What term best describes activities intended to help employees acquire knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform specific tasks?

• A. Training
• B. Recruiting
• C. Performance appraisal
• D. Compensation planning

Answer: (A)

Activities designed to help employees gain the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform specific tasks are called training. Training focuses on building capabilities for particular jobs, often through instruction, practice, or hands-on learning to improve performance on defined tasks. For example, teaching a new software tool or safety procedure equips an employee to perform those tasks more effectively.

Recruiting, by contrast, is about attracting and selecting candidates to fill roles, not about building someone’s capabilities. Performance appraisal evaluates how well someone has performed after the fact, providing feedback and ratings. Compensation planning involves setting pay, bonuses, and benefits—reward structures—not developing task-specific abilities.