EOC Week 10: Evaluations

This week I will be talking about evaluations in the work place. Have you ever been evaluated at work? Was it helpful or was it pointless? What is a performance evaluation? Performance Evaluation is a constructive process to acknowledge the performance of a non-probationary career employee. An employee's evaluation shall be sufficiently specific to inform and guide the employee in the performance of her/his duties. Through experience I have one really ever been evaluated once in the work place. This was with my first job at Ppopcornnopolis. Every year the company does performance evaluations that could lead to a raise if the evaluation was a great one. When my review came up, there were two parts to this evaluation. The first part was that we had to review ourselves and the second one was that our general manager, assistant manager and shift manager all had to review each employee. Since we were a close, tight-niche family we all got to see our reviews before it was sent to upper management and corporate. I learned where my strengths were, which were creating new deserts and were my abilities could improve one, which was keeping a clean station. The review itself was helpful, hearing the feedback from my management team was very insightful and I actually learned a lot and improved on all aspect of it. The review in general for corporate though was useless and a waste of time, since they never gave anyone a raise, but at the end of the day I feel like it is something that everyone should experience, so they can improve on their work skills and grow from it.

EOC Week 9: Sexual Harassment and the NFL

There has been a lot of talk about the NFL and the incident over the Ray Rice issue with his wife. Ray rice was put on suspension for two games for video footage showing Mr. Rice dragging his fiancée out of an elevator like it was nothing but trash. When the video was leaked he was on a two game suspension. Well recently the footage of how and why he drags his fiancée, now wife, out of the elevator was leaked. It was then that the NFL took action and suspended Ray Rice indefinitely from the Ravens and the NFL all together. The NFL goes to great lengths to preserve the image and integrity of the game, whether it's personal conduct or protecting competitive balance. The question is, should the NFL be able to fire someone for doing something wrongfully in their personal life if it had nothing to do with the workplace. Everyone is allowed their own opinion and mine is yes, I do feel that the NFL should take affirmative actions. One of the main things that I support the decision of the NFL is the personal conduct policy. In the policy it states:  While criminal activity is clearly outside the scope of permissible conduct, and persons who engage in criminal activity will be subject to discipline, the standard of conduct for persons employed in the NFL is considerably higher. It is not enough simply to avoid being found guilty of a crime. Instead, as an employee of the NFL or a member club, you are held to a higher standard and expected to conduct yourself in a way that is responsible, promotes the values upon which the League is based, and is lawful. There was that press conference where the Ravens paraded Rice and his wife in front of cameras and had them read a canned apology. Here's what he said Thursday after the suspension was announced: As I said earlier, I failed in many ways. But, Janay and I have learned from this. We have become better as a couple and as parents. I am better because of everything we have experienced since that night.

EOC Week 8: The Power Behind The Throne

This week I watched the movie called 9 to 5. This movie is not only a comedy but is a very realistic to what "secretaries want to kill their boss”. Some of the HR issues that took part in the movie were that, the 3 main women Judy Bernly (played by Jane Fonda), Violet Newstead (played by Lily Tomlin) and Doralee Rhodes (played by Dolly Parton) where being harassed by their boss Franklin Hart Jr.(played by Dabney Coleman) in different ways. Violet was being constantly shut down by her boss, giving her promotion to someone else even though it was clearly meant for her and pretty much using her for her talents, making him sexist towards women. Franklin Hart was sexually harassing Doralee and her coworkers were starting to act weird around her because Franklin would tell everyone that they were sleeping together. As for Judy is a naïve new employee, Violet trains Judy and introduces her to the department executive, Franklin Hart, Jr. who immediately reveals himself to be arrogant and sexist. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlaws discrimination in employment in any business on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Title VII also prohibits retaliation against employees who oppose such unlawful discrimination. One thing that also got my attention was the when Judy met the mail guy he said that no one ever advances and that you’re pretty much doomed to begin with. Internal search: A promotion-from-within approach that is utilized when seeking qualified job applicants. Applied properly, a promote-from-within approach can be very effective. If, for example, when seeking a rooms inspector, an executive housekeeper conducting the search felt that the best job candidates would be found among the hotel's current room attendants (or other current hotel employees), an internal search could prove to be very effective. After some time the women became enraged and eventually having to kidnap their boss. Resulting the three women changing the office space around, providing things that real woman that works a 9 to 5 jobs wish they had and didn’t have in a real office. This concluded to a 20 percent growth rate on the worker showing up to their jobs and actually working hard.  By Changing labor conditions include a shrinking labor force, lagging wage rates, industry reputation issues, and emphasis on training can lead to employee satisfaction.

EOC Week 7: Minimum Wages

Today I want to discuss the views on minimum wages. Should the minimum wages be higher or are they okay at where they’re at? First, what is minimum wage? I looked up the definition of what minimum wage means and this is what I found. Minimum wage is the least amount of wages that employees covered by the FLSA or state law may be paid by their employers. So it’s the lowest amount paid that can be given that an employer can legally give to their employees. Generally, employers may establish wages and salaries as they wish, but they also must comply with federal, state, and local laws that directly affect compensation programs. Nevada's minimum is $7.25 an hour, the same as the current federal minimum wage, for those offered health insurance by their employers. For those without health insurance, the minimum wage is $8.25 an hour. The Equal Pay Act (1963) requires that equal pay must be given to men and women for equal work, if the jobs they perform require equal skill, effort, and responsibility, and if they are performed under similar working conditions. I believe at this day and age minimum wage should be raised, and not just in Nevada alone, but around the U.S. In this day and age people cannot live off of $8.25 or less an hour, in this world, every home has a car, rent, internet, a phone, water, electricity and other bills that are needed to be paid. So by living off of that wage you’re conflicted by this because it’s not enough to pay all the bills and live to eat. In an article that I had read in the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is circulating a plan to raise the city's minimum wage to $13.25 an hour over three years. "There is a crisis in wages for the working poor and we feel strongly about the largest increase as soon as possible,'' said Maria Elena Durazo, chief of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, a powerful coalition of regional unions. Durazo pointed to union studies that show 46% of Los Angeles workers make less than $15 an hour. 

EOC Week 6:Perform job analysis, write job descriptions, and job specifications.

Public relations officer:

Job description

Some persons think about position descriptions during recruitment because they are used to provide applicants with an overview of a position. However, a position description also serves other purposes.

Public relations (PR) are the professional maintenance of a favorable public image by a company or other organization or a famous person. PR officers use all forms of media and communication to build, control and manage the reputation of their clients. PR officers monitor publicity and handle research to find out the concerns and expectations of the stakeholders.

It is important that proper performance be clearly defined. Then staff members will know what is expected of them, and managers will know when performance is acceptable.

Responsibilities

Performance standards must also be specific so that they can be measured. The role of a public relations officer varies and will depend on the organization. The tasks often involve:

·         planning, developing and carry out PR strategies

·         Networking  with colleagues and key spokespeople

·         researching, writing and distributing press releases to targeted media

·         writing and editing magazines, case studies, speeches, articles and annual reports

·         arrange and coordinating photo opportunities

·         organizing events including press conferences, exhibitions, open days and press tours

·         maintaining and updating information on the organization’s website

·         sourcing and managing speaking and sponsorship opportunities

·         instructing market research

·         Managing the PR aspect of a potential crisis situation.

Qualifications

• Experienced in the field for 3 years
•       Must have a bachelors degree in publications 

• Needs to know advertising, Publishing and Product Development.
• Familiarity with multiple channels of distribution, with special emphasis on direct mail and branded retail.
• Advertising and/or creative management experience with responsibility for major brands, particularly those marketed to children and parents.

EOC week 5: Marijuana in the workplace

Today I’m going to discuss about a case that happened in Colorado about a young man who was tragically injured in a car accident and the only thing that could help relieve his pain and muscle spasms was medical marijuana treatments.  When Brandon Coats was 16 he was involved in a car accident that left his upper spine crushed. He became paralyzed and has sporadic muscles spasm that left him in pain and disruptive sleep.  With no help in the prescription drug industry Brandon turned to his last hope, medical marijuana. He would only smoke at night to help sleep and never used when he was on the job site. When one day his job, Dish Network, decided to do a random drug test, Brandon failed and was terminated. This being said do you think, if you are using medical marijuana, in the comfort of your home and have the right documentations to use the drug, should your employer still be able to terminate you over the drug test?  It's been 25 years since the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act was passed, creating requirements for federal government workers and contractors. Many companies, including Dish Network, followed suit, and today more than a third of private employers have drug-testing policies. My take on the whole situation, and you don’t have to agree with me, is that if you have a visibly clear reason to why you use recreational drugs and have the proper requirements to use those drugs then you should most definitely be exonerated. Now if the employee was using at the workplace or doesn’t have the right requirements then of course they should be terminated for wrongful use in the workplace. But in Brandon’s case it should be qualified as a disability protection. The standard urine test most commonly used in employer drug testing measures the presence of THC — a psychoactive compound in marijuana that persists in the body for days, weeks or even longer. So a positive marijuana test doesn't necessarily mean the person taking the test is high, or has even used the drug recently. This being said if Brandon was using for medical reasons and there was low to none THC, which there are, then should he be exonerated? Barry Sample is director of science and technology for Quest Diagnostics, which conducts millions of drug tests. He says there may eventually be intoxication tests for pot that are more like the Breathalyzer's detection of recent alcohol use. "It might be possible at some point, but it's still developing," So hopefully in the near future people like Brandon can be exonerated from cases like this. 

EOC Week 4: Physical Attractiveness

This week I will be getting into the nitty gritty of physical attractiveness. The question that so many people ask what is human resources looking for? Do tattoos, personal hygiene and scars play a huge factor in getting that one job or not getting that job? An employer can no longer seek out preferred individuals based on non-job-related factors such as age, gender, or physical attractiveness. Those that do so may be confronted with significant legal problems. For example, if you applied for a high end office job and you had “SUCK IT” on your knuckles; do you really think that they would take you serious enough, even if you were more than qualified? Many places are looking for people to not just do the job but represent their company and their brand and if you have “SUCK IT” displayed on your knuckles than that’s putting a damper on the brand and the company itself. I am a huge advocate of tattoo and have six myself. But the difference is, is that all my tattoos are in places that I can cover and if they aren’t then they are appropriate and non-offensive. In many hospitality organizations, physical attractiveness is unquestionably a factor used to select employees in such positions as front-of-the-house food servers and hotel front desk agents. Employers are often uncomfortable dealing with hygiene problems such as body odor, incontinence, or inappropriate clothing. Some employers try to deal with these problems indirectly by sending anonymous notes or leaving soaps and deodorants on the employee’s desk. By instituting company-wide workplace hygiene policies, this delicate issue can be handled properly and without offending anyone. The workplace should be clean and safe; employees should be exposed to a minimum of germs. These policies are important regardless of industry, but incredibly important for food service and companies that regularly deal directly with the public. So just remember, if you have inappropriate tattoos hide them, there are make-ups that are specific for tattoo hiding, or if you’re thinking about getting a tattoo get it in a place that you can cover up via clothing. And lastly, dress appropriately, you can ask HR what is the dress code, and be considerate of others when dealing with gems.

EOC Week 3: This Charming Man

So this week we watch a nice little Danish romance movie called This Charming Man. But what caught my attention the most was the discriminations in the movie. There were a large amount of issues of discrimination. The first being is when Lars Hansen (Martin Buch) had been out of work for about two years. Going to interview after interview they all passed him off even though he was really quite over qualified for the job. That being said if you were an employer what you would do if someone hadn’t work in over two years but they had the right qualifications? Would you hire them or look passed them? “Managers have an important responsibility to help their new employees learn about and become comfortable working in the hospitality operation. Whether it is planned or just happens, all newly employed staff go through an adaptation process as they learn about the values of the organization and what it's like to work for it.” The second thing that I noticed was that there were a lot of racism issues between the Danish people and the Palestinian. But the one particular one that stood out was when the El Hassan whom Lars Hansen was pretending to be couldn’t get a job at the same place that he was already working at because of his last name, being not Danish. “It is not uncommon for hospitality employees to challenge even well-designed dress codes on the basis of purported discrimination related to their sex, race, or religion”. What would you do if you didn’t get the job because of your race, age or looks? Lastly, there were a few comments toward women by me. Being sexism, should men be allowed to call a woman that is not your significant other or daughter, SUGAR? “Employees and managers alike want to know that all of the policies and procedures applied to them at work will also be applied, in the same manner, to each of their coworkers. If they do not believe this is true, charges of bias, favoritism, cronyism, sexism, and even racism can result. Therefore, experienced HR managers know they must (1) carefully design and implement any operating policies they wish to utilize, and (2) reliably document their fair and consistent application of those policies.”

EOC Week 2: Sweet Charity

Today I had the pleaser of watching Sweet Charity starring Shirley MacLaine, the movie is about a Taxi dancer named Charity who continues to have Faith in the human race despite apparently endless disappointments at its hands, and Hope that she will finally meet a nice young man to romance her away from her sleazy life. What I thought that was most interesting about this movie was Charity’s interview with human resources. What caught my attention was the dos and don’ts of her interview that I thought was important for everyone to know. Note: if you have not seen the movie there are some spoiler alerts, but well worth it. I will start with her dos: before the interview scene there was a musical number with Charity and two other women, they sang about how they were going to get out of the life of a taxi driver. The two other women did not do anything about it, but Charity did. By taking the initiative to actually get out of her job that she was clearly unhappy at to find something better to achieve in even though it may not work out on the first try shows that you are serious and driven to do better in life and in your career. The second thing that she did right was not desecrated herself, even though she had no experience in ANY field she didn’t bad mouth herself or her current employer. Be honest and be yourself — your best professional self.  Dishonesty gets discovered and is grounds for withdrawing job offers and for firing. You want a good match between yourself and your employer. If you get hired by acting like someone other than yourself, you and your employer will both be unhappy. Her don’ts: she should have dressed more appropriately, if you show up the day before look around and she what they are wearing so you can be Dress appropriately for the industry, Your personal grooming and cleanliness should be impeccable. Lastly at the end of it and she broke down and cried. Don't act as though you would take any job or are desperate for employment.

EOC Week 1: Best and Worst Jobs

I have had many jobs in my short life span. Many were a life experiences while other were like a prison sentence. My all-time favorite job was also my worst job experience. I was 21 years old and had just moved back to Las Vegas and in dire need of a job. My aunt who happened to be looking for a new confectionest (someone who make desserts, in my case caramel apples, chocolate strawberries and much more) in a popcorn shop, I applied and obviously got the job. The work environment was unbelievable, I never worked in a place where the whole entire staff all got along with each other, in fact we all became really close friends. The turnover rate was at a standstill, we all followed my aunt who was an incredible leader making work seem like a game. The best part about our general manager/ aunt was that when we did have a problem/issue she took the time to listen and figure out how to handle the situation. Something that human resources and corporate never concerned themselves with doing. If our numbers dropped our General manager would take to time to make a game up to one up each other in our sales, which also made corporate very pleased.

About a year later the same staff all worked under my aunt, the general manager. Unfortunately a couple months into the year she was fired for something Human resources failed to file in my aunts paperwork stating that she has been to jail 5 years ago on an unrelated subject. It was like something out of a cartoon movie. Where the scene is so happy and bright with butterflies in the sky to and automatic thunder storm where lighting tried to strike at each squirrel trying to get home. The tension was high and management was low as ever. Instead of games to boosted up our sale they would drop our hours if our sales weren't up. They would under-staff on the busiest days to cut costs and if they didn't like you but had no reason to fire you they would put you on “paycheck therapy” cutting your hours more and more until you quit. This was Empowerment (“The act of authorizing employees to make discretionary decisions within their areas of responsibility.”), to a whole new level. Week by week someone would quit and the turn over rate is at a high.

The experience that I have endured was an experience to the best and the worst that I will never forget and appreciate for the rest of my life.