Concept and Brief Description
A high-performance work system is the right combination of people, technology, and structure that makes use of the company’s resources and opportunities in achieving it goals. The elements are organizational structure, task design, people, reward systems, and information systems. On the way to achieving these goals, the system meets intermediate goals as high quality, innovation, customer satisfaction, job satisfaction and reduced turnover. Jobs should be designed to foster teamwork and employee empowerment. Recruitment and selection should focus on obtaining employees who have the qualities necessary for teamwork, empowerment, and knowledge sharing. Compensation should be linked to performance, and employees should be included in decisions about compensation. Technology can improve the efficiency of the human resource management functions and support knowledge sharing. e-HRM can let the companies employees help themselves to the HR info they need.
Emotional Hook
High-Performance teams should be compensated the best, if they produce results, and the right kinds of results. It’s very important to align their compensation to what is good for the company in the long run. It seems that when employees are faced with a short term gain by doing something “unethical” you have more cases of employees being unethical. Given the right motivation, compensation will empower the high-performance team to do what is best for everyone involved.
Key Points to Elicit in Discussion
How do you attract the right type of individual for a high-performance team?
Will HRM management tools eliminate allot of the jobs in the HR profession?
Facilitative Question
What is the best kind of high-performance team for different business structures?
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Response to Class 3/16/10
What you can / can't do as a manager to discourage unions:
Can: Solve employee problems, let them know of the disadvantages, treat your employees fairly
Can't: threaten, promise extra stuff, punish employee, or spy
There are examples of finished papers online.
Outsourcing to foreign countries is becoming more and more common. There are allot of social or cultural differences between countries. Seems that the more integrated our countries become the more relaxed other cultures become.
Can: Solve employee problems, let them know of the disadvantages, treat your employees fairly
Can't: threaten, promise extra stuff, punish employee, or spy
There are examples of finished papers online.
Outsourcing to foreign countries is becoming more and more common. There are allot of social or cultural differences between countries. Seems that the more integrated our countries become the more relaxed other cultures become.
Chapter 15 - Managing Human Resources Globally
Brief Description
Its a growing trend for companies to enter the international market by exporting and operating foreign facilities. They need employees who understand customers and suppliers in other companies. They need to understand local laws and customs and be able to adapt their plans to local situations. The most important influence is the culture of each market. Countries are all different in how their labor markets are educated and trained. Some companies have different laws about how you hire and fire employees. You plan your staffing accordingly. Most companies hire employees from their local market, who have an idea of how the local job market works. Employees who are sent to operate in another country needs to be versed on how the local customs and culture are.
Emotional Hook
Would you move your family out of the country for a job? I know of a few people who took their family overseas to Japan or China to further their career. They had some pretty big advantages. One was that their kids got to experience a different culture. Another is that while they where there, all there expenses where paid, and the $80k /year went straight into a bank account. When he finally left his job, he was able to start his own business here back in the states.
Key points to elicit in discussion
Pay levels should be set accordingly to the local market.
Cultural issues like "women in the workforce" could be an issue with Muslim countries.
Facilitative Question
What organizations would benefit the most from outsourcing to other countries?
How would you staff it?
Its a growing trend for companies to enter the international market by exporting and operating foreign facilities. They need employees who understand customers and suppliers in other companies. They need to understand local laws and customs and be able to adapt their plans to local situations. The most important influence is the culture of each market. Countries are all different in how their labor markets are educated and trained. Some companies have different laws about how you hire and fire employees. You plan your staffing accordingly. Most companies hire employees from their local market, who have an idea of how the local job market works. Employees who are sent to operate in another country needs to be versed on how the local customs and culture are.
Emotional Hook
Would you move your family out of the country for a job? I know of a few people who took their family overseas to Japan or China to further their career. They had some pretty big advantages. One was that their kids got to experience a different culture. Another is that while they where there, all there expenses where paid, and the $80k /year went straight into a bank account. When he finally left his job, he was able to start his own business here back in the states.
Key points to elicit in discussion
Pay levels should be set accordingly to the local market.
Cultural issues like "women in the workforce" could be an issue with Muslim countries.
Facilitative Question
What organizations would benefit the most from outsourcing to other countries?
How would you staff it?
Response to class 3/11/10
Not all benefits are mandatory like: paid leave, group insurance, retirement plans, "family-friendly" benefits, other quality of life benefits.
Most companies are turning to paid-time-off instead of sick leave.
Providing on-site day care for employees is like giving that employee a $400-700 raise.
Align your benefits with the companies strategic goals.
Chapter 14
Union membership has dropped from 30% - 10%. Mostly due to the fact that America has switched from a labor orientated job force to more of a service.
For most companies that don't have a Union, the HR department acts very "unionish" instead.
The rigidity-of-employment index shows how easy or hard it is to do business in a country.
Most companies are turning to paid-time-off instead of sick leave.
Providing on-site day care for employees is like giving that employee a $400-700 raise.
Align your benefits with the companies strategic goals.
Chapter 14
Union membership has dropped from 30% - 10%. Mostly due to the fact that America has switched from a labor orientated job force to more of a service.
For most companies that don't have a Union, the HR department acts very "unionish" instead.
The rigidity-of-employment index shows how easy or hard it is to do business in a country.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Chapter 14 - Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations
Brief Description
A union is an organization formed for the purpose of representing its members in resolving conflicts with employers. Unions are associated with higher compensation and productivity but with lower profits. They can reduce a business's flexibility and economic performance. Today's unions are mostly filled with commie bastards who just want to spread their socialistic views. Just seeing if your paying attention. Management and unions have apposing goals of achieving organizations profits and employee compensation. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) supports collective bargaining and sets out the rights of employees to form unions. Later amendments to NLRA came by the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 and the Landrum-Griffin Act of 1959 which put some restrictions on what unions can do.
Emotional Hook
I remember working for a grocery store Safeway in Washington state that had a union. If you wanted to work for Safeway you had to join the union in order to get the job. I thought that was the biggest load of crap ever. You had to pay $90 just to join the union, then they took $30 a month out in union fees. For a high school kid getting paid $5 an hour, that's a lot of money. And the union didn't do anything at all since it was a good company to work for. I definitely believe in having the option to choose if you want to join a union or not.
Key points to elicit in discussion
Unions obviously formed out of legitimate need. If companies hadn't have tried to screw their employees so bad back in the past, unions never would have been formed in the first place. But are unions really needed anymore? I talked to allot of people in upper management in their companies, and most companies that don't have unions, have union-like run human resources.
Facilitative Question
If everyone would abide by good ethics, would unions be necessary? Are all unions ethically sound also?
A union is an organization formed for the purpose of representing its members in resolving conflicts with employers. Unions are associated with higher compensation and productivity but with lower profits. They can reduce a business's flexibility and economic performance. Today's unions are mostly filled with commie bastards who just want to spread their socialistic views. Just seeing if your paying attention. Management and unions have apposing goals of achieving organizations profits and employee compensation. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) supports collective bargaining and sets out the rights of employees to form unions. Later amendments to NLRA came by the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 and the Landrum-Griffin Act of 1959 which put some restrictions on what unions can do.
Emotional Hook
I remember working for a grocery store Safeway in Washington state that had a union. If you wanted to work for Safeway you had to join the union in order to get the job. I thought that was the biggest load of crap ever. You had to pay $90 just to join the union, then they took $30 a month out in union fees. For a high school kid getting paid $5 an hour, that's a lot of money. And the union didn't do anything at all since it was a good company to work for. I definitely believe in having the option to choose if you want to join a union or not.
Key points to elicit in discussion
Unions obviously formed out of legitimate need. If companies hadn't have tried to screw their employees so bad back in the past, unions never would have been formed in the first place. But are unions really needed anymore? I talked to allot of people in upper management in their companies, and most companies that don't have unions, have union-like run human resources.
Facilitative Question
If everyone would abide by good ethics, would unions be necessary? Are all unions ethically sound also?
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Response to class 3/9/10
Chapter 13 - Providing Employee Benefits
So basically employees don't really pay attention to whats been given to them in the forms of benefits. I remember when a company I used to work for changed their benefits for the worse. The problem was with how they presented it. Instead of saying that times are tough, they tried to make it look like we were getting more for the money and that we should be grateful. You had to think it over to realize that they were screwing us and not really saving us anything.
Benefits that are required by law: Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, Workers Compensation Insurance, and Family & Medical Leave
So basically employees don't really pay attention to whats been given to them in the forms of benefits. I remember when a company I used to work for changed their benefits for the worse. The problem was with how they presented it. Instead of saying that times are tough, they tried to make it look like we were getting more for the money and that we should be grateful. You had to think it over to realize that they were screwing us and not really saving us anything.
Benefits that are required by law: Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, Workers Compensation Insurance, and Family & Medical Leave
Chapter 13 - Providing Employee Benefits
Brief Description
Benefits help attract, retain, and motivate employees. Employers can help tailor make their benefits package to attract the right type of employee. All employers must contribute to the Social Security fund. State law requires that all companies have workers compensation. The most common for of paid leave is vacation, sick, and holidays. Medical insurance is the most valued employee benefits. some offer cafeteria plans and fight the cost by doing employee wellness plans. Some companies still offer pensions and 401K programs. Some companies offer family friendly benefits like paid family leave, child care services and college savings plans.
Emotional Hook
My uncle works for Boeing, and they switched to "self directed" 401k's where they're able to choose what stocks to invest in. They all took a huge bath because they don't know how to invest. They know how to build planes but not invest.
Key Points to Elicit in discussion
What happened to the "pension" plans of the days of old?
What would be the best practices to attract sales people?
Facilitative Questions
Will "universal health care" help employees/employers or hurt them?
Benefits help attract, retain, and motivate employees. Employers can help tailor make their benefits package to attract the right type of employee. All employers must contribute to the Social Security fund. State law requires that all companies have workers compensation. The most common for of paid leave is vacation, sick, and holidays. Medical insurance is the most valued employee benefits. some offer cafeteria plans and fight the cost by doing employee wellness plans. Some companies still offer pensions and 401K programs. Some companies offer family friendly benefits like paid family leave, child care services and college savings plans.
Emotional Hook
My uncle works for Boeing, and they switched to "self directed" 401k's where they're able to choose what stocks to invest in. They all took a huge bath because they don't know how to invest. They know how to build planes but not invest.
Key Points to Elicit in discussion
What happened to the "pension" plans of the days of old?
What would be the best practices to attract sales people?
Facilitative Questions
Will "universal health care" help employees/employers or hurt them?
class repsonse for 3/4/10
Chapter 11
If you give employees a perk/punishment and then take it away, it demotivates them. I had a sales job where the always bought us breakfast every saturday morning for the weekly sales meeting. When they took that away we were all pissed, even though we didn't have it before that manager started doing it.
The Dept. of Labor will be able to tell you if the company should be paying you hourly or by salary.
Ben & Jerry's had a policy that their top management would only get paid 3x's as much as their lowest hourly employee. They struggled for a long time because they couldn't get a decent CEO to come work for them at that low of a wages.
Chapter 12
make the prise valuable to the employees. If you try to entice your employees by giving them tickets to a Christmas pagent, and most of your employees are Jewish, than it won't motivate them.
Piece work has a tendency for low quality since thier objective is to get it done the fastest.
If you give employees a perk/punishment and then take it away, it demotivates them. I had a sales job where the always bought us breakfast every saturday morning for the weekly sales meeting. When they took that away we were all pissed, even though we didn't have it before that manager started doing it.
The Dept. of Labor will be able to tell you if the company should be paying you hourly or by salary.
Ben & Jerry's had a policy that their top management would only get paid 3x's as much as their lowest hourly employee. They struggled for a long time because they couldn't get a decent CEO to come work for them at that low of a wages.
Chapter 12
make the prise valuable to the employees. If you try to entice your employees by giving them tickets to a Christmas pagent, and most of your employees are Jewish, than it won't motivate them.
Piece work has a tendency for low quality since thier objective is to get it done the fastest.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Chapter 12 - Recognizing Employee Contributions with Pay
Concept and Brief Description
Incentive pay is tied to individual performance, profits, or other measures of success. Companies select forms of incentive pay to energize, direct, or control employees’ behavior. To be effective, incentive pay should encourage the kinds of behavior that are most needed, and employees must believe they have the ability t meet the performance standards. The employees must want the rewards, have the capabilities to reach the goals, and believe the pay plan is fair. Companies may recognize individual employees through incentives like piecework rates, standard hour plans, merit pay, sales commissions, and bonuses. Common group incentives are gainsharing, bonuses, and team awards. A balanced scorecard is a combination of performance measures directed toward the companies long term and short term goals.
Emotional Hook
Its one thing to incentivize sales production, but how far do you go? I've seen standards set so high that in order to achieve the top levels, you have to lie or commit fraud to get there. If you put the top guy on a pedestal, and everyone knows that he's dishonest, aren't you just encouraging your employees to be dishonest?
Key Points to Elicit in Discussion
Standard hour plans are how mechanics are compensated. If they finish a job early, its an extra bonus for being quick, not a punishment by paying them less.
Facilitative Questions
How can you tell when the standards you set for your employee's aren't achievable? How do you correct that?
Incentive pay is tied to individual performance, profits, or other measures of success. Companies select forms of incentive pay to energize, direct, or control employees’ behavior. To be effective, incentive pay should encourage the kinds of behavior that are most needed, and employees must believe they have the ability t meet the performance standards. The employees must want the rewards, have the capabilities to reach the goals, and believe the pay plan is fair. Companies may recognize individual employees through incentives like piecework rates, standard hour plans, merit pay, sales commissions, and bonuses. Common group incentives are gainsharing, bonuses, and team awards. A balanced scorecard is a combination of performance measures directed toward the companies long term and short term goals.
Emotional Hook
Its one thing to incentivize sales production, but how far do you go? I've seen standards set so high that in order to achieve the top levels, you have to lie or commit fraud to get there. If you put the top guy on a pedestal, and everyone knows that he's dishonest, aren't you just encouraging your employees to be dishonest?
Key Points to Elicit in Discussion
Standard hour plans are how mechanics are compensated. If they finish a job early, its an extra bonus for being quick, not a punishment by paying them less.
Facilitative Questions
How can you tell when the standards you set for your employee's aren't achievable? How do you correct that?
Response for Class 2/25/10
Jeff Weber – Ancestry.com
Jeff had some good tid bits that I didn’t know. Here are a few. You must pay your terminated employees within 24 hours. Pay is the biggest expense for service companies. Netflicks pays above average pay, requires the best people, and only pays base pay, no benefits. Allot of companies are turning to “Restricted Shares” instead of options. That way they just are given a set number of shares with no price attached to them. Always be careful what you give your employees. They’ll start to expect it and it won’t be motivational to them, it’ll turn de-motivational if you take it away, like giving donuts every Tuesday.
Jeff had some good tid bits that I didn’t know. Here are a few. You must pay your terminated employees within 24 hours. Pay is the biggest expense for service companies. Netflicks pays above average pay, requires the best people, and only pays base pay, no benefits. Allot of companies are turning to “Restricted Shares” instead of options. That way they just are given a set number of shares with no price attached to them. Always be careful what you give your employees. They’ll start to expect it and it won’t be motivational to them, it’ll turn de-motivational if you take it away, like giving donuts every Tuesday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
