The Management of Human Resources (People and Personnel) 

Adverse or disparate impact:  Criterion for showing that employment practices affect one group more harshly than another.

Affirmative action:  Use of positive, results-oriented practices to ensure that women, minorities, handicapped persons, and other protected classes of people will be equitably represented in an organization.

Bargaining unit:  The organization that will represent employees in conferring and negotiating various issues.

Comparable worth: Notion that men and women in jobs that are not identical but require similar levels of skill and training should be paid equally.

Equal employment opportunity:  Refers to the efforts to eliminate employment discrimination on the basis of race, ethnic background, sex, age, or physical handicap; ensures that all persons have an equal chance to compete for employment and promotions based on job qualifications.

Final-offer arbitration:  Technique in which both parties must present their best offer with the understanding that an arbitrator will choose one or the other without modification.

Job description:  A thorough analysis of the work to be done and the capabilities for a job; typically contains these elements:  job title, duties required, responsibilities, and job qualifications.

Lateral entry:  Entry into government positions at any level.

Merit pay:  Increases in salary and wages that are tied to actual quality of work performed.

Position classification:  Analyzing and organizing jobs on the basis of duties, responsibilities, and knowledge and skills required to perform them.

Rule of three:  Provision of most merit systems that requires at least the top three applicants’ names to be forwarded to the hiring official to allow some flexibility in selection. 

Sexual Harassment:  Any unwarranted and nonreciprocal verbal or physical sexual advances or derogatory remarks that the recipient finds offensive or that interfere with his or her job performance.

Spoils system:  The ability to give government jobs to the party faithful; “to the victor belongs the spoils.”

Structured interviews:  Those in which previously developed set of questions is used with each applicant.

Unit determination:  Decision to include or exclude certain groups in a bargaining unit.

Whipsaw tactics:  Argument that pay or benefits negotiated by one group should be applied to others.