SPHR flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Porter's generic strategies

Cost leadership, differentiation, and focus describe how a firm chooses to compete; HR practices such as staffing and rewards must align with the chosen strategy to build sustained competitive advantage.

Balanced Scorecard perspectives

Financial, customer, internal business process, and learning and growth. The framework links employee and HR measures to strategy rather than relying solely on financial results.

Lewin's change model

Unfreeze, change, and refreeze: create readiness for change, implement the new approach, then reinforce new behaviors through systems, rewards, and culture so gains persist.

Ansoff growth matrix

Four strategies from product and market combinations: market penetration, market development, product development, and diversification. Risk increases as firms move away from current products and markets.

Ulrich's four HR roles

Strategic partner, administrative expert, employee champion, and change agent. The model describes how HR delivers both future-focused strategic value and day-to-day operational value.

Span of control

The number of subordinates reporting to one manager. Wide spans flatten structures and reduce cost, while narrow spans increase supervision and add organizational layers.

Four-fifths rule

Adverse impact is indicated when a protected group's selection rate is less than 80 percent of the highest group's rate; an EEOC enforcement rule of thumb for screening.

Selection ratio

The number of hires divided by the number of applicants. A low ratio means highly selective hiring, while a ratio near one indicates little screening occurred.

Yield ratio

The percentage of candidates moving from one recruiting stage to the next. It is used to compare source effectiveness and forecast how many applicants are needed.

Criterion-related validity

The degree to which test scores correlate with job performance. Predictive validity tests applicants and measures performance later; concurrent validity compares current employees' scores with existing performance.

Realistic job preview

Providing accurate information about both positive and negative aspects of a job before hire, which reduces unrealistic expectations and lowers early voluntary turnover.

Markov analysis

A workforce planning technique that uses historical transition probabilities to forecast how many employees will remain in, move between, or leave positions over a future period.

Kirkpatrick evaluation levels

Reaction, learning, behavior, and results. Training is evaluated from participant satisfaction through knowledge gain and on-the-job behavior change to organizational outcomes.

ADDIE model

Analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation: a five-phase instructional design process used to build, deliver, and continuously improve training programs.

Nine-box grid

A matrix plotting performance against potential that classifies talent into categories used for development planning, succession decisions, and retention investment.

Halo error

Rating bias in which one strong characteristic or a recent event influences ratings on unrelated performance dimensions, distorting appraisal accuracy and feedback.

70-20-10 model

A development guideline holding that roughly 70 percent of learning comes from challenging experience, 20 percent from relationships and coaching, and 10 percent from formal training.

Compa-ratio

Employee salary divided by the pay range midpoint. A value of 1.0 means pay at midpoint; below 1.0 is below midpoint and above 1.0 is above midpoint.

Range spread

The difference between a pay range's maximum and minimum, usually expressed as a percentage of the minimum. Wider spreads suit higher-level or broadly defined jobs.

Point-factor job evaluation

Compensable factors are defined, weighted, and scored to produce point totals for each job; jobs are then ranked by points and grouped into pay grades.

FLSA salary basis test

Exempt employees must receive a predetermined, fixed salary that is not reduced because of variations in quality or quantity of work, subject to limited permitted deductions.

COBRA continuation coverage

Employers with 20 or more employees must offer qualified beneficiaries continued group health coverage, generally for 18 months, after a qualifying event such as termination or reduced hours.

Scanlon plan

A gainsharing plan that pays employees a bonus from labor cost savings and includes a formal suggestion system plus a joint labor-management committee.

Turnover rate formula

Separations during a period divided by average headcount for that period, multiplied by 100; expresses separations as a percentage of the workforce.

Human capital ROI

Revenue minus non-compensation expenses, divided by compensation plus benefits cost. It measures the return generated for each dollar invested in people.

Leading vs lagging indicators

Leading indicators predict future outcomes, such as engagement scores or vacancy rates; lagging indicators report results already realized, such as turnover and revenue.

RFP in HRIS selection

A request for proposal specifies system requirements and asks vendors to respond with functionality and pricing, enabling structured comparison before a system is chosen.

Data retention schedule

A policy defining how long each type of HR record is kept and when it is destroyed, supporting legal compliance, audits, and responses to e-discovery requests.

OSHA 300A posting

The annual summary of work-related injuries and illnesses must be posted in a visible workplace location from February 1 through April 30 each year.

TRIR formula

Total recordable cases multiplied by 200,000 and divided by total hours worked; 200,000 represents 100 full-time workers at 40 hours for 50 weeks.

Hierarchy of controls

Preferred hazard controls in descending order: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment as the last resort.

Exclusive remedy doctrine

Workers' compensation benefits are the employee's sole remedy against the employer for work-related injury, barring most tort claims in exchange for no-fault benefits.