Posts Tagged ‘management’

Life of an HR Professional

Libby Sartain is one of the top HR professionals in the United States. She has over 30 years of experience in Human Resources. The article “Libby’s Life in HR—So Far;…” mentions some of the struggles of a Human Resource Professional. They, also, conducted an interview with Ms. Sartain, and asked her for tips on how she became what she is today. It mentioned her earliest bad memories from when she was once made to lay herself off at a computer services firm to her final accomplishments like being the leader when both Yahoo and Southwest made Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work for in America list. She mentions the importance of a company’s values in relation to success. She even mentions how a human resources executive must have thick skin, and get used to criticism. She talks about how important employees should be in an organization, and how you must show potential employees the best work environment around. She talked about healthy work relationships, and exactly how important a respect for authority really is. The final question in the interview was “What are the biggest challenges these days for HR leaders?” Sartain explained how employers used to be able to decide the work, wages, hours, and all other terms of employment. She says that this is changing very quickly and employees are having more and more power over their compensation, hours, and work environment.

I believe that Libby Sartain has made an impact on the Human Resource Management field. She has had a part in thousands (possibly millions) of jobs around the United States. Her experience and advice have helped managers everywhere become more efficient in managing and especially building human relationships. Sartain has been dedicated to keeping the “human” in human resources since she had to experience the pain of being laid-off. Her dedication to her employees, co-workers, and company have been key to her success.

Job-Related Stress

Stress at work can diminish the quality of life outside of work. It is important to keep as much stress out of the home as possible. Is a company liable for an individual’s claims of job-related anxiety or depression? Once they are aware of the problem, employers have a legal duty to address it. However, this doesn’t mean that the company is solely responsible.

Stress at work could be caused by a number of factors. The economic downturn, financial concerns, or job security fears that may not even be necessary are just some of the possible factors of workplace stress (Williams, 2009). Companies should only be liable their losses that are caused by stress-related absences. They should not be liable for other problems as long as they are following state legal stress management standards.

Employers are taking several actions to reduce stress in the workplaces. They are providing training to middle and lower-level managers (Williams, 2009). This is reducing the amount of managers with poor people skills which can cause stress for employees under them.  Other employers are requiring employees who are returning from a stress-related absence to take surveys that give employers a better understanding of the problems at work (Williams, 2009).

These surveys help the staff communicate which is important in any workplace. Great communicators are usually the most efficient managers because they can understand employee’s needs and make sure that employees understand the needs of the company. This results in maximum efficiency. The best communicator I know is  an outstanding listener and can relate your problems to other situations. This is important to make sure all parties are on the same page and that he has understood the problem at hand. After you are finished, he then provides feedback, and is willing to admit when he doesn’t know. He makes sure to listen and comprehend before providing feedback. Listening is one of the most important parts of communicating. The old saying, “You have two ears and one mouth because you should listen twice as much as you speak,” is a very true statement for managers. Communicating is important in any field, but when managing people it is a necessity.

-Andrew Campbell

References

Williams, N. (2009, February 10). Employers set out to reduce stress. Personnel Today.

Retrieved September 22, 2009 from LexisNexis Academic database.

Power and Management

Power is the ability to act or produce an effect (Power, 2009). It is important that anyone in a manager position has not only authority but power as well. Powerful people can get done what they want and when they want it.

This doesn’t mean that an authoritarian approach to management is the best one. The most powerful person I know is also one of the friendliest. He is a rather easygoing guy by the name of Dave Callahan. Mr. Callahan is a grocery store manager of a Safeway franchise in Dover, Delaware. Although he is friendly and easy to get along with, he still motivates his employees by expecting high standards of them and communicating any problems that they may have without causing tension. The democratic work environment shows employees their importance in the running of the company which in turn keeps them loyal to the company.

I’ve worked in autocratic, democratic, and laissez-fair work environments each having both advantages and disadvantages. The autocratic manager had employees on their toes all day (PageWise, 2002). Although work was being completed and you knew who the boss was, it was a stressful work environment and employee morale was at the lowest I’d ever seen. I once worked in the distribution department of a paint factory. This was one of the most laid-back jobs I have ever been in. There was no supervision for my shift. We were under a laissez-faire style manager (PageWise, 2002). We knew our jobs and he wasn’t going to slow us down. One of the disadvantages to this style of management is that it could be abused, and you feel as if the managers aren’t involved enough. Overall, it was still an enjoyable work experience. My current employer runs under the democratic style (PageWise, 2002). Although sometimes employees crave even more power, the workplace is generally comfortable and managers understand our concerns and solve conflicts.

I try to avoid conflicts unless they are beneficial. Working in a customer service environment, I see more conflict at work than at school. Any time a person is paying for a good or service they obviously have a certain expectation. If those expectations aren’t reached, problems can arise.

-Andrew Campbell

References

PageWise. (2002).Styles of leadership.

Retrieved September 27, 2009 from

http://www.essortment.com/all/leadershipstyle_rrnq.htm

Power. (2009). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.

Retrieved September 27, 2009, from

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/power

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