Unions

"Union membership in the United States peaked in the 1950s. Since then, the share of employees who belong to unions has fallen."

" The decline in union membership has been attributed to several factors.

            Change in the structure of the economy

            Management efforts to control costs

            Human resource practices

            Government regulation"

 --Textbook

I worked for an organization that offered union sign-up. Several different unions were offered. I wasn’t all that educated in the benefits of unions in today’s world so I didn’t sign up but I heard some negative opinions from other employees about unions in general. This book doesn’t talk about how the public views unions and how that plays a role in the decline of union membership. Nor does it discuss any negative effects unions can have. There must be some or else everyone would be signing up to be part of unions.

What are some negative factors of union membership?

Wellness Matters

Research has found that companies using wellness programs can see their insurance claims drop by 15 percent, saving millions of dollars at a large company.

I once worked at a company that offered a free gym available on-site for employees to use. The few times I did use it, there was usually no one else using it. I wondered why more people didn’t use this great benefit? And why didn't I? The drawback was that I had to use it on my own time. Managing time is a challenge for me and unless something happened to make working-out a higher priority, I wasn't going to hang out after work to exercise.

The book states that at Worthington Industries, facilities alone were not enough to bring down heath insurance costs. These programs are most likely to work if they have the support of the company’s leadership and deliver incentives for participating.

What types of incentives could your company offer that would help motivate you to live a healthier lifestyle?

Women Don't Ask

HR Oops!

This section in the book talks about how men were landing more desirable and higher paying jobs then women with the same education and it was discovered that it was because women simply didn’t ask for higher pay and better jobs. They seemed to be satisfied with what they were offered. Further studies showed that women, who did ask for the same things as men in this regard, were viewed negatively. There was an exception to women being viewed negatively when asking for more and that was when women were dealing with another woman.

My question is: 

If more research was conducted, would it have found that women don't ask because they know how they will be perceived if they did?

Employment Tests

Types of employment tests include:

1.     Physical ability tests

2.     Cognitive ability tests

3.     Job performance tests

4.     Personality inventories

5.     Honesty tests

6.     Drug tests

7.     Medical examinations

I have applied for many jobs and some employers use tests and some don’t. I have done physical ability tests, cognitive ability tests, job performance tests, drug tests and medical examinations as part of application processes. The most intensive being my application for Border Patrol Agent. Most other jobs I have had don't have any of these tests. It seems this step in selecting potential employees is commonly skipped.

The Motivated Employee

Richard Hackman and Greg Oldham developed a model of more motivating jobs that have five characteristics:

1.              Skill Variety – the extent to which a job requires a variety of skills to carry out the tasks involved.

2.              Task Identity – the degree to which a job requires completing a “whole’ piece of work from beginning to end.

3.              Task Significance – The extent to which the job has an important impact on the lives of other people.

4.              Autonomy – the degree to which the job allows an individual to make decisions about the way the work will be carried out.

5.              Feedback – the extent to which a person receives clear information about performance effectiveness from the work itself.

 I feel that that these characteristics are factors in creating motivated employees but I would add one more. The employee has a need to feel appreciated for his work in some way whether it be through compensation or recognition. Perhaps it is part of Task Significance but not only should the job have an important impact on the lives of other people, the employee should feel that he personally has an impact on other people and that he is recognized for that impact.

Loyalty

It doesn't seem so long ago when I person got a job they would work at that job for decades. They remained loyal to that job whether they enjoyed it or not. They were grateful that at least they had a job. I wonder what caused such a mentality and why we no longer have that mentality today.

In today's world it seems that employees come and go in a continual flow as though through a revolving door. One employee gone, another comes. As soon as a job becomes dissatisfying, we quit and move onto something else.

I have this modern-day mentality. I have a difficult time staying with one job for very long. It baffles me to think that a few years ago there were people working the same job for 20 years. I don't know why job loyalty has changed for our culture but I do know why I lack it.

Starting a new job is exciting because I get to learn new things. I love learning. I want to know how to do everything. I crave that learning experience. After I've been in the job for a little while and I have finished the phase of learning, I go into a phase where I want to be the best at everything. I work hard so that I can hone my skills to the point where no time is wasted. I work so the boss recognizes my exceptional skills and appreciates me. After I have accomplished that and the appreciation begins to become expectation then I get bored. My growing and progression have ceased. That hunger starts a grumbling in my soul again and so I begin my quest to find somthing new. A new job. That's why I can't imagine working in one job for years and years. Wouldn't you feel stagnant? Wouldn't you be bored? Mabye that is the answer. Maybe this generation is hungry for more. Maybe a stagnant, stable life isn't what drives us.

How do we solve this problem or is it a problem at all? Employers treat us like numbers and that is what employees feel like. There are no hurt feelings over the seperation because no feelings have been formed.  If that connetion and loyalty are desired by the employer, perhaps a program could be implemented to provide opportunities for continual growth and learning. People need something to work toward and to accomplish, at least I do.

Pike Place Market

I watched a movie this week on the management style of Pike Place Market and it caused me to ponder several times about it after watching it. It talked about how they give each employee a responsibility and opportunities to grow. They provide a spirit of teamwork and are encouraged to teach and help each other in their responsibilities and help each other to grow in knowledge and experience. The owner explained how he used to be a tyrant type of boss until he was educated in a better way. Instead of hoarding all the power and control himself, he entrusts some of that to his employees and those that can see the vision of the company and contribute to accomplish that vision are the ones who stay.

I see that people need a vision and a purpose. People need trust from others and are happiest when they feel needed and trusted. If a manager or owner can share vision, responsibility and trust with his/her employees, then environment and production will improve.

At the end of the video, the owner said he loved his employees and they loved him. That love came from trust between employer and employees. It became a system of workers who could rely on one another and work together in an environment of harmony. Customers can feel this harmony and crave to be in an environment which can provide it. It is not about the product, it is all about the environment a business provides for the customers. It is all about the experience.