Class Presentations

This last week we gave a brief presentation to the class that introduced our research topic idea. My research paper is on Success in the Workplace: Utilizing Training and Performance Reviews. With my paper, I try to understand the effects that businesses have who utilize performance reviews coupled with training. I found it interesting that in all of my articles not one presented an alternative solution to performance reviews. I believe that it is because everyone would agree that performance reviews and training can create positive outcomes. The problem with these is usually found in incompetent managers. Lack of manager skills, particularly those found with communication, prohibit a company from excelling in employee performance. Employees must be coached, guided, given expectations, held to those expectations, all while given the ability to carry it out for themselves. For managers to lead employees, they must be trained and able.

As far as the class presentations go... I found most of them very interesting and I would like to have heard more from the students. A few students, I felt, had too broad of a topic and didn't really understand what they had gathered from their research. They were vague and could not answer classmate questions very well. This sometimes made me laugh a bit, seeing them stumble to make up an answer, but it also made me a bit frustrated because the questions asked were good and legit questions most of the time.

Training and Other Thoughts

This past week I have been writing a paper for this HR class. I decided to write my paper on Success for the Workplace: Understanding Training and Performance Reviews Benefits. I find this topic interesting because I have always felt that training employees is very important. What I did not understand is how training can prevent a lot of company issues.

One idea that I have been thinking a whole lot more about is businesses that create competency. This incorporates hiring competent managers that have the skills to drive businesses forward. This includes people skills, communication skills, ability to analyze business and employee weaknesses and set plans and goals for change, and ability to lead people. Competent managers have the abilities to perform all operations and create success. I strongly believe that successful employees create successful businesses. Managers are at the forefront directing this longterm success.

Another thought that I had was about how important people are for any organization or business. And, if people are what drive successful business, shouldn't they be given as much attention as possible from the organization? This would include training, performance reviews, great leadership, organizations and plans, proper pay, incentives, valued culture, and company transparency. All of these things and more help retain employees and create employee loyalty. They also foster growth within the company which in turn only fosters people who want to succeed. I've said it before, but successful people create successful businesses.

Working Internationally and Organization Culture

One of the things that I found interesting was the topic of working internationally. When working overseas (outside your bubble) there is this process of adjustment. The stages are: Honeymoon à Culture Shock à Learning à Adjustment. At first (the honeymoon stage) things are exiting. They’re new. But then the employee realizes that he doesn’t fit. Things become overwhelming. That creates the culture shock. Then the employee will try to learn better the culture so that they can fit in better. As the employee learns his rolls and abilities in that culture they will make appropriate adjustments. With all of this, it is important to give that international working employee the proper support. This could include additional benefits, family moves with the employee too, etc, otherwise they will get burned out and not perform productively. Because of that possibility, it would be worth proper investments from the company for that employee’s support and training.

Another thing that we talked about this last week was elements on organizational culture. One thing that stood out to me is when employees are valued. I would be willing to bet that nearly any company would say that they value their employees. Regardless of what a company may say, it’s their actions that really show the culture. Seeing that this blog is for my HR class, HR is one of those organizations (or part of an organization) that is often lessened by its rolls (not given credit for everything that they truly perform or can perform). HR is much more than the payroll or legal department. HR should have the ability to aid companies to value their employees.

Labor Unions

For whatever reason, people from a specific local state seems to have a negative view of labor unions… and I don’t know why that is. So far as I can see, as long as labor unions and management come to cooperative agreements they can be very effective. These labor relations can provide protection for both employees and organizations. For employees they provide safety in numbers, benefits, and perks. For organizations it provides employees who have shared responsibilities to the organizations if they are to keep the union benefits.

During class we talked about the decline in private sector organizations that deal with labor unions. Over the years union memberships have declined. At first I thought this decline very interesting. After contemplating it I realized that organizations have begun to offer the same union benefits directly to the employees. Organizations have taken upon themselves to treat their employees with proper benefits. By doing this the employees have no need to join unions. There are also agencies that now protect employees therefore eliminating the traditional need for labor unions.

If anything, that at least I can for-see, labor unions have a bad wrap because of the ability to gain control in numbers. Large unions can have strong sway over organization’s decisions for their employees. Businesses have the ability to gain cost savings when they keep their employees from joining unions. Businesses can control things easier... but if they are to have happy employees, they will need to offer similar benefits that unions generally would provide.

Benefits and Pay

I find it very interesting that most of the working population would say that their pay is the biggest factor that contributes to them either staying or leaving a job. While pay is a very good way that companies can show appreciation for employees and retain current employees, it is not the only way. There are many benefits that companies can give to their employees that foster appreciation, growth, dedication, and ultimately profits for the company.

Oddly enough, many people will place employee pay and other benefits as part of the same category. In most cases they can be separated. Benefits can include any incentives or perks outside regular pay. These benefits can include things that are required by law, flexibility, vacation time, insurance, wellness programs, and other job perks (e.g. free lunch). With all these things that help retain and attract employees,the proper management and execution of these is imperative.

So now I compare these things that I have read about and my real life experiences. I can understand that pay is not the only thing that can help retain employees. Even something as simple as my boss showing appreciation for something that I have done recently goes a long way. For me it makes me want to do even better. I am paid salary plus bonuses, but my pay is not (necessarily) keeping me from finding new employment. It is the benefits that I am receiving that have kept me there long term. I feel that I have learned a lot in my management position. I have become a leader for other stores to follow. I get to work with at great team including those that work with me (my employees) and those that I work with (other managers and my boss). The benefits that I feel that I have at my job only aid me in wanting to perform better for the company. Any world class company will give its employees all the attention, benefits, and pay that they can in order to foster growth and employee loyalty to the company.

A Busy Week

This past week has felt busier than most busy weeks. Any normal week for me involves going to school all day on Tuesdays and Thursdays, going to work an additional 50+ hours throughout the week, while also trying to find time for my wife and little boy. This week I also had a visit from my boss and his boss. Now don't get me wrong, I actually really enjoy my boss. He is fun, smiles, compliments, and gives me business direction. He helps me feel part of a team and appreciates my efforts. When he and his boss visited the store that I manage, I felt... intimidated. My bosses boss (we'll call him Bob) was very "to the point" and "don't say anything nice". My biggest frustration wasn't the fact or how he told us what to do or how a product should be displayed. It was that everything he said was directed only to my boss, not me. I would have thought that sense it was my store that I should have been the one receiving some of the direction.

My boss talked to me after Bob was dropped off at the air port. He told me that all in all the visit was good. He too was frustrated about a few things that Bob said and did, but we also realized that Bob had good things to share with us too.

To relate this to my Human Resource class, we have talked a lot about employee employer relations. Most of what I have learned about world class businesses and their employees is that they show appreciation towards their employees. In contrast, Bob did not display this during his visit... at least not that I saw. I guess that I am glad that I have a good boss who I can enjoy visits with, laugh with, but receive constructive criticism from too.

Progressive Discipline?

John Cambell, an HR guru, spoke to us in class on Tuesday. He started his lecture with a roll play demonstration. He pretended that he has an employee who is being difficult. This employee is always complaining and speaking negatively. As the student in class asked him questions, she asked, “Did you document these conversations? What coaching have you done with him?” John stated that he is tired of dealing with this employee. Tired of him not getting along with John and the other employees.

Most of the time, in John’s experience, the “troubled” employee is a good employee with documented success with the company. So, why is there this difference? How can the supervisor be positively engaged in improving the employee?

One of the ways that a manager can be engaged in improving an employee behavior is with progressive discipline. My original thought of progressive discipline is that it is a warning for the employee - a “one last chance card.” As I learn more about HRs roll, training, and discipline, I am beginning to understand that progressive discipline is not a “one last chance card,” but rather a “hey, this is a concern, this is why, we are documenting it, and what can we do to help you” card. That’s why companies have the verbal warning, written warning, 2^nd written warning, and so on documentation. These progressive disciplines could be a lack of motivation from the employee, ignorance from the employee, or more rarely a blatant decision to disobey. But this brings up a new point. Why would an employee want to be “blatantly” disobedient? I may not fully understand this, but I would assume that it is because they have either given up or they don’t like what is being asked of them. Giving up is a personal issue. Even if you hate your boss, the people you work with, and the work at hand, giving up is still a personal choice… though those things do make it harder to choose not to give up. The other idea, not agreeing with what is being asked of them, would probably be the more common factor for an employee not doing what the company wants. In my experience this employee generally does not agree with what is being asked of them either because they are not comfortable doing it or they do not see/understand the benefit of doing what is asked.

At my job we are asked to talk with our customers about specific things. At first I saw this as a hindrance to my ability to really help my customers with what they need. But that is just the problem… what they need was all I was giving. If I am to excel as a salesman and if the company is going to grow its business (profit) then each customer needs to buy more! Not just the minimum. I know that this seems simple, but in real life not very many businesses actually practice it. I now have a new attitude; my business (personally, my employees, and the company) cannot afford to do the minimum, even if the minimum is of good quality. We need to take every opportunity to bring in more money (more sales).

So to step off my soapbox, my next question is, what do my actions or my employee actions have to do with progressive discipline? The answer – EVERYTHING! Corrective action should not be a means to try and fire an employee. It should be a means to help the troubled employee understand the business they are losing for the company because they are not performing in the expected areas. Progressive discipline should be a training session for the employee and their supervisor – both need to gain from a poor performance issue.

I feel that these ideas have begun to help me become a better manager and hopefully they will also help my employees become better themselves.

The Importance of Workplace Training

This past week I have been thinking a lot about training. Some of the thoughts that I have had are - What is effective training? and How can I improve the training that I give my employees? For the HR class I have been working on a paper where I interviewed two people from different businesses. I learned a lot. What impressed me the most was what Bruce from Smile Reminder told me... "Successful businesses feel confident, which is a direct response to being properly trained!” He also told me, “Even with all the knowledge and training the employee must be given the opportunity to exercise their new ability. The employee must have the opportunity to do what they were trained on themselves.”

In class and for the chapter readings I have a better understanding for the importance of performance management reviews. These need to be more than just a boss reviewing an employee’s performance. It needs to be based on the knowledge of desired output (from the employee), measurability of performance, documentation, and then review of those performances. The reviews must include feedback from the boss and the employee. These reviews need to be often, rather than yearly. When the reviews are done effectively they produce retention, better constructive performance, employee appreciation, and quicker training of company/job expectations. That is why performance management is so important!... that reminds me... I need to do those this week at work :-)

Interesting Thoughts from Class

Occasionally during my classes, either because of something said during the lectures or my day dreaming, I will have thoughts that impress me. During this week I seemed to have more than I usually do.

The first thought that really has me worked up is, "How long do you want your managers and employees working for you?... A year? Five years? And what is the company doing right now to achieve this?" The reason that I ask this is because I feel that often times companies will forget about employee retention and focus on goals and some new "very important" objective. Some companies do a great job at retention. They have business structures that allow for employee growth, development, improved pay, and so forth. Many others do not.

Another thought that I had was, "How can a company boost employee moral? What do companies do to negatively impact this?" This question is somewhat related to my first thought, but I feel that it brings up a different issue. Instead of the focus being on how long should we expect our people to work for us, it points to employees being happy while they are with the company. For example, I think that often times some companies will ask their employees to work more hours for longer periods of time than necessary. Or how about setting unrealistic goals and having confusing directives?

Perhaps I am just venting a little... but I do find some of my thoughts intriguing. Hopefully my HR class, among other classes, will continue to help me have "thought provoking" moments. :-)

Week 3

Most of what we talked about this week encompassed HR's hiring and labor market responsibility. I always knew that good hiring processes were part of any good company, but I never really understood how much involvement HR can have to help a company find good employees.

In addition to using good tools and practices to find the best employees, HR also can help a company determine the best times to hire. For me as a manager of a retail store I simply “feel out” our current employee status and how well we can help our customers. Part of the problem with that “feeling” approach is that I cannot properly forecast demand. Without HR's help I cannot properly determine trends and hiring needs. This would be most prominent in large companies with many employees.

A Few New Things That I've Learned

This last week has been a good week. I have learned a lot. First off, I am realizing that human resources means so much more than I perceived previously. My perception of HR use to be that they were the "unseen" office people that dealt with employee taxes and laws. I am not an expert on human resource management but I do know that HR deals with anything related to an employee. Here is a list of what I have come to understand that HR plays a part: enforcing laws and federal acts that affect employees, hiring, firing, training, taxes, payroll, job analyst and workflow technologies, general company "dos" and "don'ts"... I am sure that I have forgotten a number of other aspects that HR deals with, but this is what I can think of for now.

During my class and chapter readings I have started realizing that HR basically keeps employees happy. That is what they are there for. So that brings up a question; Have you ever had a job that treats you poorly vs very well? And if so, do companies need to focus HR efforts to achieve happy employees? I feel that any world class company would, and they would try to have happier employees at all levels of employment.

First Week and Impressions

I have been going to this class for just over a week (3 classes)... and what have I learned? I've learned what human resources is all about! Ok, so maybe not everything, but I do understand more about HR now than I did a week ago.

Two topics that I have learned are that HR does a lot for its employees and that technology has made HR more efficient. For example, a employee can now see his work schedule, change his hours of availability, update tax information, view his paycheck, gain training, and many more HR functions all on the computer. I think that is amazing... but it also means that traditional HR managers are applying themselves to new rolls and tasks.

As for my thoughts on the class itself... I think that I am going to enjoy the class and and the things that I will learn (and no I am not trying to "brown nose"). My only concern is the work load coupled with 51 hours per week from my job and finding extra time to spend with my family.