April 19, 2010

Today in class we got our presentation grades back and did a few wrap up activities. Then we did a review for the test and were done for the day. I can't believe that was our last class, this semester went by really fast. Hopefully I will continue to remember all the things we learned in this class and put it to use in my career.

April 12 and 14 Reflections

These last two days of class we have watched everyone present their research topics. It has been interesting to see the different topics chosen and presented. I think we have all learned a lot of new and interesting information. Now we all just need to continue to work on and finish our research papers.

April 5, 2010 Reflection

Today in class we discussed the differences between Wal-mart and Costco, two of the biggest and most successful companies in America today. They are both very successful in the way they are fun but they are also very different. Wal-mart does not take the best care of their employees while Costco does an excellent job. It was interesting comparing them and thinking about how it's amazing Wal-mart still has people that want to work there so regularly. After that we discussed other random things from the chapter and then talked about our presentations that are due next week!

March 31, 2010 Reflection

Today in class we watched a Johnson & Johnson video about how they create such a great company to work for. J & J does a great job in making their employees really feel valued and as if they are an asset to the company. After watching the video and discussing it, we talked about the common ethical perspectives. These include: 1. Utilitarianism 2. Deonotology 3. Virtue ethics. It was interesting listening to the differences between these three and going more in detail about them.

March 29, 2010 Reflection...

Today in class we continued to discuss the factors affecting HRM in international markets. Then we covered Hofstede's five dimensions of culture. 1. Individualism/collectivism 2. Power distance 3. Uncertainty avoidance 4. Masculinity/femininity 5. Lon-term/short-term. Then we talked about foreign assignments and the emotional cycle that accompanies it. The emotional cycle is: 1. Honeymoon stage 2. Culture shock 3. Learning 4. Adjustment. We were able to cover a lot of important topics today in class.

Chapter 16...

- -Concept and Brief Description: Creating and Maintaining High-Performance Organizations
Chapter 16 is all about creating a high-performance work system, which is: The right combination of people, technology, and organizational structure that makes full use of the organization's resources and opportunities in achieving its goals. By creating a high-performance work system companies are stronger, run smoother and have higher success. Conditions that contribute to high performance include: Ethical behavior, employee participation, variety of skills, etc.
- - Emotional Hook:
My emotional hook to this chapter was reading about teamwork and empowerment. As I read this it reminded me of my own job and it was amazing the difference you could feel when we all worked together compared to us all doing our own thing. It completely changes the whole feel of the company.
- -Key points to elicit in discussion:
1. Losing retirees' knowledge 2. Job satisfaction 3. HRM importance
- -Facilitative Questions:
What is the best way to create a high performance team? How long do the people need to work together before they feel a sense of security and belonging in order to help the team?

March 22, 2010

Today in class we discussed how to avoid union problems in the workplace. We discussed the best way to do this is keep a good communication between management and employees. By recognizing and appreciating employees it makes a much happier workplace. Management also needs to keep policies constant between employees with a little flexibility between specific cases. We then talked about our research papers and went over some specifics as well as dates. And last we discussed global HRM. We decided companies need to find what things work best in each specific country. The four main topics that need to be considered include; culture, education, economic systems and political legal.

March 15, 2010

Today in class we discussed optional benefit programs. We discussed all the different plans that companies can choose to include in their benefits. We then discussed unions, what they are about and how they work. Then we did an activity where half of the class was management and the other half were union workers. It ended up that management tried to cheat out the union workers and they would have ended up going on strike had it been the real world. It was a good activity to show us how unions really work.

March 10, 2010 Reflection...

Today in class we did our group presentations. We learned all about different benefits and incentives that are presented at different companies. After that we discussed the different processes that make incentives work. The two main things that help incentives the most are participation in decisions and communication in the company. These two actions offer employee empowerment and make a stronger company as a whole. Then we discussed the government required benefits. I did not realize how many different benefits there are. It is important to find a company to work for that offer the benefits that you value most.

Chapter 15...

- -Concept and Brief Description: Managing Human Resources Globally
Chapter 15 is all about how to best manage companies that have headquarters outside of the United States. It went into detail about the four main factors affecting HRM in international markets. These four factors include; culture, education, economic systems, and political-legal systems. These factors can have such a huge impact on companies, not only does management need to be aware of them but all the employees.
- -Emotional Hook:
My emotional hook to this chapter was realizing the huge culture differences through out the world. Since most of us are going into business it is important we are aware of these differences. I took an International Business class and it is amazing the things that can offend people without us even knowing.
- -Points to elicit in discussion:
1. Know the culture, what kind of culture is it? Collectivism/individualism, power distant concerns, masculinity/femininity, etc. 2. Pay structure in different countries. There are huge fluctuations in industries depending on the country. 3. Expatriates, Know how to work with them so it is a safe, good experience for everyone.
- -Facilitative Questions:
How do you choose the right person for overseas jobs? How do you build trusting relationships with people in other countries in order to start a successful business there?

Chapter 14...

- -Concept and Brief Description: Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations
This chapter is all about unions. What they are, how they work, laws, definitions, and the impact they have on society. It was interesting to read about, we've all heard of unions but I don't think many people actually know much about them. I know I certainly did not know all the laws and things associated with them. This chapter also discussed strikes and the effect they have on companies.
- -Emotional Hook:
I know my emotional hook often times has to deal with women in the work place. This is something that really interests me though because someday that will be me and I will be facing these situations. Today's hook was the fact that more men are in unions than women. I found that interesting and would like to know why that is.
- -Key Points:
1. Impact of unions on Company performance. Do company's perform better with or without unions. 2. National Labor Relations Act. Laws that support collective bargaining and sets out the rights of employees to form unions.
- -Facilitative Questions:
Why do more men than women join unions? Is it better to join a union? Which industries benefit from unions?

March 8, 2010 Reflection...

Today in class we finished up chapter 11 discussing incentives. The class got into a good discussion about incentives and we heard a lot of different point of views. After we got in our groups and discussed chapter 12. Then we discussed effective incentive plans. In order for an incentive plan to be successful it needs to follow the rules below:
1. performance measures linked to organization's goals
2. Employees believe they can meet standards
3. Organization gives employees resources needed to meet goals
4. Employees value rewards
5. Employees believe reward system is fair
6. Pay plan takes into account that employees may ignore any goals that are not rewarded
After that we got into groups and discussed different incentive plans and wrote down pros and cons that we will share next time in class.

Chapter 13...

- - Concept and Brief Discussion: Providing employee benefits
This chapter is all about different benefits that are available to companies. It discusses benefits by law, paid leave, retirement plans, insurance plans, and other employee wants. It showed the average number of available paid leave days in the U.S. and how many people actually take off. It also explained how to encourage different behavior in the company through incentives like health care plans and promoting healthy employees.
- - Emotional Hook:
My emotional connection to this chapter was when it discussed the number of paid days vacation offered compared to how many people actually take. I thought this was interesting because I know so many people in the U.S. today are work-aholics and even though they could take those days off they choose not to because they do not want to miss work. It is kind of sad to think of the time they are giving up for work instead of spending time with their families.
- - Key points to elicit in discussion:
1. HR needs to know laws regarding employee benefits 2. See which incentives work best for employees are your particular company 3. Make sure incentives are actually promoting successful work habits
- - Facilitative Questions:
How do you know if you have the right incentives to promote the attitude and actions you want? What if you have been offering an incentive but find it is not promoting the right attitude, how do you go about getting rid of the incentive without upsetting people?

Chapter 12...

- - Concept and Brief Description: Recognizing Employee Contributions with Pay
Chapter 12 is all about different incentives and pay plans to keep employees satisfied with the company and want to stay and help the business succeed. It explains all the different pay plans in detail, like incentive pay, piecework rate, differential piece rates, merit pay, etc. This chapter also discusses the processes that make incentives work.
- - Emotional Hook:
My emotional hook with this chapter was reading about the incentives that really work. I enjoyed reading about this because at my last job I know it made a huge difference when I was able to make help decisions. It made me want to work harder because I was involved in the decision and wanted it to succeed.
- - Key Points to elicit in discussion:
It is important that there is communication within the company if pay incentives are to work. People need to feel as though they have say in the incentive programs and feel like the pay is fair.
- -Facilitative Questions:
How do companies find a way to make incentive programs successful and fair?

March 1, 2010 Reflection

Today in class we discussed chapter 11 which was all about pay in companies. We discussed how pay has a powerful influence over people and also how it helps reach company goals. It also has a large impact on employee morale and retainment. With about a half hour left in class we had a guest speaker, Jeff Weber from ancestry.com come speak to us. He gave us donuts and was a really entertaining speaker. He told us we need to make sure we know the legal requirements when it comes to pay on the job. He also explained different compensation components that company's do to keep employees happy. His last main point he brought up was that we should allow employees and companies to have flexibility to keep companies successful and happy.

Chapter 11...

- - Concept and Brief description: Establishing a Pay Structure
This chapter is all about how to decide how much each employee should get, based on their skills, experience, and the job itself. It explains how to judge on fairness and the real qualities that should make money. It also describes what and how pay grades, pay ranges, and pay differentials work.
- - Emotional Hook:
My emotional hook with this chapter was the equal pay for equal work. I thought the case study about women making lower pay due to the fact they simply just did not ask for higher pay was interesting. So many times people complain that women make less but maybe it is important that they just ask for higher pay like men do.
- - Key points to elicit in discussion:
1. Equal pay for equal work 2. Pay structure, how they decide how much to pay each employee 3. benchmarking, comparing other companies in the same industry 4. pay policy line, mathematical relationship between job evaluation points and pay rate
- -Facilitative Questions:
Once companies have a standard they have set up do they mostly stick to their pay rates or do they evaluate them often and see if there should be changes?

February 22, 2010

Today in class we met with our groups and discussed chapter 10, and then opened discussion to the whole class. After we talked about progressive discipline. We talked about the process that happens when an employee continues to not work the way they should. We also talked about job with drawl and how there are many ways that this can occur. I thought this was an interesting topic because I experienced it first hand when one of my coworkers was going through a divorce, and I saw the toll it took on all the other workers as well as the company as a whole.

Chapter 10

- - Concept and Brief Description: Separating and Retaining Employees
This chapter covers how to handle situations at work when there are problems with employees and how to let them go. You need to make sure there are real reasons to let them go and make sure everything is gone about legally. The chapter also talked about job satisfaction and how to make sure everyone at work is happy and can work well with one another in order to save the company money.
- - Emotional Hook:
My emotional hook for this chapter was reading about the outplacement counseling. I have never heard of this and I thought it was a really good idea. With the way our economy is now and so many people are switching jobs it is important for companies to have ways to help employees with the transition.
- - Key points to elicit in discussion:
Alternative Dispute Resolutions, open-door policy, peer review, mediation and arbitration. I think these are good tools to use, it is better to try to work things out then suddenly just fire someone. It is also important to make sure that employees are satisfied with their jobs and figure out what needs to be done in order to make them happy before just letting them go.
- - Facilitative Questions:
If you know there is one person on the team creating all the problems how is the best way to go about confronting them about it?

Reflection: February 17, 2010

Today in class we watched a video about how technology has made work much easier but it has also made employees work a lot more. Now even after leaving the office you can be on your blackberry checking e-mails and keeping up with the office all the time. This can cause a lot of stress in peoples lives because it almost feels as though there is no escape. It is important for employees to take a break from work because stress can cause you to be angry and dislike your job and co-workers. We also discussed employee development and all the things it deals with including the assessment tools and job experience and making employees stronger people.

February 10, 2010

Today in class we watched a video about how peoples work ethic has changed. Before when you left work you were done for the day, but now with technology our social lives and work lives kind of mix in with one another. The guy on the video said people need to take responsibility for the way things are. He said "If your life sucks, it's because you suck." We all laughed, but it is kind of true. By having a good attitude can help you find the good in things and make the best out of situations.

Chapter 9:

- - Concept and Brief Description: Developing Employees for Future Success
This chapter explained the many different ways to find which employees would be the most successful in which position through assessments done by onesself, supervisors, peers, etc. It also explained the different ways to help employees grow and develop new talents that can be used in all different areas of business. The chapter explained this is most easily done with experience so we need to try different things as much as possible.
- - Emotional Hook:
My emotional hook to this chapter was the fact that employers want employees with a lot of experience and different skills so it is important we give ourselves all the opportunities possible to grow and expand our knowledge and skills.
- - Key points to elicit for discussion:
Some key points for this chapter include, giving yourself a chance to gain new skills and knowledge. Also, try out different jobs, see which ones you like best and also which ones you are most successful at. Use the mentors and coaches in your life to make yourself as successful as possible.
- - Facilitative Questions:
It is proven when you give someone a goal they will often reach new levels that they never thought was possible. Should companies get in the habit of having their employees do goal setting on a regular basis?

Reflection 2/8/10:

Today in class we discussed which questions can and can not be asked during interviews and on applications. We also found out how many companies do not abide by these laws and a lot of illegal questions are asked. We also talked about how important networking is and how we should get involved early on. "It's not about what you know, it's who you know." This is a common saying we have all hear do many times. As much as we do not like to admit it, it is very true.

Chapter 8:

- - Concept and Brief Description Managing Employees' Performance:
This chapter was about how important is for managers to keep a good eye on how well employees are performing in order for the company to be a success. It showed many different methods for measuring performance and how to make use of the results.
- - Emotional Hook:
My emotional hook was reading about how to choose the right words for feedback. Since I am going into HR it's important for me to realize how to relay information to the employees without offending them but also getting a clear point across so that the necessary changes can be made.
- - Key Points to Elicit:
One of the main points I thought was so important was being able to find the problems as quickly as possible and then being able to fix them in the appropriate manner. It is so hard to tell people they are doing things wrong and so we need to be careful how we go about it.
- - Facilitative Questions:
How do companies find the best way to evaluate employee performance and make sure they are doing all they can to be on track with company goals?

Chapter 6...

- - Concept and Brief Description: Selecting Employees and Placing them in jobs.
Chapter 6 is all about finding the right person for the right job. It explains the selection process and legal standards for the selection. It also talks about resumes and interviews. In the interview section it explains what questions are allowed to be asked and which ones are not. It also explains the different tests companies may provide in order to narrow down the pool of applicants.
- - Emotional Hook:
The emotional connection I had to the chapter was reading about the questions that are not allowed in interviews. I think this stuck out to me because we have been talking about that in my other class and it is amazing how many times those questions get violated.
- - Key points to elicit in discussion:
I think one of the really important main ideas was the interviewing section. This is so important for us right now in our lives as we are finishing up with school and will soon have a lot of interviews. It is important to know how the interview process works and how to be most successful in those situations.
- - Facilitative Questions
What do you do if the interviewer asks you illegal questions? How is the best way to handle the situation without making it confrontational or uncomfortable?

Reflection 2/3/10

Today in class we had a guest speaker, Ryan Browne from Tahitian Noni. He spoke to us about the training done at TNI. It is so intense, I couldn't believe how much time and effort they put into it. He explained that it puts them at an advantage over their competitors though and if it works for your company you might as well do it I guess. He gave us their training process and went through each step. It's amazing how much thought and effort was put into each step. He did a really good job and I enjoyed his presentation.

Chapter 7:

- - Concept and Brief Description: Training Employees
This chapter was all about training employees. It explained how to know when it is right to train employees and the most productive way to do it. It gave a lot of graphs and charts showing different methods, techniques and applications. It also gave many examples of how to provide meaningful training to employees.
- - Emotional Hook:
My emotional hook in this chapter was just realizing how important it is to understand your employees. By understanding your employees and their personalities you will be able to perform more meaningful training, which will really benefit the company.
- - Key points to elicit for discussion:
I think by trying different training techniques and then surveying participants after is a great way to see which technique is most useful for your company. This is a very important concept if you want to save time and money.
- - Facilitative Questions:
How is the best way to get to know your employees and see which training works best for you? How is the best way to get employees excited about training and want to learn more?

Reflection 2/1/10

Today in class we talked about the Hackman and Oldman job characteristics model:
1. Skill Variety 2. Task identity 3. Task significance 4. Autonomy 5. Feedback
By following this model employers are able to better create motivating jobs. When jobs are motivating employees are able to perform at top level and the company thrives as a whole.

Chapter 5...

- - Concept and brief description: Planning for and Recruiting Human Resources
This chapter was mainly about how to hire the right people, where to find them and what kind of person you want for the position. There is so much to look at in order for employment to run smoothly. It is important for HR to set goals and complete them in a timely manner. By doing this the company will stay on task and be successful.

- - Emotional hook:
The emotional hook I had with this chapter was reading that one in three positions are filled with insiders. I found that really interesting, it's so important to find a company you do want to work for and find a beginning job and continue to work your way up. This is one of the best ways to work your way up to upper management.

- - Key points:
I think some of the main points from this chapter include: a business truly knowing what it's goals are, making a plan and accomplishing those goals. By having clear goals HR will know what kind of people to hire for what position and where to hire from.

- - Facilitative Questions:
It was said that one in three positions are filled with insiders. Why is it that 66% of people are hired externally? Wouldn't it be easier to fill spots internally? If you hire from inside those people know the company and it's goals already.

January 27 Reflection

Today the thing that really hit me was what an influence HR has on the whole company and how smoothly it works together. I know I mentioned that in my Chapter 4 summary but it has left a huge impression on me. HR really can either help make or break a company, simply by who they hire for each position. It is so important to choose a good HRM to help make the company successful.

Chapter 4

- - Concept and brief description:
Analyzing Work and Designing Jobs. In this chapter it really discusses what an impact HR has on the whole flow of the company. They basically help make sure the company runs smoothly in all aspects. They make sure that the right people are in the right positions and that the right jobs are set into place. They also make sure that the jobs that are in place are actually accomplishing the right outcome and helping the company be more successful.

- - Emotional hook:
I think what I found most interesting is how involved with the whole work flow process HR really is. Since I'm considering going into HR I was surprised to see what an impact they have on all the jobs and set ups in the company.

- - Key points:
The main points in this chapter were definitely focused on job structure, specification, description, etc. It's amazing how much falls on the shoulders of HR.

- - Facilitative Questions:
I've described how much HR has to do with jobs and set up. Does each company decide how the training and leadership will be split up between management and HR?

Reflection 1/26/10

Today we basically just reviewed chapter 3 and went over the laws and acts that deal with the workplace. It was amazing going through the chapter and realizing how many different laws HR has to be concerned with. Most of the acts and laws are common and well known but there are a few that I have never even heard of. I'm really enjoying finding out more and more what HR really does and has to know.

1/20/10 Reflection

Today we talked about internal and external labor forces. It was interesting to discuss the different strengths and weaknesses of both. It is very important when hiring for the company to consider what direction they want the business to go in. Do they want to continue to keep the same flow of things and same ideas, or do they want to change things up a bit and get some fresh ideas flowing through the company? I think this also goes hand in hand with employee empowerment and engagement because the company needs to be able to trust their employees in order to let them have a little freedom in the business and make their own decisions. If they can not trust their employees the company will fall apart.

Chapter 3

- - Concept and brief description
Providing equal employment opportunity and a safe workplace: This chapter was explaining how the laws, rules and regulations that HR needs to know in order for a company to make sure the things they are doing are legal and acceptable. I thought this was an interesting concept to bring up because I didn't realize what an intense part of HR knowing all the laws actually was. It is so important for HR to closely watch what is going on in a company in order for them to avoid big lawsuits and complaints. I think just making sure employees are aware of what things are and are not acceptable plays a huge roll in preventing problems.

- - Emotional hook
Think back at all the times you are hanging out and someone says an inappropriate joke, do you and others laugh? This can be considered sexual harassment and we need to be really careful about what we say and laugh at.

- - Key points
It is so important for us to know know the laws and regulations to avoid getting caught up in lawsuits dealing with discrimination and harassment. These occurrences are quite common in the workforce but need to be avoided. HR really need to know the laws to help prevent this.

- - Facilitative questions
What is the best way prevent discrimination and harassment? What is the best way to track incidences of this occurring?

Reflection 1/13/09

Today in class I found it really interesting what a big difference human capital can make in a company. After watching the Pike Place Fish video it really made me think how important good managers are. The manager has such a big influence over the company and can change the attitude of employees and either make or break the company. These workers were certainly not working in glamorous jobs, but because they had good supervisors they wanted to be the best they could be and because of that it is now a world known fish market. I think this is so important for us to realize now so that we can be successful in helping companies that we will work with in the future.

Introduction...

My name is Casey Brandt. I'm the oldest of four children and love my family so much. I'm currently a junior here at Utah Valley University, and am majoring in Business Management. Before coming up to UVU I attended Dixie State College where I got my associates of business. I was raised in St. George and love it down there. I love all the beautiful scenery, the warm weather and all the fun things there are to do outdoors. I've never had to deal with the snow, ice and cold so moving up here has been a big transition for me. I've had a lot of fun though and am slowly getting used to the cold.
Some of my favorite things to do are; hang out with friends and family, do crafts, play golf and pickle ball, travel and take pictures. I'm a very easy going person and love to laugh and have a good time. I'm pretty adventurous and like to try new things.
I'm currently not working and just focusing on school. After graduation I hope to be able to find a good reliable job and see where life takes me. I'm Happy to be going to school and getting a degree so that I can have a solid foundation in my life and work work when needed, but I hope to one day be a stay at home mom.
I'm excited to be taking this Human Resource class because lately I've really been considering going into HR. By the end of the semester I hope to have a better feel of what I'd be getting myself into and decide if this is the path I want to continue down.
That's a little about me... Let me know if you have anymore questions.

Chapter 2

- -Concept and brief discussion:
I found chapter 2 to be quite interesting, because we are watching the things it talked about come true. One of these being, the aging workforce. This is something that is so true during this stage in our economy. Many older people are not retiring as early as they would have thought a few years back, as well as others coming back to work. Another interesting thing it talked about how technology is greatly effecting businesses and especially HR. The economy has also played a huge effect on how HR is run. Now a huge concern for HR is on retirement, health care of employees and also downsizing.

- -Emotional hook:
With the way things are in the economy and the effect it is having on businesses will HR become a largely used key factor in businesses? Will there be more HR jobs available?

- -Key points to elicit in discussion:
With the economy changing so much, it is changing everything in businesses; from how they are run, the technology that is used to the benefits and needs of the employees. HR can help keep this transition smooth and easy to cope with.

- -Facilitative questions:
What does HR have to do with all these changes in businesses?