Personnel and Human Resource Management
The employment cycle
Understand recruitment (sourcing), selection (interviewing, reference and background checks), orientation (policies, culture, safety), training (task skills), and development. Job descriptions define duties and qualifications; performance appraisals should be objective, behavior-based, and documented. Progressive discipline typically moves from verbal warning to written warning to suspension to termination, with due process and consistent policy application. Traps: confusing orientation with training; disciplining without documentation; treating exempt employees as nonexempt. Know FLSA basics: exempt salaried employees versus nonexempt hourly employees eligible for overtime.
Motivation, retention, and labor relations
Maslow, Herzberg (hygiene factors versus motivators), and McGregor (Theory X and Theory Y) appear as concept questions. Retention improves with recognition, fair scheduling, and clear expectations; turnover is costly. For unions, know collective bargaining, grievance procedures, and that supervisors should follow the contract and document. Harassment and diversity questions require prompt reporting and consistent action. OSHA requires a safe workplace, training, and injury logs.
Productivity
Productivity equals output divided by input, often expressed as meals per labor hour (MPLH).
Worked example
A department serves 900 meals in a day and uses 60 paid labor hours. MPLH = 900 / 60 = 15 meals per labor hour. If the benchmark is 18, the unit is underproductive and should examine scheduling, overtime, and production methods. Trap: using only productive hours when comparing to a paid-hours benchmark; match the denominator to the benchmark.
Scheduling and staffing
Match staffing to volume, use master schedules, and consider skill mix and labor laws.