HR Management Course Experience

Wow, what a ride! I'll admit I wasn't too sure about taking this class. I've learned and practiced many of the basic concepts of HR: recruiting, employee relations, staffing, etc. However, something pushed me to do so and I'm very glad I did. Rather than only the typical reading and test-taking, this course combined different learning elements and encouraged us as students to research articles and learn from each other as business professionals. The sharing of information and experiences in the discussion boards was the most valuable part of this course for me.

One discussion was particularly interesting to me, the one that pertained to health insurance. There were several elements of benefit design that were unclear to me and after hearing about everyone's experiences with implementing benefits in their places of employment, things were really cleared up. It was interesting to hear that other students in the class were experiencing the same gripes and challenges of our current healthcare system at their places of employment. By sharing experiences and methods we use in the discussion board, we are not only learning about a specific concept in HR, we are pushed to find examples of it in real life. Finally, it was interesting to hear about experiences from people in professions other than HR. We all asked questions to each other and were forced to look at issues from a different perspective. By not meeting in person, I think we were also able to provide more information than we would have in a classroom setting. This course was a great learning experience and I hope to have at least one more similarly enjoyable course during my MBA experience at Kutztown.

Weingarten Rights

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a decision from the case NLRB vs. J. Weingarten (1975) that stated employees had a right to union representation during investigation interviews between the company and union employee, or Weingarten Rights (Wikipedia). The three rules that apply during such an interview are:

1) The suspected employee needs to make a clear request for representation by a union member before or during the interview and employee cannot be punished for making this request.
2) The company has 3 options once the request is made. The company can grant the request and delay questions until the representative arrives and speaks to the employee privately, can deny the request and end the interview at that time or give the employee the choice to continue the interview without representation.
3) The company is in violation of fair labor practices if he or she denies the request for representation and continues to ask questions and the employee has the right to refuse to answer and cannot be disciplined (Wikipedia).

                                                           

If a supervisor suspected an employee of violating a company rule, such as stealing, the supervisor is required to allow a union representative to attend the meeting if the employee requests it. In my experience, working at a company with a bargaining unit, I usually call the union representative to inform him of the issue and set-up a meeting for later that day so he has time to meet with the employee and we all discuss the issue together. By including the union at the beginning, the company puts forth an effort to greatly reduce any misunderstandings, which has nearly eliminated all grievances for us in the past few years.


Article cited: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weingarten_Rights
Image: http://www.mep.purdue.edu/images/home_banner/hand_shake.jpg

Benefits Administration Outsourcing

With companies being faced with rising health care costs , more employers are outsourcing benefits administration to reduce costs, improve productivity and increase flexibility. Outsourcing allows an employer to contract a business function, either domestically or offshore, primarily to save money. Companies are able to put more capital directly into revenue-producing activities. Furthermore, outsourcing allows the company to save on hiring, training, and eliminate potential problems with temporary workers. Contractors can start projects more quickly without the need to train employees (AllBusiness). Some possible outsourcing solutions include employee call center, carrier billing, invoice reconciliation, enrollment support, fulfillment services, COBRA, HIPAA and flexible spending account administration. When companies have their benefits administration handled for them, they can focus on making money for the company.

                                                   
Benefits outsourcing is not without concerns, however. The major concerns are the loss of American jobs to offshore contractors and dealing with foreign representatives who can relate very little to the employee. Off shore service centers are able to pay lower wages in developing nations, which reduces the cost of the service to the employer. Some of us who work for global companies know that when we call HR, we speak to someone stationed in India or another foreign country. My company recently closed our HR service center in Michigan and joined hands with the HR center in Canada. As the HR representative for my plant, I know that many employees are unhappy dealing with representatives with heavy French accents and names they did not know. Furthermore, when employees call the service center for our 401K financial company, they are frustrated dealing with representatives from India and using a call center that requires them to "press 1 for English" or "enter your ID number and press pound." Perhaps this "old school" mentality will shift towards acceptance of outsourcing as business is constantly evolving towards globalization in our world today.

Articles referenced: http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/workforce-management-hiring/1084-1.html
http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/benefits/Articles/Pages/OutsourcingForecast.aspx
Image used: http://www.debateitout.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/outsourcing.gif

Executive Compensation

Due to their power, company executives are likely to overpay themselves. In addition to salary and bonuses, most executives receive other forms of compensation including incentives, stock options, expense accounts, and severance. One company that abused executive compensation without consumers knowing was Enron, who came under scrutiny after their scandal in 2001. This is an example where executive compensation ran wild, as the top 200 employees received $193 million in salaries and bonuses in 1998 to $1.4 billion in 2000 (Wikipedia).  Today, companies have compensation committees who act on behalf of the company in deciding how compensation is to be paid, thanks to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002. 

       

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted a set of rules on January 25^th of this year for shareholder approval of executive and “golden parachute” compensation under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.  The rules state the say-on-pay votes by shareholders must occur at least every three years and a frequency vote is to be conducted every six years to determine how often shareholders would like to be presented with a say-on-pay vote. Finally, the rules require companies to disclose information to shareholders regarding “golden parachute” compensation, or severances and benefits given to executives during mergers. Say-on-pay forces the board of directors and shareholders into a system of checks and balances to ensure executives are paid fairly.

Executives receive high pay and benefits because they are responsible for the business’s financial success. It is great that measures have been put in place to help ensure a democratic pay structure for executive compensation. But will companies outsmart these measures? Only time will tell.

Articles cited: http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2011/2011-25.htm 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron_scandal
Image: http://www.consumerwarningnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/money-hording-executive3.jpg

Time Management

Now this is a subject we hear about often, but many of us still have trouble succeeding at it. Time management is important for our roles at work, in school and at home. Often times, we bite off more than we can chew and have difficulty accomplishing all that sits on our plates. Asking for help is okay and is sometimes essential in order to complete our workload.  Listing and tackling tasks in order of precedence is one way that I attempt to manage time; however, I sometimes become overwhelmed with work responsibilities, creating anxiety and greatly reducing overall productivity in the workday.

An article written by organizational development consultant Nancy Stampahar gives two tips to help workers, many who are now required to do more with less resources and training, manage their time. The first, setting priorities, is meant to help those whose tasks keep piling up, pushing one to feel overwhelmed and procrastinate. After prioritizing, it is important to decide the purpose, timeline, desired outcome, and who else is involved in each task. Second, it is vital to set boundaries by not taking on more than one can handle. The key is to say "no" or delegate when necessary in order to stay in control of your time.

Taking on too many tasks can seem fulfilling at first, but it provides stress in the long term, thus reducing quality of work output. Managing time efficiently by setting priorities and boundaries will help workers be more productive at their jobs while eliminating some of the stress and anxiety that comes from not getting things done.

Article: Stampahar, Nancy. "How to prioritize your time." Silver Lining Solutions. November 8, 2010.
Image: http://www.pembiz.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/too-many-tasks.gif

Challenges of Background Checks

With many companies prohibiting the release of information from past employees, many employers are searching for ways to find out about the integrity and performance of job candidates. A recent article published in HR Magazine claim that recruiters are looking to social network sites such as Facebook, to paint a picture of a candidate.
According to a 2010 poll on background checks conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 98% of members stated that their organizations would only verify dates of employment for current or former employees. Furthermore, 68% said they wouldn't discuss work performance, 82% stated that they wouldn't discuss personality and 87% said they wouldn't disclose a disciplinary action. Regardless of success, employment law attorneys encourage HR professionals to forge ahead. If a company doesn't perform a background check on an employee and he or she harms the employer, the company could be at fault for negligent hiring. One should document good faith effort to find out information.

I was involved in a case where an employee had perfect attendance during his probationary period but once he was part of the union, his unexcused absences were frequent. Another employee, through a mutual friend, heard this individual had an attendance problem at his previous job. If true, it would’ve been helpful, but many previous employers’ policies don’t allow them to elaborate. The article mentions that many HR personnel or hiring managers are calling references and previous employers themselves, often asking the candidate's supervisor to give further information, and bypassing the HR department. This is a sketchy practice, as some hiring managers may ask illegal questions. In the end, the goal is to find the right candidate for the job, not dig up dirt on candidates.

Meinert, Dori. "Seeing Behind the Mask." HR Magazine. February 2011; 31-37.
Image: Mark Anderson, www.andertoons.com

Training & Development of Middle Management

A recent article from SHRM’s HR Magazine discusses training and development for the most crucial segment of the workforce: middle management. This segment is often pressured from the top by upper executives, and the bottom by customer-facing employees. A middle manager who is well trained will better communicate the company's objectives to employees and help minimize the "us vs. them" attitude, improving satisfaction and morale of the workers. H.R. professionals can support the middle management training initiative by addressing the needs of new and veteran managers, reduce barriers of training, and create opportunities for middle managers to network with one another to learn different aspects of the organization (Tyler, 51).

It is vital to properly prepare and train front-line employees before they enter a supervisory role. In my experience, our company typically promotes an employee with years of experience, give him a raise and a nifty title, and throws him into a supervisor position. However, it is very difficult for them to work alongside coworkers for ten years or so, to being their boss the next day, as a supervisor now responsible for disciplining, reviewing and assuring workers are doing their jobs properly and safely. The article mentions a program used by the Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) in Atlanta to develop middle management. This seven-month program covers hiring, performance management, company polices and procedures, delegating, time management, transition from a subject matter expert to a people manager, team development and resolving interpersonal conflict. Their first group graduated from this program in November 2010. After reading about this program, I am interested in using some of these ideas to improve the way we promote managers at my work in the future, as proper training can lead to more effective management.

 Tyler, Kathryn. "The Strongest Link." HR Magazine. February 2011; 51-53.

Recruitment & Selection

Recruitment and selection are an important part of business because they are essential to attract and maintain one of the most significant assets: people. We often thing of recruitment in terms of internal and external hiring; however, there are many people who get overlooked in recruitment, for example, veterans with disabilities. According to a poll conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and ILR – Employment and Disability Institute at Cornell University, almost three-quarters of organizations agreed that veterans with disabilities perform on the job as well as any other employee. These results validate the high potential of the veteran pool of candidates. Findings also showed that more than 60% of organizations reported that they were unaware of the Tip of the Arrow Foundation, the VetSuccess Program and the Wounded Warrior Program, which are resources available to employers to find qualified applicants who are veterans with disabilities. In terms of companies actually hiring veterans, 68% of organizations polled reported that they hired a veteran in the past 12 months and 67% of those companies reported that their organizations included veterans in their diversity plans and policies. Finally, the poll found that only 38% of HR professionals reported that their companies had EAP’s with expertise in veterans’ issues, which would be helpful for veterans adjusting to work life after serving in the military.

There are several policies that assist veterans in finding work. The Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (VEVRRA) and amendment, Jobs for Veterans Act (JVA), which encourage and in some cases force employers to take affirmative action to employ and promote qualified covered veterans, including those disabled. The results from the poll show that most employers are satisfied with these individuals as employees, and are encouraged to continue to promote giving opportunities for our veterans.

 Recruiting Veterans with Disabilities: Perceptions in the Workplace, SHRM Poll 1/12/11

Social Media in the Workplace: A Challenge for Some

It seems like only yesterday that most communication within the workplace, including conversations with vendors, customer and employees, was carried out over the phone or in person. Thanks to the dawn of the Internet, communication is faster and far more efficient with programs such as email, text messaging, web-conferencing and social network websites, such as Twitter and Facebook.The author describes social media as the “relatively inexpensive and wide accessible electronic tools that enable anyone to publish and access information, collaborate on a common effort, or build relationships” (Pg. 4). Sounds great, right? Well not every organization is taking advantage of this phenomenon, with negative employees who refuse to change.

It's 11:30 am and an employee is injured. The injury is not serious, but the Plant Manager wants to hold a safety meeting in the lunchroom at 1:30pm. He asks his assistant to contact managers to begin the chain of contact. A fast, efficient means of communication is necessary to ensure the message gets across. The problem is, some employees do not check their emails for days. This is because they are slow and unfamiliar with their computer. Is it fair to expect that some will check their emails and others need to be called?

The situation above is one that I've dealt with at my company. I learned quickly, after seeing that certain departments didn't show up for meetings, that some managers do not check their mail and must be called by phone. This creates a dilemma because although it is very time-consuming to call everyone, it is the only way that the message will be transmitted. If everyone was trained and familiar with email, the message would reach all parties. One issue recognized in the book, Social Media at Work, is that certain employees are not comfortable communicating on the worldwide web using programs such as email and social network sites. By taking more time to communicate to employees with negative attitudes towards social media, the company loses productivity as it now takes longer to pass along a message. This could result in the loss of several hours of work productivity each week.

The book mentions that the Baby Boomers and Gen Xers are still unfamiliar with this way of working and living (pg. 6). It is very apparent in my workplace, where the managers with 30+ years of experience rarely check their email and prefer to make a phone call to move information. But as these veteran employees begin to retire, they are being replaced with people who are expected to know and understand the ways of social media.  Until then, some employees have much resistance and negativity towards new programs. The implementation of social media in the workplace is still a challenge where older generations are still dominant. While I still find it sometimes difficult to motivate veteran employees to embrace the exciting programs and features in social media, there is hope as the younger generations become experts in this field. The world is changing, as are our workplaces. Are you ready?

Source:  Jue, Alcalde-Marr, and Kassotakis book, Social Media at Work
Cartoon: Http://www.robcottingham.ca/cartoon/toons/n2s/2010/06.18.pigeon.png

Turning Stress into Strength

A survey conducted in summer of 2010 by the American Psychological Association found that about 75% of participants stressed to unhealthy levels. This 2010 Stress in America survey was given to 3,000 participants by Harris Interactive, who admitted that they were stressed by money, work and the economy. The findings are relevant to the field of Human Resources because results mentioned by a similar survey in 2009 showed that stressed-out workers are more likely to report off sick and use more health benefits. The findings are also significant because they show that stress is still a strong environmental factor and companies need to react.

Many stress management programs are available to employers for their employees. However, according to the Society for Human Resource Management’s 2010 Employee Benefits survey report, only 10% of employers currently offer these stress management programs. That number is down from 19% in 2006.

The article mentions one method of stress management in particular, resilience training. This method encourages employees to face their problems and trains them to survive in stressful situations, recover, then place themselves in slightly more stressful situations to grow and succeed. The article outlines the steps to perform resilience training in the most successful manner.
 
The environmental factor of stress has an effect on employees and thus employers. Stress plays a role in decreased productivity, absenteeism, and increased use of health benefits. The issue of stress is significant to Human Resource Management because it has a responsibility to keep employees healthy so they can contribute to the productivity of the company.  Based on this article, companies need to react to increasing employee stress in order to maintain business success.

Source: HR Magazine, SHRM "Turning Stress into Strength" by William Atkinson (January 1, 2011)
http://www.shrm.org/Publications/hrmagazine/EditorialContent/2011/0111/Pages/0111atkinson.aspx