December 11, 2006
Final Thoughts on MGMT 250
At the start of the MGMT 250 course I was very unsure how the course would turn out. As the semester carried on I began to discover more and more about myself. Exercises like the LSI and Personality Type Indicator shed immense amounts of light on aspects of my character I was not familiar with. In this course I have learned a great deal about myself as well as management principles. This course has allowed me to grow as a student as well as a man. I feel, by completing this course and all its activities, I have become a better person.
Peer Evaluation
With the HR simulation drawing to a close we have been called upon to evaluate our group members. I never feel comfortable judging people. I never feel it is my place to evaluate a peer’s work because I am a student just as they are and in no way am I qualified to appraise their work. In the case of the HR simulation I can see how peer evaluation is the only way the professors of this course can grade the work of individuals in the HR group setting. As group leader I asked my group to evaluate one another (and me) after the yearly report. Throughout the semester I checked with them to see if I was completing my job sufficiently as well as if they felt that their group members were completing adequate work. Although I may not feel comfortable with evaluating my peers I feel it was a very positive experience for me because it helped me become more comfortable with the feedback process.
Employee Termination
Terminating employees is a very difficult situation. I feel it is important to end an employee’s time at a company as professional as possible. When terminating an employee I feel that the employee’s direct superior should break the news to the employee. The employee should know the exact reason(s) he or she is being fired for and there should be no questions as to the validity of the basis for the termination. Ending a person’s employment in the best way possible makes the whole termination process easier on the terminated as well as the terminator.
Final HR Thoughts
Throughout the semester we have been participating as a mock industry and us as students have been acting as HR directors of the various companies in this industry. Our jobs were to improve the companies HR department. After many trials and tribulations the HR simulation is finally completed and I have evaluated our group decisions through the semester. Our plan to improve the company seemed like a good one at the start of the simulation, but if I knew what I know now I would have made many different decisions. Giving employees more money and fringe benefits do not always make them happy workers. There are many aspects in a workers life that combine to influence their job experience. Learning this has changed my outlook on HR departments and their difficult job of managing employees.
Tom Mendola Case
In class we spoke of a case where an employee who did not have a very stable and supportive home life. This employee’s work quality was poor as a result, and the company worked very hard to accompany the employee. In my opinion I feel that the company worked too hard to please the unproductive worker. I feel it is unfair to make so many accommodations for one employee and other workers in the company may feel the same way. By no means am I saying a company should not accommodate an employee. I just feel that there is a point at which accommodating an individual becomes too taxing on a company and the company must decide where that point is and realize it would be better if that individual take his or her services elsewhere.
November 09, 2006
HR Simulation Yearly Report
Our first 4 quarters of our HR simulation did not go as planned, but I feel we still made steps in the right direction. We tried very hard to move our strategy into action by increasing morale and decreasing turnover. Our strategy was successful, but not as successful as we would have hoped. In the last quarter we had a little hiccup that gave us a few more things to think about and consider when making decisions for the rest of the simulation. Overall our first year went well and I am very pleased with the group I am working with as well as the results we have achieved during the first year of the simulation. I am very interested to see if our HR director is pleased with what we have accomplished.
Feedback Problems
Wednesday the 8th we spoke about feedback. Giving proper feedback can have a substantial affect on a company’s productivity and success. Sometimes I feel giving feedback that may be construed as negative can make many people very uncomfortable. I think one of the most important aspects of being able to give feedback to improve someone’s performance is a basis of respect and trust between group members. If people giving feedback to one another have that mutual respect for one another the feedback is much more effective and people feel less threatened by giving and receiving feedback that may not be 100% positive. Feedback is a crucial part in keeping constant improvement and staying one step ahead of the competition.