Mr. Weber made a very good point when he said that salary and wages are an investment to the company. Therefore they need to make sure they are getting the best out of their investment. I feel very strongly about this. People who don't work hard and to their potential for their company are taking advantage of them and not giving them what they are paying you for. If there is a slack in the work place then I feel that the company should either reprimand them or get rid of them. The employee knows that they are taking advantage of the company by not doing their best.
Communication is very important between the company and their employees. Employees need to know what is expected of them and the company needs to follow up on their goals to make sure they are being done. If a company gives an objective for everyone to follow and no one actually gets it done, some companies just brush it off and some will get rid of those who don't reach their goals.
It was also interesting to hear Mr. Weber talk about compensated factors of certain jobs. He was talking about jobs that most people don't want to do like work up in Alaska on the oil rigs. That is what my dad does. He flies up to Alaska every two weeks and works on the oil rigs and the surrounding buildings. They are paid more because of the conditions that they have to work in. During the winter it gets to -60 degrees and sometimes the weather is so bad that they can't go out and work. He has some pretty cool stories to tell sometimes.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Topic Discussion
Concept and Brief Discussion:
Pay Structure
It is amazing at how large companies are able to develop pay structures that work for the employees and also make money for the company. It seems to me that that would be something very complicating and a hard thing to manage because the labor market is constantly changing and so is the minimum wage. Companies are probably constantly changing the pay scale because people also ask for raises or there are cuts in pay. This is a constantly changing structure in the company that needs to be updated and corrected often. The differences in each job require different skills that people have and their skills are usually more valuable or less valuable. It is interesting to find out how the companies can pay all of their employees and still come out with a profit. Sometimes it may not be much profit, but it is still something.
Emotional Hook:
What if you were running a company and there were so many employees that the company was not making a profit? What would you do? Would you cut their hours or would you get rid of some of them and keep the most valuable ones? How would you choose?
Key Points to Elicit in Discussion:
There are different evaluations that people have developed to put a price on the labor that is needed for the job. They are all different but have the same basic goal in mind but they take different aspects of the job and put a price on what the labor is worth. The company needs to make money but they also want to have employees that want to be there because they are paid well and they will stay with the company.
Facilitative Questions:
Wouldn’t you want to be paid the most for your job? If you felt valued to the company, would you stay with them rather than move to a different company?
Pay Structure
It is amazing at how large companies are able to develop pay structures that work for the employees and also make money for the company. It seems to me that that would be something very complicating and a hard thing to manage because the labor market is constantly changing and so is the minimum wage. Companies are probably constantly changing the pay scale because people also ask for raises or there are cuts in pay. This is a constantly changing structure in the company that needs to be updated and corrected often. The differences in each job require different skills that people have and their skills are usually more valuable or less valuable. It is interesting to find out how the companies can pay all of their employees and still come out with a profit. Sometimes it may not be much profit, but it is still something.
Emotional Hook:
What if you were running a company and there were so many employees that the company was not making a profit? What would you do? Would you cut their hours or would you get rid of some of them and keep the most valuable ones? How would you choose?
Key Points to Elicit in Discussion:
There are different evaluations that people have developed to put a price on the labor that is needed for the job. They are all different but have the same basic goal in mind but they take different aspects of the job and put a price on what the labor is worth. The company needs to make money but they also want to have employees that want to be there because they are paid well and they will stay with the company.
Facilitative Questions:
Wouldn’t you want to be paid the most for your job? If you felt valued to the company, would you stay with them rather than move to a different company?
Learning Reflections
It was interesting to learn about how companies use employee development to prepare their employees for the future challenges. Employees are responsible to take advantage of their programs because they are not required by the company to attend. I feel that these developmental classes that a company gives are extremely important to the employees because they allow them to develop skills that they don’t have. They allow the employee to build their skills and knowledge in new things that the company will be utilizing in the future. Why wouldn’t an employee take advantage of the classes available to them through their company? Usually they are free of charge to the employee. It is a great opportunity to develop their status in the company also, making them a valuable asset to the company that will allow them to stay longer and maybe even be paid more money. It is the responsibility of the individual to take these developmental classes for themselves. If they don’t want to then that is their fault. Those who do utilize that resource will be grateful they did in the future.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Discussion Topic
Concept and Brief Summary:
Job Satisfaction
If a person is not satisfied with their job they will either move to another one or stay in the position that they are in and not work effectively. There are certain aspects that make a job interesting to the individual. It might be the amount of pay they receive, the job complexity, the meaningfulness of the job and how it relates to the company, and the quality relationships that the individual has with their supervisors and coworkers. Retaining employees is just one of the challenges a company has.
Emotional Hook:
What if you were stuck in a dead end job with no real future to advance in the company? Wouldn’t you move to another company that respected you as an employee and helped you succeed?
Key Points to Elicit in Discussion:
Companies also need to let go of the people who don’t work effectively. It is a hard process to go through and there are usually hard feelings when that happens. No one ever wants to be fired from their job, so companies try to make the transition easier on the employee and on the manager.
Facilitative Questions:
Is it important to provide incentives for employees that you want to stay in your company? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a company that valued your efforts in helping the company achieve its goals and objectives?
Job Satisfaction
If a person is not satisfied with their job they will either move to another one or stay in the position that they are in and not work effectively. There are certain aspects that make a job interesting to the individual. It might be the amount of pay they receive, the job complexity, the meaningfulness of the job and how it relates to the company, and the quality relationships that the individual has with their supervisors and coworkers. Retaining employees is just one of the challenges a company has.
Emotional Hook:
What if you were stuck in a dead end job with no real future to advance in the company? Wouldn’t you move to another company that respected you as an employee and helped you succeed?
Key Points to Elicit in Discussion:
Companies also need to let go of the people who don’t work effectively. It is a hard process to go through and there are usually hard feelings when that happens. No one ever wants to be fired from their job, so companies try to make the transition easier on the employee and on the manager.
Facilitative Questions:
Is it important to provide incentives for employees that you want to stay in your company? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a company that valued your efforts in helping the company achieve its goals and objectives?
Monday, February 15, 2010
Learning Reflection
We are able to get more done with all of the technology that has been developed in recent years compared to 20 or 30 years ago. That may be true, but we are also more distracted by all of the things going on. When it comes to the internet people have to be multitasking and looking through three things at once. We try to multitask so much that we actually get less done. The quality of the things that we do is lower than what it should be.
On PBS there was a documentary that I watched called “Digital Nation” and it showed how people are being distracted by their life in the digital world. Students don’t pay attention during class anymore. They are busy doing something on the computer. Teachers are trying to make class more stimulating, but are unable to compete with the internet. Grades are supposed to be higher but they aren’t because they are not paying attention during class. We have all seen other people on their laptop during class searching for things on the internet, looking at their facebook, or playing games.
They also showed the impact of the internet on our brains. There is more brain activity, but it is bad for our brain. It is over stimulating our brains to the point were we are unable to think well and clearly. It said that those growing up are becoming the dumbest generation. As kids get older reading and writing skills degenerate. Their basic skills are worse than they were a decade ago. There are constant interruptions. The writing of college students is getting worse. Students write in paragraphs, not in full papers. The reason is that they write one paragraph and they do something else and then they write another paragraph. Students get distracted by email, facebook, chatting, and just staying connected to their digital lives. There is an information overload in all of our lives. I can see it happening in mine.
On PBS there was a documentary that I watched called “Digital Nation” and it showed how people are being distracted by their life in the digital world. Students don’t pay attention during class anymore. They are busy doing something on the computer. Teachers are trying to make class more stimulating, but are unable to compete with the internet. Grades are supposed to be higher but they aren’t because they are not paying attention during class. We have all seen other people on their laptop during class searching for things on the internet, looking at their facebook, or playing games.
They also showed the impact of the internet on our brains. There is more brain activity, but it is bad for our brain. It is over stimulating our brains to the point were we are unable to think well and clearly. It said that those growing up are becoming the dumbest generation. As kids get older reading and writing skills degenerate. Their basic skills are worse than they were a decade ago. There are constant interruptions. The writing of college students is getting worse. Students write in paragraphs, not in full papers. The reason is that they write one paragraph and they do something else and then they write another paragraph. Students get distracted by email, facebook, chatting, and just staying connected to their digital lives. There is an information overload in all of our lives. I can see it happening in mine.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Discussion Topic
Concept and Brief Description:
Job Experiences
As the book says, “Most employee development occurs through job experiences.” It is a combination of tasks, demands, problems, working with other people, and getting the job done. It is important to a person to have experiences because if they don’t have any experiences that stretch a person’s ability, they will not be able to grow and become successful. There has to be challenges that push a person out of their comfort zone. There is value in the experiences that we all go through, good and bad. We all learn better from situations that we have been through. Having a positive attitude and outlook on everything we do is also an essential part of job experiences.
Emotional Hook:
Has there been a time where the only way you could have learned something was by doing it yourself? We are not able to learn everything by reading a book. There is only one way to improve you and that is by taking action and doing something positive.
Key Points to Elicit in Discussion:
There are key events that a person needs to go through to have the experiences to become a good manager. They need to accomplish challenging job assignments and create relationships with fellow workers and supervisors. Going through situations that are tough; they may not be right for them at the time, but they will learn to develop the skills to accomplish the task.
Facilitative Questions:
Do you grow more when you are challenged or when you are doing routine things? Will certain job experiences give you the skills you need to become a successful manager?
Job Experiences
As the book says, “Most employee development occurs through job experiences.” It is a combination of tasks, demands, problems, working with other people, and getting the job done. It is important to a person to have experiences because if they don’t have any experiences that stretch a person’s ability, they will not be able to grow and become successful. There has to be challenges that push a person out of their comfort zone. There is value in the experiences that we all go through, good and bad. We all learn better from situations that we have been through. Having a positive attitude and outlook on everything we do is also an essential part of job experiences.
Emotional Hook:
Has there been a time where the only way you could have learned something was by doing it yourself? We are not able to learn everything by reading a book. There is only one way to improve you and that is by taking action and doing something positive.
Key Points to Elicit in Discussion:
There are key events that a person needs to go through to have the experiences to become a good manager. They need to accomplish challenging job assignments and create relationships with fellow workers and supervisors. Going through situations that are tough; they may not be right for them at the time, but they will learn to develop the skills to accomplish the task.
Facilitative Questions:
Do you grow more when you are challenged or when you are doing routine things? Will certain job experiences give you the skills you need to become a successful manager?
Learning Reflections
I cannot believe that people put misleading information on a resume. That just seems to just defeat the purpose of a resume. What if everyone did that? No one would ever ask for a resume from an applicant ever again. I feel that honesty is the best policy and if a person doesn’t have the integrity to put the truth on paper then they shouldn’t get the job. I know that resumes are a way to sell yourself to the employer but I feel that they should be a good representation of the applicant.
I was talking with my cousin just recently and she was telling me that she has been on a panel that has done some interviews and she was grateful to have other people with her. It makes the interview less stressful on the person doing the hiring. It also gives the hiring company legal protection. They can have multiple opinions on who should be hired rather than just having one. Taking notes during the interview is also important so you can go back and say why you did not hire a certain person. My cousin said that one of the applicants that she was interviewing called back after she found out that she wasn’t hired. She demanded to know why she wasn’t hired because she felt that she was the most qualified person. My cousin was able to go back to the notes that were taken and tell her which statements they felt were red flags for the position. It was a group decision and not just a personal one.
I was talking with my cousin just recently and she was telling me that she has been on a panel that has done some interviews and she was grateful to have other people with her. It makes the interview less stressful on the person doing the hiring. It also gives the hiring company legal protection. They can have multiple opinions on who should be hired rather than just having one. Taking notes during the interview is also important so you can go back and say why you did not hire a certain person. My cousin said that one of the applicants that she was interviewing called back after she found out that she wasn’t hired. She demanded to know why she wasn’t hired because she felt that she was the most qualified person. My cousin was able to go back to the notes that were taken and tell her which statements they felt were red flags for the position. It was a group decision and not just a personal one.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Discussion Topic
Concept and Brief Discussion:
Organizational Behavior Modification
This is the best way of changing a vital behavior that employees need to have to be successful. No one is perfect and no one person is the same so a company needs to implement certain behavior changing techniques that support company goals and objectives. When performance is assessed and measured then there needs to also be a system of feedback and reinforcement. These methods can be very effective if implemented correctly and used with consistency.
Emotional Hook:
What if you owned a company where employees were not working towards the company’s goals and objectives? Wouldn’t you implement certain ways of modifying their behavior to me the goals of the company? It can be done.
Key Points to Elicit in Discussion:
Many companies in the world have been able to change the vital behaviors of their employees. If you want to learn more about this topic then you need to read the book “Influencer” and you will get a better understanding of how behavior can be changed and stay if certain things are in place and carried out.
Facilitative Questions:
If left to themselves people develop bad habits which therefore look bad for the company. Shouldn’t the company be able to have available to employees ways to change these bad habits so they can improve their own lives and also improve the way they do their job?
Organizational Behavior Modification
This is the best way of changing a vital behavior that employees need to have to be successful. No one is perfect and no one person is the same so a company needs to implement certain behavior changing techniques that support company goals and objectives. When performance is assessed and measured then there needs to also be a system of feedback and reinforcement. These methods can be very effective if implemented correctly and used with consistency.
Emotional Hook:
What if you owned a company where employees were not working towards the company’s goals and objectives? Wouldn’t you implement certain ways of modifying their behavior to me the goals of the company? It can be done.
Key Points to Elicit in Discussion:
Many companies in the world have been able to change the vital behaviors of their employees. If you want to learn more about this topic then you need to read the book “Influencer” and you will get a better understanding of how behavior can be changed and stay if certain things are in place and carried out.
Facilitative Questions:
If left to themselves people develop bad habits which therefore look bad for the company. Shouldn’t the company be able to have available to employees ways to change these bad habits so they can improve their own lives and also improve the way they do their job?
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Learning Reflections
The saying “You are only as strong as your weakest link” really hit hard to me. I have invested in a business and we are trying to get it off the ground right now. When the teacher was saying that we need to make sure that we have a good team on our side I was really analyzing what kind of team I have with my business. Our business has had a couple of people fall short of what they said they were going to do so things have been getting off to a really slow start. Actually, we as the investors are taking over the assets because other people were trying to take advantage of us, so we decided to split up the company, but that is a completely different story and subject for another reflection.
It was fun having the guest speaker come and give us some good insights on HR and training employees in a company. He really gave some good points that were really helpful. I thought it interesting that “training ultimately impacts top (revenues) and bottom (profitability) lines in the company.” I never really thought that training was really that important, but I can see why it really is important. I liked his saying that, “Teaching someone new skills will improve their performance incrementally. Helping someone cultivate a passion towards a vision will increase their performance drastically.” We need to help people get motivated about what they are doing. They need to feel that they can make a difference in the company and can partake in the vision and objective.
It was fun having the guest speaker come and give us some good insights on HR and training employees in a company. He really gave some good points that were really helpful. I thought it interesting that “training ultimately impacts top (revenues) and bottom (profitability) lines in the company.” I never really thought that training was really that important, but I can see why it really is important. I liked his saying that, “Teaching someone new skills will improve their performance incrementally. Helping someone cultivate a passion towards a vision will increase their performance drastically.” We need to help people get motivated about what they are doing. They need to feel that they can make a difference in the company and can partake in the vision and objective.
Discussion Topic
Concept and Brief Discussion:
On-the-Job Training
On the job training is a very important aspect for those who are learning a new trade and would also like to earn money as they are training. An apprenticeship enables a person to work with a professional in that trade, while learning all of the ins and outs. They gain a better experience and are also able to pay for their education while they do the apprenticeship. An internship is a good way to prepare yourself for the real world because it lets you work with a company that you may be interested in. If they like you as an employee then they are able to offer you a job. Simulations are a great way of improving job performance because it helps a person internalize a situation that they really have never encountered or need to work on. Through simulations the employee gains essential skills that will help them improve and become more efficient in their work.
Emotional Hook:
If you were to learn a skill or trade, wouldn’t you want to learn side by side with a professional that will be able to give you immediate feedback on the work that you have done? Wouldn’t the professional be able to guide you with instructions and a visual demonstration and then let you do it? Isn’t this a better way to learn than just by reading a book?
Key Points to Elicit in Discussion:
There are many different ways of learning. In a classroom an instructor is able to present everyone with all of the material that everyone should know and practice, but there usually is no follow up and lots of time there is no practice of the principles learned. With on the job training, people are able to get immediate feedback that will help them learn a lot faster and are able to work with professionals in their field. I know that I would want to know if what I was doing was wrong or not rather than just doing it wrong for a while letting myself get into bad habits.
Facilitative Questions:
People develop bad habits when left to themselves to figure things out. Why not have a professional teach them how to do it correctly and have the learner practice the correct way so they know which way to do it? This way, wouldn’t employees be more capable of doing things correctly, and in the process become more efficient with their time?
On-the-Job Training
On the job training is a very important aspect for those who are learning a new trade and would also like to earn money as they are training. An apprenticeship enables a person to work with a professional in that trade, while learning all of the ins and outs. They gain a better experience and are also able to pay for their education while they do the apprenticeship. An internship is a good way to prepare yourself for the real world because it lets you work with a company that you may be interested in. If they like you as an employee then they are able to offer you a job. Simulations are a great way of improving job performance because it helps a person internalize a situation that they really have never encountered or need to work on. Through simulations the employee gains essential skills that will help them improve and become more efficient in their work.
Emotional Hook:
If you were to learn a skill or trade, wouldn’t you want to learn side by side with a professional that will be able to give you immediate feedback on the work that you have done? Wouldn’t the professional be able to guide you with instructions and a visual demonstration and then let you do it? Isn’t this a better way to learn than just by reading a book?
Key Points to Elicit in Discussion:
There are many different ways of learning. In a classroom an instructor is able to present everyone with all of the material that everyone should know and practice, but there usually is no follow up and lots of time there is no practice of the principles learned. With on the job training, people are able to get immediate feedback that will help them learn a lot faster and are able to work with professionals in their field. I know that I would want to know if what I was doing was wrong or not rather than just doing it wrong for a while letting myself get into bad habits.
Facilitative Questions:
People develop bad habits when left to themselves to figure things out. Why not have a professional teach them how to do it correctly and have the learner practice the correct way so they know which way to do it? This way, wouldn’t employees be more capable of doing things correctly, and in the process become more efficient with their time?
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Learning Reflection
It was interesting to find out the reason the US is still in competition with the rest of the world is because of our technological innovation. If it wasn't for that then we would be a country in need of a lot of help. I feel that we are on the border of being a country that will lose its worth in the world and get surpassed by growing nations. The US used to be the known superpower of the world but now we have been knocked down into the top ten countries in the world. We are no longer number one.
When it comes to human labor in the US the market is saturated with it. We have so many people looking for jobs. There are people with MBAs working at fast food restaurants and being waiters. Companies have their pick of the best talent out there in the market. Right now is not the time for a person to be coming out of college and looking for a job because they will have really no or little job experience. Therefore they probably will be overlooked because of the stack of applicants to a job. They won’t be able to stand out because everyone is applying to any job they can get. There are so many people with college degrees that they really don’t mean a lot now days. Hopefully soon the market will be able to balance out.
When it comes to human labor in the US the market is saturated with it. We have so many people looking for jobs. There are people with MBAs working at fast food restaurants and being waiters. Companies have their pick of the best talent out there in the market. Right now is not the time for a person to be coming out of college and looking for a job because they will have really no or little job experience. Therefore they probably will be overlooked because of the stack of applicants to a job. They won’t be able to stand out because everyone is applying to any job they can get. There are so many people with college degrees that they really don’t mean a lot now days. Hopefully soon the market will be able to balance out.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Discussion Topic
Concept and Brief Discussion:
Content and Construct Validity
Tests and situational tests helps the employers know the actual ability of the applicant than any resume or application will ever tell you. If you see how the person works and their ways of doing things will let you know that they are qualified for the job or they are lacking the skills needed to fulfill the position that is up for hire.
Emotional Hook:
Take me for example. I really don’t enjoy interviews because I get really nervous and I am usually not myself, but if I was able to show an employer my skills in a particular job then I would be a lot less nervous and more occupied on doing the job well. Maybe my verbal skills aren’t that great but I am a hard worker and will get the job done.
Key Points to Elicit in Discussion:
People normally aren’t themselves in a one on one interview. When you get them in an environment that they feel comfortable in and let them do what they know best or have more confidence in then they will perform better. It will match their abilities rather than their weaknesses.
Facilitative questions:
If you were an employer looking for the best person for the job, wouldn’t you want to see them in action rather than telling you what they can do? Wouldn’t situational tests give you a better understanding of the skills the person actually has, rather than the ones they might have falsely put on the resume or application?
Content and Construct Validity
Tests and situational tests helps the employers know the actual ability of the applicant than any resume or application will ever tell you. If you see how the person works and their ways of doing things will let you know that they are qualified for the job or they are lacking the skills needed to fulfill the position that is up for hire.
Emotional Hook:
Take me for example. I really don’t enjoy interviews because I get really nervous and I am usually not myself, but if I was able to show an employer my skills in a particular job then I would be a lot less nervous and more occupied on doing the job well. Maybe my verbal skills aren’t that great but I am a hard worker and will get the job done.
Key Points to Elicit in Discussion:
People normally aren’t themselves in a one on one interview. When you get them in an environment that they feel comfortable in and let them do what they know best or have more confidence in then they will perform better. It will match their abilities rather than their weaknesses.
Facilitative questions:
If you were an employer looking for the best person for the job, wouldn’t you want to see them in action rather than telling you what they can do? Wouldn’t situational tests give you a better understanding of the skills the person actually has, rather than the ones they might have falsely put on the resume or application?
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