EOC Week 10: Up in the Air

George Clooney's role in the movie Up in the Air is phenomenal. He plays a character with a job that most people have probably never even imagined having. He goes around to different companies and fires employees in place of the managers. Clooney uses his skills and makes the employee see the brighter side of losing their job. The girl in the movie seems very intelligent, however just a little inexperienced. I could totally understand why Clooney wanted to do the job alone, because knows what he is doing, he's good at it and he doesn't want any type of slack, which is what he felt the girl was going to cause. The girl felt like she knew what she was doing and is obviously very interested in the career because she is constantly focused and always trying. However, Clooney tends to top everything she says and she probably makes her feel like she knows nothing, but she is learning things that will benefit her in this job position. Clooney is good at his job because he has seen it all. He knows exactly how to deal with pretty much any type of response.

If I were in this job position I would probably always try to make the best of it, just like Clooney did. Rather than delivering bad news, he made it as if he were delivering good news. Most people think that getting fired is a bad thing and it always seems that way. However, I do believe there is a bright side to absolutely everything. It's important to stay focus on the positive rather than dwell on the negative, especially when it's something that you deal with on a day to day basis.

BOC Week 10: Getting Fired

I have never experienced getting fired from a job (fortunately), nor have I ever fired someone. However, I do recall this time where my store manager fired this employee for being late every single day and always had the craziest excuses. For example, one morning he was late because he couldn't decide if he wanted cereal or waffles for breakfast. Another time, he called into work 30 minutes after he was scheduled, and said he had a dream that he called in a few hours ago and said he was sick. His excuses were horrible but pretty entertaining. After several times, the store manager fired him. He came into work and my store manager took him to the back and gave him his check and said that he was paid for the rest of the week and that we didn't need him to stay. The boy sat in the break room and ate his sandwich and everyone thought it was awkward. Then our store manager said that he needed to walk him out and the boy asked if he could use the computer to look for a new job.


No one really understood this boy and we're still very unsure that he's "all there". As far as getting fired, I could not imagine what it would be like. I have never been fired from a job and it seems like it would be a really big inconvenience in someone's life. I hope to continue not getting fired, for that is something I consider very unfortunate.

BOC Week 9: History of labor unions in the United States

Google the phrase "history of labor unions in the united states". Develop a 300 word blog post using at least 3 quotes from the academic sources that shows your understanding of this topic.

EOC Week 9: Personal Freedom vs. Union Membership

What would you do if you wanted to work for a company and you had to join the union to get the job?
Basically if I wanted to work for a company but had to join the union to get the job, I would join the union. It all comes down to how badly you want the job. If I didn't feel the job was worth both the benefits and advantages of joining the union, then obviously I would not take the job.

What if they called a strike over an issues you did not agree with?
If there was a strike called over an issue that I did not agree with then I would do my best to express my feelings and to have the other party see in my point of view. However, if no action can be taken to strengthen my side of the issue, I would just change my attitude towards the problem to where it wasn't bothering me. I always say, if you don't like something, change it; if you can't change it, then change the way you think about it.

What other issues might concern you if you had to belong to get a paycheck?
I am a pretty adventurous person and I like to do things on my own. I have a hard time doing anything that someone requires me to do that I don't want to do. I just don't feel like anyone should do anything they didn't want to do. Therefore, that would be my main concern-- if I wanted to relocate somewhere or take time off to travel or visit family, I think that I have every right to, and if someone told me that I was not allowed, that would become an issue.

Week 9: Chapter 11 Group Activity

Chapter 11 Negotiation and Collective Bargaining:


Identify mandatory, voluntary, and illegal collective bargaining issues and common economic and non-economic reasons behind bargaining.

Mandatory bargaining issues: issues discussed during the collective bargaining process that relate directly to the employment relationship. The Wagner and Taft Hartley Act stipulate that both union and management must bargain and good faith over these issues.

Voluntary bargaining issues: issues discussed during the collective bargaining process only when both sides want to; discussion is not mandated by law. Issues include pension and benefit rights, supervisory compensation and discipline, and company prices or products.

Illegal collective bargaining issues: issues prohibited by law from collective bargaining negotiations. Includes closed shop agreements, any issues that violate EEOC laws and featherbedding.

Common Economic reasons for bargaining:
Wages
Pay ranges for different jobs
Management discretion in pay ranges
Pensions
Insurance coverage and benefits
Holidays, vacations, personal days or sick pay
Profit sharing
Bonus Plans
Wage adjustments due to inflation

Non-economic reasons for bargaining:
Quality of work life issues
Union security
Work rules
Size of work crew
Types of work that can and cannot be done by various work gorups
Grievance and arbitration procedures

EOC Week 8: Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is a huge issue, always has been and always will be. Within any type of work environment, there is some type of sexual harassment going on. However, most of the time people do not take action on these matters. In my opinion, sexual harassment should be taken more seriously than it is today. Most people, rather than solving the problem, they create drama within the work environment, talking to other employees about something that bothered them. This then puts the innocent employee in an awkward position, knowing the problem and not sure whether or not to do anything about the problem. I think that sexual harassment is so common that no one even notices it. As common as this issue is, it's most common with women being harassed by men, although it does happen the other way around. Everyone should be aware of this issue because this isn't something that someone should have to worry about in their everyday life.  Hopefully people will always be able to look forward to work and enjoy being around their co-workers, even though in some cases it doesn't always end up this way.


"Harm caused by sexual harassment is often extreme, including humiliation, loss of dignity, psychological (and sometimes physical) injury, and damage to professional reputation and career.26 Inevitably, the victims face a choice between their work and their self-esteem. Sometimes, they face a choice between their jobs and their own safety." (quote linked)

EOC Week 7: How to Evaluate Employee Performance in 15 Easy Steps

What did you learn?

I learned a lot about Breann, for the fact that I've never even met her before. She is a culinary student and she is originally from Canada. I also learned that you have to live in the U.S. for 3 years before you can apply to be a citizen
. 

What caught you by surprise?

It caught me  by surprise that Breann is from Canada and works in Academic Affairs here at the school.  She is a Canadian citizen working on her citizenship in the U.S.

How prepared were you?

I was prepared with good questions to ask about her current employment situation and began to come up with even better questions during the process for the fact that I was basically getting to  know her in a sense.

Evaluate the individual members of your group.

Breann is very intelligent and presents herself professionally. She speaks well and clearly. She has a lot of goals and is okay with stepping outside of her comfort zone. She likes to learn about the world and other cultures, for her plans after school are to travel.

By name, how did they participate?

Breann participated with enthusiasm and was comfortable with answering all the questions I had to ask her. She was very open and seemed confident with her answers. 


Do you think they (by name) could be viable candidates for a real job? Explain.

Of course, I think Breann would make a great employee anywhere, for she does put up with a lot in Academic Affairs, where I think she does not work preferably, but does it anyway because she needs a job.

Would you want them to represent your school in a job interview situation as a graduate of The Art Institute?

Yes, she is a great person to represent our school. She has a lot of goals and is reaching them one step at a time.

How could this experience be improved for you? For the class?

I think that if I had another person in our group to kind of "compare" or maybe get the other person to open up more would give me more to work with.