HR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

BY
SANJU JEEBOY

Q.1What items are typically included in the job description?

A job description is usually developed by conducting a job analysis, which

includes examining the tasks and sequences of tasks necessary to perform the
job. The analysis looks at the areas of knowledge and skills needed by the job.
Note that a role is the set of responsibilities or expected results associated with a
job. A job usually includes several roles.

Purpose
The objective of a job description is to have a clear outline of duties and
responsibilities to make the screening process as direct and focused as possible.
[1]

Job descriptions may have the following elements:

• improvement cooperation by giving all members of the organization insight

in existing responsibilities/roles
• enabling career moves within the organization
• determination of amount of pay per function
• increase of results by specification of responsibilities and key performance
indicators
• development of job owner by specification of competences
• may include the phrase "perform other duties as assigned"

Possible job description items

Job title
A specific designation of a post within an organization, normally associated with
a job description that details the tasks and responsibilities that go with it. With the
rise of online job search engines, job titles became increasingly important. In
many cases, this causes job title inflation.[2]

Job duties
may also be called Tasks Performed; may be as lengthy as necessary to fully
describe each essential duty or responsibility which comprises the employee's
functions, generally starting with principle duties.
Roles and responsibilities
This includes supervisory level, managerial requirements, and any working
relationships and may also include your corporate/individual objectives.

Job specifications or qualifications

Their job details

Salary and benefits

Describes the compensation type, hourly or salary, and amount. In addition it
includes both standard benefits and any fringe benefits associated with the
position

Q.2 Discuss the basic facts about OSHA its purpose, standards, rights and
responsibilities
The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is an
agency of the United States Department of Labor. It was created by Congress of
the United States under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, signed by
President Richard M Nixon, on December 29, 1970. Its mission is to prevent
work-related injuries, illnesses, and occupational fatality by issuing and enforcing
rules called standards for workplace safety and health. The agency is headed by
a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, OSHA's role is to assure
safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women; by
authorizing enforcement of the standards developed under the Act; by assisting
and encouraging the States in their efforts to assure safe and healthful working
conditions; by providing for research, information, education, and training in the
field of occupational safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

Services

OSHA and its state partners have approximately 2100 inspectors, plus complaint
discrimination investigators, engineers, physicians, educators, standards writers,
and other technical and support personnel spread over more than 200 offices
throughout the country. This staff establishes protective standards, enforces
those standards, and reaches out to employers and employees through technical
assistance and consultation programs.
The Public We Serve

Nearly every working man and woman in the nation comes under OSHA's
jurisdiction (with some exceptions such as miners, transportation workers, many
public employees, and the self-employed). Other users and recipients of OSHA
services include: occupational safety and health professionals, the academic
community, lawyers, journalists, and personnel of other government entities.

Service Improvement Plan

OSHA is determined to use its limited resources effectively to stimulate

management commitment and employee participation in comprehensive
workplace safety and health programs.

Surveying Our Public

At OSHA, we are dedicated to improving the quality of our efforts and know that
to be successful we must become an agency that is driven by commitment to
public service. The first step is for OSHA to listen and respond to its customers.
Accordingly, we conducted a survey to learn more about what employers and
employees think of OSHA's services.

Because workplace inspections are one of OSHA's principal activities and

because voluntary efforts to improve working conditions ultimately depend on
strong enforcement, our survey focused primarily on the inspection process. We
asked a random sample of employees and employers who had recently
experienced an OSHA inspection what they thought of the inspection in
particular, and of OSHA's standards and educational and other assistance
activities in general.

Service Standards

We based OSHA's new standards for public service on what we learned from the
survey, from meetings with employee and employer groups, and from focus
group discussions with workers from many plants and industries across the
country.

Our public service improvement program will be an ongoing one. We will

continue to gather information on the quality of our performance in delivering
services in areas not included in this year's survey, particularly in the construction
sector. Next year, too, we plan to learn more about public response to our
assistance and consultation programs.
Q.3 Explain the four ways in which interviews can be classified?

Group Discussion Interview: There are two methods of conducting group

discussion interview, namely, group interview method and discussion interview
method. All candidates are brought into one room i.e. interview room and are
interviewed one by one under group interview This method helps a busy
executive to save valuable time and gives a fair account of the objectivity of the
interview to the candidates.
Under the discussion interview method, one topic is given for discussion to the
candidates who assemble in one room and they are asked to discuss the topic in
detail. This type of interview helps the interviewer in appraising, certain skills of
the candidates like initiative, inter-personal skills, dynamism, presentation,
leading comprehension, collaboration etc. Interviewers are at ease in this
category of interview because of its informality and flexibility. But it may fail to
cover some significant portions of the candidates’ background and skills.

Panel Interview: Interviewing of candidates by one person may not be effective

as he cannot judge the candidates in different areas/ skills owning to lack of
knowledge and competence in multiple disciplines and areas. Hence most
organizations invite a panel of experts, specialized in different areas / fields /
disciplines, to interview the candidates. A panel of experts interviews each
candidates, judges his performance individually and prepares a consolidated
judgment based on each expert’s judgment and weighted of each factor. This
type of interview is called as panel interview. This type of interview would be
more effective as each candidate is prepared by an expert in relevant areas.
Experts should be cautioned against over accuracy, excessive weight-age to a
particular factor, domination of other experts etc.

Depth Interview: In this type of Interview, the candidates would be examined

extensively in core areas of knowledge and skills of the job. Experts in that
particular field examine the candidates by posing relevant questions as to extract
critical answers from them, initiating discussions regarding critical areas of the
job, and by asking the candidates to explain even minute operations of the job
performance. Thus, the candidate is examined thoroughly in critical / core areas
in their interviews.

Stress Interview: This interview aims at testing the candidate’s job behavior and
level of withstanding during the period of stress and strain. Interviewer tests the
candidate by putting him under stress and strain by interrupting the applicant
from answering, criticizing his opinions, asking questions pertaining to unrelated
areas, keeping silent for unduly long period after he has finished speaking etc.
Stress during the middle portion of the interview gives effective results. Stress
interview must be handled with at most care and skill. This type of interview is
often invalid. As the interviewee’s need for a job, his previous experience in such
type of interviews may inhibit his actual behavior under such situations.

Q.4 Briefly discuss at least five common interviewing mistakes?

You stress the candidate out
Some interviewers use high-pressure techniques designed to trap or fluster the
applicant. While you do want to know how a candidate performs in a pinch, it's
almost impossible to re-create the same type of stressors an employee will
encounter in the workplace. Moreover, if you do hire the person, he or she may
not trust you because you launched the relationship on a rocky foundation

You cut it short

A series of interviews can eat up your whole day, so it's tempting to keep them
brief. But a quick meeting just doesn't give you enough time to gauge a
candidate's responses and behavior. Judging candidates is nuanced work, and it
relies on tracking lots of subtle inputs. An interview that runs 45 minutes to an
hour increases your chances of getting a meaningful sample

You rate candidates against each other

Mediocre candidates may look like superstars when they follow a dud, but that
doesn't mean they're the most qualified for the job. The person who comes in
tomorrow may smoke all of them, but you won't be able to tell if you rated
mediocre candidates too highly in your notes. Evaluate each applicant on your
established criteria -- don't grade on a curve.

You invade their privacy

First of all, it's illegal to delve too deeply into personal or lifestyle details. Second,
it doesn't help you find the best person for the job. Avoid all questions about
home life ("Do you have children?" "Do you think you'd quit if you got married?"),
ethnic background ("That's an unusual name, what nationality are you?"), age
("What year did you graduate from high school?"), and financials ("Do you own
your home?")

You fall prey to the halo effect (or the horns effect)
If a candidate arrives dressed to kill, gives a firm handshake, and answers the
first question perfectly, you might be tempted to check the imaginary "Hired!" box
in your mind. But make sure you pay attention to all the answers and don't be
swayed by a first impression.

Q.5 What is meant by strategic human resource management and HRs role
in strategic planning process?

Strategic human resource management is designed to help companies best meet

the needs of their employees while promoting company goals. Human resource
management deals with any aspects of a business that affects employees, such
as hiring and firing, pay, benefits, training, and administration. Human resources
may also provide work incentives, safety procedure information, and sick or
vacation days.

Strategic human resource management is the proactive management of people.

It requires thinking ahead, and planning ways for a company to better meet the
needs of its employees, and for the employees to better meet the needs of the
company. This can affect the way things are done at a business site, improving
everything from hiring practices and employee training programs to assessment
techniques and discipline.

An important aspect of strategic human resource management is employee

development. This process begins when a company is recruiting and interviewing
prospective employees. Improved interviewing techniques can help to weed out
applicants that may not be a good match for the company.

The Strategic Management Process includes:

– Determining what needs to be done to achieve corporate objectives, often over

3 - 5 years
– Examining organization and competitive environment
– Establishing optimal fit between organization and its environment
– Reviewing and revising strategic plan

Benefits of a Strategic Approach to HR:

* Facilitates development of high-quality workforce through focus on types of

people and skills needed
* Facilitates cost-effective utilization of labor, particularly in service industries
where labor is generally greatest cost
* Facilitates planning and assessment of environmental uncertainty, and
adaptation of organization to external forces
* Successful SHRM efforts begin with identification of strategic needs
* Employee participation is critical to linking strategy and HR practices
* Strategic HR depends on systematic and analytical mindset
* Corporate HR departments can have impact on organization's efforts to launch
strategic initiatives

Strategic human resource management is essential in both large and small

companies. In small companies, this may be as simple as the owner or manager
taking a little time every day to observe, assist, and assess employees, and
provide regular reviews. Larger companies may have a whole department in
charge of human resources and development. By meeting the needs of the
employees in a way that also benefits the company, it is possible to improve the
quality of staff members. Taking the effort to provide employees with the tools
they need to thrive is worth the investment.

Q.6What steps would you take to institute self directed teams?

Self-directed work teams represent an approach to organizational design that

goes beyond quality circles or ad hoc problem-solving teams. These teams are
natural work groups that work together to perform a function or produce a
product or service. They not only do the work but also take on the management
of that work -- functions formerly performed by supervisors and managers. This
allows managers to teach, coach, develop and facilitate rather than simply direct
and control.

Self-directed work teams, also known as self-managing teams, represent a

revolutionary approach to the way work is organized and performed.

Instead of organizing work based on the traditional Taylor model -- reducing a

process to individual steps -- work becomes restructured around whole
processes. There must be interdependence and joint responsibility for outputs if
there is to be a self-directed work team. Whereas the traditional system reduces
the required skill at every level of work, producing boredom in the bottom-level
jobs, the new system integrates the needs of the people with the work to be
done, and those closest to the jobs help design the job.

Advantages of self-directed teams

* Improved quality, productivity and service.

* Greater flexibility.

* Reduced operating costs.

* Faster response to technological change.

* Fewer, simpler job classifications.

* Better response to workers' values.

* Increased employee commitment to the organization.

* Ability to attract and retain the best people.

Challenges in developing self-direction

The major challenges organizations face in changing from a traditional

environment to a high-involvement environment include developing the teams
and fostering a culture of management support. Teams go through several
stages of increasing involvement on their way to self-management. This journey
can take between two and five years, and is never-ending from a learning and
renewal perspective.

Comprehensive training is also critical to developing effective self-directed work

teams. The training for these teams must be more comprehensive than for other
types of teams. Not only must employees learn to work effectively in teams and
develop skills in problem solving and decision making, they also must learn basic
management skills so they can manage their own processes. Additionally, people
must be cross-trained in every team member's job. Therefore, it is not uncommon
for self-directed work teams to spend 20 percent of their time in ongoing training

The following are some examples of organizations that attribute major

productivity results to the advantages of self-directed work teams:

* AT&T -- Increased the quality of its operator service by 12 percent.

* Federal Express -- Cut service errors by 13 percent.

* Johnson & Johnson -- Achieved inventory reductions of $6 million

Q.7 Explain the steps involved in operating a quality circle including

problem identification and problem selection?
Quality Circle is a small group of 6 to 12 employees doing similar work who
voluntarily meet together on a regular basis to identify improvements in their
respective work areas using proven techniques for analysing and solving work
related problems coming in the way of achieving and sustaining excellence
leading to mutual upliftment of employees as well as the organisation. It is "a way
of capturing the creative and innovative power that lies within the work force".

CONCEPT
The concept of Quality Circle is primarily based upon recognition of the value of
the worker as a human being, as someone who willingly activises on his job, his
wisdom, intelligence, experience, attitude and feelings. It is based upon the
human resource management considered as one of the key factors in the
improvement of product quality & productivity. Quality Circle concept has three
major attributes:

Quality Circle is a form of participation management.

Quality Circle is a human resource development technique.
Quality Circle is a problem solving technique.

OBJECTIVE

The objectives of Quality Circles are multi-faced.

a) Change in Attitude.
From "I don’t care" to "I do care"
Continuous improvement in quality of work life through humanisation of work.

b) Self Development
Bring out ‘Hidden Potential’ of people
People get to learn additional skills.

c) Development of Team Spirit

Individual Vs Team – "I could not do but we did it"
Eliminate inter departmental conflicts.

d) Improved Organisational Culture

Positive working environment.
Total involvement of people at all levels.
Higher motivational level.
Participate Management process.

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

A Quality Circle has an appropriate organisational structure for its effective and
efficient performance. It varies from industry to industry, organisation to
organisation. But it is useful to have a basic framework as a model. The structure
of a Quality Circle consists of the following elements.
A steering committee: This is at the top of the structure. It is headed by a senior
executive and includes representatives from the top management personnel and
human resources development people. It establishes policy, plans and directs
the program and meets usually once in a month.

Co-ordinator: He may be a Personnel or Administrative officer who co-ordinates

and supervises the work of the facilitators and administers the programme.

Facilitator: He may be a senior supervisory officer. He co-ordiates the works of

several quality circles through the Circle leaders.

Circle leader: Leaders may be from lowest level workers or Supervisors. A Circle
leader organises and conducts Circle activities.

Circle members : They may be staff workers. Without circle members the
porgramme cannot exist. They are the lifeblood of quality circles. They should
attend all meetings as far as possible, offer suggestions and ideas, participate
actively in group process, take training seriously with a receptive attitude.The
roles of Steering Committee, Co-0rdinator, Facilitator, Circle leader and Circle
members are well defined.

PROCESS OF OPERATION

The operation of quality circles involves a set of sequential steps as under:

1 Problem identification: Identify a number of problems.

2 Problem selection : Decide the priority and select the problem to be taken up
first.
3 Problem Analysis : Problem is clarified and analysed by basic problem solving
methods.
4 Generate alternative solutions : Identify and evaluate causes and generate
number of possible alternative solutions.
5 Select the most appropriate solution : Discuss and evaluate the alternative
solutions by comparison in terms of investment and return from the investment.
This enables to select the most appropriate solution.
6 Prepare plan of action: Prepare plan of action for converting the solution into
reality which includes the considerations "who, what, when, where, why and how"
of solving problems.
7 Present solution to management circle members present solution to
management fore approval.
8. Implementation of solution : The management evaluates the recommended
solution. Then it is tested and if successful, implemented on a full scale.
BASIC PROBLEM SOLVING TECHNIQUES
The following techniques are most commonly used to analyse and solve work
related problems.
1 Brain storming
2 Pareto Diagrams
3 Cause & Effect Analysis
4 Data Collection
5 Data Analysis

The tools used for data analysis are :

1 Table
2 Bar Charts
3 Histograms
4 Circle graphs
5 Line graphs
6 Scatter grams
7 Control Charts

A variety of benefits have been attributed to Quality Circles, including higher

quality, improved productivity, greater upward flow of information, broader
improved worker attitudes, job enrichment, and greater teamwork.

Q 8 Explain how you would reduce stress at work.

Ans:-
‘Stress is often a symptom of poor employment relations and can seriously
affect productivity. Organisations who talk regularly with their employees and
have sound systems and procedures in place for dealing with issues like
absence and discipline are much more likely to avoid work-related stress and to
be able to deal with potentially stressful situations when they arise.’

‘Workplace stress is one of the biggest causes of employee absence – and also
one of the more difficult issues to manage. The Management Standards will
help employers identify and manage stress at work by providing a framework to
pinpoint particular causes of stress, as well as achievable solutions.’

Stress at work can affect so much more than just your job. Too much stress can
also have an impact on your home life. Reducing stress at work is vital to a
happier, healthier and more efficient you. Here are some ways to help reduce
stress at work.
Stress is a killer, and we all probably know that, especially in those situations
when the deadlines are nearing and we find we still haven’t completed the task at
hand. Whatever the reason it appears for, stress diminishes productivity, while
also taking a toll on our health. This is why experts recommend a few simple
guidelines that we have to bear in mind when dealing with it

Fortunately, there are specific things you can do that will help you reduce your
stress at work and better cope with it.
Here's How:

 Clean up & Improve your time management and organization

skills.. Throw away old memos and outdated messages. Go through
everything in your area and get rid of everything that you no longer need.
Organize your work space. Having a cluttered desk or work area adds to
your stress level. By organizing your space, it will help you work more
efficiently. Of the many things you can to in this area the best ones include
getting a to do list that works, learning to say "no", asking for help when
you need it, and stop setting unrealistic goals for yourself. Catch up on
your work. By catching yourself up, you will no longer have deadlines
hanging over your head. By avoiding procrastination, you will find that you
are also avoiding added stress.

 Prioritize your work. Determine what needs to be done first and what can wait a
bit. If you have a deadline that is stressing you out, get that job done. It will give
you a sense of accomplishment and rev you up to tackle other pressing jobs.

 Communicate with co-workers and supervisors. Let them know if you

have a situation that is stressing you out. Don't hold it in until you're ready to
explode. You will often find that others are more than willing to lend a helping
hand, if possible.

 Relax and breathe deeply.

Whether you are feeling overwhelmed by the amount or work you have to
do or if someone is "in your face", a good thing to do is to "breathe through
your nose". You can't get as worked up if you force yourself to breathe
 through your nose. Your body simply can't maintain the same level of energy
without that extra oxygen you get when breathing through your mouth.

 Take more breaks from your work.

Even a five-minute break will help. Get away from your desk. Go for a walk
- outside is better, but up two flights of stairs and back down is good too.
Getting more exercise in general will help you reduce your overall stress
levels and that will make it easier to reduce your stress level at work. Walk
away for a bit. If possible, sometimes all you need is a few minutes away
from your work area. Use this time to relax and regroup. Once you've had
a short break, you may feel more refreshed and ready to work more
efficiently.
 Lighten up.
Smile more. We all know laughter reduces stress. You will be amazed at
how much more pleasant the people around you are when you make an
effort to be pleasant yourself.
 Learn to listen better.
Rather than getting upset when others disagree with you, listen actively
and find the areas of agreement. Be assertive and stand up for yourself,
but don't be rigid.
 Fix your environment.
Make whatever adjustments you need to the lighting, temperature, noise
level, and other controllable factors in your office.
 Don't sweat the small stuff.
Realize that there are some things that just aren't worth worrying about and
there are some things you just can't change. Don't waste time stressing
over the things in either category.
 Get more sleep.
This is another of the things you can do to reduce your overall stress that
will have benefits at the office as well. In addition to reducing your stress, it
will increase your energy level and your ability to concentrate.
 Find a mentor
If not a mentor, a friend will do. Having someone to talk to can take a lot of
stress off you.
 Spend more time with optimistic people.
Negative people will pull you down to their level. Choose to work with
people who have a positive attitude instead.

Q 9. Explain the supervisor's role in safety.

Ans:-
Organization change starts from the top and safety improvement efforts
must be driven by senior- most leaders.
Safety ultimately is about what happens in the workplace. When leaders set the
directive to change the culture and lead improvement throughout the
organization, it becomes imperative to transfer safety leadership principles and
practices down to the site level. In most organizations, supervisors and middle
managers are key influences on organizational effectiveness and the natural
proxy for senior leaders in day-to-day activities. Yet they often are left out of
safety improvement efforts, largely because their role in safety is poorly
understood.

Supervisors, Managers and Safety

At its heart, management is about motivating, coordinating and directing the

efforts of other people in accomplishing organizational objectives.

While front-line employees exercise some control over how they interact with the
technology, they often have little if any control over the quality or condition of
equipment, how systems fit the particular situation, the unstated assumptions of
the organization or other factors that affect the level of exposure to hazard. This
is where supervisors and middle managers come in.

By virtue of their proximity to the front-line, supervisors and managers provide

the first line of defense in managing safety issues, communicating organizational
priorities and values and building relationships with individual team members.
They act as messengers from the senior leader to the employee and back up to
leadership. The basic safety role of supervisors and managers is to enable and
reduce exposures and to promote a culture in which injuries are not acceptable.

Leading from the Middle

Supervisors or middle managers are responsible for multiple priorities but have
limited time in which to manage them. In addition, many people are promoted
into these positions for their technical expertise and may not have received
formal training in management and leadership.

Engaging supervisors and managers effectively in safety requires more than a

general charge to “support safety.” Organizations need to define specific

activities that can be integrated with the supervisor’s or manager’s other tasks
and demands, including (at least):

• Practice safety-critical behaviors – At-risk behaviors can occur at any

level. Supervisors and managers must be able to identify how their
behaviors influence hazards and consciously practice behaviors that
reflect their support of safety.
 • Make regular safety contacts – Supervisors and managers need to
assure basic safety functioning beyond the usual safety meeting. Together
with senior leaders, this level can define essential safety practices that can
be tracked over time for the workgroup. For example, safety planning with
employees before a particular job or personally signing work permits.
• Remove system barriers – Supervisors and managers are well-
positioned to correct organizational conditions and systems that contribute
to exposure. Addressing equipment availability or applying exposure
recognition systems, for example, can help align the safety objective and
conditions on the ground.
• Monitor and correct working interface conditions – Supervisors and
managers need to track leading indicator data and correct identified
exposure conditions as they occur. To support this, this group needs to
build fluency with the hierarchy of controls and its application in reducing
or eliminating exposures.
• Build the culture – Finally, supervisors and middle managers need to
develop strong working relationships with their employees. In many
respects, workers take the words and deeds of their supervisors and
managers to represent “the company.” Qualities such as the perceived
fairness of a supervisor’s decisions and the level of a manager’s credibility
powerfully contribute to a safety-supporting culture.

Supervisor`s Role in Preventing Accidents

• You will be able to apply this knowledge in the workplace

• You will have an appreciable understanding of the subject matter

You will be trained in a systematic manner designed to get you up to speed on

the subject matter in a short period of time

Q.10 Discuss various types of incentive plans?

Incentive plans that employ a profit sharing component work well in that they
tend to emphasize that what is best for the company is also best for the
employee. When company profits increase and more money is available for
bonuses, the employees get larger bonuses. However, during lean times,
bonuses can be quite small. For small companies, this large fluctuation in
compensation can become a problem. There is also a problem with this
approach in that there is sometimes a long delay between the time when the
effort that earns the profit occurs and the time when the bonus is paid.
Some incentive plans are best avoided, as they tend to be counter productive. A
salary at risk plan is such a scheme. In this incentive plan, the employee is given
a minimum base salary and can only earn the full salary if certain performance
objectives are met. Incentive plans of this type tend to cause employees to
become discouraged, particularly if the performance objectives seem out of
reach. This approach feels like a punishment to the employee, an approach
known as negative reinforcement. Studies have shown that positive
reinforcement of desired behaviour is much more effective than a negative
approach.

Different types of incentive plans can be in place at the same company at the
same time. This approach allows the company to take advantage of the benefits
of the various incentive plans while minimizing their disadvantages. Incentive
plans that use merchandise prizes, for instance, can be very closely linked to a
specific activity, while an incentive plan that uses long term objectives can also
be in place to help keep all of the employees motivated and focused over the
entire year.

Classification of Incentives
Incentives are classified as under.
•FINANCIAL AND NON FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
•INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP INCENTIVES

(a) Financial incentives

Financial incentives include Salary, premium, reward, dividend, bonus, income
from investment. Financial incentives play a very important role in improving the
performance of the employees. Cash plays a very important role in fulfilling the
needs of the individuals especially of labor class.

(b) Non financial incentives

As the employees have other needs like respect and self centered needs , they
can be motivated with the help of following non-financial incentives.
•Job satisfaction
•Job security
•Respect and recognition
•Training and other employee improvement programs
•Housing/medical/educational facilities
•Opportunities for growth.