Employee Assistance Programs

When we were on the topic of employee benefits I wanted to look into the EAP a little bit more.  It interested me and I had never heard of it before.  It seems like a good program to enforce because many times employees bring their personal problems to work and it ends up impacting their work negatively.  It seems that it would be smart for employees to put this program into place so that their employees can get help if they so desire or when needed.

Sometimes life can be overwhelming.  Luckily some organizations incorporate employee assistance programs into their workplace.  EAP is defined in our book as a referral service that employees can use to seek professional treatment for emotional problems or substance abuse.  These employee benefit programs are offered by many organizations usually with health insurance plans.  They are made to help employees deal with personal problems in their life that might end up impacting their work performance.  It is usually confidential service designed to connect employees and their families with experienced counseling professionals for help with personal problems and issues.  I think that it is a good thing to be confidential because it might start gossip around the office.  If someone needs help it should be between the employee and their boss or whomever they select to assist them for getting help they deserve.  I wonder how many organizations offer this benefit.  I know I had never heard of it until now. I guess the program began in 1950's focusing mainly on alcoholism and then expanded later to drug treatment.  They now cover a bunch of different services depending on the organization.  Some have counseling, family treatments, financial help, drugs and alcohol, etc.  There are a lot of different reasons to hold EAP's within the workplace. Proactive programs work collaboratively with employers to help maintain high morale in the workplace and assist in the promotion of employee wellness. EAPs contribute to increased productivity, reduced sick leave, and reduced employee turnover.  Not only are they a positive thing for the companies financials, the help the employee out as well.  Win win in both situations.

Using Myers-Briggs at Work

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a test that identifies individual’s preferences for source of energy means of information gathering, way of decision making, and lifestyle, providing information for team building and leadership development (fundamentals of human resource management). It is an assessment that consists of more than 100 questions about how the person feels or prefers to behave in different situations.  The test will tell a lot about a person and their reactions to different situations.  It is a personality test, so of course you will learn a lot about a person's personality.  But is the test really useful around the office?

The information learned from Myers-Briggs can be used to find out about employees preferences or tendencies and helps the company know more about the employee’s communication, motivation, teamwork, work styles, and leadership. The results can also be used to show how employees can overcome both typical and out-of-the-ordinary obstacles in the workplace.  The test provides a bunch of results regarding the answers the employee provides.  They can be used for team work in providing talk about the differences that surfaced as a result of taking the Myers-Briggs test.  It can bring up good discussions about why certain employees are the way they are and why they act the way they do. It can also help in finding which employees would work better with other employees.  Organizations may use the results to group different employees together based on their personalities.  This can be helpful to stop confrontation and a good way to start conflict resolution. 

I think Myers-Briggs would also be helpful in employee selection.  Organizations may choose to give the assessment to applicants during the interview process so that they can see what kind of behavioral issues or personality problems exist in the applicant. 

Overall I think that although Myers-Briggs may be a long test and may not be 100% accurate, if employees are honest in their answers, it can be helpful in the workplace.

Preparing for a layoff

Layoffs are always hard.  Especially when you can feel them coming but are not sure what to do to prepare.  When we were discussing employee shortages and surpluses I thought immediately of layoffs and I wanted to know more about how to prepare in case of a layoff.  Two years ago I was laid off from my place of employment and it was definitely hard.  It was hard because I was not prepared and I did not know what to do next.  It was especially difficult because of how they told me.  One day I was driving to work just like any other day and I received a call from the Las Vegas office.  They told me that I was laid off and that I no longer needed to go in for that current day or any other day.  They said sorry and that it was nothing I did and had nothing to do with my performance.  They said that it was simply something to do with the current company.   So I drove home and immediately began to research unemployment benefits.  The other day, while researching for another class, I found a blog that talked about some ways to help prepare you for a layoff.  I want to talk about a few of them.

The first thing discussed was that if you suspect a lay off coming your way anytime soon, start looking for a new job.  Don’t give up your current job for something inferior, employees looking for a job should take their time to find a job that they love equally and do their best at.  Make sure to look for jobs that fit your qualifications.  They also talked about working towards a solution for the company.   All employees of an organization can contribute towards the company's success.  It might help you to start working on a plan to find a way for the company to start making more money or to cut expenses.  If an employee is satisfied with the current job they hold, they should work hard to keep it alive.  Another tip, was to save your money.  Saving money is always good advice no matter what you’re doing.  The final tip was to "ignore most rumors".  They gave an example about a company where there were a bunch of rumors flying around about potential layoffs.  The only time the statements were true was the day of actual layoffs.  Unless you as the employee learn of a potential layoff directly from someone reliable in the company, or you yourself have access to actual data or numbers, don't believe everything you hear.  When rumors start in an office they usually get over told and changed up.  Just make sure that you are prepared if you hear of a layoff coming your way.  It will help with the shock and with the actual layoff.

Social Security

Our book defines social security as a program which combines old age insurance, surivors insurance, disability insurance, hospital insurance, and supplementary medical insurance for the elderly.  There is a lot of talk going on about social security.  It is a flat payroll tax on employers and employees. Somepeople dont like it because they feel the government is taking their money, using it for other things, and they probably wont get it back.  Somepeople dont like it becuase they think the government is taking over their money and they would rather manage it themself.  Others are worried about how all the Social Security will go to baby boomers and there will be none left.  It has been said that social security is an entitlement because some people are getting back more social security than they put into it and others think that younger people are getting robbed because they are paying the tax if they are working, and if they are not working, the older people are stealing their place in the work force.  There is a bunch of hustle bustle that goes on about social security.  I hear a lot about my generation and that we will not ever receive social security.  People say that by the time I am ready for retirement, they will have ran out of social security.  I hope they come up with a plan to stop that from happening.  There is nothing really I can do but wait to see what really happens.  Maybe when I am ready for retirement they will have come up with an even better plan and I will receieve even more money than the baby boomers.  Yeah right.

Top Ten Minus One

Nine Hardest Human Resource Workplace Problems

I was researching the other day and I came across an article that listed the nine toughest human resource problems.  I am not exactly sure how accurate these are, but I thought they were pretty interesting.  I wanted to talk about them and what I thought about each issue.

1. How to deal with a negative co-worker.
When people don't like their job and or don't like their company, it can be hard to be around them for an entire workday.  I would start out with talking to the employee and determine what exactly is making them frustrated at work.  Maybe the employee actually has a good reason for being negative all the time.  If the employee is negative and is simply just a negative person, with no reasoning, it might help to suggest the employee to speak to someone in human resources.  If worst comes to worse, just limit your exposure as much as you can to that person or go yourself to human resources and talk to them about the issue.  Being around someone negative all the time might start to rub you in the wrong way.
2. How to implement strategic planning.
I decided to research some ways to make strategic planning happen in the workplace.  Strategic planning is the way to go of how to make change of any kind happen in your organization.

Full and active executive support,

Effective communication,

Employee involvement,

Thorough organizational planning and competitive analysis, and

Widespread perceived need for the strategic planning.

3. When management systems fail, why employees don't do what you want them to do.
When an employee doesn't do what they are suppose to, usually there are two people to blame: the employee and his manager. One way to get employees motivated is empowerment.  Letting employees decided when, where, and what they should do might help to motivate them to actually get things done.   Proper training will also help to get an employee to do what they are suppose to.  I bet, sometimes, employees are ineffective at work because they don't know exactly what they are suppose to be doing.  It
4. How do you know when its time for you to go.
Being stuck in a rut at work can be hard on you and your fellow employees.  You need to look out for your best interests. Your job consumes too many hours of too many days of your life for you to stay where you are miserable. No excuses, now. If these issues exist with your job, make a plan, and change jobs.
5.  Personal courage and conflict resolution at work.
There is no way you, as an employee, will be able to get anything achieved at work if you do not have personal courage.  Courage is necessary for implementing new ideas, resolving conflicts, changing policies and practices, and so much more.  It is especially necessary if you are going to to stick up for yourself and your ideas.  Practicing personal courage is necessary if you want to really resolve conflicts at work. It is much easier and much safer to ignore the necessary conflict and play ostrich. Conflict resolution:

• Causes people to listen to and consider different ideas.
• Enables people to increase their alternatives and potential paths.
• Results in increased participation and more ownership of and commitment to the decisions and goals of the group or person.

6. Accomplishing your goals and resolutions.
It is important to make goals and to have dreams about where you want to go with your specific career.  Make sure when you realize what you want, you create action steps to follow.  Creating a plan will help you to achieve the things you want and make your goal seem more realistic.  Making goals at work will help you achieve the dreams you have and will help you become more motivated.
7. Dealing with difficult people at work.
Difficult people come in every variety and no workplace is without them. How difficult a person is for you to deal with depends on your self-esteem, your self-confidence and your professional courage.  Make sure that you deal with people in the right way.  Have an effective conflict resolution and make sure if problems arise you take them up with human resources.
8.  Dealing with bad boss or bad manners.
It can become hard to go to work when you have a difficult boss.  It might cause you to hate your place of work.  Dealing with less than effective managers, or just plain bad managers and bad bosses, is a challenge too many employees face.  It is important to deal with your intolerable boss the right way.  Don't get yourself into trouble by fighting, gossiping, or ignoring.  Take up problems you have with your human resource and they might help you come up with an effective solution.
9. Team building.
Our book defines teamwork as the assignment of work to groups of employees with various skills who interact to assemble a product or provide a service.  Team building is important in the workplace for various reasons.  Not only is helpful for getting bigger projects done faster but it helps employees learn more about fellow co-workers.  It also helps employees to better understand themselves as to whether they are more of a leader or follower.  It helps them to know what they need to work on as a group member.

strikes

STRIKES

November 2010

Strikes can be defined as a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to perform work.  I heard someone the other day in class discussing the writers guild of america strike in 2007-2008.  I heard the strike mainly being called "writers strike'.  Writers Guild of America is the main union for screenwriters in the United States.  There are two portions of the union, Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West.  They are labor unions to represent film, television, and radio writers in America.  I wanted to research more about the strike so here is some of the information I learned....


The strike began on November 5, 2007 and there were more than 12,000 writers on strike.  It ended around February 12, 2008.  That is quite a long strike.  Their goal was supposedly about not getting enough money as compared to the profits people were receiving at the larger studios.   They got what they wanted and the board unanimously approved the "deal" to receive more money and around 92 percent ended the strike.  An economist, Jack Kyser said that the WGOA lost around 2.1 billion dollars with the strike.  I wonder if the strike was worth the loss.

When a company goes on strike I always wonder if the loss of work is worth the money lost.  When employees go on strike I always wonder if they make up the money they lost from not working or if it usually puts their company in the hole. 

COBRA

November 2, 2010

COBRA

Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconsiliation Act begain in 1985.  COBRA is defined in the book as, “requires employers to permit employees or their dependents to extend their health insurance coverage at group rates for up to thirty six months following a qualifying event.  I wanted to talk about COBRA and some of the ways and situations that someone can qualify for cobra insurance. 

Several events that can cause workers and their family members to lose group health coverage may result in the right to COBRA coverage. These include:

• Voluntary or involuntary termination of the covered employee’s employment for reasons other than gross misconduct
• Reduced hours of work for the covered employee
• Covered employee becoming entitled to Medicare
• Divorce or legal separation of a covered employee
• Death of a covered employee
• Loss of status as a dependent child under plan rules

We are all searching for our perfect career.  A permanent career that we can work at and love what we do.  However throughout a career, whether it be one we love or hate, employees will go through life events that might cause career changes or job losses.  COBRA began so that workers and their families can keep their insurance coverage during times of trouble. If you are facing the loss of your group health insurance coverage it is important that you know about COBRA and how it can protect you.

I think COBRA is a great way for people going through  a rough time to continue being covered with health insurance.  Employees still have to pay but they are given a “group rate”.    According to "Bill Aims To Subsidize Health Care For Laid-Off", only 10% of Americans eligible for COBRA insurance in 2006 used it, many because they were unable to afford to pay the full premium after their job loss.  Any organization that offers medical insurance must meet the requirements of COBRA.  COBRA brings opportunites to those in a "rough spot" and it provides employees and their families access to the same insurance services as to those who did not lose their health insurance. COBRA might have a lot of different restrictions, qualifications, and might cost more money than usual insurance, but it will probably end up helping more people than not.

Standard Hour Plans

October 26, 2010

This week we discussed how to recognize employee contributions with pay.  I wanted to expand on the topic of standard hour plans.  As defined in our book standard hour plan is an "incentive plan that pays workers extra for work done in less than a preset”standard time"". Standard hour plan is considered pay for a time allotted to complete the job, not time actually taken.  I want to talk about how it works and some of what I think are the pros and cons.  Let’s take for example a mechanic shop...

The shop will determine the standard time for completion of the task to replace a muffler.  They decide it should take about one hour to replace a muffler.  Under the standard hour plan the employee will receive one hour of wage for replacing the muffler no matter what time it actually took to replace the muffler. 

When using the standard hour plan organizations should always monitor the quality of work being done.  In the mechanic shop, one mechanic might take his time on the muffler to perform at his best ability.  When his or her’s performance is based on quality, it might take him longer to execute the task.  Another mechanic loves the money.  He hustles through each replacement muffler and gets three done in the same amount of time as the other mechanic.  He gets paid three times the money but his quality of work is not so reliable.  This is where the controversy comes into play with standard hour plan. 

I feel that using this pay structure might be timely and efficient in some ways, but I feel like some employees might take advantage of the system.  I bet that some employees will think to themselves..."I get paid the same amount whether I take the time to do it nicely or quickly rush through it.  If I perform at a quicker pace, I will have a lot more free time."  The standard hour plan may encourage employees to work faster but probably don’t encourage quality or customer service.  "Standard hour plans are more appropriate than a piecework incentive plan when the tasks or jobs are longer in cycle, nonrepetitive, and require many skills for completion" (blackwellreference.com)

serving our country while holding a job...

I completed my discussion topic this week on the armed forces.  I discussed the issues on whether organizations should pay their employees when they are deported or leave to serve their country.  I was curious to learn more about the USERRA.  USERRA stands for Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.   The USERRA was formed as a federal law.  The USERRA is enforced to “ensure that persons who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, Reserves, National Guard or other “uniformed services:” are not disadvantaged in their civilian careers because of their service; are promptly reemployed in their civilian jobs upon their return from duty; and are not discriminated against in employment based on past, present, or future military service.” (esgr.org)  A poster has been created by the US Department of Labor/Veterans’ Employment and Training Service to show the requirements necessary in the workplace.  I wanted to find out more about when and USERRA is the latest law in a protective act called the Selective Training and Service Act.  The Selective Training and Service Act started in the 1940’s.  It became an official law on October 13, 1994.  USERRA is an affective law to help those serving our country, have an equal work experience.   I learned that to be qualified to receive the benefits from USERRA you,

• must hold or have applied for a civilian job. (Note: Jobs employers can show to be held for a brief, nonrecurring period with no reasonable expectation of continuing for a significant period do not qualify for protection.)
• must have given written or verbal notice to the civilian employer prior to leaving the job for military training or service except when precluded by military necessity.
• must not have exceeded the 5-year cumulative limit on periods of service.
• must have been released from service under conditions other than dishonorable.
• must report back to the civilian job in a timely manner or submit a timely application for reemployment.

When deciding what to do with our employees who are also service men/woman, we must remember exactly what these are doing while they are away. The armed services do pay their service men for their time while serving; however many times this pay is not as equivalent to the pay they would have earned working a regular full time job.  This is where the USERRA comes in handy.  The USERRA makes sure that service men and women are treated fairly and equally. 

The discussion we had in class, this week, about insane workloads really got me thinking.  We watched a video clip which discussed statistics about average work week hours.  Something like 16% of women put in a 55 hour work week.  I am sure this statistic has increased because the video was made in 2003.  Technology has developed increasingly since 2003 making work more convenient to perform at home.  Because of technology, people can work from their home, the sidewalk, restaurants, etc.  With access to the internet on their cell phones people can access work information from almost anywhere.  Is this a good thing? Is it helping the workload or just making people more stressed out?  Employees under pressure or that are overworked seem to experience more depression or stress. 

When I was searching on the New York Times for another class, I ran across this article..."When Hard Work Becomes Overwork".  http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/jobs/21career.html 
The article discussed "workaholics" and how when a person becomes too obsessed with their work it can become a negative consequence and can actually affect work performance in a negative way.  "The behavior continues even if the worker becomes aware that it is personally harmful — even harmful to the quality of the work".  The article discussed workaholics as a disease and if it was considered an equal disease as to alcoholism.  I doubt being a "workaholic" is as harmful as an alcoholic.  There have been a few physical problems linked to working too such as the following: substance abuse, sleep disorders, anxiety and ultimately to physical problems like heart disease.  Those are serious problems and if someone is facing them because of overworking, they should definitely consider getting help and changing their lifestyle.  Working overtime and afterhours can definitely be harmful and can possibly ruin relationships in the home but I am sure the effects are not as devastating and will not leave such a devastating effect on a person’s life.  The article did however say that mental health professionals now consider workaholics a condition that can cause both mental and physical damage, which is understandable.  I think that a person should work very hard while at work but while they are home they should be at home and focus on other things.  Leave work at work and home at home.  I do, however understand that sometimes working will have to overlap with home but becoming a "workaholic" and combining the two forces together daily can be harmful to your work performance and your home relationships.  Work hard at work, very hard, but also take some time to relax and play at home. 

Emotional Intelligence: Look it up.

Emotional Intelligence: Look it up.  Acethecase.com defined "emotional intelligence" as based on the notion that the ability of managers to understand their own emotions, and those of the people they work with, is the key to better business performance.  Allpsych.com defined it as the awareness of and ability to manage one's emotions in a healthy and productive manner.  Last week we had the guest speaker come and talk to us about training.  He talked about emotional intelligence.  He told us when we got home to go and look it up.  I had no idea what it was and had no idea how it would be applied in to the business world.  He said that it’s a newer idea being used all throughout business.  He said that "emotional intelligence" helps create a great leader and brings you as a manager to your employee’s level.  Supposedly its one of the biggest ideas to hit the business world, yet it has been around since the 1900's.  I learned that it can even be traced back to the days of Darwin and how he discussed the importance of emotional expression for survival and adaption. Now day’s emotional intelligence is being related to the work place and testing people on their emotional intelligence can help you understand their thoughts and emotions on a different level.  I really enjoyed the guest speaker and the topics he presented on.  I actually went home and applied some of the things he spoke to us about. 

This week's discussion also brought me to think of another interesting point.  Facebook.  We talked about how when employers are holding interviews they will most likely search for the interviewee's on Google and facebook.  I am currently looking for a job and this topic of conversation made me go Google myself and check my facebook.  I would never have thought twice to Google myself to see what comes up. The first thing that comes up when I Google myself is my facebook page.  I double checked to make sure my page is blocked to random people and can only be accessed by my "friends".  This way if someone were to look me up and try to access my page without being requested they would not have access.  I would not want a possibly future employer to look me up on facebook and have something on my profile that might make them think twice about hiring me.  You do not really have control as to what people post on your wall.  The only thing you can do is delete their comments once they have already been posted.  You always want to leave a good first impression.

Downsizing

In my group discussion we talked about downsizing and temporary workers.  We had a really good discussion and one boy brought up a really good question.  He asked something to the effect of "if you have to downsize your company to simply save money who do you get rid of... the 50 year old employee that has been working with you for a while he is also close to retirement, or the new younger guy who you just hired.  We talked about letting go the older guy but having to deal with age lawsuits.  We talked about hiring the new guy but he wouldn't save you as much money as if you let go the older guy.  Downsizing is a difficult thing and always will be.  However it might make it easier to base it on performance.  The choice of employees should be based on redistribution of the work, not how long the employee has been with the company. Sometimes the employee you just hired has a skill far more valuable than one with seniority.  Basing a layoff on skill could be more beneficial and the company will probably be dealt with less legal issues.  Downsizing is never a pleasant thing and should be done with caution.  This question, on who to let go, really made me think.  There are benefits and consequences of letting go either guy but a decision must be made.  No matter which guy you let go, you just have to be prepared to face whatever comes next.  You must show reason for why you chose whom you did and you must have good reasoning.  After downsizing you must also make sure the remaining employees stay motivated and continue to work hard.  If you do things right you can reduce, and maybe even eliminate, the negative affects of downsizing in your organization.  It is important to stay productive after downsizing.  Downsizing can be a beneficial thing for your company but it can also have negative effects.  It is important to think things through and make sure to weigh the odds.  This discussion we had really helped me to see how in depth downsizing decisions can be.  I never really thought about the effects, whether negative or positive, it can have on a company. 

I liked watching the clip of The Office in class this week.  It helped bring what we were talking about to life and also helped bring some laughter to class.  The Office seems to always relate to the items we are discussing in class. I love The Office.

Pregnant.

Discriminating against Pregnant Workers…


The book gives an example of a woman from Washington who was laid off from her job. The reasoning they gave her was that she would soon be taking maternity leave and was not her family’s sole breadwinner. First of all when in the process of termination and deciding which employee to let go, you should base it on qualifications and job performance. Never should you tell your employee they are being fired because they are not the “sole breadwinner”. The woman in this story was discriminated against just because she was pregnant. The employer figured that since she was leaving on maternity leave anyway that he could just let her go all together. He probably figured that it would be easier to just let her go and hire someone to replace her, rather than hire a temporary employee to take her place while she is gone. As an employer, you probably do not know how things are at home, this pregnant woman could have been the breadwinner and her family could have been depending on her income. Termination should be based on performance and work ethics. Like it says in the book, “Decisions about work absences or accommodations must be based on the same policies as the organization uses for other disabilities.” Never should you hire or fire someone based on pregnancy. Most women can still perform most of their job descriptions while pregnant. Like the guest speaker said in class on Thursday, unless we receive a doctor’s note, pregnant women will continue with their required job description until deemed necessary by a physician. Pregnancy can be a complicated issue to deal with at the workplace especially with men. It is something that only women can understand. Both sexes, however must not take advantage of the issue. Women must know their rights and not push the boundaries with rules and accommodations. Men must understand that being pregnant is a complicated issue and some jobs must be adjusted as determined by a physician. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 was created on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or other kinds of gender discrimination dealing with females. Women are protected under this act and will be treated as fairly as others at the work place. I read the following online: “Under the law, pregnancy is considered a temporary disability, as are related medical conditions such as severe morning sickness, doctor-ordered bed rest, childbirth, recovery from childbirth, and any other related medical condition. Your employer must therefore give pregnant employees the same treatment and benefits that it gives to employees with other temporary disabilities.” Pregnancy defined as a disability must be treated like one. You must make appropriate accommodations as deemed necessary by the employer.

September 2, 2010

Merging companies...

In our discussion groups this week, the dude sitting next to me talked about merging companies some with different cultures or background. For my discussion topic I chose diversity in the workplace. These two topics can also be merged into one. When one company decides to buy out another company or they decide to merge different branches, it can either be creating something bigger and better or it can cause a down fall. We asked the question about whether or not you should force your employees to conform to the culture being emerged or if you should separate the differences. The answer was that it depends on each company and the situation they are in. You might find that forcing your employees to change everything about the way your company runs will terminate its success. All this merger talk reminds me of the episode on the office. I am sure a lot of what we talk about will remind me of the office. Oh well. There is one episode in particular, called The Merger, which reminded me of this topic. The Scranton branch is forced to take in employees from another branch. This is where Andy begins and Jim comes back. Dwight and Andy start competing for attention and recognition causing some conflict. Some of the employees from the other branch decide to terminate their employment at Scranton because of the crazy work environment they are forces to involve themselves with. I however am a big fan of the merger because it brings us Andy, Jim, Karen, and a few select others such as prison Mike. Anyway, mergers and acquisitions can either make or break a company. It is up to management to see fit how the companies combine one with another. This may cause a lot of diversity in the workplace and force others to work under situations in which they are not use to. I have heard that many times when a company merges, the management struggles and that turnover rates increase.  I hope to learn more about merging and acquisitions and the different steps you should take to help to make is smooth and easy on everyone. It would not be easy to have to conform to something you are not use to but in the end it might be worth it.