March 11th Class Reflection

In class today we discussed the Optional Benefits Programs and how companies can use them to improve the performance and loyalty of its employees. The most important thing to consider in any benefits program is to understand what the total compensation package is and communicate it appropriately. This was the last part of Chapter 13 and then we moved into Chapter 14 which was on unions and why and how they came about. The class consensus was that unions were needed when they first came out and had a good affect on helping workplaces become safer and employes to be treated more fairly. We then did an exercise to demonstrate the way that management and unions come to agreements. It was a fun exercise and it helped me understand the how it all would work.

Chapter 15 Discussion Topics

Concept and Brief Description

This chapter was all about the concepts we have learned all semester and how to apply them to the global marketplace. There are many issues that surround HRM when dealing with other countries and government. From laying off employees to compensation, there are many things that need to be considered. The factors that affect how to deal with international markets are:

· Culture

· Education

· Economic Systems

· Political-Legal Systems

The other part of the chapter talked about selecting the right people to go oversees to work for the company and how to pick the right people called expatriates. The following things should be considered; Motivation, Health, Language Ability, Family Considerations, Resourcefulness and Initiative, Adaptability, Career Planning, and Financial.

Emotional Hook

Companies need to look to internationally if they want to be able to continue to expand their company. However if they do not do it properly the opposite may happen and the company could make mistakes that could put them out of business.

Key Points to Elicit in Discussion

Not only do you need to focus on training the employee for the move to another country but often their family also to make the transition.

Individualism, Uncertainty Avoidance, Masculinity, Power Distance, and Time Orientation are all things that affect the design of training design for other cultures.

Facilitative Questions

What is cross cultural preparation mean for an employee and how does a company go about doing this?

How are parent country, host country, and third country all related in reference to an organization?

March 9th Class Reflection

Today in class we finished up the talk on Chapter 12 and then went into Chapter 13. On Chapter 12 we talked about the process that make incentives work. Here are some of the things that must be considered for this:

• Participation in Decisions
• Communication fairness and paint a picture for your employees
• Get input from employees

In Chapter 13 we went over employee benefits and the role they play in the organization. Many employees do not appreciate the value the benefits have for them and often will look at the pay and not realize that they may actually make more somewhere else with the added benefits even of the pay itself is less. There are also certain benefits that are required by law. These are:

1. Social Security
2. Unemployment Insurance
3. Workers Compensation Insurance
4. Family and Medical Leave- 12 weeks unpaid

Chapter 14 Discussion Topics

Concept and Brief Description

Labor unions are a way for employees to join together and create a group that gains power in numbers. Unions strive for fair pay and safe working conditions for all members of the union. Companies that use unions as their workforce usually pay more than ones that don’t but can also benefit from potentially more productivity and consistency. Labor unions are on the decline in the public sector and have been for a while, except in government work.

Emotional Hook

Labor Unions have had a bad reputation in some peoples mind because of the ties they used to have with the mob. Unions now are very organized and structured in the way they handle their relationship with companies.

Key Points to Elicit in Discussion

Unions need to be approved by 50% or more of the employees for it to be considered. Unless they get 30% to 50% they can do a secret ballot. What do you think about this process?

Unions make it better for employees to voice their concerns and have support to be heard. How can employers do this even if they don’t use unions?

Facilitative Questions

Why are so many government employees in Unions?

What happens in collective bargaining? Who is involved in these discussion?

March 4th Class Reflection

In this class we discussed incentive pay and how it can be used. There are three different options to base the pay: individual performance, group performance, and company performance. There are certain requirements that effective incentive pay plans should follow:

1. Measures are limited to the organizational goals
2. Employee's believe they can meet performance standards
3. Organization gives employee the resources they need to meet their goals
4. Employee value the reward given
5. Employee believe the reward system in fair
6. Pay Plan takes into account that employees may ignore any goals that are not rewarded

Chapter 13 Discussion Topics

Concept and Brief Description

This chapter is all about employee benefit options, which are vast. Companies can offer nearly anything as a benefit but need to be conscious of the cost of all of the benefits that they offer. Companies must also communicate to their employees what the values of their benefits are so they are appreciated. There are certain benefits that all employers must offer including social security, unemployment insurance, workers compensation, and family and medical leave (unpaid). Even though this seems like quite a bit that must be given, it is very small compared to what other countries require of companies, especially in parts of Europe.

Emotional Hook

Benefits are such a tricky thing, offer to little and you will not be able to compete with other companies in recruiting. Offer to many and you may spend to much and go out of business.

Key Points to Elicit in Discussion

There are many options with health insurance, how do companies choose what is best for them?

Retirement plans can be very complex and get very expensive.

Facilitative Questions

What are some of the legal issues surrounding benefits?

If you were an employer what would be the benefits you would offer?

What is the coolest benefit you could think of to offer?

March 2 Class Reflection

We spent the entire class today in the library learning about finding articles for our research paper and how to develop our topic. It was very helpful for me and I feel a lot better about the paper now after going through this. I learned a lot of tricks that will help me put my paper together and find articles that will be relevant and applicable to the research paper. I am still a bit nervous that about the project but I have confidence that I can get it done and am actually excited to learn more about the subject that I picked. There is a lot of work ahead and a challenge that I am better prepared for now.