Blog 10 Overall learnings from Human Resource Management

Learning from Human Resource management is extremely important to all organizations. Environments that are created to foster learning while earning a living provide a win-win scenario both sides. This is not only true for large organizations, but for smaller ones as well. Today's economy demands that employee investment is the preferred way to do business, gone are the days of companies having a laissez-faire approach towards it's workers.

Leaders in an industry have done so not only by valuing diversity but by shifting towards stronger inclusionary practices. Employees at all levels have a strong contributions to make, including generation y, generation x and the baby boomers.

Accomplishing the above makes for an organization which is able to recruit, staff and retain. Ethics and justice from managers reflect heavily on employee moral and long term commitment from employees towards providing quality service, and superior product development.

If America can continue to achieve all this, then and only then can our global position be retain and continue to move us into a brand of choice.  Social responsibility also must be factored into the equation for all businesses, no longer can exploitation of resources continue the maddening pace we humans are used to. Our globe can no longer take to drain, and our customers are vigilantly watching as we all attempt to build a better, agile brand.

Blog 9 - Labor-management relations

Traditionally Labor-relations has always been an, us against them stand-off, with both sides doing the best they can for their respective constituency. Management has always taken the stance, of have exclusive rights, wanting total power in running the company for the good of their shareholders. I have had the luxury of being on both sides of this relationship during the course of my career. When I was a union employee I sided with the union, not only because it benefited me financially, but because I really felt protected, I could be forced to work overtime, I was guaranteed good pay for what I did and my family had ample benefits. As a member of the local CWA 1142 within AT&T, I understood our challenges and needs.

However, as my career grew I eventually joined the ranks of management and learned another way of thinking and of being rewarded in the work system. I learned that at a certain level of management you’d have two pensions, I learned that you sometimes worked 25 – 30 hours a week, 40 hours a week, just as you may work 60 hours a week. No matter the hours you’d bring home the same amount of pay.

Having insight to both sides I saw many abuses of the privileges that comes with each, and that I believe is where the problems lies.

I feel that each side must review their old stances, management needs to learn that they do not walk on water, they should work equally as hard as union members. I believe that what they expect from the corporation must be justifiable for their contribution. I believe they are in many instances in the same exact financial situation as union workers. When there is slack and cushion employee positions they must be cut. After all how many assistants to the assistants do we need in management.

Same thing for union members, they must also work just as hard as management, I can help but recall how many instances I witness union members ensuring a new worker slow down and not be so quick to complete a job. You all have witnesses this, where you have an electrician, and a helper come into an office to look at the light bulb needing to be changed, both going to retrieve a light bulb, an both coming back with a ladder to change the bulb. Sometimes taking as much as 45 minutes to do the job. I always wondered why they couldn’t simply just ask what type of bulb was needed, one guy showing up with the ladder and changing the bulb. Or better yet why couldn’t management have access to bulbs right in their offices and being allowed to change the bulb immediately, perhaps taking 5 minutes.

As the article states let’s begin to have some honest dialogue on how we work together, because in the end both sides have a lot to gain and lose. Neither is worthier than the other, together they create profits or provide a service.

Blog 8 - Wages

Wages, as global leaders we have lead this nation in innovation and entrepreneurial ship. The workers who have created this have been consistently paid, in a handsome manner in most instances. Sure there are those who have been exploited, and not rewarded appropriately. Unions have helped to ensure everyone is paid their fair share, when it comes to unions. The rest has taken care of itself, management has lavishly spoiled many executive managers as well. And lastly salaried employees have benefited from this model, corporation pay them similar salaries to ensure everyone else doesn’t jump ship.

My question how much is enough of a salary, yes cost keep skyrocketing and we need to keep making more money in order to keep paying for our basic needs. As new emerging countries begin to attracted offshore work they soon will begin to raise salaries to meet new needs as their communities grow.

How much salary is justifiable enough, I believe the writing is on the wall already. I throw this out there because I just came across an article in which workers were actually getting 10% & 12% pay cuts in order to keep their jobs. Please read it and consider are we ready to consider this option in our present society? Or can we continue on demanding more and more in salary? I believe we are on the tipping point of our model in this country.  This scenario played out in the 1930’s. INDUSTRY: Next: Wages? 

Blog 7 - Wage and Benefits

Today’s society needs to better understand and become more realistic when it comes towards the facts of wanting more and more as they pay less and less for two items. Those items are wages and benefits.

Let’s look at wages. I believe that unions are important in our work force. They have created great working conditions and have ensured employers are kept in check in regards toward abuse. This scenario follows the statement of give a man (organization, employer) unchecked power and see what he does with it. As history has shown, a majority of the time those with power will abuse it.

However with that said there has comes a point in the development of our society that unions must become realistic in their ask. Which brings me to the first item, wages. Unions usually seek across the board similar pay for a position versus pay for output in that position. In my career I have seen a gross abuse of this. I have seen employees with NO incentive to work harder, faster, or become more innovative in their positions simply because they would not get any more money for doing so. The creation of a strong pay and incentive system would resolve this situation, but in most instances unions prevent this. 

The other item I see getting out of hand is the benefit situation. Cost are becoming extremely out of hand for employers. This of course causes a loaded salary for employers, which eventually becomes a burden for most employers. In this scenario, I believe that government needs to become more involved in sharing those cost. In fact the cost needs to be split by three, employer – 1^st, employee – 2^nd, and government – 3^rd. 

The employer is first in bearing this cost since the more creative compensation is the better the ability to attract top talent. To the employee 2^nd, if employers offered more cafeteria type of offerings when it comes to benefits then employees could better customize plans more to their needs. Lastly government’s involvement in this arena would position our nation as one creates situation for win-win scenarios for all of us.

Blog 6 - Health care benefits as a Human Resource Issue

Healthcare as a Human Resource Issue 

A human resource issue which many companies have to content with this year and for the next several years is the challenge of proving quality health care for their employees. 

In the last decade many companies met the challenges of a global economy by quickly following suit and joining the outsource trends set forth by many competitors. A little more than a decade and companies are beginning to remedy the aftershocks employee loyalty, and brand image.

Healthcare cost  have risen to more than double of what they once were, in some cases triple. Here in America employees have been sold on the fact that they are in control of their own heath care needs. And thus have to now spent more of their equal share in paying for those benefits. All the while there’s been a shift in congress and at the senate level towards legislation favoring health care reform, and thus creatively providing opportunities towards a society where all can have quality care. 

While democrats and republicans battle the responsibility of this issue, who will ensure we do not leave a significant segment of the workforce without an opportunity for quality care.

As companies begin to consider the rebuilding of loyalty from their employees by providing compensation plans that meet the needs families, legislation is sure to put up new barriers for many human resource departments as consideration is given towards the sharing of cost of expensive heath care benefits. This dilemma  is just beginning to be realized by many growing companies.

Imagine being a young family desiring to have kids and you have a choice between working for a company offering day-care, and quality health care to go along with that young family versus facing one that offers no benefits at all.

Blog 5 - Integrity

As our society moves forward in this era where we have already become global, competition is fierce, and organizations are leaner.  I see an issue relevant to many new human resource managers involve the integrity of employees as well as managements handling of new workforce challenges. Human Resource managers are involved in a broad spectrum of activities that include;

• Salary and compensation
• Workplace training
• Staffing
• Recruitment
• Workforce diversity

In the mist of the above components lies integrity. Corporations invest lots of money into building their brand and after it is build, employee are the number one leaders of that represent that brand. They live it day in and a day out, how they treat contractors, vendors, competitors and the importantly customers, all of which who eventually validate the brand. Continued integrity by all is what will sustain any corporation as a global leader in tomorrow business environment.

In the past many checks and balances were in place to protect employees and customers from unscrupulous companies who main objectives were to grow profits, regardless of who and what got its way.  Businesses eventually started to become managed in ways lacking integrity from the top which eventually worked it way to lower levels of the workforce.

Enron Corporation, WorldCom Inc. and many others caught in financial scandals lead to the creation of new legislation, such as the Sorbanes/Oxley Act. The fast pace of today’s business environment lures some to embellish, misinform and exploit markets, I believe Human Resource managers are front and center in incorporating within their platforms, which include salary and compensation, workplace training, staffing, recruitment, workforce diversity a strong conversation of not only building a strong brand, but one that is based on integrity through out.

Blog 4 - human resource development

As the economy slowly begins growing, many area companies will start to hire new employees. My article discusses the issue that in 2010 Lehigh Valley area companies finally stabilized employee hiring to meet the demands of a declining economy.

Being aware of their local labor market will direct human resource managers in a direction of where to seek new employees. In doing so, companies have an opportunity to engage new employee with an orientation process. Of the many forms of training employees, orientation offers an opportunity for new employees to become comfortable with becoming part of the company.

In some instances these companies have realized that they need to start hiring again to replace retirees, and basically stabilize their staffing levels.

While these companies begin recruiting again they can attract employees by using internal recruitment which can boost morale for existing employees. Provide ample job postings, and use employee referrals to ensure good employees are attracted.

Human resource managers in addition to approaching colleges can consider other recruitment  methods as well as focus on workplace training to invite new employees and stop good employees from leaving the organization.  Diversity awareness at this point will also ensure the mix of employees resembles the market being served, for example generation y and baby boomers both have something to offer as well as having differing styles in delivering the same product to its customer base. Wise human resource managers will not only ensure the right people get on the bus, but guarantee that those new employees are in the right seats on the b
http://www.mcall.com/business/mc-allentown-big-employers-20110219,0,4202466.storyus.