HRMN DQ 6

 

Discuss  the relationship between the concepts of employee relations and  performance management. Include in your response the following:

• The impact of employee issues on individual and organizational performance. Discuss at least one example.
• The difference between performance issues and conduct issues and how  to ethically and effectively handle each situation, including  terminations.
• How workplace privacy, health, and safety issues can impact employee performance and behavior. Discuss at least one example.

Be sure to provide the references for the sources of the information you used including the material provided in the classroom.

Discussion Two:  Application

Read the Module 5 Case and in-depth scenario 1. After reviewing the module material, answer the following taken from the module:

A) Is allowing some employees to work from home “unfair” to other  employees who do not work from home? Why or why not? How will you handle  potential conflicts between employees over this issue? 

B) Assuming some employees will be allowed to work from home, how  will HSS determine which employees will be allowed to work from home?  How will you manage the performance of employees who work from home?

C) Write a brief memo (1–2 paragraphs) to the board of directors,  either justifying the expansion of telecommuting for software developers  at HSS or stating why telecommuting should not be allowed for software  developers at HSS. In your memo, include some discussion of why it is  important to have a clear policy on this issue. 

Be sure to provide the references for the sources of the information you used including the material provided in the classroom.

Make sure to also respond to two students with thoughtful comments. 

You must start a thread before you can read and reply to other threads      

Casefor Module 5

Fairness and equity are on your mind today. As the vice president of human resources for

Human Solutions Software (HSS), you have seen fast growth take place since you started

working for HSS 10 months ago.

You now have two new human resource generalists working for you. Over the last couple of

months, it has taken a great deal of your time to train them, but they are now getting to the

point where they can take care of many of the day-to-day details that used to keep you busy.

This has given you time to think about some major projects you have wanted to undertake

before but did not have the time to work on until now.

One project you want to undertake is to put all of the piecemeal employer/employee policies into

an employee handbook and add more policies that you feel are legally necessary. This handbook

will be important from a legal standpoint to show that employees have been informed about the

various policies, and it will also define the processes employees must follow if they have a

grievance.

To date your tenure at HSS has largely been spent dealing with crises and educating the

founders about the possibilities for and responsibilities of human resources at HSS. You now feel

that you have gained enough of the founders’ confidence to be more proactive in eliminating

problems and areas of dissatisfaction for the employees at HSS. Your goal is to help make the

policies at HSS fairer and more equitable.

In-Depth Scenario 1

Because of the nature of their work, many of the software developers could do most of their

tasks from home. You had started to work on a program to allow the software developers to do

some of their work from home before the previous head of software development was fired, but

now the acting head of software development is against allowing any of the software developers

to work from home.

There are two software developers who telecommute now. One just had a baby and wants to be

home with the baby for the first few months. The other has a mother with Alzheimer’s disease,

and he is her primary caregiver. Both of these software developers come into the office

occasionally for meetings and when there is a need to interact face-to-face with other software

developers, but there is often a week or two between their visits.

The acting head of software development is worried that the other software developers will feel

that it is “unfair” for these two to stay home and “work in their pajamas” while all the other

software developers have to come to work on time every day. The acting head of software

development is also concerned about having control over what software developers working from

home will be doing while they are supposed to be working.

You are hoping to recruit highly qualified software developers from around the country to work

for HSS because they can do so remotely. You are also aware of the savings that can be realized

if some of the employees at HSS work from home because HSS will not have to provide facilities,

equipment, parking, and so forth for the employees who telecommute.

The acting head of software development has approached you about whether he can require the
two telecommuting employees to stop telecommuting and work only in their cubicles at HSS.

How will you advise him?

A) Is allowing some employees to work from home “unfair” to other employees

who do not work from home? Why or why not? How will you handle potential

conflicts between employees over this issue?

B) Assuming some employees will be allowed to work from home, how will HSS

determine which employees will be allowed to work from home? How will you

manage the performance of employees who work from home?

C) Write a brief memo (1 – 2 paragraphs) to the board of directors, either

justifying the expansion of telecommuting for software developers at HSS or

stating why telecommuting should not be allowed for software developers at

HSS. In your memo, include some discussion of why it is important to have a

clear policy on this issue.

WorkplaceHealth and Safety

It is an employer’s responsibility to provide a healthy and safe environment for its employees. If

the work environment in an organization is unsafe, the employer risks losing some of its greatest

resources its employees. An employer also has an obligation to provide a healthy and safe work

environment because society expects employers to protect their employees from harm while the

employees are working. Many laws and regulations deal with the employer’s obligation to have a

healthy and safe work environment. If an employer does not provide that safe environment,

employees may sue the employer, or the employer may be investigated and shut down, fined, or

prosecuted by a government agency.

Major Laws Related to Workplace Health and Safety

Workers’ compensation is required of all employers. Employers pay into an insurance fund

that may be state-sponsored or private. When employees are injured on the job, they can have

their medical expenses and a portion of their lost pay covered by this insurance, regardless of

who was at fault. Workers’ compensation can be expensive (this author paid more than $1,800 a

year for the equivalent of three full-time retail employees when he owned a business). If the

safety record of the business is poor or the business is of a high-risk nature, the rates for

workers’ compensation insurance will be higher. Workers’ compensation programs are required

but vary considerably from state to state.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) oversees the health and safety

of workplaces in the United States. OSHA develops standards for workplace safety and enforces

those standards, as well as any other standards that an employer should know are needed to

provide a safe workplace. OSHA requires employers with 11 or more employees to keep records

of occupational injuries or illness. Whenever a workday is lost, or a person is obviously seriously

injured, it must be recorded. OSHA has the right to inspect a workplace and provides

consultation and training to help organizations provide a safe workplace.

Ways to Encourage Workplace Safety

Factors that affect safety in the workplace are:

• personnel selection

• employee awareness

• training

• workplace behavior

• incentives

• clear communication of safety rules

• listening to employee safety concerns

Personnel selection can have a significant effect on workplace safety. Although an employer

cannot require a physical exam of a prospective employee until it has extended an offer of

employment, the employer can legally withdraw the offer if the prospective employee fails the

physical exam. An employee’s physical condition may have a serious effect on workplace safety.

It is unsafe to employ someone who may faint while operating dangerous machinery or to rely

on someone who has a bad back to share the lifting of heavy objects. It is also an important

safety issue to hire people who have the skills and certifications to carry out the tasks that the

employee must perform. For example, you would not want a driver hauling hazardous materials

who did not know how to haul those materials safely.

Making employees aware of their workplace and surroundings is essential to workplace safety.

Placards and signs can make employees aware of potential safety hazards. Periodic training on

safety issues also may help keep employees aware of potential safety hazards. The best safety

program, however, is to foster a culture in the organization that makes everyone in the

organization safety-conscious.

Training programs can be related directly to safety issues or related to how to do specific jobs

better. Training programs on safety issues may involve simple things such as how to lift objects

and how to safely work at a computer all day without getting repetitive-task injuries. These

training programs may also lead to a reduction in workers’ compensation insurance rates.

Specific job-related training programs help the employees know how to operate equipment or

interact with clients or other employees safely.

Some behaviors in the workplace may seem innocent but may lead to safety hazards or injury. If

employees are “horsing around” in close proximity to potentially dangerous equipment or

substances, it presents a safety hazard. Managers have a responsibility to monitor employee

behavior to ensure that employees are behaving in a safe manner at all times.

Incentives can provide the impetus needed to make employees aware of their own safe or unsafe

behavior and can be individual or group in nature. Individual incentives may provide rewards for

good driving records, years without an injury, development of safety programs, or any other

behavior that promotes safety. Group rewards may be provided for the best safety record among

divisions, groups, or teams. This can create a competitive environment in which everyone in the

group or team helps everyone else to be aware of safety considerations.

Setting definite safety rules and clearly communicating those rules to employees can help them

be safer. Managers can communicate safety rules by posting them in places where employees

will see and read them. The safety rules may also be part of employee handbooks. Managers can

play a major role in reminding employees of the safety rules, and these rules may be conveyed

to employees in safety training sessions.

If an employee expresses safety concerns, it is important that management acts upon those

concerns. Listening to employees is the best way to become aware of potential safety problems.

If employees complain about safety issues and the managers do nothing about those issues,

those managers may be held criminally liable if someone is injured.

Health and Safety Issues

Drugs cause safety concerns because of the inattentiveness they may cause among employees.

When there is a transportation accident, the driver, engineer, or pilot is required to undergo a

drug test. Many accidents are caused by the use of drugs (including alcohol). Prospective

employees can be required to undergo drug testing after they are offered a job. If they fail the

drug test, the job offer can legally be withdrawn. Employees can be required to undergo drug

tests if there is cause to believe that they are using drugs or if the tests are done in a way that

all the employees or a truly random sample are given the test.

Secondhand smoke in the workplace has been proven to cause health problems in nonsmokers.

Many states have laws that prohibit people from smoking where others may be exposed to their

smoke. There are also secondary issues with smoking, such as increased health insurance costs

for everyone in the organization, greater expense for remodeling facilities, and, potentially, more

frequent breaks for smokers to smoke. A smoking area must be either be

• indoors, in an area where the ventilation system is separate from other areas in the
building, or

• outdoors, where the smoke will not affect other people

Violence in the workplace is more common than most people seem to think. Almost half of all

employees experience violence in the workplace in a given year. This violence can be from other

employees or from clients or customers. Some of the violence can be avoided by carefully

screening employees before hiring them. Running a criminal-record check may help employers

determine if someone has violent tendencies and is required in many states for some employees,

such as child care workers. Being aware of stress levels and potential conflicts between

employees will help managers control violence in the workplace.

Stress in the workplace can be reduced by providing clear directions and then letting employees

have the autonomy to do their job. People under stress are inattentive and more susceptible to

injury or illness. Support of others in the workplace, especially when things aren’t going well, can

help employees feel that people at work do care and help alleviate the alienation that often

comes from stress. Providing opportunities for exercise and allowing employees to have times

when they can relax (short naps may increase creativity and productivity) can help with stress.

Programs such as child care and flexible schedules may help to alleviate stress. Stress can be a

great motivator, but it can also lead an employee to burnout, to become unproductive, or even

to leave the organization.

Two programs that help to deal with health and safety issues in organizations are Employee

Assistance Programs (EAPs) and wellness programs. EAPs are designed to provide

employees with help for personal problems. These programs emphasize counseling for problems

such as substance abuse, stress management, anger management, marital counseling, family

counseling, and depression. Organizations usually contract with a local mental health facility for

their EAP programs. Wellness programs are designed to educate people as to how to lead a

healthier life and prevent health problems. Wellness programs often provide access to physical

fitness facilities and to health evaluation and education programs. Included in wellness programs

are smoking-cessation classes, healthy eating education, physical evaluations, lifestyle

evaluations, and so on. Organizations often hire a nurse or other health care professional to run

wellness programs.

Both EAPs and wellness programs are usually cost-effective. They can pay for themselves with

lower health insurance premiums and with less employee absenteeism. It also appears that

these programs may help to increase productivity.

An organization cannot exist without healthy employees. The healthier and safer employees are,

the more productive and loyal they are. Being aware of employee health and safety also helps to

avoid possible lawsuits and may also avoid criminal prosecutions. Having programs that promote

health and safety in the workplace is good business practice and, in the long run, is also

essential to having a successful organization.

ManagingEmployment Relationships

Businesses are significant social institutions in our society. While having satisfied employees does

not necessarily make organizations more productive, it does contribute to lower turnover rates

and greater customer satisfaction, contributing to greater profits. Managing the relationships

between the employee and the employer is a critical function in a successful organization.

An organization can be fair and equitable in its treatment of employees but still have problems

with employees if there is a perception that the organization is unfair and/or inequitable.

Managing the perception of employees is as important as the reality of the treatment of

employees. This means that open and clear communications with employees is one of the most

important factors in managing employee relationships.

Three major concepts must be taken into consideration when dealing with

employees.

These concepts are equality, fairness, and justice:

1. Equality is treating every employee in the same way.

2. Fairness is treating employees in a way that is appropriate for the employee’s situation.

3. Justice is the perception that the treatment of employees fits with society’s

expectations.

It is easier to treat all employees the same (equally) than it is to treat all employees fairly.

Equality is easier to measure than fairness. If everyone is given the same raise when some

employees have worked hard, and other employees have hardly worked, the equal raise may be

seen as unfair. On the other hand, a raise that may be given to some employees, and not to

other employees, is unequal and may be perceived as unfair by some employees. The best way

to deal with this perception of unfairness is through open communication as to why different

employees are being treated differently.

Justice deals with the processes of administering fair policies in an organization. Justice can be

distributive or procedural. Distributive justice determines who gets what in an organization.

Procedural justice is the process of deciding who gets what in an organization. Organizations

are often held to procedural standards by the courts without regard to the actual distribution of

resources.

Organizations cannot legally violate a person’s basic civil rights. For example, an organization

cannot lock someone in their workplace and not allow them to leave; or an organization cannot

require a person to commit illegal acts. The leaders of organizations and the organizations

themselves are subject to legal sanctions for any actions that violate an employee’s rights.

There are several trends in employment in organizations that may raise fairness issues among

employees.

• The use of part-time and temporary workers often creates two classes of workers in
an organization: (1) long-term, full-time employees, and (2) short-term, temporary or

part-time employees. The shorter-term employees often do tasks that are as important,

or more important, than the longer-term employees, but they receive less compensation

(especially fewer benefits).

• Flexible work schedules provide an opportunity for employees to fit the organization to
their personal needs. Flexible schedules may bring about some feelings of unfairness

among employees, however, if the flexible work schedules are not distributed fairly, or if

the process for determining who has what schedule is seen as un

fair.

• Sexual harassment is, legally, an EEO issue but is also an unfair and unjust situation
for the victims of sexual harassment. It is also important to be aware of the paranoia that

some males feel about the possibility of being unfairly accused of sexual harassment.

• Whistleblowing is an internal or external effort by an employee to expose unethical or
illegal actions that are witnessed in an organization. With the threat of serious negative

consequences for whistleblowers, protections have been developed in an effort to be fair

to whistleblowers and to encourage whistleblowing.

• Privacy issues are concerned with the rights of employees to prevent distribution or
disclosure of their employment records and the obligations of organizations to cooperate

with governmental anti-terrorism efforts. While there have been some changes to privacy

rights of employees in recent years, it is still an ethical obligation of human resource

professionals and managers to protect the privacy of information about individuals, within

the law.

A good manager is not only aware of being fair and just, but is also aware of the perceptions that

employees have about whether the manager is being fair and just. If there is a possibility that

some action will be interpreted as unfair, good managers make sure that they communicate the

reasons for their actions so that those actions are interpreted as being fair.

Employee handbooks define the policies and procedures for handling an organization’s

relations with employees. Even with statements that the employee handbook is not an explicit or

implicit contract, the courts will usually interpret the employee handbook as an agreement

between employer and employee. The employee handbook can be an important tool for

communicating expectations and processes to employees. Well-written employee handbooks

save both the employer and employee numerous legal problems.

Employment at will enables both employees and employers to terminate the employment

without warning, but only if no employment contract exists. Employment at will is a much

weaker concept today than it was in the past because today, most employment involves a

contract or a collective bargaining agreement that supersedes employment at will.

Disciplinary actions should be spelled out in the employee handbook and should be as uniform

as possible across all levels of the organization to avoid any perception of unfairness. Discipline

is designed to bring about better behavior or actions in the future. The reasons for discipline

should always be clearly defined so the person or persons being disciplined know how to behave

better in the future. Progressive discipline should be used when possible by increasing the

seriousness of the consequences if the unwanted behavior is repeated.

The key element in managing employment relationships is to make certain that the

organization’s actions are fair and just. An employer’s actions may be fair and just but

sometimes may not be perceived as such by the employees. Communicating the reasons for any

employer/employee action is vital in helping employees perceive the reasons for the action as

fair.