Employee Communication

Employee Communication

Difference between Employee Participation and Involvement

Employee participation and employee involvement although may sound similar there is a distinct difference between the two. Employee participation engages employees in sharing of something between one another and employers. This could be ideas during meetings or having a say in decisions. However employee involvement is slightly different because it is more physical as they would be doing something rather than putting forward ideas. Employee involvement also makes an employee more committed to the organisations work and value.

How organisations can involve employees in decision making

Heathfield, S. (2011) suggests that three ways in which organisations can get employees can be achieved by rewards, consulting and delegate.

Rewards would be a popular way to get employees involved as they would then gain something from it. For example if a discussion was happening and an employee contributed useful information which can help the employers make a final decision then that employee can be rewards by financial or non financial perks.

Consulting is where the supervisor or leader making the decision would talk to its staff about the decision that is going to be made to get the input, however the person making the decision would always have the final say on what the final decision would be.

Delegate which is where the manager  would leave the decision to its staff, this would motivate the employees to get involved as it is showing the employees that they are being trusted and valued within the organisation.

Social Networking

Many businesses now use social networking sites to involve their staff as well as give out information to current and potential employees. Social networking is a very useful tool which can be used as social networking is becoming increasingly popular. Sites such as Facebook and twitter can be used as well as many others. Businesses use social networking sites to create their own page and this can show the business how many people like the business for example on Facebook people generally click the like button on the businesses page should they like the business and this can indicate how many followers the business has.

Putting on information on business sites can allow customers as well as potential employees or current employees all to be able to see news and information about the company whether it be about changes, new products or other details that may be relevant to reveal.

On many of these social networking sites businesses can create groups so that the business can add employees to it to give out information which is for people who work for the organisation.  Social networking for businesses can be helpful and majority of the organisations employees are like to be using them already and having other colleagues as friends which shows strong bonds between employees and therefore it is easy to target employees as groups.

For potential employees social networking sites were used to do background checks which found out information about potential employees by information they have put about themselves on their page and comparing them to what they may have said at an interview. Also pictures they have been part of and posted to their social networking site may also tell business what the potential employee is like. However many court cases have happened due to people thinking that they are invading their privacy.

Reference List

Laurie J. Mullins (2010) Management & organisational behaviour. 9th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited

Heathfield, S. (2011) Employee Involvement [Online] Available from: http://humanresources.about.com/od/glossarye/a/employee_inv.htm [Accessed 28^th April 2011]

Performance Management

Performance Management blog

In university there are many ways in which my performance can be measure and these include:

Attendance – Measured through register system which can show attendance levels and which class’s students have been to and which have been missed. A reward/incentive for high attendance is bursary reward and gaining a higher understanding of a subject in order to achieve a better degree.

Assignments – These are used to monitor current progress of student’s knowledge and understanding of the subject, these also are a form of test although normally over a long period of time in order to finish them.

Examinations- These are used to test student’s knowledge of the subject.

Feedback sheet – After assignments and examinations, feedback sheets are made by the tutor which help students monitor their  progress and help determine on which area of the subject to improve upon.

Lectures monitor these roles through the ways stated such as marking exams and assignments as well as teaching us the skills and knowledge required in order to answer them. Personal tutors take a background role in offering advice and support to students when needed and can help students if performance or attendance levels are low.

The main skills required in a mentor are to be:
Experienced, well-mannered and skilled at listening.
Be happy to have an honest and open mentoring relationship.
Having your assumptions challenged by your mentor.

Having an experienced mentor is essential as past experiences of the mentor will enable people to not make the same mistakes i.e. if the idea of the entrepreneur is poor then a mentor may be able to judge that it is not worth following and it is best to stop and not to spend any more time with it as it won’t be worthwhile.  Being happy and honest in a relationship with a mentor is vital as hiding facts or producing fake opinions or facts will hinder the relationship and the path to a better future will be harder to follow. By having you judgment challenged by a mentor can help you understand what you have to do next and if it is the right call. Also this helps with not making rash decisions that could have a negative impact upon the business.

During secondary school in Year 11, I was studying GCSE’s and in the earlier months there had been mock examinations. These mock exams show how well I was currently doing and determine what areas I needed to improve upon in time for the real GCSE exams. I was given a mentor who would help me in various ways in order to help achieve my potential grades. This was extremely useful and the mentor gave me help in ways to revise and how to answer questions and in turn this led to improved GCSE results. This therefore enabled me to go to 6^TH form at the school as I attained high enough grades and in turn the help from the mentor has helped me in future exam and revision scenario’s and had a positive impact upon my education.

Reference List

Mentor Support for entrepreneurs [Online] Available from: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/entrepreneur/article3778514.ece [Accessed 6th May 2011]

Selection

Selection

Review of an Online Recruitment Site

The website that will be reviewed will be http://www.prospects.ac.uk/ this is a site for graduates who are looking for jobs. The site has many features that make it attractive such as the colours used. The colour scheme they have used is predominantly green/blue/white and they have made it so that it does not clash with each other hence making the home page look attractive to professional graduates looking for jobs. The layout of the website is student friendly and is easy to navigate and find things. There are drop down menu’s which lead to specific places the user will want to view and therefore provides easy access. There is also a search bar which can be a useful feature to navigate quicker. One of the main disadvantages is the amount of adverts on the website, even though this may be used to fund the running of the website it can come across as unprofessional and put of many viewers. There are links which lead to different places of where the viewer may want to apply, for example a button to look for graduate jobs or to look for courses and research them and this will allow them to access either easily. The images used are suitable to attract students as they are seemingly fun as the people in the picture are enjoying themselves and this would be a positive feature as graduates looking for jobs may think that this website will help find an enjoyable job that the viewer will want to do.

Recruitment campaign that interested me

One of the recruitment campaign adverts which interests is the army jobs advert which is shown on television. Firstly what interested me is the animated sketches which they have made interesting as it has a lot of things such as tanks and fire power which would appeal mostly to males. It also shows that you can be of any skill level to join as they will train you as the person who talk in the advert was working at a counter before being trained to be a leader. Another feature that is interesting is that at the end it shows you how to find a job and apply and it also challenges you by saying “if you got what it takes” which may make people think that i might have what it takes and they would apply. The advert uses someone that has joined the army as lists a couple of skills which he has learnt such as leadership which would be helpful to have in any job.

Advantages of Online Recruitment

The advantages of online recruitment is that it is cost effective, this means that if a company has a vacancy, then would not need to spend any money to advertise the job on their own website whereas using newspapers to advertise or other sources could cost a lot of money.

Another advantage is that it is usually quick as there are many people using the internet and this is increasing and there is more chance of getting replies and quickly than a normal advert where the applicant would need to fill a form which would then need to be posted which can take a couple of days but online recruitment can all be done instantly.

Online recruitment also gives a better chance of success as online recruitment would be there for longer than what newspaper ads would be therefore as if it is longer than a day it would cost a lot more than online where it can be available 24/7. This increases the success rate of finding the ideal candidate. Online recruitment is also fairly easy as posting an advert is fairly simple on a job site as it is usually user friendly as well as a team which can help which reduces the need to have IT skills as the basics would be sufficient as all the company would need to do is post the job description and other information the company would want the potential applicants to know.

Another advantage is that online recruitment gives the organisation a bigger audience to aim at as it can get different types of people and as it is becoming a popular type of job searching it would be a job idea for organisations to use online recruitment. The average age of people using online recruitment is 35 year olds which is increasing as more people mainly the older generation are becoming aware of how useful using a computer can be and are learning the skills to use one.

Disadvantages

The disadvantages is that there may be too many people applying, even though this can be considered a good thing and a bigger chance to find the right candidate but it would be time consuming should there be a lot of candidates and this would lead to picking the right people as the organisations would not be able to short list all of them as this can be costly as well as time consuming. Another disadvantage is that online recruitment may not always work as some jobs would need specific people to fill the jobs and the company may need to look for different method to target those that they are looking for and therefore reducing the chance of unwanted people applying which online recruitment can bring.

Also being a disadvantage is that the company would be relying on a professional recruit to advertise the job and find suitable candidates and therefore the recruiter would not offer much flexibility as they will look for people who fit into the job description. Another disadvantage could be that people for all around the world may apply which could mean that the company may need to spend money on providing accommodation for those applicants or waste their time viewing the applicant’s application if they are not willing to provide accommodation.

Reference list

What Job UK [Online] available from: http://www.whatjobsite.com/Online%20Recruitment:%20Advantages%20and%20disadvantages.htm [Accessed on 23^rd April 2011]

Prospects UK [Online] Available from: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/ [Accessed on 23^rd April 2011]

Perception and Communication

Perception and Communication

Incorrect Perception that I have had

An incorrect perception of someone that I had was the professional golfer Tiger Woods, what made me lead to an initial judgement was that he was a married sportsman and also the number one golfer in the world and of a generation. When the news broke that he had been having affairs it made me realise that people are not how they are perceived to be and that the positive image that was being portrayed in the media was quite possibly false. In this situation I would not do anything differently as this it would be impossible to do so as I have no power over people who have affairs. Although on reflection of events such as this it has brought to me the realisation of not creating a perception of people as more times than not they are usually found out to be wrong.

Ways in which universities can communicate with students

From an article which suggests seven steps of ways to improve staff communication. These are:

Have a shared purpose

Convince your leader

Engage your people

Consider your channels

Keep the personal touch

Work collaboratively

Measure your results

However for universities to communicate with students it may vary as students would have other ways in which they would want to communicate and ways in which there are ways in which universities may be better of adapting to, in order to have the best response from students. A way in which universities would be able to communicate with students better is by using text messages to keep them up to date with information that they will need to know, this could be to do with assignments that may be due in or for changes that the university may be making.

Another is that they could use social networking sites which many students are using such as Facebook. This would be a useful way as students are constantly on them and most students would view information that is on their news feeds or inbox. Another way in which universities could improve communication with students is by face to face meetings with members of staff, this is one of the best ways in term of making sure students get the message that the university wants to give the student as you know they will know about it if they come to see a member of staff, where as social networking and texts may not be as effective as they may ignore it.

Reference List

Clarke, R (2010) How to improve staff communication [Online] Available from: http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/2010/07/how-to-improve-staff-communication.htm [Accessed 28^th

April 2011]

Laurie J. Mullins (2010) Management & organisational behaviour. 9th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited

Teamworking

Teamwork blog

The process of working collaboratively with a group of people in order to achieve a goal.

Teamwork is often a crucial part of a business, as it is often necessary for colleagues to work well together, trying their best in any circumstance. Teamwork means that people will try to cooperate, using their individual skills and providing constructive feedback, despite any personal conflict between individuals. 

There are many scenario’s in which I have worked within a team and been successful. These include mainly sports teams, although recently I have been working in teams at University in order to complete tasks and assignments. During an assignment I was assigned to a team and the objective was to create an event/function for a charity and to raise at least £150. In order to be successful the team knew we had to delegate positions within the team and co-operate where necessary. By the end of the event the team had attained more than the £150 target and we were very successful based on the return and the grades/marks the team had received for the assignment.  In relation to theory there are five stages which new teams should follow in order to be successful these are:

-          The polite stage;

-          The why are we here, what are we doing stage;

-          The power stage, which dominate will emerge ;

-          The constructive stage when sharing begins; and

-          The unity stage, where the team eats and talks together.

Available from: http://www.the-happy-manager.com/teamwork-theory.html

This is the basis that was similarly followed which ultimately led to a successful team.

Tuckmans Theory

Singh, K. (2009) says Tuckmans theory which was first developed in 1965, suggests that a group must go through different stages. Each stage has a task related or maintenance related issue in which a group must overcome to become successful. Tuckman suggests that there are four stages which permanent groups must go through, however there are five groups which temporary groups must go through. The first four stages are the same for both types of groups however for the temporary group the fifth stage is the disbanding of the group as they have achieved the goal. The 5 stages are:

Forming, this is the first stage where the individuals have not fully become a group but are starting to get to know one another and what their role in the team will be. This is also a good chance for the individuals to get to know colleagues and each member’s strengths and weaknesses. Secondly storming, this is the most difficult stage which a team must go through as this can make or break a team, at this stage the individuals will see themselves as part of a team but will start to question other members about how the team is doing and what they should be doing, this is due to difference in opinions and conflict could arise which could inevitably lead members to leave the team.

Norming, this is the stage where the team has dealt with the conflict and starts to become a group and each member understands their role of the group as well as team rules which are in place to reduce conflict within the group. Once each member agrees to the rules and ways of how tasks will be done then there is a sense of togetherness within the group. After this is performing which is where the group come together to work as an effective team to complete tasks and goals that have been set and also relationships and understandings grow with one another. The final stage for temporary groups is adjourning only as now the task has been done they would no longer need to be part of the team and the group would disband.

In relation to our team for the first assignment for people and organisation, If I was to link the group to the Tuckman theory then I think we were all at the performing stage as we kind of knew each other, there was no conflict as we all knew what we had to do and we agreed on how to go about doing it. So therefore the group progressed through each stage and the relationship throughout was good this ultimately led to a successful team as in the end the team received a good mark/grade which effectively proved the relationship of the team was excellent.

Two companies who have mentioned that team work was a major contributor to their success are boots opticians and P3 the charity.

Boots have mentioned that they hold regular team working activities which give staff a balance between the home life and work life which reduces stress and encourages them to work harder and concentrate more. A bonus scheme makes team wants to work together as a strong unit and colleague go and help each other to get the job done which is very useful within the organisation and shows a strong family like bond within teams. Staffs have also said that they find it fun to work with teams and this shows that they are not overly stressed.

P3 have said that team work has been essential as teams have said that they love working for P3 due to the fact that senior management teams listen to what they have to say. This shows them that they are valued and shows appreciation and a good, strong and friendly bond between employees and employers. The team leaders also spend more time with their teams so that they have full support and supervision so that they are aware of how they are doing and have someone to talk to if they are unaware of what is required. This would reduce the chance of errors and employees will be confident to talk to the team leader as they are friendly and want to help. This would then lead to the jobs that are required to be done being completed.

Reference List

Tuckman’s stages of group development [online] Available from: http://www.the-happy-manager.com/teamwork-theory.html  [Accessed on 13^th April 2011]

People Potential Possibilities  [Online] Available from: http://www.p3charity.com/ [Accessed on 13^th April 2011]

Top 100 Companies to work for [Online] Available from: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/ [Accessed on 13^th April 2011]

Equal Opps and Diversity

Equal opportunities blog

Equality

Equality is usually defined as that general feeling of making everyone, irrespective of where they came from, feels like we are all the same. The feeling of whatever social background we came from, we will all get the same treatment with sheer just and fairness. Like in a workplace, both men and women should have the same salaries if they both perform the same job.

Diversity

Diversity is usually defined as having a mixture of people peacefully co-existing in a place, be it in a community or work place as perfect examples and no one is being discriminated based on one’s race, religion, sex or even sexual preference. It is that state of being able to recognize that everyone is different and that these differences should not matter in how we treat each other.

Difference between Equality and Diversity

Equality is the about receiving the same treatment, although diversity is more about creating an environment that thrives on our differences and no matter how glaring these differences are, no one is being a victim of discrimination. Equality is being able to work in a company or live in a community that give the same human rights to everyone. Whereas diversity is recognizing that everyone is different and being able to peacefully co-exist with each other despite or in spite of these difference.

In 2006 the age legislation act came into force which led to people of all ages gained the equal opportunity and for workplaces to have a diversity of different age ranges, this would therefore lead to a more diverse age group within a workforce and people will no longer be discriminated against due to their age so therefore would effect in the recruitment policy for the employers.

There are many stereotypes for people young and old and these are how people are perceived. For younger people the stereotypes usually followed are trivia driven i.e. fashion and TV, egocentric and energetic whereas a stereotype for older aged people may be complaining, focused, knowledge and slow working. Companies can change the attitudes of stereotyping by employing a workforce consisting of both age groups. This will help as both groups will have to work together and in turn may come to realise that the stereotypical view is not the same as to how the person is. Also companies may realise that both age groups can learn from each other as the older group has experience and may be able to help younger employees, although the younger employees can offer help in other area’s i.e. technology as they may be more use as they are aware of how it works and can support the older staff members.

Sainsbury’s is an organisation that specifically offered jobs to people aged over 50 as this was part of their equal opportunities drive and over 10,000 jobs were made available to the age group. The move was well received by age organisations such as Help the Aged and Age Concern. Although it was met with some critics stating that the younger generation suffered, Sainsbury’s answered these by stating this was to balance the workforce age-gap and was a usual complaint from customers which were asking for more mature employees. Available

To conclude equal opportunities is a fair solution to an unbalanced and unfair system, so from equal opportunities companies should employ people from all backgrounds and age which in turn will also lead to a diverse organisation and a cohesive workforce as they are more likely to be able to help each other based on differences. In some circumstances this policy can’t be followed i.e. sports teams, although in general this should be common practice from 2006 for most businesses and this is what it should be.

References

Laurie J. Mullins (2010) Management & organisational behaviour. 9th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited

Age Discrimination Act [online] available from: http://www.is4profit.com/business-advice/employment/age-discrimination-legislation/age-legislation-october-2006.html [Accessed on 22^nd April 2011]

10,000 jobs created for over 50’s [online] available from: http://www.employersjobs.com/news_article.aspx?NewsId=549&NewsArchive=10,000-jobs-created-for-the-over-50's [Accessed on 22^nd April 2011]

Reward

How Organisations Reward Employees?

Rewarding employees for their hard work and contribution towards the organisations goals can be a good way to keep them motivated as it would show that they are valued and are doing a good job.

John Lewis is a good example of an organisation that rewards their employees in a number of ways. For example even though currently most parts of the world are facing a tough economic climate, john Lewis still made a successful trading year and they rewarded their employees by giving them 18% of their salary more as their reward. This was approximately equivalent to nine weeks pay. John Lewis also offer benefits that can be given to their employees as listed below:

Pensions

Discounts

Paid holidays

Extended leaves

Plus many more

John Lewis also treat all employees fairly and as equal. If they have been performing then they will also receive these rewards no matter which job the employee is doing.

Should Chief Executives receive bonuses when then organisation under performs?

In my opinion I feel that there are reasons for and against Chief Executives receiving large bonuses should the organisation be successful or under perform. Below is a list of for and against reasons.

The reasons for chief executives receiving large bonuses are that it will motivate them to keep on trying hard as they are receiving bonuses which show that the organisation trusts them to take the company to the next level.

Another reason would be that it may not be the chief executives own fault as other factors may contribute to the underperforming of the company as currently the economic climate is bad as people don’t want to spend money no matter what unless it is an essential. Other factors such as employees not carrying out instructions properly could lead to organisations under performing and this may be the most likely cause. Therefore if the chief executive was blamed for this even when they were trying hard to turn it around then it would de motivate them as they would feel like they are not appreciated for what they are doing and being blamed for other peoples errors.

The arguments against chief executives receiving large bonuses when the company is under performing are that if they receive large bonuses then other employees may feel that they are no valued as they most likely will not get a large bonus if any bonuses.

Another argument is that would it be fair on other people if they got large bonuses when they are already getting paid more than the rest of the employees and still receiving large bonuses, this would be unfair to other employees.

Overall I think that everyone should be treated equally and therefore if the company wants to reward the Chief Executive with large bonuses then the company should reward the rest of the work force should they do well or not as this show equality and fairness throughout the employees and this would also reduce conflict within the workforce.

Reference List

Laurie J. Mullins (2010) Management & organisational behaviour. 9th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited

http://www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/Display.aspx?MasterId=68408a6d-eee2-4873-a2fb-420aad32e547&NavigationId=556#pen