CREATING AND MAINTAINING HIGH- PERFORMANCE ORGANIZATIONS
Concepts and brief description:
A structure should set short term goals but also medium and long term objectives in order to maintain performance in the structure. More than just being satisfied by measures already existing on the company, managers should always look for improvement and development.
First, team work and empowerment of employees is very important. Employees should be given more power of initiative to take risks and decisions that managers usually take. Team work should be strengthened and more trust and independence should be given to the teams, even though it remains necessary for managers to supervise issues, communication, and resources.
Second, the knowledge should be shared with employees. Managers should always learn and know more about the organization. They should always stay aware of problems and constantly try to identify training needs. Managers should also encourage initiative actions as well as innovation from workers and teams.
Third, employees should be satisfied of their jobs. They should occasionally be given important tasks to fulfill and managers should foster employee’s passion for their jobs. Finally, managers should find ways to create a friendly work environment.
Emotional hook:
If employees are not motivated, trusted, evaluated, and happy in their work environment, motivation and satisfaction are not going to be reached which can be a serious problem for a company which wants to maintain high-performance activities.
Key to elicit discussion:
It can be hard to try to create friendship, team work, initiative freedom, and risks allowance in a structure without frequently needing to re-orient the focus and preserve professional spirits and behavior in the structure.
Facilitative questions:
How can management find the perfect balance between friendly and relax work environment and professionalism?
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
COLLECTING BARGAINING AND LABOR RELATIONS
Concepts and brief description:
In the working world, with time, three different groups appeared in order to defend different rights and concepts. Those groups are the managers of a structure, the unions of employees, and society. All those groups have different objectives that are often opposed. Their main role is to negotiate with each other in order to find a solution that satisfies everyone.
Managers always look for solutions that have low costs and which raise outputs. They work on avoiding clashes with their employees which are often encouraged by unions. Finally they look for solutions which will let them remain flexible and keep control over rules and schedules.
Unions fight to obtain acceptable work conditions for employees. They want to enroll and represent as many workers as possible because the more employees they gather, the more power, financial resources, and strike power they obtain. Unions also claim higher salaries and stronger rights for employees. They aim at building solidarity among employees.
Society hopes that unions will transform violence between workers and management into negotiations. However, with time, many scholars became worried about union actions because they came to a point where workers have too much power over management.
Emotional hook:
Many criticize the actions of unions against management. However, if unions had not appeared, we probably still would work with bad work conditions and with no rights. Unions created a regulated and structured work area for almost all categories of jobs. Today we should be happy that unions allow their leaders to sit around a table in order to defend workers’ rights and conditions.
Key to elicit discussions:
The situation of the car industry is certainly the best US example which shows that unions are not always the solution to workers’ problems. With years, unions got too much power, gave too many rights to workers which make the production costs go higher, which can be the cause of huge troubles and recession for the US car industry.
Facilitative questions:
Can we really consider today that unions are good things for employees over all? Or can we say that many industries and companies suffer of the rigid rights given to employees?
Concepts and brief description:
In the working world, with time, three different groups appeared in order to defend different rights and concepts. Those groups are the managers of a structure, the unions of employees, and society. All those groups have different objectives that are often opposed. Their main role is to negotiate with each other in order to find a solution that satisfies everyone.
Managers always look for solutions that have low costs and which raise outputs. They work on avoiding clashes with their employees which are often encouraged by unions. Finally they look for solutions which will let them remain flexible and keep control over rules and schedules.
Unions fight to obtain acceptable work conditions for employees. They want to enroll and represent as many workers as possible because the more employees they gather, the more power, financial resources, and strike power they obtain. Unions also claim higher salaries and stronger rights for employees. They aim at building solidarity among employees.
Society hopes that unions will transform violence between workers and management into negotiations. However, with time, many scholars became worried about union actions because they came to a point where workers have too much power over management.
Emotional hook:
Many criticize the actions of unions against management. However, if unions had not appeared, we probably still would work with bad work conditions and with no rights. Unions created a regulated and structured work area for almost all categories of jobs. Today we should be happy that unions allow their leaders to sit around a table in order to defend workers’ rights and conditions.
Key to elicit discussions:
The situation of the car industry is certainly the best US example which shows that unions are not always the solution to workers’ problems. With years, unions got too much power, gave too many rights to workers which make the production costs go higher, which can be the cause of huge troubles and recession for the US car industry.
Facilitative questions:
Can we really consider today that unions are good things for employees over all? Or can we say that many industries and companies suffer of the rigid rights given to employees?
Saturday, February 27, 2010
RECOGNIZING EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTIONS WITH PAY
Concept and brief description:
In order to pay and give incentives to its employees, a structure can adopt different strategies depending on the job and on the expectations.
For individuals, the different types of pays are pieces of rates, standard hour plans, performance bonuses, merit pay, performance bonuses, and sales commissions.
For groups, a company can choose to to give incentives such as gain sharing, group bonus, or team awards.
Finally, a structure can give rewards to organizations such as profit sharing and stock ownership.
Emotional hook:
In a situation where the pay system is completely not adapted to the expectations or to the type of job, the incentives and motivating measures would be completely inefficient to increase productivity, profitability, and benefits of the company.
Key to elicit discussions:
A company needs to find other solutions and incentives to motivate its employees if the work conditions are too hard or if employees expect more than simply high wages.
Facilitative questions:
How can HR Management determine if salary systems are adapted to the job and to the expectations of the employees in order to create an efficient incentive system?
Concept and brief description:
In order to pay and give incentives to its employees, a structure can adopt different strategies depending on the job and on the expectations.
For individuals, the different types of pays are pieces of rates, standard hour plans, performance bonuses, merit pay, performance bonuses, and sales commissions.
For groups, a company can choose to to give incentives such as gain sharing, group bonus, or team awards.
Finally, a structure can give rewards to organizations such as profit sharing and stock ownership.
Emotional hook:
In a situation where the pay system is completely not adapted to the expectations or to the type of job, the incentives and motivating measures would be completely inefficient to increase productivity, profitability, and benefits of the company.
Key to elicit discussions:
A company needs to find other solutions and incentives to motivate its employees if the work conditions are too hard or if employees expect more than simply high wages.
Facilitative questions:
How can HR Management determine if salary systems are adapted to the job and to the expectations of the employees in order to create an efficient incentive system?
Thursday, February 18, 2010
ESTABLISHING A PAY STRUCTURE
Concept and brief description:
Along with managing and motivating a team, the way an organization pays its employees is also very important. A company should have a pay plan which includes a job structure, a pay level plan, and a pay structure.
Moreover, the law requires a company to follows certain regulations. For example, the pay may be equal for equal jobs inside the company. The salary must be equal or higher than the minimum wage ($5.15 per hour), and every hour beyond 40 hours a week should be paid as overtime.
As the payroll is one of the highest expenses of an organization, it has to be planned according to the goals of the company. It has to be balanced in order to keep the price and the products competitive. In order to keep the employees as long as possible in the company, the average salary should be in the average of the industry.
Finally the pay should be adapted to the size of the company, to the range of the products sold, to the qualification of the employees, to the market previsions, and to the positioning of the company in the market.
Emotional hook:
Usually work force looks for higher salaries. If a qualified or non-qualified work force finds a company which pays more than the company they work for, the chances are that the workers are going to try to join that company.
Key to elicit discussions:
If a company wants to motivate its labor force and keep them in the organization as long as possible, the salaries have to bed adapted and attracting. Most workers are going to take the job which offers the highest salary.
Facilitative questions:
How can a company make sure that the salaries are up to the expectations of its workers and if the wages offered are attracting enough?
Concept and brief description:
Along with managing and motivating a team, the way an organization pays its employees is also very important. A company should have a pay plan which includes a job structure, a pay level plan, and a pay structure.
Moreover, the law requires a company to follows certain regulations. For example, the pay may be equal for equal jobs inside the company. The salary must be equal or higher than the minimum wage ($5.15 per hour), and every hour beyond 40 hours a week should be paid as overtime.
As the payroll is one of the highest expenses of an organization, it has to be planned according to the goals of the company. It has to be balanced in order to keep the price and the products competitive. In order to keep the employees as long as possible in the company, the average salary should be in the average of the industry.
Finally the pay should be adapted to the size of the company, to the range of the products sold, to the qualification of the employees, to the market previsions, and to the positioning of the company in the market.
Emotional hook:
Usually work force looks for higher salaries. If a qualified or non-qualified work force finds a company which pays more than the company they work for, the chances are that the workers are going to try to join that company.
Key to elicit discussions:
If a company wants to motivate its labor force and keep them in the organization as long as possible, the salaries have to bed adapted and attracting. Most workers are going to take the job which offers the highest salary.
Facilitative questions:
How can a company make sure that the salaries are up to the expectations of its workers and if the wages offered are attracting enough?
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
DEVELOPING EMPLOYEE FOR FUTURE SUCCESS
Concepts and brief description:
Training an employee is not a matter of two or three weeks after hiring the new worker. It is an entire process which will help to prevent high retention or turn over, and which will build up employees for future success. Training has to be future oriented in the purpose of giving diverse jobs or higher positions in the future.
Employee development is more than a simple training and more than a follow up on the skills and abilities of a worker. To correctly develop his skills and keep up the motivation, the training has to deal with interpersonal relationship, formal education, job experiences, and assessment.
Along with the employee development, a system of career management should exist in a company in order to structure and focus the development of the work force to a future success of the employees but also for the benefit of the company. Career management should deal with self assessment, reality check, goal setting, and action planning.
Emotional hook:
Imagine an employee working in the same company for many years but not seeing his position or skill improved. This will kill his motivation and vision for his future. This employee will probably know more about the company, the system, the corporate culture, and solutions to problems better than a young educated new worker.
Key to elicit discussion:
If motivation is one of the most important factors for a company and its employees, giving hope and positive visions for the future of its employees is the best investment for a business.
Facilitative questions:
How can a company efficiently create an employee development and career management for its employees?
Concepts and brief description:
Training an employee is not a matter of two or three weeks after hiring the new worker. It is an entire process which will help to prevent high retention or turn over, and which will build up employees for future success. Training has to be future oriented in the purpose of giving diverse jobs or higher positions in the future.
Employee development is more than a simple training and more than a follow up on the skills and abilities of a worker. To correctly develop his skills and keep up the motivation, the training has to deal with interpersonal relationship, formal education, job experiences, and assessment.
Along with the employee development, a system of career management should exist in a company in order to structure and focus the development of the work force to a future success of the employees but also for the benefit of the company. Career management should deal with self assessment, reality check, goal setting, and action planning.
Emotional hook:
Imagine an employee working in the same company for many years but not seeing his position or skill improved. This will kill his motivation and vision for his future. This employee will probably know more about the company, the system, the corporate culture, and solutions to problems better than a young educated new worker.
Key to elicit discussion:
If motivation is one of the most important factors for a company and its employees, giving hope and positive visions for the future of its employees is the best investment for a business.
Facilitative questions:
How can a company efficiently create an employee development and career management for its employees?
Saturday, February 6, 2010
MANAGING EMPLOYEES’ PERFORMANCE
Concepts and brief description:
Managers daily face troubles and challenges coming from the work force. For example, some of the most common issues emerging from a team can be discouragement, inconsistency in recognizing employees’ skills, non qualification of certain employees to accomplish certain duties, abuse of power from managers, anguish…
To avoid problems and evaluate issues, a company should have an evaluation of performance management. It aims at creating a strategy to help employees achieve business objectives, an administration to provide information for day-to-day decisions, and a development to help employees strengthen their knowledge and skills.
Finally this evaluation of performance must have several criteria in order to be efficient.
It must fit the organization’s strategy, it must be valid, reliable, acceptable, and bring specific feedback.
Emotional hooks:
If managers do not have tools and means to motivate a team, it will lose it efficiency and profitability for the organization. If the motivation strategy and evaluation of performance do not identify and bring any fee back, it is inefficient and does not help the company to go forward and to stay competitive.
Key to elicit discussion:
For example, discouraged employees will not accomplish their job very efficiently and as fast as they should. In the case of a customer service organization, this kind of behavior from workers can become a huge weakness for the company and its image.
Facilitative questions:
How can a company make sure that its evaluation of performance is going to bring specific and meaningful feedback?
Concepts and brief description:
Managers daily face troubles and challenges coming from the work force. For example, some of the most common issues emerging from a team can be discouragement, inconsistency in recognizing employees’ skills, non qualification of certain employees to accomplish certain duties, abuse of power from managers, anguish…
To avoid problems and evaluate issues, a company should have an evaluation of performance management. It aims at creating a strategy to help employees achieve business objectives, an administration to provide information for day-to-day decisions, and a development to help employees strengthen their knowledge and skills.
Finally this evaluation of performance must have several criteria in order to be efficient.
It must fit the organization’s strategy, it must be valid, reliable, acceptable, and bring specific feedback.
Emotional hooks:
If managers do not have tools and means to motivate a team, it will lose it efficiency and profitability for the organization. If the motivation strategy and evaluation of performance do not identify and bring any fee back, it is inefficient and does not help the company to go forward and to stay competitive.
Key to elicit discussion:
For example, discouraged employees will not accomplish their job very efficiently and as fast as they should. In the case of a customer service organization, this kind of behavior from workers can become a huge weakness for the company and its image.
Facilitative questions:
How can a company make sure that its evaluation of performance is going to bring specific and meaningful feedback?
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
TRAINING EMPLOYEES
Concepts and brief description:
Today a company has to be flexible and should be able to adapt to the variations of the market. If a firm fails to do that, it may lose its competitiveness. To tackle competitors and to remain competitive, a company should have training programs in order to improve the efficiency of its employees and to use the technology available.
A good training program should have set objectives and goals, an efficient training process, an evaluation of the efficiency of the training, and finally should collect the feed back.
When training, a company should also have needs assessment in order to structure the training process. This means that HRM should analyze the context of training first, determine who needs to be trained, and identify the areas of improvement and training.
The organization analysis looks at the training needs, the persona analysis identifies who needs to be trained, and the task analysis determines what should be emphasized during the training.
Emotional hooks:
If a company does not have a training program, it will lose competitiveness. With inventions and new technologies, companies should be able to internalize those techniques and the employees should be taught and trained to use them. Managers can not count on employees to become more efficient or to learn to use new tools by themselves.
Key to elicit discussions:
The case of car manufacturing is a good example to show that if those companies would not have introduced robots and technologic tools, most of them would have huge construction costs and would be able to face competitors.
Facilitative questions:
How often should employees be trained? Should every single employee be trained regularly?
Concepts and brief description:
Today a company has to be flexible and should be able to adapt to the variations of the market. If a firm fails to do that, it may lose its competitiveness. To tackle competitors and to remain competitive, a company should have training programs in order to improve the efficiency of its employees and to use the technology available.
A good training program should have set objectives and goals, an efficient training process, an evaluation of the efficiency of the training, and finally should collect the feed back.
When training, a company should also have needs assessment in order to structure the training process. This means that HRM should analyze the context of training first, determine who needs to be trained, and identify the areas of improvement and training.
The organization analysis looks at the training needs, the persona analysis identifies who needs to be trained, and the task analysis determines what should be emphasized during the training.
Emotional hooks:
If a company does not have a training program, it will lose competitiveness. With inventions and new technologies, companies should be able to internalize those techniques and the employees should be taught and trained to use them. Managers can not count on employees to become more efficient or to learn to use new tools by themselves.
Key to elicit discussions:
The case of car manufacturing is a good example to show that if those companies would not have introduced robots and technologic tools, most of them would have huge construction costs and would be able to face competitors.
Facilitative questions:
How often should employees be trained? Should every single employee be trained regularly?
Saturday, January 30, 2010
SELECTING EMPLOYEES AND PLACING THEM IN JOBS
Concepts and brief description:
When recruiting a new employee, HRM need to select the applications and résumés that are sent. Five steps compose the recruitment process.
First of all, the selection of resumes should be done by screening the applications, testing the applicant, interviewing the person, checking on references, and making a decision.
Second, the evaluation process whose applicants will go through should be reliable, legal, valid, generalizable, and of high-utility.
Third, the application should contain the contact information of the applicant, his work experience, his educational background, and his signature.
Fourth, the employment tests should deal with physical ability, cognitive capacity, personality inventories, honesty and drug tests, and medical examinations.
Finally, the way HRM will communicate the decision should include the job responsibilities, the work schedule, the rate of pay, and the starting date, as well as a dead line to accept or refuse the offer.
Emotional hook:
For my first job in America, the rate of pay was not confirmed by HRM. As a consequence, an important misunderstanding appeared the very first month. In many situations, this very point can create unnecessary tensions and problems for a new employee.
Key to elicit discussions:
The strategy HRM choose to recruit employees needs to be tested and confirmed efficient in order to save as much time as possible in order to choose a new employee.
Facilitative questions:
Should HRM use the same strategy to interview every single applicant? How can HRM create tests and strategies which will guarantee that the company hires the right person?
Concepts and brief description:
When recruiting a new employee, HRM need to select the applications and résumés that are sent. Five steps compose the recruitment process.
First of all, the selection of resumes should be done by screening the applications, testing the applicant, interviewing the person, checking on references, and making a decision.
Second, the evaluation process whose applicants will go through should be reliable, legal, valid, generalizable, and of high-utility.
Third, the application should contain the contact information of the applicant, his work experience, his educational background, and his signature.
Fourth, the employment tests should deal with physical ability, cognitive capacity, personality inventories, honesty and drug tests, and medical examinations.
Finally, the way HRM will communicate the decision should include the job responsibilities, the work schedule, the rate of pay, and the starting date, as well as a dead line to accept or refuse the offer.
Emotional hook:
For my first job in America, the rate of pay was not confirmed by HRM. As a consequence, an important misunderstanding appeared the very first month. In many situations, this very point can create unnecessary tensions and problems for a new employee.
Key to elicit discussions:
The strategy HRM choose to recruit employees needs to be tested and confirmed efficient in order to save as much time as possible in order to choose a new employee.
Facilitative questions:
Should HRM use the same strategy to interview every single applicant? How can HRM create tests and strategies which will guarantee that the company hires the right person?
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
PLANNING FOR AND RECRUITING HUMAN RESOURCES
Concept and brief description:
In order to plan recruitment, HRM should create a strategy. This strategy can be conceived by following three important steps.
First, HRM must determine and evaluate the demand and needs for human resources in the company. HRM has to know which areas are going to require and need work force, or which departments are going to be overstaffed. To anticipate the demand and in the mean time the needs of workers, HRM can use several tools or data such as trend analysis, leading indicators, or transitional matrix.
Second, the chairman office along with HRM should set goals and strategies. They all need to set numerical objectives in order to focus on the same target. They also should identify possible problems and obstacles in order to find a solution to avoid those withdraws or to solve them as efficiently as possible. HRM should also adopt a human resource strategy in order to tackle the needs of human resources and according to the demand of the market.
Third, HRM needs to organize affirmative actions. It is a must for HRM to know and to plan how to deal with diversity in the work force.
Those three steps must be followed in order to be ready to tackle the surprises of the market and to stay competitive.
Emotional hook:
In the hypothesis of a boom in the market, a company which does not have necessary human resources or which did not anticipate this upward in the market will not be able to make as much benefits and to get as many market shares as it could have if it had been prepared and ready to catch up to the demand of the market and customers.
Key to elicit discussions:
It can be hard and complicated for HRM to try to anticipate a demand or need of work force based on theories and averages given by other organisms. HRM can try to plan as well as possible, the anticipations and predictions will rarely be accurate.
Facilitative questions:
How can a company make sure that it will have enough human resources or work force in the case of a sudden boom of the economy of market?
Concept and brief description:
In order to plan recruitment, HRM should create a strategy. This strategy can be conceived by following three important steps.
First, HRM must determine and evaluate the demand and needs for human resources in the company. HRM has to know which areas are going to require and need work force, or which departments are going to be overstaffed. To anticipate the demand and in the mean time the needs of workers, HRM can use several tools or data such as trend analysis, leading indicators, or transitional matrix.
Second, the chairman office along with HRM should set goals and strategies. They all need to set numerical objectives in order to focus on the same target. They also should identify possible problems and obstacles in order to find a solution to avoid those withdraws or to solve them as efficiently as possible. HRM should also adopt a human resource strategy in order to tackle the needs of human resources and according to the demand of the market.
Third, HRM needs to organize affirmative actions. It is a must for HRM to know and to plan how to deal with diversity in the work force.
Those three steps must be followed in order to be ready to tackle the surprises of the market and to stay competitive.
Emotional hook:
In the hypothesis of a boom in the market, a company which does not have necessary human resources or which did not anticipate this upward in the market will not be able to make as much benefits and to get as many market shares as it could have if it had been prepared and ready to catch up to the demand of the market and customers.
Key to elicit discussions:
It can be hard and complicated for HRM to try to anticipate a demand or need of work force based on theories and averages given by other organisms. HRM can try to plan as well as possible, the anticipations and predictions will rarely be accurate.
Facilitative questions:
How can a company make sure that it will have enough human resources or work force in the case of a sudden boom of the economy of market?
Friday, January 22, 2010
ANALYZING WORK AND DESIGNING JOBS
Concepts and brief description:
Concerning work organization, HRM has a lot of important responsibilities. First concerning the work flow, HR needs to analyze the duties which need to be done in order to create and define a job. HRM has to evaluate raw inputs and the equipment and resources required to accomplish that job.
Second, HR has to create a job analysis in order to make sure that the company will attract and recruit the right employee. HR should write a conceive and accurate job description of the tasks, duties and responsibilities that the company seeks.
Third, the job specifications must be clear in order to communicate efficiently the demand of the firm. Those specifications must inform the applicant about the knowledge, skills, and abilities required by the managers. HR must also make sure that the new recruit will have the ability to adapt to change and evolution of the company.
The job design conceived by the HRM should also be efficient. It aims at evaluating the mental capacities, the safety and health of the employee, and of course the motivation. This process is very important because HRM only has a short period of time to gather information and analyze the personality of the person who is going to be hired.
Emotional hook:
In the situation where the recruiting strategy would not be structured and determined, the time, money, and energy used to hire one person would be a waste. If HRM do not exactly know what the company is looking for, what the requirements for this specific job is, and cannot efficiently communicate those expectations, a great deal of time and money would be lost.
Key to elicit discussions:
Do you think that unprepared HRM could attract efficient and qualified employees?
Facilitative questions:
What are the best strategies and behavior HRM should have in order to attract efficient, qualified, and good workers?
Concepts and brief description:
Concerning work organization, HRM has a lot of important responsibilities. First concerning the work flow, HR needs to analyze the duties which need to be done in order to create and define a job. HRM has to evaluate raw inputs and the equipment and resources required to accomplish that job.
Second, HR has to create a job analysis in order to make sure that the company will attract and recruit the right employee. HR should write a conceive and accurate job description of the tasks, duties and responsibilities that the company seeks.
Third, the job specifications must be clear in order to communicate efficiently the demand of the firm. Those specifications must inform the applicant about the knowledge, skills, and abilities required by the managers. HR must also make sure that the new recruit will have the ability to adapt to change and evolution of the company.
The job design conceived by the HRM should also be efficient. It aims at evaluating the mental capacities, the safety and health of the employee, and of course the motivation. This process is very important because HRM only has a short period of time to gather information and analyze the personality of the person who is going to be hired.
Emotional hook:
In the situation where the recruiting strategy would not be structured and determined, the time, money, and energy used to hire one person would be a waste. If HRM do not exactly know what the company is looking for, what the requirements for this specific job is, and cannot efficiently communicate those expectations, a great deal of time and money would be lost.
Key to elicit discussions:
Do you think that unprepared HRM could attract efficient and qualified employees?
Facilitative questions:
What are the best strategies and behavior HRM should have in order to attract efficient, qualified, and good workers?
Sunday, January 17, 2010
HOW TO PROTECT AGAINST DISCRIMINATION SUITS WITH A COMPREHENSIVE EEO POLICY
Concept and brief description:
In 2008, about 100,000 claims were sent to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. With the bad shape of the economy and the increasing number of firing, this number is more than likely to increase.
Face to this new tendency, Human Resources Management has the responsibility to find a solution. The best protection against discrimination suits is the creation of a solid and consistently applied policy on Equal Employment Opportunity.
An employer is exposed to the risk of discrimination every single day. An innocent question or comment can be interpreted as discrimination or harassment by the employee. Any question or remark about family, sex, race, age, and religion can lead to a suit for discrimination.
The best way to avoid those situations is to write an anti-discrimination chart for the company. The company and Human Resources must define a purpose, indentify protected groups, provide examples, identify a contact, conclude and anti-retaliation clause, describe the consequences, communicate the policies, and follow the company policy.
By creating those rules and communicating the policies, the company shows that discrimination is not tolerated at work, and that employees are expected to demonstrate diligence towards co-workers, as well as protecting those rights.
Emotional hook:
Try to ask the very same question to five different people about their origins, religion, age, sex, and family. Then, ask them to write their impressions and feelings about being asked this question at work. The feed-back will be very different, some will be positive, others negative. What would be the reasons of those differences of feelings?
Key to elicit discussion:
Every individual is different and unique. It is difficult for a company and its employees to make sure that comments and remarks will not be interpreted the wrong way. A same comment to two different persons can be taken in two very different ways. Employees need to understand the limits and behavior to follow at work in order to avoid discrimination.
Facilitative questions:
How can Human Resources Management make sure that all the policies of the Equal Employment Opportunity are understood and followed by every single employee?
Concept and brief description:
In 2008, about 100,000 claims were sent to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. With the bad shape of the economy and the increasing number of firing, this number is more than likely to increase.
Face to this new tendency, Human Resources Management has the responsibility to find a solution. The best protection against discrimination suits is the creation of a solid and consistently applied policy on Equal Employment Opportunity.
An employer is exposed to the risk of discrimination every single day. An innocent question or comment can be interpreted as discrimination or harassment by the employee. Any question or remark about family, sex, race, age, and religion can lead to a suit for discrimination.
The best way to avoid those situations is to write an anti-discrimination chart for the company. The company and Human Resources must define a purpose, indentify protected groups, provide examples, identify a contact, conclude and anti-retaliation clause, describe the consequences, communicate the policies, and follow the company policy.
By creating those rules and communicating the policies, the company shows that discrimination is not tolerated at work, and that employees are expected to demonstrate diligence towards co-workers, as well as protecting those rights.
Emotional hook:
Try to ask the very same question to five different people about their origins, religion, age, sex, and family. Then, ask them to write their impressions and feelings about being asked this question at work. The feed-back will be very different, some will be positive, others negative. What would be the reasons of those differences of feelings?
Key to elicit discussion:
Every individual is different and unique. It is difficult for a company and its employees to make sure that comments and remarks will not be interpreted the wrong way. A same comment to two different persons can be taken in two very different ways. Employees need to understand the limits and behavior to follow at work in order to avoid discrimination.
Facilitative questions:
How can Human Resources Management make sure that all the policies of the Equal Employment Opportunity are understood and followed by every single employee?
Friday, January 15, 2010
PROVIDING EQUAL EMPLOYEMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND A SAFE WORK PLACE
Concepts and brief description:
As seen in the Chapter 2, the labor market has been evolving and changing for the last ten to fifteen years. The new minorities and diversities lead companies and Human Resources to create measures to avoid discriminations at their work places.
Discriminations are various and diverse. The role of Human Resource Managers is to ensure equal employment opportunities. A company has to be fair and give equal rights to its employees, equal salary policies to men and women, as well as equal treatments to workers, no matter their age. A company also must give equal employment opportunities to individuals with disabilities, to Vietnam Veterans, to pregnant women, and to every other person, no regardless to their race, color, religion, sex, and national origins. To guarantee those rights and control discrimination, the US Government created Commissions and means of control.
Even though all the discriminations evocated previously can easily be detected, an employee can still recognize if he or she is a victim of discrimination at work if he goes through disparate treatments (different treatment according to race, sex, age…), or if he or she sees disparate impacts (inequality of employment opportunities depending on the race, age sex…).
However, Human Resources Managers have means and solution to fight discrimination. Companies can create and promote affirmative actions, set up appropriate accommodation for employees with disabilities; they can prevent sexual harassment and value the new diversities which compose the labor force today.
Emotional hook:
Why is fighting discrimination so important legally? How can applying the Equal Employment Opportunity become an advantage and strength for a company?
Key to elicit in discussion:
We see in this chapter that discrimination and Equal Opportunities are now regulated by laws and amendments. However, those laws, which guarantee the freedom and equality of chances, seem to limit and control the free agency that companies have to hire whoever they want.
Facilitative question:
How can a company guarantee Equal Employment Opportunities to individuals who are unique and extremely different in many points to each other?
Thursday, January 14, 2010
TRENDS IN HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
Concepts and brief description:
Recent events and market evolutions have contributed to new criterions and strategies to select and hire employees. There are two main changes which lead HR to adapt their recruitment strategies. The first one is the change in the age of internal labor. The average age of employees becomes older and older. The second change deals with the races and genders of the work force. We see more and more immigrants and women in the internal labor force and external labor market.
Those changes create concerns to HR. They have to be careful with the law concerning foreign workers, and need to limit discrimination towards women. They have to create activities and measures to turn the diversity of its labor force into advantages, and to create equal opportunities for all.
Also, with the wide development of computers, new skills are required by employers. HR has to find a new way to recruit qualified and multi-task workers. A problem remains: there is a gap between the skill needed and the skills available on the labor market.
There are also three new trends in the work environment. First, workers are more and more qualified while the work category consistently moves toward the service area. HR must make sure that the labor force is motivated in order to provide a high quality service. Second, employees are given more power. As a consequence, they are accountable for the results and decisions they make. HR has to make sure that employees use their “power” efficiently. Finally, team work is more and more used. HR also has to guarantee that each team uses all the resources, talents, and values available in the group.
Finally, with the increase of competition in the market, HR has to do everything in its power to consistently improve the quality of the production of the company. HR also has to find way to keep the structure flexible, competitive, and efficient.
Emotional hook:
What would happen if HR did not really pay attention to the evolution of the labor market, or if the HR team did not take in consideration the diversity and skills available in the internal force? Furthermore, what if HR did not create any means and ways to keep employees motivated and efficient. Again, imagine if HR recruited unqualified, useless, or incompetent workers. Those three areas are all HR’s responsibilities and deeply determine and influence the future and competitiveness of the company.
Key to elicit in discussion:
We see in this chapter that diversity and motivated employees are very important. However, diversity can create a gap in communication and understanding between employees and managers. The language barrier can sometimes become a problem, and the presence of the opposite sex can lead to problems in a team.
Facilitative question:
How can HRM make sure that they hire the right person, at the right moment, at the right place, and how can they keep every single and unique individual motivated?
Concepts and brief description:
Recent events and market evolutions have contributed to new criterions and strategies to select and hire employees. There are two main changes which lead HR to adapt their recruitment strategies. The first one is the change in the age of internal labor. The average age of employees becomes older and older. The second change deals with the races and genders of the work force. We see more and more immigrants and women in the internal labor force and external labor market.
Those changes create concerns to HR. They have to be careful with the law concerning foreign workers, and need to limit discrimination towards women. They have to create activities and measures to turn the diversity of its labor force into advantages, and to create equal opportunities for all.
Also, with the wide development of computers, new skills are required by employers. HR has to find a new way to recruit qualified and multi-task workers. A problem remains: there is a gap between the skill needed and the skills available on the labor market.
There are also three new trends in the work environment. First, workers are more and more qualified while the work category consistently moves toward the service area. HR must make sure that the labor force is motivated in order to provide a high quality service. Second, employees are given more power. As a consequence, they are accountable for the results and decisions they make. HR has to make sure that employees use their “power” efficiently. Finally, team work is more and more used. HR also has to guarantee that each team uses all the resources, talents, and values available in the group.
Finally, with the increase of competition in the market, HR has to do everything in its power to consistently improve the quality of the production of the company. HR also has to find way to keep the structure flexible, competitive, and efficient.
Emotional hook:
What would happen if HR did not really pay attention to the evolution of the labor market, or if the HR team did not take in consideration the diversity and skills available in the internal force? Furthermore, what if HR did not create any means and ways to keep employees motivated and efficient. Again, imagine if HR recruited unqualified, useless, or incompetent workers. Those three areas are all HR’s responsibilities and deeply determine and influence the future and competitiveness of the company.
Key to elicit in discussion:
We see in this chapter that diversity and motivated employees are very important. However, diversity can create a gap in communication and understanding between employees and managers. The language barrier can sometimes become a problem, and the presence of the opposite sex can lead to problems in a team.
Facilitative question:
How can HRM make sure that they hire the right person, at the right moment, at the right place, and how can they keep every single and unique individual motivated?
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
PERSONAL PRESENTATION
My name is Pierre Stegelitz. I was born on August 17th, 1983 in Nimes, a city in Southern France. I have three sisters and one brother. My family is amazing, but we are all spread out throughout the world. My oldest sister, Vanessa, lives on the French-Spanish border, my brother, Terence, lives in Quebec, my other sister, Catherine, lives here in Lehi, Utah, and finally my parents and my youngest sister, Sophie, live in Tahiti. It is not the best situation for Christmas, but awesome for vacations. I now have three nephews, Lyllian, Joan, and Vincent, and two nieces, Emi and Chloe.
After having lived the fist seventeen years of my life, I move to Montpellier, a bigger city located about thirty miles west of Nimes, where I graduated from high school and went to college for two years. I then was sent to Norway on an LDS mission, where I had a great time.
When I returned to France from my mission, I moved to Paris, France where I started to study and work. I first passed my Associates and gained some work experience by being a Department Store Manager Assistant for two years. Then, I became a representative for a year while I was taking a Bachelor in Management, Business, and Marketing.
After graduating, in September 2008, I moved to Tahiti to live with my parents for four months, and had the best time of my life. In December 2008, I moved to Provo, Utah, where I attended the ESL program for a semester.
By coming here, my goal was to get into a MBA program. I am now taking this class in order to take some prerequisite to qualify to become eligible to enter the MBA program at Brigham Young University or at the University of Utah.
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