Archives for the Month of December 2005 on Matthew Racher's Online Journal
What Should Be Done About Mendola?
I think the Tom Mendola case was too brief to really figure out who was to blame. It was clear cut: he was a kid, he had A.D.D., and he wasn’t paying attention to the duties his job required. I don’t see a way for any manager to sympathize with the guy. It is quite simple: he didn’t do his job, as was stated when he received the job. Maybe the manager expected a certain level of maturity and focus that he didn’t have. If that was the case, then the manager should figure out a new way to test employees before he hires them, e.g. see if the prospect can do his job in an environment of constant distractions. If the prospective employee leaves every time he hears the ice cream truck roll around, then the manager knows he’s no good. Focus is a really important aspect of any job. If a worker does not have discipline and focus, then that worker needs outside training, most likely by his parents. Tom, if ever he is to raise a family and make a decent income, needed more discipline instilled in him. As sad as it may be, that is not the job of the employer. Their job is to hire him and, if he doesn’t perform well, fire him. There is no room for a manager to level with the employee in terms of sympathizing with his situation. That would not work out for the good of the company. If every manager got involved in their employees’ personal lives than the company would eventually be overrun my competitors.
Learning From your HR team
This semester I really did enjoy working with my HR group. We had some good discussions, but more importantly, I learned some necessary skills that are needed when working in a group. The only groups I have ever worker in were sports teams. I had never really worked in a group for a long- term project before. There were other aspects of my group that went beyond the stated goals. Over the weeks we developed a sense of trust with the other members. No one worried about whether or not someone will get their job done because we recognized that everyone had an equally important role to the success of the group. I think this sense of trust becomes important when you are a leader in a workplace. Once you can trust the people you work with, they gain respect for you, and in turn produce better work. Basically, I feel as though the HR project had more meaning beyond the standard level of input and results (given the fact that I thought our results were random at times). It developed a true sense of what it is like to work with other people for a given period of time, and even if people feel as though they didn’t learn much from it, maybe they can find meaning in that.
Effective feedback
I think that the only effective feedback is the truth. It takes no more than good, honest remarks or suggestions to let a person know how he/ she can improve. In any workplace, whatever the boss has to say must be said, and I disagree when people say, “well… I think the boss should be nice and respect the emotions of the employee.” The manager should say exactly what needs to be said to motivate the employee. That’s not to say he should scream his head off, but he should be firm and commanding when conveying his point. I also think that it is partly the manager’s fault if the employee reaches a point where he is completely slacking off. The manager should constantly keep tabs on the employees under him. This would ensure that every small problem in the level of efficiency or quality of work is taken care of in a timely manner.
Staying True To Goals
As I was sitting down, thinking of my Learning Plan, I realized that I do not have too many long term goals. Most of my goals are attainable in the near future, such as getting good grades, going on trips to different areas of the country/ world. I know that this winter break I am going to Israel and during this trip I hope to gain a cultural experience as well as form new relationships with Jewish students across America. This is definitely a goal that I would like to attain by mid- January. For me, especially in this time of growth and confusion (as to what I want to do or who I want to become), goals keep changing. For a while I wanted to study music and become a professional musician, but I realized that that does not always guarantee a financially secure career. As long term goals keep changing, I realize that it is important to stay true to my short term goals, because those will slowly pave the way towards my future.