

°Health & Safety

•Job Analysis identifies work context, safety hazards, etc.
°Job Evaluation

Job Analysis not just for HR

°Line managers also need job analysis data to do their jobs well …
°To understand all jobs in the workgroup to know the overall work-flow process
•To make hiring decisions
•To evaluate performance and give feedback
•To ensure work is done safely
•To recommend rewards
Examples of KSAOs

Sources of Job Information

Archival Sources
°Existing job descriptions
°Manuals, Internet
°National Occupational Classification (NOC)
°O*Net
°TV programs / Documentaries (ie/ Dirty Jobs; Undercover Boss)

Human Sources
°Job incumbents
°Supervisors
°Subordinates
°Customers, clients, etc.

Job Analysis Methods

°The Job Analysis Interview

•In person or via questionnaire

°Observation - By trained job analysts

°Self-monitoring
•Incumbent records own activities – e.g., diary, log
•Job analyst would develop tasks, infer KSAOs from the data

°National Occupational Classification (NOC) or O*Net

Structured Job Analysis Methods

°Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)

°Fleishman Job Analysis System (F-JAS)

°Functional Job Analysis (FJA)

°Critical Incident Technique

Competency-Based Job Analysis

°Alternative to traditional job analysis

°Considers traditional job description AND the qualities/demonstrable characteristics
necessary for success in a job

Evaluating Job Analysis Methods

°No “best” or “right” method

°Considerations
•Cost
•Availability of people, information
•Expertise
°Goal – get sufficient information about the job
•Combo of methods often best

Job Design

°Effective job design (or redesign) requires thorough understanding of:

•The job, and
•Its place in a work unit’s workflow process

Job Redesign Example

°Manufacture of designer handbags at Louis Vuitton

•Began with individuals in highly specialized roles in “assembly line”
•Shifted toward team-based manufacture
•Cross-trained individuals in multiple roles

Approaches to Job Design

Designing Efficient Jobs

°Mechanistic Approach; roots in classical industrial engineering

°Focus is on:
•Breaking work down into simplest components and then combining (into jobs) to
maximize efficiency
•Results in task specialization, skills simplification and repetition
°Advantages: reduces skill requirements; simplifies training
°Problems: boredom, lacks meaningfulness of work

Designing Jobs that motivate

Characteristics of a motivating job

Designing Jobs that Motivate

°Methods for enhancing motivation through job redesign:

•Job enlargement
•Job enrichment
•Self-managed work teams
•Flexible work schedules
•Telework and Remote Work
•Job Crafting

Designing Jobs for Physical Health & Well-Being

°Ergonomic Approach
•Structure work around how the body works to minimize physical strain,
musculoskeletal disorders
•Ex. Repetitive strain injury, carpal tunnel syndrome
°Goal is to minimize physical strain on the worker
°3M Example
°Perceptual-Motor Approach
°Designing jobs that do not exceed human mental/cognitive processing capabilities
°UPS example

What is Job Crafting?

● Job crafting is defined as the process where employees redefine and
reimagine their job designs in personally meaningful ways
Three forms:
1. Task crafting - altering things in job description
2. Relational Crafting - How you are forming relationships
3. Cognitive Crafting - changing how we view our job

Job Crafting - Amy Wrzesniewski

Job Crafting
● What employees do to redesign their own jobs in ways that foster engagement at
work, job satisfaction, resilience

Why does job crafting matter?

● It influences what, how, when, where, why work is done
● It happens everywhere
● It changes the meaning and purpose of the work

Is Job Crafting Good or Bad for organizations?

Job Crafting Creates several positive outcomes in the workplace
● Happiness at work
● Performance

● Satisfactions
● Commitment
● Attachment to the job

Recruitment

What is Recruitment?

⁃Process of identifying and attracting potential employees

•
⁃Recruitment activities influence:
•Size of applicant pool
•Type of applicants
•Likelihood that applicants would accept job offer
•
⁃Goal
•sufficient # of qualified applicants that would accept job offer

History of Recruitment

⁃Traced back to ancient Egypt, Greece, & Rome

•The birth of the “resume”
•People would write things down about themselves to convince employer to hire
them

•Greek – contracts for mercenaries

•Roman empire – Julius Caesar

•Criteria – Roman citizen; march 18 miles with uniform, armour and weapons; carry
60 lbs of supplies
•4 months pay for soldiers who recruited other soldier
•Eventually, accepted non-citizens
•China – testing for civil service (7th C.)

⁃In modern history, military has had significant influence on recruitment practices
•
•War – had 2 employment consequences
•
•Need for soldiers, medical staff, etc.
•
•Need to fill civilian roles
•To meet war-time needs
•To replace positions vacated by soldiers

History of Recruitment
⁃Modern – in Europe & NA
⁃
•WWI and WWII
•
•In wartime, emphasis was patriotism, serving country
•
•In peacetime, emphasis was military as career

Context: Consider the following

⁃When you apply for a job after graduation, what will you be looking for?
•
•What characteristics of job, org, etc. interest you?
•
•What characteristics are deal-breakers?
•
•Job, location, industry, org size, travel, pay, work schedule, overtime, weekends,
etc. ?
•
⁃Your answers to these questions represent the types of things that organizations
need to consider in their approaches to recruitment

Strategic Considerations of Recruitment

1.Internal vs external recruiting
2.Competitive/Creative pay
3.Employer branding

Internal vs External Recruiting

⁃For vacancies in jobs that are not entry-level, what is more effective for
organizations?
⁃
⁃Internal - “Promote from within”
⁃
⁃External – hire from outside
•Referrals, universities/colleges, job boards, internet, etc.

Internal vs External Recruiting

⁃What are potential advantages of internal recruiting / promotion from within?
⁃
⁃Disadvantages? (Potential advantages of external recruiting)

Internal Recruiting / Promotion

Advantages

⁃Employee is familiar with organization and culture

•
⁃Organization is familiar with employee
•
⁃Lower recruitment costs
•
⁃Improves workplace morale and motivation
•Signals advancement opportunities
•
•Cascading effect – one opening creates another

Internal Recruiting / Promotion

Disadvantages

⁃Not bringing in new skills

•
⁃Poor morale of employees who are not selected
•
⁃Internal rivalry / political infighting
•
⁃May reduce diversity at mid and senior levels if work force is homogeneous

Does the method of internal recruiting matter?

⁃Recent study by Keller (2017)

⁃
•Investigated the internal hiring practices of a large health services firm
•More than 8000 internal hires
•
•Distinguished between “Posting” and “Slotting”
•
•Examined how key differences between posting and slotting can influence 2
important outcomes: quality of hire and compensation.

Posting
•Job opening is “posted” and internal candidates are invited to apply
•Market-based, competitive process

Slotting
•Manager personally identifies candidate and “slots” him/her into open job
•Relational process; not competitive

Key Findings
•Posting yields a more qualified pool of candidates
•Ensures focus on job-relevant qualifications
•Candidates have higher initial performance ratings; lower turnover; higher rates of
subsequent promotion

Conclusion
•In general, posting yields better outcomes for organizations and individuals than
slotting

Potential Caveats:
•Posting and evaluation must be genuinely rigorous and not tokenistic
•
•Posting may not always be possible in small businesses
•
⁃Slotting may be appropriate – but must be merit-based, transparent

Competitive & Creative Pay

⁃Pay can à recruiting advantage
⁃
⁃Must look at overall compensation (salary, benefits, bonuses, vacation)
⁃
•Above-market pay – especially to attract “passive” job candidates
•
•Unique benefits and Non-salary forms of pay
•Stock option plans, vacation time, signing bonuses

Signing Bonuses
•E.g., In early 2000s, Canada’s Department of National Defence implemented
signing bonuses for some difficult-to-recruit occupations
•$20 K to skilled trades
•$40 K to engineers (graduating engineering students)
•$225 K to medical doctors

Advantages
•1-time cash very desirable
•Is not a fixed cost

Employer Branding
​⁃AKA - Image Advertising
•Reputation; Org as good place to work
⁃
⁃How?
•E.g., sponsoring events, “Best employer” awards; corporate social / environmental
responsibility
•
⁃Positive employer attributes are attractive
•Innovative, dynamic, diverse, inclusive, “green”
•
⁃Harmed by crises, scandals – e.g., Volkswagen, SNC Lavalin

And one final strategic consideration:

When recruiting, don’t insult those that might potentially apply

Potential Recruitment Sources

⁃Company Website
⁃Public & Private Employment Agencies
⁃Colleges and Universities
⁃Newspapers and Periodicals
Electronic/Online Recruiting
Social Media
Other creative approaches

Important Considerations
Who are you trying to reach (i.e., applicants with necessary KSAOs)?
What information do you want to convey to them?
What are the best sources to use to achieve your goals?
Online Recruiting

⁃Job sites - Workopolis, Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed

•Attract applicants who submit standardized resumes that can be electronically
searched using key terms
•
⁃Blogs
•Create opportunities for recruiters to reach out and have conversations with
potential recruits
•Recruiters can also use blogs to describe the company, culture, work
•
⁃Podcasts
•Can be used to reach a large number of people
•Connects with captive audience with interests that intersect with particular job or
organization

Social Media

⁃Twitter

•Has been an increase in number of people using Twitter for job search and
recruiting

⁃Instagram and Pinterest

•These are not recruiting platforms, per se

•But can be used to build and broadcast brand to targeted audiences

⁃Snapchat

•In 2017, McDonald’s used “Snaplications” to hire 250,000 employees

•Used snapchat to show 10-second ad about benefits of working at McD and then
users could swipe up to go to McDcareer page and apply

Metrics for Evaluating Recruitment Sources

⁃Yield ratios
•% of applicants that move to next stage of recruitment & selection process
•
•Examples of yield ratios:
•% of applicants who are invited for interview
•% of applicants that are offered job
•% of applicants that accept job
•
⁃Cost of recruitment source (per hire)

Other Metrics
⁃Time lapse from application to hire
⁃
⁃Performance of hires
⁃
⁃Tenure / Turnover
⁃
⁃Diversity

Recruitment as Marketing
⁃3 necessary conditions
•
•Common communication medium
•i.e., that reaches target population
•
•Job seeker must perceive a match between his or her personal characteristics and
the job requirements
•
•Job seeker must be motivated to apply
•What is the organization’s “value proposition”?

Recruitment as Marketing

⁃Recruitment is 1st stage in selection

•Ultimate goal is to determine “fit”
•
⁃Both parties provide information
•Organizations: About job, organization
•Applicants: About skills, experiences, etc.
•
⁃Accurate information leads to better decisions
•Realistic job preview

Realistic Job Preview

⁃Procedure designed to provide job candidates with accurate information about the
job and organization
•
•Videos, documents, testimonials, etc.
•
⁃Provides applicants with information about job
•Both positive & negative
•So that applicant can make an informed choice about whether or not to apply
•
⁃3 main functions

Functions of RJP

⁃Self-selection
•Applicant can self-assess potential fit
•Is in the best interests of both parties – if it’s based on accurate information
•
⁃Vaccination
•Helps employees anticipate negative aspects of job
•Are more prepared for and less effected by them
•
⁃Increasing commitment to the choice
•Are aware of negative aspects, but still choose job
•More likely to persevere through difficulties

RJPs: Research Evidence

Benefits of RJPs
•Facilitates fit
•
•Lower unrealistic expectations
•
•Enhanced performance and satisfaction

A Systems View

⁃Processes of recruitment, selection, training, and compensation work together

•
⁃Examples:
•Development and coaching / mentoring programs signal career growth and are
attractive to applicants
•Creative approaches to compensation can enhance likelihood of candidates
applying and accepting job offer
•Effective and strategic recruitment will be strengthened by a rigourous selection
process (and undermined by a weak selection process)

Human Resource Planning

⁃The process of analyzing and identifying the need for and availability of HR so that
the organization can meet its objectives
•
•Having the right people with the right capabilities in the right places at the right times
•
⁃Involves
•Forecasting demand
•Forecasting supply
•Addressing labour shortages and surpluses

What factors influence demand for labour?

​Influences on Demand
•External
–Socio-political factors
•State of economy
•Crises?
–Competition
•
•Internal
–Organizational strategy
–Budgets, Sales forecasts
–Turnover - Retirements, resignations, terminations
What factors influence supply of labour?
Influences on Supply
External
Demographic trends
Labour market analysis
Education/training programs
Internal
HR audit / Current employee KSAs
Succession planning

Strategic HR Planning
Usual goal is:
Supply = Demand
But what if
Supply ≠ Demand

Strategic HR Planning
What short- or long-term options does an organization have to respond to an…
Employee surplus?
Employee shortage?

Strategic HR Planning
Dealing w/ Surplus
Layoffs
Hiring freeze / attrition
Retirement incentives
Cut hours / pay
Reduce overtime / part-time
Training

⁃Dealing w/ Shortage
•
•Recall from layoff
•Outsource work
•Overtime
•Part-time / contract / temp

Layoffs

⁃Layoffs are a common approach to cutting labour costs

•
⁃2 main motives for layoffs
•Economic – reduced demand for product/service results in reduced demand for
labour
•Strategic – cut labour costs, even when economic conditions are good
•Often produces increase in share price

Are layoffs effective?

​⁃Evidence is mixed
•
⁃Cappelli (2000) found 2 general effects
•
•Short-term – reduction in labour costs, some savings
•
•Followed by reduced organizational productivity

Are Layoffs Effective?

⁃Study by Guthrie & Datta (2008)

•Layoffs in manufacturing firms
•
⁃Key findings
•Layoffs associated with decreases in profitability (return on assets)
•Decreases were worse for industries characterized by growth and R&D intensity
•E.g., pharmaceutical, bio-tech, electronics, communication

Why layoffs may not be effective?

⁃Strategic HRM Perspective

•Competitive advantage comes from human capital – employee skills, motivation,
discretionary effort
⁃
⁃Potential Side Effects of Layoffs
•Loss of human & social capital – irreplaceable
•Survivor syndrome - Undermine motivation, commitment, engagement of “survivors”
•Increased turnover

Layoffs Summary
⁃Layoffs are common – often deemed easiest / best way to cut costs
•Short-term focus
•
⁃Summary of evidence regarding layoffs:
•Not as effective as is often assumed
•Can harm the human capital of the firm
•“Rather than becoming lean and mean, [firms that downsize] often end up lean and
lame” (Guthrie & Datta, 2008)

Alternatives to Layoffs
⁃Treat layoffs as temporary
•Employees are recalled when business improves
•
⁃Cut hours; freeze or cut pay; offer unpaid vacations
•E.g., FedEx – 5% pay cut; 10% for execs
•Standen’s – 3-4 day work week

Alternatives to Layoffs
⁃Benefits
•Avoid severance, legal costs
•Keep skilled/experienced workers
•Can quickly regroup when economy improves
•Prevent demotivation, stress of layoffs – collective efforts can enhance morale

Guiding Logic of SHRM

Stephen Harrington Lecture

● Technology change in work - impact will be substantial
● Most change has affected blue collar workers
 ● More technology was targeted at white collar workers
● New movement to compete on knowledge
● What accelerated this change?
● The pandemic accelerated this change because we had to work from home
● We proved that remote work can work
● We proved that remote can work not that hybrid could work
● We are living in a time where access to high speed connection should be a
human right
● During the pandemic people got tired and this led economists to coin the term
the “Great Resignation”
● New worker preferences for remote work are here to stay
● When you find individuals who have great psychological skills they are able to
adapt faster
● Productivity is taking on new meaning - Working from home is great for tasks
● There is a lot of inefficiency that happens in the workplace - duplicates of work
● We must look at work, workforce, and workplace through an enhanced lens
● Workforce - the combination of skills, talent options, jobs and teams to
perform the work

Chapter 1 Notes

Human Resource Management Practices

HR as a business within the organization with three product lines:

1. Administrative services and transactions - Handling administrative tasks (for
example, processing tuition reimbursement applications and responding to
questions about benefits) efficiently and with a commitment to quality
2. Business partner services - Developing effective HR systems that help the
organization meet its goals for attracting, keeping, and developing people with
the skills it needs, for the systems to be effective, HR professionals must
understand the business so they can understand what the business needs
 3. Strategic Partner - Contributing to the companies strategy through an
understanding of its existing and needed human resources and ways HR
practices can give the company a competitive advantage

Responsibilities of HR Departments

Top Skills/ Qualities Employers Look for in Employees

The Human Resource Professionals Association (HRPA) Professional
Competency Framework consists of nine functional areas, groupings, and
underlying competencies:
HR Competency Framework - Functional Competencies (HRPA)
CPHR Canada’s Code of Ethics and Rules of Professional Conduct:

Typical Areas of Involvement of Supervisors and Managers in HRM

Definitions
● Human Resource Management: The practices, policies, and systems that
influence employees’ behaviours, attitudes, and performance.
● Human Capital: An organization’s employees, described in terms of their
training, experience, judgement, intelligence, relationships, and insight.
● Employee Engagement: Degree to which employees are fully involved in
their work and the strength of their commitment to their job and the
organization
● Employee Experience: Set of perceptions that employees have about their
experiences at work in response to their interactions with the organization
● Job Analysis: The process of getting detailed information about jobs.
● Job Design: The process of defining the way work will be performed and the
tasks that a given job requires.
● Workforce Planning: Identifying the numbers and types of employees the
organization will require to meet its objectives.
● Recruitment: The process through which the organization seeks applicants
for potential employment.
● Selection: The process by which the organization attempts to identify
applicants with the necessary knowledge, skills, abilities, and other
characteristics that will help the organization achieve its goals.
● Training: A planned effort to enable employees to learn job-related
knowledge, skills, and behaviours.
● Development: The acquisition of knowledge, skills, and behaviours that
improve an employee’s ability to meet the challenges of a variety of new or
existing jobs.
● Performance Management; The process of ensuring that employees’
activities and outputs match the organization’s goals.
● Self-service: Providing employees with online access to, or apps that
provide, information about HR issues such as training, benefits,
compensation, and contracts; enrolling online in programs and services; and
completing online surveys.
● People (human capital) analytics: The use of quantitative tools and
scientific methods to analyze data from human resource databases and other
sources to make evidence-based decisions that support business goals.
● Talent Management: A systematic, planned effort to train, develop, and
engage the performance of highly skilled employees and managers.
● Evidence Based HRM: Collecting and using data to show that human
resource practices have a positive influence on the company’s bottom line or
key stakeholders.
● Big Data: Information merged from HR databases, corporate financial
statements, employee surveys, and other data sources to make
evidence-based HR decisions.
● Sustainability: An organization’s ability to profit without depleting its resources,
including employees, natural resources, and the support of the surrounding
community.
● Stakeholders: The parties with an interest in the company’s success (typically,
shareholders, the community, customers, and employees).
● Organizational agility: Ability of a firm to sense and respond to the
environment by intentionally changing.
● Productivity: The relationship between an organization’s outputs (products,
information, or services) and its inputs (e.g., people, facilities, equipment,
data, and materials).
● Non-traditional employment: Includes the use of independent contractors,
freelancers, on-call workers, temporary workers, and contract company
workers.
● Outsourcing: The practice of having another company (a vendor, third-party
provider, or consultant) provide services.
● Offshoring: Moving operations from the country where a company is
headquartered to a company where pay rates are lower but the necessary
skills are available.
● Expatriates: Employees who take assignments in other countries.
● Ethics: The fundamental principles of right and wrong.
● Internal Labour Force: An organization’s workers (its employees and the
people who work at the organization).
● External labour market: Individuals who are actively seeking employment.
 ● Knowledge workers: Employees whose main contribution to the company is
specialized knowledge such as knowledge of customers, a process, or a
profession.

Chapter 2 Notes

Definitions
● Diversity: Having people of different backgrounds and experiences
represented in the workplace.
● Inclusion: A sense of belonging: feeling respected, valued, and seen for who
we are as individuals.
● Discrimination: Treating someone differently, negatively, or adversely because
of their race, age, religion, sex, or other prohibited ground.
● Differential Treatment: Differential treatment of individuals where the
differences are based on a prohibited ground.
● Bona Fide Occupational Requirement (BFOR): A necessary (not merely
preferred) requirement for performing a job.
● Duty to accommodate: An employer’s duty to consider how an employee’s
characteristics such as disability, religion, or sex can be accommodated and
to take action so the employee can perform the job.
● Harassment: A form of discrimination that involves any unwanted physical or
verbal behaviour that offends or humiliates you.
● Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act
(PIPEDA): Sets the ground rules for how private-sector organizations collect,
use, and disclose personal information in the course of for-profit commercial
activities in Canada. It also applies to the personal information of employees
of federally-regulated businesses
● Pay Equity: The concept of “equal pay for work of equal value.”
● Internal responsibility system: Philosophy of occupational health and safety
whereby employers and employees share responsibility for creating and
maintaining safe and healthy work environments.
● Health and safety committees: A committee jointly appointed by the employer
and employees at large (or union) to address health and safety issues in a
workplace.
● Safety data sheets (SDS) : Detailed hazard information concerning a
controlled (hazardous) product.
● Job hazard analysis technique: Safety promotion technique that involves
breaking down a job into basic elements, then rating each element for its
potential for harm or injury.
● Technique of operations review (TOR): Method of promoting safety by
determining which specific element of a job led to a past accident.
● Employee health and wellness program: A set of communications, activities,
and facilities designed to change health-related behaviours in ways that
reduce health risks.
 ● Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Confidential, short term, counselling
service for employees with personal issues that affect their work performance.

Designated groups who are viewed to be disadvantaged

Chapter 3 Notes
● Workflow design: The process of analyzing the tasks necessary for the
production of a product or service.
● Job: A set of related duties.
● Position: The set of duties (job) performed by a particular person.

Developing a Workflow Analysis

Job Analysis Provides Information for HR Processes

Importance of Job Analysis

Job description: A list of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities (TDRs) that a
particular job entails.
Job Specifications: A list of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics
(KSAOs) that an job holder must have to perform a particular job
National Occupational Classification (NOC): Tool created by the federal
government to provide a standardized source of information about jobs in Canada’s
labour market.
Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ): A standardized job analysis questionnaire
containing 194 questions about work behaviours, work conditions, and job
characteristics that apply to a wide variety of jobs.
Competency: An area of personal capability that enables employees to perform
their work successfully
Industrial Engineering: The study of jobs to find the simplest way to structure work
in order to maximize efficiency.
Job Enlargement: Broadening the types of tasks performed in a job
Job Extension: Enlarging jobs by combining several relatively simple jobs to form a
job with a wider range of tasks.
Job Rotation: Enlarging jobs by moving employees among several different job
Job enrichment: Engaging workers by adding more decision-making authority to
jobs.
Job sharing: A work option in which two part-time employees carry out the tasks
associated with a single position.
Ergonomics: The study of the interface between individuals’ physiology and the
characteristics of the physical work environment.

Position Analysis Questionnaire

Fleishman Job Analysis System

Job analysis technique that asks subject-matter experts to evaluate a job in terms of
the abilities required to perform the job.

Analyzing Teamwork

Approaches to Job Design

Designing Jobs that Motivate

Characteristics of a motivating Job

Chapter 4 Notes
Definitions:
● Forecasting: The attempts to determine the supply of and demand for
various types of human resources to predict areas within the organization
where there will be labour shortages or surpluses.
● Trend Analysis: Constructing and applying statistical models that predict
labour demand for the next year, given relatively objective statistics from the
previous year.
● Leading Indicators: Objective measures that accurately predict future labour
demand.
● Core Competency: A set of knowledge and skills that provide a competitive
advantage
● Downsizing: The planned elimination of large numbers of employees with the
goal of enhancing the organization’s competitiveness.
● Workforce Utilization Review: A comparison of the proportion of employees
in protected groups with the proportion that each group represents in the
relevant labour market.
● Succession Planning: The process of identifying and tracking high-potential
employees who will be able to fill top management positions or other key
positions when they become vacant.
● High-Potential Employees: Employees the organization believes can
succeed in higher-level positions.
● Recruiting: Any activity carried on by the organization with the primary
purpose of identifying and attracting potential employees.
● Employer Branding: A strategic approach of attaching a visual, emotional, or
cultural brand to an organization.
● Job Posting: The process of communicating information about a job vacancy
on company bulletin boards, in employee publications, on corporate intranets,
and anywhere else the organization communicates with employees.
 ● Direct Applicants: People who apply for a vacancy without prompting from the
organization.
● Referrals: People who apply for a vacancy because someone in the
organization prompted them to do so.
● Passive job seekers: Individuals who are not actively seeking a job.
● Nepotism: The practice of hiring relatives.
● Yield Ratios: A ratio that expresses the percentage of applicants who
successfully move from one stage of the recruitment and selection process to
the next.
● Realistic job previews: Background information about a job’s positive and
negative qualities.

Overview of the Workforce Planning Process

Downsizing
Three Aspects of Recruitment

Human Resource Policies

What is selection

°“Process by which an organization attempts to identify applicants with necessary

KSAOs that will help it to achieve its goals” (Noe et al., pg. 201)
°
°Involves several key steps

Steps in Selection Process

Screening and Selection

°Are related – both part of selection process

•
°Screening is the 1st stage of the selection process
°Selection - Emphasizes who is most qualified & likely to be successful on the job
•
°Screen out and select in

Screening Methods
°Applications
°Resumes
°Screening interview
°References
°Background checks including criminal background checks

Selection Methods
°Ability/Aptitude Tests
•Cognitive ability
•Physical ability
•Psychomotor ability
•Emotional intelligence

°Personality tests
°Honesty/Integrity tests
°Values/interest inventories

°Other Assessments
•Interviews
•Performance tests
•Work samples
•Simulations
•Situational judgement tests
•Assessment centres

•Drug and alcohol testing

•Medical exams

Selection as Prediction
°Selection is all about prediction
•Based on sample of behaviour via case studies, scenarios, interviews,
°Prediction is probabilistic in nature
°Not perfectly accurate
°Will result in some inaccurate classifications/decisions
°Want to maximize “hits” and minimize “misses”

Outcomes of Test Decisions

False Positives & Negatives
•False Positive is bad when…
•Performance failures = significant consequences
•High training costs
•High turnover costs

•False Negative is bad when…

•Rare skill / qualification
•Diversity goals are a priority, and candidate is minority
•Position needs to be filled quickly

Standards for Evaluating a Selection System

°Reliability
°Validity (includes Generalizability)
°Practicality / Utility
°Legality / Fairness

Reliability
°Refers to the “extent to which a measurement generates consistent results” (Steen
et al., pg. 113)
°Stability: Test-retest reliability
•Would you get a similar score if you took the test again?
°Equivalence: Inter-rater reliability
•Do 2+ raters agree when rating the same behaviour?
•Particularly important for interviews, resume screening

Validity
Definition: “The extent to which performance on a measure is related to what the
measure is designed to assess” (Steen et al., pg. 114)
°Various “types” of validity – our focus:
•Content validity
•Criterion-related validity

Content Validity
°Does the selection method assess the most important KSAOs required for the job?
•Job analysis establishes job’s “content domain”
°
°For each KSAO, does the instrument effectively measure that particular attribute?
•Ie/ case studies for consultants
•Ie/ financial analysis for finance or capital market positions

Criterion-Related Validity
°Is there a correlation or related outcome between the test score and job
performance score (ie/ performance indicators for job)
°Generalizability- The degree to which the validity of a selection method established
in one context extends to another
•High school grades à university GPA
•GMAT à MBA performance, post-MBA success

Standards for Evaluating a Selection System

Practicality / Utility
Considerations of
°Cost
°Time to develop and implement
°Ease of use
°Type of job
Fairness/Legality
Indicators include:
°Standardization
°Employment equity and human rights considerations

Applying for a job at the Canadian Space Agency

°Phase 1: Preliminary screening (3772 applicants)
°Phase 2: Cognitive testing, preliminary medical testing (72)
°Phase 3: Dexterity, critical reasoning, swimming, fitness, cardio testing (32)
°Phase 4: Problem-solving; Thinking & acting under pressure – Emergency
simulations (17)
°Phase 5: Rigorous testing
•Dexterity – robotics simulations
•Health – extensive medical testing, MRI, etc.
•Communications – public speaking, school visits, media interviews
•Final interviews
°Result: 2 new astronauts: Joshua Kutryk and Jennifer Sidey

Should organizations consider the “Multiple Hurdle” approach to Selection?

°Advantages
•Good if applicant pool is relatively large
•Good if a certain level of each KSAO is important and can’t be compensated for by
others
°Disadvantage
•Makes process more time consuming

In the end…
°Selection system signals how organizations value the people they hire
°A good selection system may be costly and time-consuming (and demanding for
candidates)
°But it has many benefits:
•High quality hires – organizational performance
•Legal defensibility
•Fosters commitment and motivation from new hires

Definitions
•Training: Planned effort by an organization to facilitate employees’ learning of
job-related knowledge, skills, and behaviours.

•Development: combination of activities that help employees prepare for the future of
their careers.

•Learning: a relatively permanent change in behavior and human capabilities

produced by experience and practice

•Performance: Actions or behaviors relevant to the organization’s goals; measured in

terms of each individual’s proficiency.

Why Training and Development

•Legislative requirement

•Job requirement

•Remedial, correct performance issues

•Maybe used as a reward

Strategic Importance of Training and Development

•T&D expenditures
•% of payroll: EU 3%; US 2% (ASTD, 2010); Canada 1.5% (Canadian Conference
Board, 2018)

•3 top strategic goals (Cotsman & Hall, 2018)

•Enhancing individual employee performance
•Improving organizational performance
•Developing organizational leaders

Stages of Instructional Design

Instructional System

Training Needs Analysis

Training Objective and Content

•Three components of effective training objectives:
1.What employee is expected to do; quality or level of performance; and conditions
to apply
2.Performance standards that are measurable
3.Resources needed to carry out the desired performance or outcome

•Meaningful content:
1.Learning content should make use of concepts, terms and examples familiar to the
learners.
2.Learning context should be as similar to the work environment

Training Delivery Methods

Training Delivery: Presentation Method

Characteristics: learners primarily received information

Pros: Can be standardized; efficiency;

Cons: Limited interactivity with learners; lack of opportunity for practice; limited
feedback for learners

Training Delivery: Hands-on Method

 Characteristics: learners are active participants in learning

Pros: built-in practice opportunities; learning occurs in a realistic environment;

skills more ready to be applied

Cons: complex design; high cost of development;

Examples:
•On-the-job Training. Practicing skills on the job, guided by an experienced
person
•Simulation. Learning occurs in an environment that mimic real life situations
•Technology-based Interactive Learning. Interactive e-Learning, Virtual reality,
Games, etc..

Group Learning

Characteristics: group of learners share ideas and experiences; learning in a

team environment

Pros: interactive; targets individual skills improvement as well as team

effectiveness

Cons: many variables involved; less controlled learning environment

 Examples:
•Experiential Program. Teams complete a set of activities together.
•Team Training/Cross-training. Team members are trained in a coordinated
manner.
•Action Learning. Team works on an actual business issue with built-in
learning objectives.

Choosing Training Method

1.Based on needs assessment that identifies the desired learning outcomes

2.Training method has a large effect on reaction, learning, and behavioral

change outcome

3.It is the match between the training method and the desired learning
outcomes that matters

4.Practical considerations: budget, time, operational constraints, etc

Training Methods and Learning Outcome

The Transfer Problem

Can we solve the transfer problem

•Trainee characteristics
•Trainability: ability and motivation to learn
•Training design: learning principles
•Active practice
•Mastery: extend to which task can be performed with limited attention
•Fidelity: extend to which what is trained is similar to what is required on the job
•Work environment
•Opportunity to use learned capabilities
•Supervisor and manager support

Employee Development and Career Management

•Development: activities undertaken that help employees perform effectively in their

current or future job and company

•Career management: system to retain and motivate employees by identifying and

providing opportunities to meet their development needs

Career Management Systems

Career Management Systems

Succession Planning
•Identifying, developing, and tracking employees who are capable of moving into
different positions
•

•Key benefits
•prepares future leaders and builds “bench strength”
•minimizes disruptions when key employees leave
•helps plan development experiences
•attracts and retains employees

Lecture Notes

What is Recruitment?
● Process of identifying and attracting potential employees
● Recruitment activities influence:
○ Size of applicant pool
○ Type of applicants
○ Likelihood that applicants would accept job offer
● Goal
 ○ Sufficient # of qualified applicants that would accept job offer

Potential Recruitment sources

● Store website
● Electronic recruiting
● Public and private employment agencies
● Colleges and universities
● Newspapers, magazines and periodicals
● Social Media

Screening Methods
● Applications
● Resumes
● Screening Interview
● References Background checks including criminal background checks

We are all biased

● Natural to be biased
● Unconscious bias formed from our experiences, our upbringings and
representation of different groups in the media

Breakout Activity #1

● They could use the store website

● They could advertise on social media
● They could use electronic recruiting such as indeed
● They could use colleges and universities

Think about the cost of advertising and whether it is worth it or not

Breakout Activity #2
Yield Ratios

It's good to break the recruitment process into parts when calculating the yield ratio

Other metrics
Recruitment budget
Time lapse

Circle of trust
Unconscious bias

Breakout #1

Personality clash, if you train them they still don't like each other

Culture plays a big role

There may be an issue with policies that were set

How do you get people to work together if you’re rewarding them individually

Identify what the problem is and find the main cause

To Determine if training is necessary: Perform a needs assessment

Breakout Activity #1 (Part 2)

Learning Objective

● Improve teamwork and coordination through better communication

● Appropriate behaviour in the workplace
● Relationship building - achieve better rapport - become more cohesive
● Building trust

Building Program
● Out house you don’t have to worry about yourself - take more money
● Tapping into best practices from external resources

In house
● In house takes a lot of resources
● More specialized

Training Methods
● Games where you must work together to win

Training Evaluation
1. Reaction
2. Learning

Video
●
 Performance Management

°What is Workplace Performance?

•Observable behaviour that contributes to the accomplishment of an
organization’s goal
°What is Performance Management?
•Process of ensuring that employee behaviour is congruent with
organizational goals

Purposes of Performance Management

Strategic
Administrative
Developmental

Criteria for Effective Performance Management

The extent to which the performance management system has:

1.Strategic Congruence - elicits job performance that is consistent with the
company’s strategy, goals and culture
2.Validity - assesses all of the relevant – and only the relevant – aspects of
job performance

Validity and the Criterion Problem

Criteria for Effective Performance Management

3.Reliability - is free from random error

4.Acceptability - The extent to which a performance measure is deemed to be
satisfactory or adequate to those who use it.
5.Specificity - gives detailed guidance to employees about what is expected of
them and how they can meet these expectations

Four Approaches to Measuring Performance

1.Comparative
2.Attributive
3.Behavioural
4.Results

Comparative Approach

°The Comparative Approach requires the rater to compare an individual’s

performance to that of others.
°Different methods include:
•Ranking including simple ranking or alternation ranking
•Forced distribution method
•Paired comparison method

Example: Forced Distribution

°Raters (managers) must assign a certain % of employees into

categories
°Example:
•High performers – 20%
•performance rewards, developmental opportunities
•Middle performers – 70%
•feedback to become high performer
•Low performers – 10%
•feedback, specific improvement goals; termination

Forced Distribution

°Potential Benefits
•Avoids problem of inflated ratings
•Fosters performance-oriented culture
•Identifies high-potential employees
•Increase in organizational performance - poor performers improve or
are let go
°Potential Disadvantages
•% may not represent actual distribution of performance
•May over-reward some and punish others
•Could result in competitive, fearful culture

Attributive Approach

°Attributive Approach - extent to which person possesses attributes that

contribute to job / organizational success
°Most widely used method is the graphic (points) rating scale

Limitations of Attributes / Traits

°Measurement of attributes may not be clearly linked to the organization’s

strategy.
°Subjective – different perceptions of attributes such as “fairness” or
“dependability”

Behavioural Approach
°Behavioural Approach – attempts to define the behaviours an employee
must exhibit to be effective in the job
°Examples include:
•Critical Incidents
•Behaviourally-Anchored Rating Scales (BARS)
•Behavioural Observation Scale (BOS)

Results Approach

°Results Approach - focus on what is accomplished / produced.

Measurable, “objective” results of one’s work. The purpose is to reduce
subjectivity
•Management by objectives (MBO) – goals/targets become performance
standard
•E.g.,
•Output - $ sales, units sold
•Quality – # of complaints, errors, commendations

So, what should actually be measured in PA?

°Behaviour & Results

1.Behaviour
•Because it is what the person does
•Provides basis for feedback
2.Results
•Because they represent the outcomes
3.Context
•To diagnose if results were actually due to behaviour

Choosing a source

°Managers - used most frequently

°Peers - useful in jobs with great autonomy
°Subordinates - upward Feedback
°Self
°Customers
°Multisource or 360–Degree Feedback

Guidelines for providing Performance Feedback

1.Should occur frequently – not once/year

2.Choose neutral and private venue
3.Encourage subordinate response to evaluation
•Hear their side of story
Praise good performance; discuss poor performance

5.Take problem-solving approach

•Minimize criticism
•Diagnose cause; address barriers
6.Focus feedback on behaviour or results, not on the person
7.Agree on specific goals & follow-up

Diagnosing the Causes of Poor Performance

°Start by conducting a performance analysis.

°Factors to consider:
1.Input
2.Employee Characteristics
3.Feedback
4.Performance Standard/Goals
5.Consequences

Types of Discipline

°Discipline involves training/feedback that enforces organizational rules:

°Several types of discipline:
1.Preventive Discipline
•Communication of expectations; prior to infraction
2.Corrective Discipline
•Punishment following infraction
•Purpose – prevent recurrence; deter others
3.Progressive Discipline

Progressive Discipline

°Stronger penalties for repeated offences

•Verbal warning / reprimand
•Written reprimand (goes on file)
•Stronger penalties – e.g., suspension
•… Up to and including termination
°Goal is to provide opportunity for corrective action
°But… serious misconduct = immediate termination

Considerations re: Discipline

°Government legislation
•E.g., can’t discipline a worker who is asserting rights protected by law
°Union contracts
°Hot-stove rule
•Warning, immediate, consistent, impersonal
°Due process – procedural justice/fairness
•How is discipline done?
•E.g., allow for employee to respond to charges

Employee Dismissal

°Employer may terminate nonunion employee at any time if “just cause”

exists
•In unionized environments - collective agreement
•
°In absence of just cause, there must be “reasonable notice” or
compensation in lieu of notice

What is Just Cause?

°Dismissal that is warranted by employee behavior

°Behaviour that may undermine the operation or reputation of the organization
•i.e., employer has legally defensible reason to terminate without notice or pay
in lieu of notice
°Burden is on employer to demonstrate just cause
°Economic factors do not constitute just cause

What Constitutes Just Cause?

1.Serious misconduct
•theft, assault, harassment, etc.
2.Willful disobedience of reasonable order
•Insubordination
3.Conflict of Interest
•When employee has multiple interests that may àbias
•Activities that compromise or compete with employer’s business interests
4.Incompetent work performance
•Difficult for employers to establish

Dismissal for Incompetent Work Performance

Wrongful Dismissal

°
°Without just cause, OR
°
°Without reasonable notice, OR
°
°Without compensation in lieu of notice

What is Reasonable Notice?

°Period of time employee is entitled to before having employment / pay

terminated
•Time or pay in lieu
°Statutory minimum (from ESA)
•1 week per year of service
•Purpose – to provide time to find employment
°Reasonable notice considerations established by common law but more
notice may be given if…
•Older; more seniority
•Higher level job
•Unfavourable labour market
•Employer acts in bad faith – “Wallace effect”

Wallace Effect. Set Precedent

°Wallace v. United Grain Growers (1997)

•Wallace recruited from competitor and promised job security until retirement
•Performed well for years – considered top salesperson
•Then… was abruptly terminated w/o explanation
•And shortly after good performance review
•Employee alleged it was “for cause”
•Later informed: due to “inability to perform duties satisfactorily.”
°Wallace v. United Grain Growers (1997)
•Supreme court added 9 months to the notice award of 15 months because
employer acted in “bad faith” in terminating Wallace
°“Wallace” damages have occurred in numerous cases although now applied
more narrowly
°To be awarded “Wallace” damages, employee must show that
•Employer acted in way that would be considered callous, vindictive, malicious
•And employee suffered damages or emotional upset as a result

Constructive Dismissal

°Employer does not directly fire an employee, but…

•Unilaterally and fundamentally changes the terms of employment
•Shows intent to disregard the employment contract
°Examples
•Pay cuts
•Demotion
•Forced relocation
°Employee should resign soon after change (under 3 months)
•AKA “Disguised dismissal”; “quitting with cause”
•As if employee is forced to quit
•By not resigning, the employee indicates his/her acceptance of the new
employment conditions
°
°If agreed to, it’s not constructive dismissal
•Must be unilateral to be CD

David Matthews v. Ocean Nutrition Canada Ltd.

 °David Matthews, hired in 1997, was a food scientist and chemist
°Eventually became a VP and signed incentive plan that guaranteed certain %
if Ocean Nutrition was to be sold one day
°Same year signed plan, company hired new COO, Daniel Emond
°Emond did not like Matthews and did everything in his power to drive
Matthews out of the company including demoting him and cutting his work
°Eventually, Matthews had no choice but to resign
°Matthews sued Ocean Nutrition for constructive dismissal
°And for the lost income from the sale of the company
°Initially awarded damages amounting to more than $1 million but Court of
Appeal overturned the damages
°Matthews took case to Supreme Court and in October 2020, Supreme Court
“set aside the Appeal Court ruling and restored” the initial ruling including
damages.

Scenario 1
Based on the information and your discussion with the former manager,
what should you do first with Jeremy to help him improve his
performance?

B) Schedule a meeting with Jeremy to follow up on his conversation with his

former manager and define his performance requirements for the coming year

Would not choose the first option because there is nothing to monitor

What do you need to focus on in your meeting with Jeremy?

2. Getting him to set specific goals that target both his performance and his
development

What's the next step?

2. Establish monthly 1:1s to check in on progress toward the goals and goal
completion

When wanting employees to meet objectives you need to support them and give
them the tools to meet the objectives

What will Jeremy need from me?

Feedback that is instructional and motivational

When Jeremy meets requirement he will look for a bonus and a reward
Scenario 2
Pull valerie into your office away from colleagues
Ask your assistant or someone from HR to join you in the conversation
Ask Valerie why she refused to do the assignment to consider whether there was a
valid reason for her refusal

Give her an opportunity to explain herself and do not fire her on the spot

Could be something personal that caused her to act up

If there is no valid reason, you could tell Valerie to begin working on the assignment
immediately and complete it in a timely manner or else she will be fired for
insubordination.

Tone could change if she is apologetic and understands that what they did is wrong

Person might feel like they had a right to do what they did

When you get more information your perspective changes

Point Method of Job Evaluation

● Establishes job values by assigning points to each job based on
“compensable factors”
● Job characteristics that the organization values and are reflected in pay levels

Skills, effort, responsibility, working conditions

● Factors are weighted - based on organizational values
● Each level is defined
● Jobs are rated - points assigned

Pay Grade
Pay grade: A grouping of jobs of similar worth / value to the organization

● An individual's actual pay level may vary within the grades pay range
○ Qualifications
○ Experience / tenure
○ Performance

Breakout Activity #1
● Weighing on the risks and the hazards were a little too much
● Salaries are the biggest expense for organizations
● Hazards might be misinterpreted
● Some things may not be in the job description
 ● May not pay as high in salary but pays in benefits or more training

⁃What is Compensation?

•Total Rewards

•Strategic considerations

⁃Establishing a Pay Structure in Organizations

•Market forces

•Job Evaluation

•Pay grades and pay ranges

What is Compensation?

⁃Compensation reflects the value that employees receive for contributing their time
and energy to a company
⁃
⁃Referred to as total rewards or total compensation because it reflects range of
value that employees receive
•Including both monetary and non-monetary elements

Total Rewards / Compensation

Total Rewards

⁃Key strategic considerations

⁃
1.What mix of total rewards should be used?
•Fixed vs variable
•Base, benefits, pay-for-performance, etc.
•
2.What criteria should determine pay?
•The job, individual KSAOs, market forces, performance…?

What is fair pay?

•Equity theory
•We evaluate fairness by comparing to others
•Two types of social comparisons – external and internal
–
–
–
•
•External equity
•How does my pay compare with what I could make elsewhere?
•Compare pay to similar job in other organizations
•
•Internal equity
•How does my pay compare to my coworkers’ pay?
•Pay relative to job, ability, effort, contribution, etc.

Establishing Pay Structure

Market Forces

•What is necessary to attract qualified individuals from the labour market?

•
•Salary surveys
•Provides salary information (range, medians, percentiles)
•By region, industry, etc.
•Custom survey by consultant
•Public sources: Payscale; Job Bank; Robert Half Salary Guide
•
•Allows benchmarking pay against competitors

Job Evaluation

•Process of determining the relative worth of jobs within an organization

•Reflected in different pay levels
•
•Purpose is to foster internal pay equity
•Equal pay for work of equal value
•
•Point method is most popular approach to Job Evaluation

Point Method of Job Evaluation

⁃Establishes job values by assigning points to each job based on “compensable

factors”
•Job characteristics that the organization values and are reflected in pay levels
•
⁃Skill, effort, responsibility, working conditions
•Factors are weighted – based on organizational values
•Each level is defined
•Jobs are rated - points assigned

Pay Grade
⁃Job Evaluation point totals are used to form pay structure
•Jobs with similar points are assigned to similar pay grade
⁃
⁃Pay Grade: A grouping of jobs of similar worth/value to the organization
⁃
⁃Indicate pay ranges for various jobs
•Different jobs may have similar pay
•Principle of pay equity – equal pay for work of equal value
⁃
⁃An individual’s actual pay level may vary within the grade’s pay range, depending on
•Qualifications
•Experience/tenure
•Performance

⁃Motivation & Pay

•Motivational value of money

•Self-Determination Theory

•Autonomous vs controlled motivation

⁃Pay for Performance

•Pay for Performance plans

•Incentive vs sorting effects

•Side effects of incentives

Compensation

⁃Compensation reflects the value that employees receive for contributing their time
and energy to a company
⁃
⁃Segment 1
•Total rewards
•Focused on pay for worth of jobs
⁃
⁃In this segment, we will focus on pay for performance

Total Rewards / Compensation

Pay for Performance

⁃Any type of financial reward provided when certain specified performance results
occur
•
•Goal: to motivate and reward superior performance / productivity
•
•
⁃Based on motivational value of money – that $ can influence behaviour

Does money motivate?

⁃Do you think you would achieve higher grades if you received $ for them?
⁃
⁃Would you be attracted to a job that provides pay incentives for effective
performance?

⁃The “Yes” view:

•
•People will be more willing to behave in particular ways if doing so results in (more)
money
•Get job, work harder, work more, do better, etc.
•
•“Money is the crucial incentive… no other incentive or motivational technique even
comes close to money with respect to its instrumental value” (Locke et al., 1980)
⁃The “Critical” view:
•
⁃Harvard Business Review article (Pfeffer, 1998)
•Called idea that people are primarily motivated by money a “myth”
⁃Dan Pink (see TED talk, “The puzzle of motivation”)
•Suggests incentive pay is not effective for enhancing performance on creative tasks
•
⁃“A substantial body of research has demonstrated, both in experimental and field
settings, that large external rewards can actually undermine intrinsic motivation”
(Pfeffer, 1998, p. 216)

Self Determination Theory

Autonomous Motivation
•Behaviour is internally driven
Controlled (extrinsic) Motivation
Behaviour is externally driven
Autonomous Motivation

⁃Goal attainment
⁃Task persistence
⁃Higher performance
⁃Better well-being

Controlled Motivation
Inconsistent goal striving
Less persistence
Impaired performance
Reduced well-being

Why?
⁃Why the different effects of autonomous and controlled motivation?
•
⁃Satisfaction of 3 human psychological needs
•
•Autonomy
•agency; to act in harmony with sense of self
•Competence
•mastery
•Relatedness
•connectedness to others

What does this mean for $ and motivation?

⁃Pay for performance à reward for performance achievement

⁃
⁃According to SDT, if the behaviour is done solely to obtain reward, it is “externally
regulated”
⁃
•Not optimal for sustained persistence, performance, or wellbeing

⁃Should organizations avoid using performance rewards? No!

⁃Incentives are associated with higher performance (Shaw & Gupta, 2015)
•But, should encourage autonomous motivation as well
•Can include well structured incentives
•
⁃For example:
•Receiving reward for individual performance achievement – autonomy, competence
•Receiving reward for group performance – competence, relatedness

Pay for performance

⁃Any type of financial reward provided when certain specified performance results
occur
•
•Goal: to motivate and reward superior performance / productivity
•
•Includes:
•Pay for Individual performance
•Pay for team/unit performance
•Pay for organizational performance

⁃Various programs
•Merit Pay, Bonuses & other incentives
•Ownership - Stocks and stock options
•Profit sharing, Gainsharing
•
⁃Key considerations:
•
•What / whose performance is rewarded?
•Individual, team, or organizational performance?
•
•Timing of reward
•One-time bonus vs on-going raise? Immediate or deferred?
•
•Does performance incentive pay replace or supplement base salary? i.e., Pay at
risk?

Pay for Individual Performance

⁃Piecework plan
•Employees receive a certain rate for each unit produced
•
⁃Commission
•Pay as percentage of sales
•
⁃Standard hour plan
•Extra pay for work that is completed in less than “standard” amount of time
•
⁃Merit pay
•Increase in base pay connected to performance appraisal rating
•
⁃Performance bonus
•Like merit pay, but bonus is not added to base pay

Pay for Team / Unit Performance

Gainsharing
•
⁃Bonus for productivity, cost improvements of business unit
•Portion of gains are shared with employees
⁃E.g., Scanlon Plan, Rucker Plan, Improshare
•Different productivity standards, sharing formulas
•
⁃Requires an organizational culture characterized by…
•Good employee – management cooperation
•Openness to employee input
•Company financial information is shared with employees
Pay for Organizational Performance
⁃Profit Sharing
•Pay / bonus as % organizational profits
•Not added to base pay
•Contains costs in times of low profitability
•
⁃Stock ownership / Stock options
•Granting shares or share options to employees
•Portion of salary as shares or share options
⁃
⁃Purpose is to encourage employees to take organizational perspective

Pay for Performance

⁃How does Pay-for-Performance affect motivation and performance?

⁃Incentive effects
•Increase in behaviour because of reward
•
⁃Sorting effects
•PfP is attractive to some; not to others
•People apply, don’t apply, quit, etc.
•Over time, people will stay in jobs where the pay “fits” their preferences

Pay for Performance

⁃Lazear (1986) study of glass installation company

•
⁃Switched from salary to individual incentives
•
•Productivity increased by 44%
•
•50% of gains came from individual performance improvement
•
•50% from sorting - some people left; replaced by more productive workers

Side Effects of Pay-for-Performance

⁃Caution
•“…people do what you pay them to do; not what you ask them to do” (Hicks
Waldron, CEO of Avon)
•
•Can encourage counterproductive behaviour
•
•
⁃Bus drivers (HBR article)
•At bus stop during rush hour; near-empty buses drove by
•Why? Because drivers were rewarded for arriving at destinations on time
•If they were running late, they wouldn’t pick up passengers
•Loss of revenue during peak times

⁃Green Giant
•Rewarded employees for removing insects from vegetables
•
•
⁃Pacific Gas & Electric Company
•Crews detected and repaired gas leaks
•
•2010 explosion killed 8, destroyed 38 homes
•
•Investigation suggested incentive system played role
•Bonuses to supervisors whose crews kept costs down
•
•Fewer leaks = lower costs

⁃Best compensation system is one that aligns employee behaviour with

organizational strategy
•
⁃By ensuring compensation…
•
•Attracts and retains capable workforce
•Addresses employees’ financial and psychological needs
•Motivates and appropriately incentivizes behavior that supports organizational goals
What is a Union

⁃Have you and a coworker ever approached your boss/employer to ask about a
change in policy or practice?
•E.g., change in pay, longer break, more flexible schedule or other schedule change,
etc.?
⁃
⁃Have you ever arranged with 1 or more other students to meet with a professor to
express a concern about a course; to ask for an extension; etc.?

⁃An organization with the legal authority to

•Represent workers
•Negotiate the terms and conditions of employment with the employer
•Administer the collective agreement

⁃Collective agreement
•Contract negotiated between union and employer outlining terms and conditions of
employment
•
•Establishes “work rules”: wages, hours of work, and working conditions

Why do workers join or certify a union?

⁃Pay, working conditions, treatment, etc. are deemed to be unfair or do not meet
expectations
•
⁃Belief in value and effectiveness of collective vs individual voice
•
⁃Closed or Union Shop provisions
•Closed shop - person must be union member before being hired
•Union shop – all existing and future employees must join and be members of union

Union Density Statistics

Unionization in Canada

⁃Density has been relatively consistent around 30% since late 1990s
⁃
⁃Composition has changed
•
•Private sector density has decreased
•Accounted for 30% in 1970s; about 17% now
•
•Greater proportion of women
•Women comprised about 10% of union members in 1970s; about 30% now
•Due to increased density in public and service sectors

How do workers become unionized?

⁃
⁃Certification
•Process by which union is designated as exclusive bargaining agent of a group of
employees
•
⁃
⁃Key steps – see timeline

Union Certification Process

Union Organizing Campaign
​⁃

⁃After a vote has been scheduled but before the vote has occurred
⁃
⁃During a campaign, the union and employer often try to convince workers to vote for
their ”side”
•
•Some actions are prohibited by labour law
•
•i.e., referred to as “Unfair labour practices”

Unfair Labour Practices by Employer during Organizing

⁃TIPS – acronym
•
•Threats of consequences if union gets in
•
•Intimidating employees
•
•Promises if employees vote against union
•
•Surveillance of or discrimination against members involved in organizing

Employer Rights during Organizing

⁃Employer can:
•
•Inform employee of their rights
•
•Correct untrue or misleading information
•
•Inform employees of responsibilities that may be associated with union
membership
•Dues, picketing, loss of income during strike, etc.

Unfair Labour Practices by Unions

⁃A union or its representatives cannot:

⁃
•Demand that employer bargain with union when union is not the certified bargaining
agent
•
•Recruit during work hours
•
•Intimidate or coerce an individual who is opposing the union
•
•Threaten or engage in illegal strikes

Labour Relations Strategy

⁃How employer deals with unions/unionization

⁃Cooperation / Acceptance
•
•Union is viewed as employees’ legitimate representative
•
•Union may become certified by employer voluntarily recognizing the union (except
in Quebec)
•
•E.g., Magna & CAW (now Unifor)
•
•Characterized by integrative bargaining

Integrative (Interest-Based) Bargaining

​⁃

⁃Assumption – interests are complimentary

⁃
⁃Mutual gains
⁃
⁃Focus on interests/priorities – problem-solve to achieve them
•Rather than fight over positions

Labour Relations Strategy

⁃Union Avoidance - Union Suppression

•
•Goal: avoid unionization or oppose union
•
•“hardball” tactics
•Unfair labour practices
•
•Adversarial
•Distributive bargaining

Distributive (Positional) Bargaining

​⁃Assumption – Interests are in conflict

⁃
⁃Adversarial; Win-lose
⁃
⁃Demands and concessions, rather than mutual gains
⁃
⁃E.g., auto workers, teachers
Labour Relations Strategy

⁃
⁃Union Substitution
•
•Goal is to remove incentive to join union
•
•Provides what unions would provide – fair wages, conditions, etc.
•E.g., Dofasco (Arcellor Mittal)

Labour Relations Strategy

⁃
⁃An organization’s Labour Relations strategy is influenced by various factors:
•
•Organization’s history
•
•Philosophy and values of founder and leadership over time
•View of workers, management rights, etc.
•
•Social and national context
•Labour laws can strengthen or undermine likelihood of union formation and
representation