Week 10 EOC: Up In The Air

In the movie Up In The Air, Ryan has a very special skill set that he has developed through the course of his career as a Career Transition Advisor. He has to be very professional while still giving off the feeling of empathy towards the person he has been hired to fire. People act very differently on a case-to-case basis and he has to be completely prepared to remain the calming force in the situation. He has to be prepared to deal with people directing anger or other very strong emotions toward him. He has to think on his feet in order to best handle each person. His responses have to be very well thought out so as not to create a liability for himself, the company he represents, or his own company. He used these skills, which are useful in any working environment, to calm people down as they were finding out some very hard news. He made them realize that it is just a job and they are probably destined for something more in their lives. He made them see the good in the situation and took their focus from the negative to help them see it more as an opportunity. This would be a very hard job for me. I would have to admire a person that could remain so in control of their own emotions in the face of constant confrontation. I tend to shy away from confrontation if at all possible. Since I know how it feels to be let go from a job, I know that my response to being let go is one of sad acceptance. There is nothing you can say when your fired so you may as well just resolve to move on.

BOC Week 10: Getting Fired

It all started with a song on the radio. I don’t even remember which one it was, but I do know it was on a radio station that had been approved to listen to in the bar. It was a busy Friday morning and I was alone at the bar. I was helping my customers and they were all happy and having fun. Then the manager came in and immediately said she didn’t like the song that was on the radio and could I please change it. I said no problem and proceeded to change the station. That was all that happened. The next day as I was preparing to leave and the other bartender was getting ready to come on, she pulled out a piece of paper and said I needed to sign it. I read it and couldn’t believe what she was telling me to sign. She said that I was being written up for having an inappropriate song on in the bar. I explained what had happened and that it was on a radio station that had been approved by management. She said she didn’t know what to tell me and that I had to sign it. I did but I told her I didn’t agree with the reason I was being written up. The next day, Sunday, I came in expecting to see the schedule up for the next week. We waited all day and they never released it. I asked my manager before I left if I was working the next day or not. He said I was off but he needed to see me at noon. I knew then that I was going to be fired. I just had a feeling. It had been exactly 3 months to the day that I was hired and from everything I had heard about the company, 3 months is the general time limit on that job. I still don’t understand the reasoning behind firing everyone after 3 months and having to train all new people. I had never had a complaint or been written up before this time. I never called in sick and was only a little late once. I never even requested time off and my customers loved me and gushed about me to the managers all the time. This was the most ridiculous company I have ever worked for in terms of management. I felt confused and angry and hurt because I had been working to the best of my ability. I was never rewarded and there was no feedback except bad feedback ever offered. I learned from this experience that sometimes it doesn’t matter how good of an employee you are if your managers are psycho.

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? It would really depend on the job, what the pay was, what the benefits of joining that particular union were, how much the dues were, and what the policy on being laid off were. If it was anything like the carpenter’s union here in Las Vegas, I would join. Based on what I know about that particular union, it doesn’t seem like such a bad thing. When someone is out of work or laid off, which happens often lately, they still continue to get a paycheck for the maximum allowable amount from unemployment. They don’t even have to file for it as the union takes care of all of that for them. They also let the person know when there is work again, and if you remain in good standing with the union and the companies that hire the union members, you can get work again fairly quickly.

What if they called a strike over an issue you did not agree with? I feel like if I chose to join the union and take the benefits of doing so, then I must expect that this could happen and accept the consequences. I would go on strike with the union. Often times the company will end up firing workers that don’t stay with the union and if they don’t fire you, it’s definitely more uncomfortable in the work place when the strike is over.

What other issues might concern you if you HAD to belong to get a paycheck? I don’t really see it as a problem because it’s so normal in Las Vegas to belong to a union. In fact I would love to belong to a union and make $17 an hour to be a bartender. That’s 5 times more than I would make in a non union position of the same kind.

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

In the United States unionism in some form is almost as old as the nation itself. Crafts that form local unions in the late eighteenth and the early nineteenth century included printers, carpenters, tailors, and weavers. Their chief purpose was to keep up craft standards and to prevent employers from hiring untrained workers and importing foreign labor. (http://Infoplease.com/ce6/bus/A0861691.html) Thus begins the long and colorful history of labor unions in the United States. To some people, they conjure up thoughts of organized crime and gangsters like Jimmy Hoffa. To others, labor unions represent solidarity among the working classes, bringing people together across many professions to lobby for better rights, wages, and benefits. As of 2006, 15.4 million people were union members, and although union membership peaked in 1945, when 35 percent of the nonagricultural work force were union members, unions are still a powerful influence in the United States (and even more powerful in many other countries). They are also an important and fundamental part of the history of United States commerce and the country’s growth into an economic powerhouse. (http://money.howstuffworks.com/labor-union.htm) Today labor unions are generally thought of in a favorable manor, at least in Las Vegas. They provide stability in an economy that is far from it. Craft unions represent workers who essentially have the same skills or perform the same tasks. A union consisting solely of plumbers or electricians is a craft union. Industrial unions represent workers in given industries. (Managing Hospitality Human Resources, p.350) Industrial unions are found all over Las Vegas. They encompass such professions as bartending, food serving, and almost any other job found in a casino.

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

What did you learn? I learned that Chad is actually a very good student and truly cares about his time here at The Art Institute. He wants to make sure he is getting the best education for his money. He feels that by being the best student he can be, he receives the best education the school can provide. I also learned that giving evaluations to someone you don’t know can be challenging because you have no way to tell if they are being honest in their responses. However, I am confident that Chad was honest in his answers because we have sat next to each other all quarter and there is no reason for him to lie.

What caught you by surprise? Nothing really caught me by surprise about the situation because I have been through many employee evaluations before. I have actually helped evaluate some employee’s when I was a supervisor at Starbuck’s.

How prepared were you? In this instance I wasn’t that prepared because I didn’t know anything about Chad going into it other than he is a culinary major and is generally very pleasant to work next to in class. I didn’t really feel the need to be more prepared when giving answers though because I have nothing to hide and am actually quite proud of my own achievements in school.

Evaluate the individual members of your group. Chad is very laid back and doesn’t have any issues with dealing with stressful situations. He’s serious about his education and strives to improve his performance as he progresses through his time at the Art Institute. Rebecca is getting ready to graduate and only has 2 weeks of school left. She is excited to be done with her education and can’t wait to see what life has intended for her after school. She is focused on her portfolio and getting good grades in her last quarter.

By name, how did they participate? Rebecca was very forthcoming with information about herself and Chad was very direct and to the point with his answers. She could not contain her excitement to be done with school and it was very evident that she is a little stressed about the whole situation. I think the experience helped her to relax a little in a very stressful time.

Do you think they (by name) could be viable candidates for a real job? Explain. Rebecca is going to do great in whatever career she decides to pursue. She is driven and hard working. She is professional and she’s very knowledgeable in her field of study. She will be reliable and go beyond the expectations of her employer. Chad is someone I would definitely hire as well. He is dependable, excited about his future, and willing to work. He is doing well in his classes and is passionate about what he is studying. He will make a great professional in his field when he graduates.

Would you want them to represent your school in a job interview situation as a graduate of The Art Institute? Rebecca is so personable and articulate that I know she would be a great person to interview as a graduate of the school. She is also very honest so she would tell the truth about the school, the good and the bad.

How could this experience be improved for you? For the class? This experience was great as it was but maybe only could have been improved if I knew more about Chad going into it.

Week 6 EOC: Steps in Job Instruction Training

“On-the-job training can be a very effective method of learning; unfortunately, it is often conducted incorrectly.” (Managing Hospitality Human Resources, p. 202) In the movie 9 to 5, Judy, the new hire, has one of these bad on-the-job training experiences. She wasn’t instructed on how to actually do her job, but more or less the gossip of the office and who to watch out for. This doesn’t help her to be successful or put her at ease. It also could make her take even less interest in her training than if she were actually learning what she needed in order to complete her tasks. When she is finally put to work at her own desk, she appears confused and doesn’t know how anything works. Step 2 of the Job Instruction Training is completely skipped. “Typically, one employee is simply asked to teach another some desired skill. In far too many cases, trainers are assigned not because they can teach, but because they can perform tasks or behaviors well.” (Managing Hospitality Human Resources, p. 202) A combination of on-the-job training and job instruction training is probably the best way to insure that an employee understands his or her duties and how to complete them successfully. Another problem with Judy’s training is that she was not observed when she was put on the job alone. With no one there to watch her, she couldn’t be told what her mistakes were in operating the new equipment or corrected in these mistakes. “One of the most important steps in training is program evaluation. Unfortunately, this is the step that receives the least attention and, all too often, is ignored altogether.”(Managing Hospitality Human Resources, p. 203) The only follow up done for her training happened when her boss walked in on her as a copy machine was malfunctioning. He didn’t try to find out why the problem was happening or instruct her how to work the machine properly. He only yelled at her, making her feel even more uncomfortable with her new job.

Week 6 BOC: Stollen Valor Lawsuit

The company should have double-checked the information that each candidate put on their applications in order to insure that they were hiring the right person. The company messed up also by telling the guy they didn’t hire why they were hiring the other guy. A lawsuit could have been avoided had they just said to him, “we’ve decided to go in another direction at this time but we will keep your application on file and should another position become available that we feel you would be suited to, we will call you.” This statement would have alleviated any liability the company accrued by giving out too much information.

Week 5 EOC: Stolen Valor

The Stolen Valor Act, passed by Congress in 2006, makes it a crime to falsely claim to have won a military medal. The crime is punishable by up to one year in prison, reports the Associated Press. The aim of the law is to protect those who rightfully have won medals of honor in combat from having their accomplishments lessened by those who would lie about it. However, two federal courts have already said the law violates the free speech clause of the First Amendment. (http://blogs.findlaw.com/law_and_life/2010/10/stolen-valor-act-under-consideration-by-courts.html) In a position of an employer, if I found out that one of my employee's had lied about being a veteran, I would first confront the person. Maybe they were really in the military but they didn't win any medals of honor. If that is the case, then it would be excusable. However, if the person had said they were in the military and they weren't at all, I would have a problem with that due to the fact that many people today have gone to war for our country and deserve to be recognized and respected for that. If someone is lying about this very important matter, they deserve to be let go on grounds that they simply cannot be trusted. If they lie about this, what else have they lied about? I would not want to employ liars and dismissing them for that instead of not being a veteran should hold up in the court system. Also, Nevada is a right to work state and I don't have to give a reason for letting someone go.

Week 4 BOC: Job Analysis

What is the job title? Does the title explain what the job is? The job was cocktail waitress at a casino. The title completely fits the job because that’s what was expected of the person who filled the position; that they serve drinks to customers within the casino.

How does the job fit in with the rest of the company? What jobs are comparable? Is the wage/salary comparable to other jobs within the company? Within the industry? Use reference materials (library, Internet) to justify your answer. A casino needs cocktail waitresses to bring drinks to their customers as they are playing or drinking in different areas of the casino. They don’t just serve in the gaming areas but also in the lounges, bars, and nightclubs that exist within the establishment. The salary is pretty much the same across the board for all kinds of servers. It generally is understood that a server of any kind makes minimum wage plus tips. According to a listing on the Palm’s Hotel and Casino career website, a server working there makes $8.05 to $11.00 per hour. When I did the job I made exactly minimum wage at every establishment I worked.

What is the chain of command? To whom does the person with this job report? Is this person responsible for monitoring the work of others? Describe the internal and external contacts of the person holding this position. In any casino environment, there is a beverage manager, a beverage assistant manager, and beverage shift managers. A cocktail server can go to any of these managers with any problems or concerns. At the casino I worked at talking to the assistant beverage manager generally got the best results. He was in charge of scheduling the bartenders and the cocktail servers and relaying information from the casino heads to us. He also was the one who handled guest concerns when it came to the beverage department. If the assistant beverage manager was gone, we talked to the shift managers but they always said they had to check with the assistant manager anyway before they could handle all situations.

What duties and tasks does the person holding this job perform? What are the physical requirements of the job? According to the job description on the MGM career website, the job duties include: Greet guests in a positive, friendly manner and making them feel welcome. Guide guests through all phases of their experience in the Hotel/Casino/Lounges. Exhibit proper knowledge, selling techniques and service delivery of both non and alcoholic beverages. Consistently follow sequence of service utilizing all proper procedures standardized by the cocktail service management. Maintain station cleanliness utilizing a silent service approach. Itemize bills correctly and efficiently securing payment, when required. Bid farewell to guests, using guest’s name when known, and inviting them to return. Clean menu covers, replace inserts and maintain a professional appearance of the area. Answer telephones in service areas in a professional manner and directing calls where necessary. Maintain cleanliness and stock of their assigned areas, side stations and tables. Maintain a level of professionalism that will make guests want to return to the Monte Carlo. Anticipate the guests’ needs and respond appropriately with a sense of urgency. Working as a team, assisting all guests’ and employees’ needs and inquiries. Effectively communicate with management, guests and co-workers in order to fulfill and address any issues or needs requested by guests and or other employees. Also, a beverage server must be able to stand for long periods of time and walk for at least 8 hours a day carrying large trays full of drinks.

What tools and equipment are required for this job? Include any computer equipment. They have to have all of their safety cards up to date in order to get the job and they have to pass a drug test. They need a tray, pens, and good walking shoes. They also have to understand how to use a point of sale system or a Micros operating system, whichever computer system the casino has in place.

Describe the baseline knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform this job. They have to know about wine, beer, and cocktails in order to ask for the right ones and properly garnish them. There is also a commonly accepted glass call order that is helpful to understand prior to starting the job, but it will usually be given as part of the training process. They have to know how to speak and effectively communicate in English to the guests and to the bartenders. Typing is also useful and customer service is necessary in order to get good tips.

EOC Week 4: Mini-Case Study Bob Borich

In the case of Bob Borich’s restaurant, he may have experienced less turnover had he had more faith in his orientation program that he spent so much money on by letting the employees he trained to cook actually do their jobs so he could focus on the big picture of running the restaurant in its entirety. Also, the employees he had trained would have been better off doing the jobs they were hired for and letting him run his restaurant since he knows how he wants the employees he hires to behave and what knowledge and passion he wants to convey to them. An orientation needs an end point and a follow-up by the management of the company. “Management can define an orientation end point by setting a date to meet with a new employee to answer questions. This meeting usually is scheduled a few days to a week after orientations and training begin. During this meeting, the manager can appraise the employee’s progress to date and establish goals and objectives for the employee to meet before the first formal performance appraisal.” (Managing Hospitality Human Resources, p. 175) Another thing Borich needs to consider is socialization of the employee into the work environment. It is stressful to enter a new position and not know anyone so having some sort of exercise to familiarize people with each other is helpful in easing some of this anxiety. “New employees also must be introduced to the values, norms, and behaviors consistent with success in the organization.” (Managing Hospitality Human Resources, p. 177) No one but Borich is going to have the passion and drive to make sure his new employees are ready to work and be part of the team. “Thus, managers must first identify what they are trying to socialize employees to do. To do this, managers need to understand the critical cultural values of their organizations before beginning a socialization program.” (Managing Hospitality Human Resources, p. 179)

EOC Week3: Networking and External Sources

Being a successful business owner today has a lot to do with networking. Here in Las Vegas having a successful network is extremely crucial to the longevity and prosperity of a company because there is so much competition within the service and retail industries of the area. As an upscale retail boutique owner, I would look to network for potential customers and employees at industry job fairs, exercise centers, and in professional and trade journals. Las Vegas is always having job fairs that usually have a high turn out because of the unemployment status of many of the citizens of the area. There are a lot of unemployed qualified professionals within Las Vegas that have started looking in other industries for work because the lack of employment opportunities that are available within their sector. This leads to the potential to find great employees at a job fair much more likely than in previous economic conditions. Exercise centers in the area are also a great place to look. The prices to belong to a gym have greatly decreased making it much more affordable for people to join. Also, looking one’s best here is extremely important in getting a good job in the area because there is so much competition. When people don’t have jobs, they work out so that they can keep that edge up on competing job seekers. Las Vegas is so close to Los Angeles’ huge fashion mecca, trade and professional journals are not hard to find. Many people advertise that they are looking for employment in such publications as California Apparel News. This is a great place to look for qualified employees that have experience within the fashion industry in some sense.

EOC Week3: Culinary Survivors

El Sombrero on Main Street and Bob Taylor’s Ranch House are only two of the struggling businesses found within the Las Vegas valley. It’s true businesses these days face a more difficult time of being successful because of the current economic status of the country and especially Nevada. The hospitality industry in particular has taken a real beating and considering that this is the primary industry found within the Las Vegas area, being an employer and a business owner is as stressful and difficult as being a job hunter. Some managers and business owners handle this process better than others. Jose Aragon from El Sombrero is one that could use some help in understanding the current market and how to adapt in it in order to be successful. One reason could be because he is looking to retire so his heart is not in it as much as it should be. Internally, human resources must be seen as linked to an organization’s business strategy, and must be involved in the business planning process to ensure that the organization has the right people in the right roles at the right time. (Managing Hospitality Human Resources, p. 88) He probably hasn’t done much business planning so he may be missing an opportunity to enhance his business by finding a manager that will care about the job and potentially alleviate Aragon of his responsibilities of the restaurant in the long term. This is also true of Jeff Special at the Ranch House. Another thing that would help Aragon with his decision to retire is a management succession plan. A management succession plan form quantifies the information in a management succession or replacement chart. Hospitality operations that use such charts can plan thoroughly for management turnover rather than simply guess about availability and future management staffing needs. (Managing Hospitality Human Resources, p. 95) There are also small businesses within Las Vegas that has embraced the changing of the marketplace and are doing well within it. The Bootlegger Bistro is one that has done this. They have grown and changed in order to be modern by incorporating nutritionists within the work environment. This is answering the demands of the target market that healthier dining options need to be available. The key to trend analysis is selecting the single factor that most accurately predicts demand. This factor should relate directly to the nature of the business. (Managing Hospitality Human Resources, p. 90) Metro Pizza is an area restaurant that has boomed and is very optimistic about the status of the business. In order to adapt to customer demands and know exactly what should be done to keep a leg up on their competition, they have implemented very good practices of trend analysis by having focus groups with their customers.

EOC Week 2: This Charming Man

The issues of immigration and illegal immigrants in the workforce are found in every country in the world. By nature, humans tend to shy away from things that are foreign to them and unfamiliar. In the Danish film, the Charming Man, issues arose surrounding a Muslim foreigner getting a job in a very prejudiced environment against this religious affiliation. Most of the time people react badly to things they don’t understand. People of this religion are widely misunderstood and often immediately looked down upon because of the terrible acts of a few men against society. Besides this immediate prejudice there is also the issue of job placement. Among the working class of any country, job security and the ability to obtain a job is very important. The general feeling is that illegal immigrants pose a threat to this basic need of a citizen by being available to work at a much lower pay rate just because employers can get away with it. “More than 10 million undocumented aliens currently reside in the U.S., and that population is growing by 700,000 per year. A non-citizen guest worker program is an essential component of securing the border, but only if it is the right program.” (http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2006/03/the-real-problem-with-immigration-and-the-real-solution) That is a lot of people that need to work in an economy where there are not a lot of jobs. In the movie, unemployment was where all the issues stemmed from. According to the same website, “In 2005, immigration policy received far more genuine attention on Capitol Hill, and Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle are now considering what to do about immigration policy. Their various efforts have focused on a wide variety of changes in current policy, including improving border security, strengthening employer verification of employment, establishing a new temporary guest worker program, and offering some level of amnesty to illegal immigrants currently living in the United States. At present, these proposals are working their way through the legislative process.” This is a country made up of immigrants and we have to remember that we or our families were all new at some point.

EOC Week 2: Zippy Airline Catering

1. The changes made by the hospitality company are not really significant redesigns of the work done by the employees because they are essentially doing the same amount just with fewer steps. They will be doing the same work but with less ingredients. This means the employees have a little less responsibility, but they will be forced to work faster. Not everyone works at the same pace so this will require managers to look very closely at how many meals need to be produced and use that to set productivity and performance standards for employees. According to page 72 of Managing Hospitality Human Resources, productivity standards are “the criteria that define the acceptable quantity of work to be completed by employees.” By having these standards it helps employees know what to expect from their workday and to strive to do better than those standards insuring that the company will get the most effective amount of work out of their employees.

2. The employees should end up less stressed and have a closer bond with their fellow co-workers as a result of this redesign. According to page 68, “Team building views employees as members of work groups rather than as individuals. Goals and rewards are directed toward team efforts rather than toward individual efforts.” These employees make up one large team that are not used to working in an atmosphere together so by offering bonuses, it will ensure that they look optimistically upon this new idea.

3. In order to prepare employees for this change and ensure success with the new system, I would have had an employee get-to-know–each other luncheon. This would give employees time to adjust to the idea of working as part of a team and let them get to know who they will be working with. I would also take this as an opportunity to go through the job simplification process with the employees so they will know their new job specifications. According to page 67, “job simplification is useful when the skills required to perform the tasks are not extensive and do not require a great deal of managerial involvement.”

Week 1 EOC: Old Timer Makes Waves

“We’re in a newly competitive environment. She’s been told, along with everyone else, that we have a new market segment and are aking on guests who demand a higher level of service.” This quote is found on page 53 and it’s completely true. In today’s market, companies must strive to constantly stay ahead of the competition in order to be successful, no matter what kind of business it is. If employees are told and given special training in order to meet the overall needs of a company and they still fail to comply with their employers wishes, the company doesn’t really have a choice but to get rid of that week link in their team. “She doesn’t have the right attitude for today’s business.” This is also on page 53. Attitude is everything in times where there are so many unemployed. There is always someone else that may have the right attitude for the job and the market. The environment of the workplace has changed in a way that people are not so sympathetic to those that don’t try to make changes with the company. People are lucky to have jobs in this economic depression and a bad attitude is hard to justify. On page 53 Francine said, “I can’t believe she’d just go over my head like this.” Employees should go to the person they have a problem with instead of going above their heads. It’s a cowardly approach to a problem and really just leads to more problems. It is better faced head on and resolved at a lower level than involving CEO’s with trivial issues from disgruntled employees.

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

Fashion is a means of self-expression and a way that people communicate their personalities to others without the need for words. This is one of the reasons I decided to pursue a career in the fashion industry. A culmination of passions for style and knowledge has led me to fashion writing. From experience I know that looking one’s best is the only way to achieve success, whether that be professionally or socially. The total look is not only important in personal appearance but also in the quality of work I put my name on. Examining the marketplace for the newest trends and staying current with up and coming designers keeps my work fresh and relevant. Understanding the pace of the fashion industry and the standards that have been set with publications like Vogue keeps me ahead of the curve. In an age where everyone is an authority on fashion and can make their voice heard in numerous fashion blogs, I eventually hope that my writing will inspire and inform my audience of the importance of fashion in today’s society and how to utilize all the tools and style options that are available today. I am also interested in visual merchandising and personal and professional styling for fashion shows and photo shoots.