Chapter 11

Minimum Wage

In the U.S. employers must pay employees atleast minimum wage established by the law. At the federal level the 1938 fair labor standards act establishes a minimum wage that is $6.55 per hour as of July 2008 and $7.25 per hour as of July 2009. Which is crazy to me because I remember my first job I had when I was 16 paid minimum wage, which was only $5.15 per hour back then! Therefore min. wage does not seem that bad to me, $7.25 per hour sounds pretty good compared to what I got even though I know it is not. The FSL also permits a lower training wage, which employees may pay to workers under the age of 20.

An issue related to minimum wage is that it tends to be lower than the earnings required for a full-time worker to rise above the poverty level. A number of cities have passed laws requiring a so called living wage, essentially a min. wage based on the cost of living in a particular area or state. I thought of Cali because I know that the cost of living is higher in Cali therefore what employees make/min wage is alot higher than it is here. Makes me want to move to Cali, even though everything would cost more.

Chapter 10

Employee Turnover

I have always known what employee turn over meant, but it was good to read about it so I could get the official definitions and workings of how turnover in organizations really work. Employee turnover is when employees leave the organization. When the organization initiaites the turnover the result is involuntary turnover like terminiating an employee for drug use or laying off employees during a turnover (When organizations would perfer to keep them it is voluntary turnover)

Normally organizations try to avoid the need for involuntary turnover and to minimize voluntary turnover. Both kinds of turnover cost alot of money which is something I have never really thought about. It is crazy to think about every time a company hires or fires employees it is costing them alot of money. Replacing workers is expensive and new employees need time to learn thier jobs and build teamwork skills. Plus people today are more ready to sue a former employer if they feel they feel they were discharged. Effective HR management can help the organization minimize both kinds of turnover. I am going to look at employee turnover at organizations totally different now because I am more aware of how much it costs the company in the long run.

Class Reflection 2/17/10

I had no idea that work organizations did personality assesment tests like similar to the color code tests. I didn't know organizations provided tests like that and or actually took that info into account and used it to help understand their employees. There were so many other personality tests that organizations do that I was not even aware they even existed. I love the color code test, so it makes me curious to see what the other tests are like.

Class reflection from 2/10/10

The rating systems companies have for employees was interesting to me partly because I am oblivious to the world and don't think about companies have an actual system where they rate employees 1 to 5 or compare them to other employees. It is a way good thing for me to be aware of so I can be on my toes in the workforce and always make sure I am on my best behavior and working my hardest so I get a good rating. Good ratings= good references which= even better jobs.

Chapter 9

Formal Education

I decided to write about formal education with HR because alot of the progams companies provide for fomal eduation I was totally unaware of and had no idea they even did that.

Organizations may support employee development through a variety of formal educational programs either at the workplace or off-cite. I didn't realize companies provided education for employees outside of thier company. They might include workshops designed specifically for the organizations employees, short courses offered by consultants or universities. These programs may involve lectures by business experts.

There are universities and colleges that offer executive education they include Harvard, Wharton School of Business, University of Michigan. A growing number of companies and universities are using distance learning to reach executive audiences. For example Duke Universities Fuqua School of Business offers an electronic MBA program which is very convinent and I think more and more universities will start doing that.

Another trend in executive education is for employers and the education provider to create short courses with content designed specifically for the audience. Something I thought was really cool is MetLife worked with Babson College to develop a course where falculty members discuss business principlas and then corporate executives to discuss how the principals work in MetLife and the insurance industry. I like that Universities and companies provide these services to studentd and employees.

Chapter 8 Rating Employees

Rating Individuals

Performance measurement can look at each employees performance relative to a uniform set of standards. The measurement may evaluate employees on terms of attributes believed desirable or the measurements may identify whether employees have behaved in desirable ways like in sales and completing assignments. Typically the rating scale is from 1 to 5 on the graphic rating scale.

Rating Behavior

To rate behaviors the organization begins by defining which behaviors are associated with success on the job. Which kinds of employee behaviors help the organization achieve its goals? One way to rate behaviors is with critical incident method this requires managers to keep a record of specific example of the employee acting in ways that are effective or ineffective.

This is good to know as an employee before you get hired anywhere, so you can always make sure you are on your best behavior. If you are aware that you will be rated on your behavior at work you will most likely be more motivated and always wanting to be on task. Its crazy to think about rating me without me knowing it, but that is there job regardless. It is a good incentive to always do your job to your best ability, so you get a good rating.

Class Reflection 2/8/10

I loved today's class because I felt like it really relates to my life at the moment. I am graduating in April, therefore I will be job searching and interviwing for jobs very soon. I liked learning about what goes into the personal selection and what the critera for measuring the effectiveness of selection. I liked hearing the detail about the methods are for reliable, valid, generalized, high utility, legal criteras and what employees actually need and look at in gathering background info. it was a good thing to learn right now at this point in my life, I like that its relevant to me right now.

Class Reflection from 2/3/10

I really enjoyed listening to the guest speaker Ryan Brown from Tahition Noni. Ryan is actually one of my best friends boss at Tahition Noni. So It was really interesting to learn more about their company and the extent they go to in order to properly train thier employees and make sure their employees are learning and doing the best they possibly can. I think if every company went to the exten that Tahition Noni does to train their employees, the workforce would be in good shape. Well done Tahitian Noni!

Chapter 6 Selection Decisions

Selection Decisions

The section on how the whole hiring process works in the selection process caught my attention because at my job right now, we are currently trying to hire two new employees that are in my exact same position. My boss conducted interviews all morning, and I care alot about who they choose because I will have to work with them every day.

Most organizations find more than one qualified canidate to place in certain jobs. The selection decision typically combines ranking based on objective criteria about which canidate will make the greatest contribution.

How organizations select employees

The selection decision should not be a simple matter. It shouldnt be who the supervisor likes best or which canidate will take the lowest offer, but it should be who will the best fit for the position. The decision makers have to decide which of the canidates have the best combination of abilit and motivation to fit the position and company as a whole. I didnt realize how big of a decision hiring an employee actually is, there are even steps that need to be taken for the selection committee to prepare for the interview before they start interviewing canidates.

The HR deparment is often responsible for notifying applicants about the results of the selection process, including info about the job responsibilites, work schedule, rate of pay, starting date and other relevant details.

There is alot that goes into the hiring process, I am glad it is this intense because then the most deserving will usually get the job.

Chapter 7 Training

Training Methods

A wide variety of methods is availiable for conducting training. Alot of these methods are being phased out because a lot of companies are training on the internet. As a result most training programs are taking place in classrooms or online.

Classroom instruction

classroom instruction typically involves a trainer lecture group. Trainers often supplement lectures with slides, discussions, case studies, question and answer sessions and role playing.

Audio Visual Training

Trainees can also work indepently using course material prepared on CD's, DVD's, workbooks. Audio visual technicians such as overhead transparencies, power point. Some technologies make audiovisual training avaliable as podcasts on portable devices like Ipods, which I didnt know and think is really cool. That blows my mind that technology has made it to that point.

Computer bases training

New technologies are gaining in popularity as technology improves and becomes cheaper. Computer based training is generally less expensive than putting an instructor in a classroom-based training for individual learners.

I have had a few classroom trainings and they are quite boring, so if I can listen to training on my ipod or at my computer, count me in!

2/1/10 class reflection

The topic of forcasting, downsizing, and other methods of staffing for companies was quite interesting. Some of the points I never even thought of or considered.

I also liked the designing jobs that motivate part. Task identity is interesting because with every jon and task that you have in your job you need to be able to see what good your job is actually doing people and or your company in the long run, it helps to see what you are actually doing and how it benefits people. Seiing that helps motivate you as a worker and helps give you purpose. I think every company should make an effort to make sure their employees understand task identity.