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.