Ethics in Human Resource Management

Ethics in Human Resource Management This report mainly focuses on providing a critical analysis of ethics and HRM. It further shows the issues to be considered to ensure fairness and justice in the employment relationship. It examines that how changes in the nature of the work are causing illness. The focal point of this report is to examine the real causes of stress and illness in the workplace and evaluation of their solutions. Through entire study and findings, it is concluded that although the changes in the nature of work cause stress and illness, still these can be eradicated by adopting appropriate measures like good management style, training, mentoring, health and safety measures, planning and time management. Introduction Human Resource Management is the systematic and effective management of people to achieve the desired objectives. To gain a strategic edge, it is very important to manage the people resources productively. This will help to attain the strategic goals as well as the satisfaction of the individual employee needs. All the Human Resource practices are based on ethical foundation. It is the responsibility of the employers to maintain health and safety of their employers in the workplace. The main objective of this report is to provide a critical analysis of ethics and HRM and examine the real causes of illness in the workplace and evaluate their solutions. This report helps in undertaking a search in analyzing the ethics to be used in HRM for ensuring employee health and safety. Thus, it mainly focuses on finding the causes that increase illness in the workplace and it proposes various ways to eradicate illness. Moreover, workplaces culture should be developed in such a way that it should allow flexibility, security, autonomy, recognition, participation and involvement to employees in order to create a stress free atmosphere. Ethics and HRM According to Winstanley, Woodall and Heery (1996), Ethics is a special branch of philosophy that focuses on the questions related to morality, that is concepts such as good and bad, right and wrong ; fairness and righteousness. Business ethics deals with the degree and extent of morality to be used in business (George Zoe, 2010). Morals, standards, values and ethics have becoming more complex in the present modern society and the concept of absolutes is taken away by ambiguity. As per Pitt (2007), Human Relations Management is concerned with a variety of ethical issues to be dealt with for making decisions related to businesses. Before making the decisions, the various alternatives catering to the needs of the business must be checked and their effects on the lives of the employees must be considered. Nowadays the relationship between ethics and HRM is becoming a major issue to be taken care of. A significant turning point has been experienced by ethics and Human Resource Management . The business ethics mainly put attention on the social and ecological responsibilities of the companies within the society. Ethics are now becoming one of the most important internal concerns for the companies. Previously, the interests of the employees were not taken into consideration but now it has become one of the main responsibilities of the company to ethically manage its human resources (Christian Andra, 2009). Now its the era of ethical leadership. Acts of its employees towards a business perspective to his moral character is a litmus test.  Relationship between business and its employees is based on employment contract. The principle of ethical selection is followed by an ethical organization for hiring prospective employees. As per this principle an organization should only hire a person who is expected to contribute the maximum towards increasing the long-term value of the business (Glenn, 2001). According to this principle, factors like gender, age, nationality a nd religion are not relevant for hiring a person. The ethical issues which are reflected in the case are: Safety and health: Much of the work in the industries and companies is hazardous. All this is because of the use of heavy technology. Nowadays there is much use of machineries and high temperature based production processes. In addition, there is more dependence on chemical compounds. All these aspects increase injuries, illnesses and accidents in the workplace. For instance, the job of a bullfighter or bomb disposal expert (De Cieri Kramar, 2008). New sources of accidents and illnesses are increasing day by day. Risk is present in every job but its frequency differs from job to job. Face to face ethics: These types of ethics arise due to human element in the activities in the workplace. No work is possible without employees. Corporate policy ethics: The use of more technology in the workplace has replaced the labor in the workplace. This has made hundreds of persons jobless. The managers are responsible for making policies and their successful implementation. The ethical content of these policies has massive impact throughout the company. It should be such that it can be able to send right signals to every person in the company (Shuttleworth, 2004). Employee Relations: Its the duty of the HR manager to maintain objectivity in hiring, discipline, promotion, training, retention, termination and compensation (Ken Joanne, 2010). All this lies at the core of human resources. HR should make it sure that the company policies should follow anti-discrimination legislature and polices of the integrity of performance reviews to make sure that the evaluation process remains fair with all the jobs (Ken Joanne, 2010). Communication: Another duty of the HR Department is to keep informed everyone in the organization on relating to the various legal and ethical issues. HR prepares various communication vehicles to advise employees of the companys code of ethics and no-tolerance policies such as documents, seminars, and informal meetings (Hughes Bozionelos, 2007). Increase in competition, locally or globally, need that organizations should be more adaptable, flexible, agile, and customer focused to succeed (Markiewicz, 2007).  And with this change in the environment the human resource professional needs to be a strategic partner, an employee sponsor or advocate and moreover, a change mentor within the organization. Grove (2009) suggests that in order to succeed a business driven HR function with a thorough understanding of the organizations big picture may be more important to be able to influence decisions and policies.  In general, todays human resource managers focus is on strategic personnel retention and developing talent (Teasdale, 2006).  A recent study (Grove 2009) found that human resource professionals, coaches, counselors, mentors, and succession planners will help to motivate organizations members and their loyalty.  Human Resources Manager will also promote and fight for values, ethics, beliefs, and spirituality within their organizations in the management of workplace diversity, specifically. Insecurity and risk: Another ethical issue that is depicted in the case is insecurity and risk present in the job. This has arisen because of the changes in the macro-economic environment and mass un-employment (Makin Winder, 2009). All this happens because of business restructuring and stripping out of the costs due to redundancy, outsourcing, contingent contracts and systems of rewards in the employment (Grawitch, Trares Kohler, 2007).   Another problematic element of the shift to greater risk and insecurity for workers is that what is happening when other stakeholders have to act on the same insulation from risk (Rodney, Matrina Anne, 2008). Undoubtedly, a key element of economic life in recent years has been a transfer of risk from those who finance business i.e. banks, institutional investors, shareholders, taxpayers and the Treasury to those in gainful employment (Teasdale, 2006).  The moral question here is whether this shift is fair, or compatible with the ru les of distributive justice.  It could be suggested that the transfer is unfair because the investors are in a stronger position to risk-sharing by employees and that this has happened, crudely, it is the exploitation of the change in the bargaining power by the strongest party in industrial relations (Teasdale, 2006). Surveillance and control: It is major ethical concern these days. The right of the employing agency to enter into the subjectivity of the worker to control and manipulate, is taken for guaranteed (Pitt, 2007).  Whether the use of psychometric tests for selection or promotion of employees, culture change programs that seek to challenge assumptions on the job or competence-based HRM, which seeks to promote compliance  with attitudes and behavior, the assumption is that it is lawful for the employer to trespass on workers autonomy.  Such misconduct will never be complete, but the trend for a large complex HRM is to invade privacy of employees. While new forms of work organization can be effective in increasing productivity, but possible adverse effects on the welfare of workers should be considered when evaluating these initiatives (Christian Andra, 2009). A wide range of human relations management activities is concerned with various ethical issues, both on the part of upper-level for management of business and management decisions of low-level regarding treatment of the individual employees (Winstanley, Woodall Heery, 1996).   This can be devastating to individual employees and the communities in which they live.  Managing decisions must be honestly done by taking into account all the factors, including social responsibility as well as stockholder concerns.   HR manager should consider various options for business needs and take the decision that is best for company and employees as well as it will have an impact on employees live.    Issues involved in considering rights, responsibilities, fairness and justice in the employment relationship: There are many issues which are needed to be considered to have good and faithful employment relationship as it has impact on the whole society and economy as a whole. Good Faith: There should be positive relationship between employer and employee. Good faith means to deal with honestly, openly and without misleading each other. It also requires parties to actively and constructively creating and maintaining a productive relationship (Glenn Klaas, 2001).  Such behavior makes sense. Workers with positive relationships are more likely to enjoy the benefits of sustainable, decent work.  Employers also benefit productive employee. On the other hand, an employment relationship may be affected if it is based on distrust and there is doubt or lack of communication. Workplace health and safety: The purpose of workplace health and safety is to protect the health and safety of health and safety of all in a workplace (Markiewicz, 2007). Grawitch, Trares and Kohler state that Effective management of health and safety in the workplace is not only good business, but it is a requirement under the law. Employers have an obligation to ensure that the way in which business is conducted has no adverse effects on health and safety of themselves, their workers or anyone who enters the workplace. The occupational health and safety plan need not be complicated.  It should be simple, practical and easy to implement.  As a result of the implementation of health and safety of the business processes can also benefit from significant productivity gains and cost savings (Makin Winder, 2009). Occupational health and safety is a discipline with broad scope, with many niche areas.  In its broadest sense, it is diverted towards promoting and maintaining the highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations; preventing workers from the adverse health effects caused by their working conditions; protection of workers in their employment from risks resulting from factors adverse to health (George Zoe, 2010). In other words, the occupational safety and health include social, mental and physical well-being of workers, which is the whole person. On the other hand, poor working conditions can also affect workers living environment.  This means that occupational hazards can have harmful effects on workers, their families and others in the community and the natural environment around the workplace.  It has been estimated that the indirect costs of an accident or illness can be four to ten times greater than direct costs, or ev en more. Occupational disease or accident can have so many indirect costs for employees that are often difficult to measure them.  One of the most obvious indirect costs is the human misery caused to families of workers, which cannot be compensated with money (Ken Joanne, 2010). Management Commitment: Strong management commitment and involvement of employees are necessary for a successful health and workplace safety program.Effective management addresses all work-related risks, not just those covered by the standards of government, and communicate with employees (Rodney, Matrina Anne, 2008). Workers in every profession can be faced with a multitude of risks in the workplace.  Business addresses health and safety in a wide range of risks in the workplace accident prevention in the most insidious dangers, including toxic fumes, dust, noise, heat, stress, etc. The prevention of occupational diseases and accidents should  be the goal of occupational safety and health programs instead of trying to solve the problems after they have already developed (Teasdale, 2006). Changes in the nature of work: There has been a dramatic change and growth in the workplaces. The workplaces have gone through a remarkable revolution over the last two decades as a result of globalization, democratization and innovations i.e. both technical and creative. The swift growth has brought momentous changes in the structure of the labor market and in the organization of the work resulting in changes both within and outside the framework of the employment relationship. The type of employments has been changed now. Workers are now more engaged and employed in atypical, conditional and contingent employment relationships like casual employment, use of contract work, and the rise of the use of vague and disguised employment (Hughes Bozionelos, 2007). The work environment is now changing fastly. The employment is now becoming unstable, less secure and more concentrated. The trend of the collective bargaining has now been shifted towards individual negotiations (Shuttleworth, 2004). All these factors are res ulting causing the employee to be sick as a result of more work pressure, less secured job and more responsibilities. The trend is shifting towards privatization and the seniors who are more experienced are being replaced by the freshers or the younger graduates who are less experienced and they are more often engaged in the employment that is non-permanent ( Markiewicz, 2007). In the real terms, the average rate of the pay is also decreasing, or its standing still from the last five years (Markiewicz, 2007). For instance, in the media industry, all these changes have resulted in having a negative effect on the editorial contents quality and as its consequence it is jeopardizing the role of the media as a watchdog for the society and it ultimately puts effects on the mental health of the employees as well (George Zoe, 2010). Moreover, more layoffs, longer working hours are there. There is lack of physical activities and poor seating as well. These factors are the biggest sources of stress. Real causes of illness in the workplace and evaluation of their solutions: There are many real causes of illness of workers in the workplace. Some of them can be: Workload: The very first cause of illness in the workplace can be the increasing workload on the part of employees. It is causing stress. Employees are often found in stress when the workload is too high or too less. Its the responsibility of the manager to divide the work properly among employees based on the priorities (Makin Winder, 2009). Targets should be challenging but should be kept realistic. Before making a shift in the responsibilities, its impact should be known in advance. Furthermore, the cost resulting from the stress must be taken into consideration (Teasdale, 2006). More care to be taken when increasing the workload of any worker or when there is a need to hire more people. Moreover, there should be a balanced workload with control over the tasks to be performed. Persuasive uncertainty: When the workers are confronted by new rules, requirements and the procedures, there will be an increase in the level of illness. Its the duty of the manager to check whats going on at regular intervals and convey each piece of information to the staff (Grawitch, Trares Kohler, 2007). In this way, stress can be controlled and this will ultimately result in increasing the productivity. In some companies, the manager writes out the new information in a memo so that it can be conveyed to the employees and the facts can be reviewed (Grove, 2009). Moreover, information given in this way is appreciated by the staff members. This will help in reducing mental illness. Mistrust and unfairness: Mistrust and unfairness can also be the cause of illness in the workplace. These will keep everyone in the workplace on the edge, create bad attitudes, and will decrease productivity (Pitt, 2007). Misunderstanding can be avoided through an open line of communication and by knowing what and how the staff members are thinking about the decisions. Its managers duty to consistently build trust and treat everyone equally. This helps in reducing illness in the workplace. Lack of control: The employees should be given an opportunity to say regarding the things those affect them as if they have no say, and then there will be more chances of workplace illness. All the employees should be given a sense of being in control. The managers should involve employees in both operating as well as administrative decisions. And the frontline employees must know what they are talking about. All this will result in increasing productivity and reducing the stress levels. The managers who are efficient and effective understand that controlling stress and illness are leadership responsibilities and these are as important as any other management functions (Glenn Klaas, 2001). Lack of communication: When the communication system is not good, this will result in lack of understanding, bad performance and less productivity with stress (Rodney, Matrina Anne, 2008). The communication system should be two way so that the employees can be able to receive full information and give suggestions and in this way, there will be no stress. No appreciation: Lack of appreciation will also lead towards illness in the workplace. If the employees do not get feedback on what they are doing, not being appreciated for good performance, they will feel mentally stressed and this can be one of the causes of illness (George Zoe, 2010). To overcome this, the managers should appreciate the good work from time to time. This will create a feeling among the employees that are valuable for the company and they will feel happy and stress free. Poor relationships: Poor relationships with colleagues can also be the factor of illness. If the employees are treated with discrimination then there can be chances of stress. Unclear policies and no sense of direction: If the policies are not clear to the employees and they are not in the written form, then these can cause stress among employees. The policies should be enforced properly and communicated in a clear way. The policies can be reinforced in a number of ways from time to time like memos, personal meetings, bulletin boards, articles, small group discussions, etc. the employees should be informed about the business direction and the significant changes (Grawitch, Trares Kohler, 2007). Contributory factors with regard to sickness: There are many factors causing sickness among the people. The reasons can be tiredness or unappreciation or they can have the travel difficulties. For instance, a person who is suffering from diarrhea or dysuria is very unlikely to come to work from home if he has to drive for 50 miles to get there, whereas another person who is working from home or working in an office which is close to toilet may continue the work for long (Hughes Bozionelos, 2007). Moreover, the workers who are positively motivated they can simply take easy and simple remedies. If there is a bullying environment in the workplace or the manager is over-enthusiastic, then taking sick leave for a minor illness thinking that the power balance has become unequal in the favor of manager? Other sources of workplace illness can be layoffs, absenteeism, alcoholism, lack of motivation, bad decisions, petty internal policies, harassment, lack of equipment, lack of autonomy, etc. Ways to reduce illness in the workplace: Preparing Education Programs: To overcome illness, the employees should be educated about the causes, symptoms and treatment and it should be ensured that all the individuals should have early treatment. Employers can provide assistance by ensuring that every person in the organization from the top down has received full information about all the issues related to mental health and illness (Christian Andra, 2009). Stress management training and counseling services should be implemented in the workplace to eradicate stress. This will help the employees in better management of work during pressure. This will help them to learn techniques like time management, leadership skills, assertiveness, relaxation, etc. The employee must learn how to relax in case of stress. Mentoring: Mentoring can also be very helpful to reduce stress and illness in the workplace. This will help to create strong bonds among colleagues and they can share their work related skills (Ken Joanne, 2010). This can help to create awareness among employees related to the diversity which is very helpful to reduce stress. This will make the employees more confident as they can get to know more things which they previously dont know. Moreover, it will promote team spirit. Encourage exercise: Another way to keep employees healthy and fit is to encourage exercise. Employers should encourage their employees to keep physically fit. Doing exercise and taking a healthy and balanced diet will help employees to have more stamina and energy in the office (Markiewicz, 2007). Exercises can be of various types. For instance, tennis, ballroom dancing, swimming, jogging, cycling, etc. All these will not only promote fitness but also help to get relief from counter stress. The workplace should be clean for the wellbeing of the employees and the overall mental attitude of the employees. The employees should talk with each other so that they can discuss their problems and can reduce stress. Duties of employers towards employees: To reduce stress and illness, it is the duty of the employer to treat each employee equally. Each and every employee should be involved in decision making so that they can feel that they are part of the organization (Grawitch, Trares Kohler, 2007). Each employee should be well trained. The managers need to behave proactively to handle stress. They should be able to understand the signs and symptoms of stress. Employers should provide proper health and wellness programs to reduce stress in the workplace and to ensure health and safety. There should be no bullying and harassment in the workplace. Workplace culture: The organizations need to set proper organization culture to reduce levels of stress in the workplace. Workplaces culture should be developed in such a way that it should be allow flexibility, security, autonomy, recognition, participation, involvement, etc (Teasdale, 2006). All these factors are very important for a stable workplace and industrial relations. Consequently, there will be more employee satisfaction with more productivity. Management style: Management style plays a vital role in ensuring good work environment. The management style should be such that gives encouragement to employees so that they can discuss problems with the managers freely. They should be provided with regular feedbacks and should be given freedom to express their ideas (Rodney, Matrina Anne, 2008). Planning and time management: Stress and illnesses can also arise from lack of proper planning. To get relief from stress, the employees should make a proper planning so that they can make work life balance (Hughes Bozionelos, 2007). In-depth training for managers: Further in-depth training for managers is essential.  The  managerial role may be one of the most stressful jobs within an organization.  Managers are often exposed to many competing pressures and demands.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Managers who are skilled in managing the pressure not only are more effective role models, but also better able to recognize common signs and symptoms stress-related psychological disorders, to make confident risk assessment of staff and providing appropriate support (Glenn Klaas, 2001).   Conclusion Eventually, ethics play a vital role in HRM. The management should consider ethical issues relating to health and safety of employees. There has been a vivid change and growth in the workplaces. The changes in the workplace are causing the employee to be sick as a result of more work pressure, less secured job and more responsibilities. Lack of communication, more workload, lack of appreciation, lack of autonomy are the another biggest sources of stress. Companies are dealing with these sources to eliminate stress in a prudent way but still there is need for more improvements. Employers should provide proper health and wellness programs so that they could reduce stress in the workplace and to ensure health and safety and moreover, a good communication with their employees in order to have deep understanding with each other. Consequently, there will be more employee satisfaction with more productivity. Recommendations Through entire study and findings, the following recommendations are made: There should be a balanced workload with control over the tasks to be performed. Employers should provide proper health and wellness programs to reduce stress in the workplace and to ensure health and safety. There should be no bullying and harassment in the workplace. Stress management training and counseling services should be implemented in the workplace to eradicate stress. The employees should talk with each other so that they can discuss their problems and can reduce stress. The employees should be provided with regular feedbacks and should be given freedom to express their ideas. There should be flexibility, security, autonomy, participation and involvement in the organizations culture.

Motivation of Employees in an Organisation

Motivation of Employees in an Organisation INTRODUCTION Motivation is the force that drives humans to work hard towards achieving either their personal or organizational goals; giving our best performance at work is not just a function of ability but experience , reward and most importantly motivation, characteristics that are required in order to achieve anything in life. To motivate means to inspire, instigate and encourage a person to do their best in an organization although Bruce and Pepitone (1998) maintain that motivation is inbuilt therefore people will only do that which is in their own interest and managers cannot influence their employees but can only influence what they are motivated to do. Gallager et al. (1997) also state that human beings are purposeful and continually select goals that are important to us and find ways to achieve them. When an employee joins an organization, he/she comes with certain needs that vary from employee to employee and affect his/her performance. Some of these needs are physiological; others are related to psychological and social values. (Robins 2000:44) is of the opinion that â€Å"An unsatisfied need creates tension, which stimulates drives within the individual. These drives generate a search for particular goals that, if attained, will satisfy the need and lead to reduction of tension†. He further states that an employee will engage in activities according to the level of tension, the more tension an employee develops the more activities he will indulge in. So it then implies that an employee who is highly motivated will indulge in more work. For a manager or leader in an organization, it might be very difficult to learn effectively how to motivate each employee as the method used to motivate each employee must be specific to the individual. Motivated employees are of great im portance within an organization; they propel the organization forward by positively influencing the work atmosphere and attitude, customer orientation and company attitude. There are various reasons why employees need to be motivated or are motivated, it could possibly be just for self derived satisfaction that comes with no evident reward other than the activity itself or just to get rewarded or to avoid punishment in addition to attaining a certain level of achievement, Harrison 2007 suggest that some employees may seem spurred on by the need to â€Å"win† while others might be encouraged by the opportunity to learn something different or new. Certain individuals work harder than others resulting in individuals of lesser ability performing better than their gifted counterparts; this implies that an individuals performance depends not only on ability but on motivation as well. Kressler (2003) believes that motivation is not only relative but depends heavily on individual circumstances as one goal might be too high for one employee another might see it as too low even though they are both capable of achieving it whereas Maddock and Fulton (1998) are of the opinion that motivation rarely or does not vary with individual differences or circumstances. Various theories have been developed over times that try to explain the diverse reasons for motivation; these theories have three basic groups (Naylor, 2004). GROUP ONE: CONTENT THEORIES The content theories explain the internal factors that drive a human being and what directs human behavior. The most famous of this category is Abraham Maslows hierarchy of needs: physiological, safety, affection, esteem and self-actualization. Maslow (1987) points out that human beings are wanting animals and rarely reach a state of complete satisfaction. Simons,Irwin and Drinnien(1987) say Maslow describes the five levels of basic needs of humans in hierarchical order and beyond these needs, higher levels of needs exist although a person does not feel the need to satisfy the next one until the present demand has been met. Montana and Charnov (2000) feel that Maslow didnt mean to imply that any of these basic needs would be satisfied totally and that a small level of satisfaction of any need is enough for the individual to move on to the next. Alderfers theory is a compressed version of Maslows five hierarchy of needs which suggests just three levels: existence needs which relate to physiological and security needs of Maslow, relatedness needs which is closely linked to Maslows social, self esteem and safety needs, and growth needs which relate to self esteem and self actualization, he further argues that the more that growth needs are satisfied , the more they might increase in intensity, in addition to that he says two needs can be activated at the same time. Gallagher et al. (1997) And there is Frederick Herzbergs Two-Factor Theory that says there are two different factors that affect motivation at work: hygiene factors and motivator factors (Herzberg, Mausner and Snyderman 1959). Herzberg (1968) developed this theory with people at work as his main concern saying that the hygiene factors (adequate pay, comfortable office, clean and quiet working conditions) if not gotten right by managers will force people to complain thereby leading to demotivation and there will be no complain if they are gotten right. Another content theory is that which was developed by McClelland (1973) who is of the opinion that drive and need are two terms for a motivational process and one cannot be preferred to the other. The McClellands Acquired Needs Theory identifies the fact that every human has a different list of priority when it comes to needs and individuals are not born with these needs but acquire them through experience, he associates each need with a distinct set of work preferences, and managers can help tailor the working environment to meet these needs. GROUP TWO: PROCESS THEORIES Process theories link several factors that make up motivation and are much more complex than the content theories because of the diverse perspectives involved. There are four main approaches based on job characteristics, expectancy, equity and goal- setting. The goal setting theory says that setting goals can be a major source of motivation to employees. Robbins (2000) adds that goals that are difficult to achieve bring about a higher level of result than goals that require little or no effort. Armstrong and Stephens (2005) suggest that feedback is a very important part of the process in order to maintain motivation and especially towards achieving even higher goals. The equity theory by Adams (1965) suggests that when people are treated equally, there will be more motivation to perform better in a workplace. This theory is mainly concerned with how people are treated in relation to other people. The expectancy theory (Mitchell, 1982) is one of the few theories of work motivation that focus on values. The theory implies that people are more likely to choose a course of action that maximizes their utilities and is rather situation specific and not domain-specific (Erez and Earley, 1993). The job characteristics model developed by Hackman and Oldham is built on earlier research between job characteristics and the response of individuals to their work, stating that this theory consists of five job characteristics which are skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback (Hollyforde Whiddett, 2002). (Hackman, Lawler, Porter, 1983) are of the opinion that these job characteristics create three critical psychological states which lead to a number of beneficial personal and work outcomes. GROUP THREE: REINFORCEMENT THEORIES This is a theory based on the argument that behavior is influenced by the consequences of previous actions; it assumes that a person has been motivated to take a particular action and is only concerned with the response generated (Hollyforde Whiddett, 2002).There are four types of reinforcement depending on the employees behavior: positive reinforcement resulting from satisfying consequences, this action can increase the probability that the behavior will be repeated; avoidance reinforcement which is the removal of undesirable consequences; punishment- where undesirable consequences can be taken away for example, the removal of privileges an employee has and finally, extinction which is the removal of rewards (Naylor, 2004). Employee motivation techniques vary from organization to organization. However, they all have the same goal, getting employees to want to do their job better and more efficiently. Not every motivational technique, management practice or benefit works for every company as there are no particular set of rules and every employee has a different need from the other (Messmer, 2001). Through effective employee motivation techniques a company can get much better performance out of their employees. One technique to motivate employees that works really well is the employee of the month. This highlights a single individual who has shown outstanding drive, performance and effort for the given month. It is usually good to have an awards ceremony or to give out this award at management meeting. This simple technique will definitely motivate employees. Other effective employee motivation techniques include competitions between teams in order to get projects completed faster, awards for perfect attendance, and awards for jobs well done. It has been said by (Thomas, 2004) that a manager must have a clear picture of what motivates himself in order to understand what motivates others. (Armstrong Stephens, 2005) Argue that there is no research evidence showing that there exists a strong and positive relationship between job satisfaction and performance, as a satisfied employee is not necessarily a high performer and a high performer is not necessarily a satisfied worker. REFERENCES Adams, J. (1965). Social Exchange, in Advances in Experimental Psycology. new york: academic press. Armstrong, M., Stephens, T. (2005). A Handbook of Employee Reward Management and Practices. Kogan page Limited. Bruce, A., Pepitone, J. S. (1998). Motivating Employees. McGraw hill. Gallagher, K., Ed, R., McClelland, B., Reynolds, J., Tombs, S. (1997). People in Organisations An active learning Approach. oxford: Blackwell publishers Ltd. Hackman, R. j., Lawler, E. E., Porter, L. W. (1983). Perspectives on Behavior in Organisations. McGraw-Hill,Inc. Harrison, R. (1997). Employee Development. wiltshire: cromwell press. Herzberg, F. (1968, july 11). One More Time: How To Nurture Motivation. pp. 52-53. Herzberg, F., Mausner, B., Snydermaan, B. (1959). The Motivation To Work. new york: Wiley. Hollyforde, s., Whiddett, S. (2002). Developing practice: The motivation handbook. wiltshire: cromwell press. Kressler, H. (2003). Motivate and Reward: Performance Appraisal and Incentive Systems for Business Success. Palgrave Macmillan. Maddock, R. C., Fulton, R. L. (1998). Motivation,Emotions and Leadership: The silent side of management. Greenwood publishing Group. Maslow, A. H. (1987). Motivation and Personality . Harper and Row publishers Inc. McClelland, D. s., Steele, R. S. (1973). Human Motivation A book of Readings. Morristown: General learning press. Messmer, M. (2001). Motivating Employees for Dummies. Wiley publishing. Miriam, E. (1993). culture, self identity and work. oxford: oxford university press. Mitchell, T. R. (1982). Motivation: New Directions for Theory Research and Practice. Academy of managment , 80-88. Montana, P. J., Charnov, B. H. (2000). Management. Hauppage: Barrons Educational Series, Inc. Naylor, J. (2004). Management. prentice hall. Robbins, S. P. (2000). Essentials of Organisational Behavior. Prentice Hall. Simons, J. A., Irwin, D. B., Drinnien, B. A. (1987). Maslows Heirachy of Needs from Psycology The search for understanding. New york: West Publishing company. Thomas, N. (2004). Concise Adair on Teambuilding and Motivation. Thorogood.

Theme of William Wordsworth as a Prophet in Tintern Abbey Essay

Poet as Prophet When I spoke last, I ended with the image of Wordsworth as a monk or priest-like figure zealously converting Dorothy and, by extension, the reader into a position within his vision of the world. But even more than priest, Wordsworth often depicts the romantic poet as prophet. This depiction is demonstrated more clearly in "The Prospectus to the Recluse" than in "Tintern Abbey." In the 1814 version of the "Prospectus" he writes: Paradise, and groves Elysian, Fortunate Fields -- like those of old Sought in the Atlantic Main -- why should they be A history only of departed things, Or a mere fiction of what never was? For the discerning intellect of Man, When wedded to this goodly universe In love and holy passion, shall find these A simple produce of the common day. (47-55) Similar to his vision in "Tintern" where perceptions are both half created by the imagination and half perceived by the senses, here Wordsworth declares that for those who recognize its power, the human mind, or imagination, can meld with nature, can heal the split between nature and mankind, the sublime and the beautiful, to re-create an edenic heaven on Earth. Wordsworth then goes on to assert: -- I, long before the blissful hour arrives, Would chant, in lonely peace, the spousal verse Of this great consummation -- and by words Which speak of nothing more than what we are, Would arouse the sensual from their sleep Of Death, and win the vacant and the vain To noble raptures (56 - 62) Wordsworth, as the romantic poet-prophet, has a preview of ... ...e romantic era ends with the sublimated subject removed from any experience outside that reflected by the romantic centre -- an ironically alienating end to a movement that began in an attempt to unite with the universe. Bibliography Abrams, M.H, General Ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 4th ed. Vol. 2. New York: Norton and Company, 1979. Althusser, Louis. "Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses." Lenin and Philosophy and other essays. Translated from the French by Ben Brewster. London: New Left Books, 1971. 121-173. Wordsworth, William. "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey." Abrams, Gen. Ed. 155-158. ---. Preface to Lyrical Ballads." Abrams, Gen. Ed. 160-175. ---. "Prospectus to The Recluse." Abrams, Gen. Ed. 227-230. ---. The Prelude, or Growth of a Poet's Mind. Abrams, Gen. Ed. 257-313.

Character Analysis of The Wife of Bath of Chaucers Canterbury Tales Es

Character Analysis of The Wife of Bath of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales is Geoffrey Chaucer's greatest and most memorable work. In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer uses "a fictitious pilgrimage [to Canterbury] as a framing device for a number of stories" (Norton 79). In "The General Prologue" of The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer describes in detail the pilgrims he meets in the inn on their way to Canterbury. Chaucer is the author, but also a character and the narrator, and acts like a reporter to provide a detailed description of the pilgrims. Through his description, the reader is able to paint a picture of each of the characters. In "The General Prologue," he describes each character by giving a detailed description of the character's appearance, clothing, social status, beliefs, and other relevant details. However, Chaucer never condemns his characters: "What uniquely distinguishes Chaucer's prologue from conventional estates of satire, however, is the suppression in all but a few instances of overt moral judgement. . . . It is up to the reader to draw up the moral indictment from the evidence presented with such artlessness even while falling in with the easygoing mood of 'felaweship' that pervades Chaucer's prologue to the pilgrimage" (Norton 80-81). Chaucer is thus able to create a tension between the ideal and the real. He builds up the reader's expectations and then shatters them. Although The Canterbury Tales was probably written in the late fourteenth century, many of the pilgrims of The Canterbury Tales seem real and true to life even today. One of the most memorable pilgrims of The Canterbury Tales, as well as one of the most memorable women in literature, is the Wife of Bath. The "lusty and domineering"... ...urteenth century, her ideas, beliefs, and behavior are more like a woman of the twentieth century or possibly even the twenty-first century. She is truly a woman ahead of her time. Works Cited Abrams, M. H. et al. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol. 1. Sixth Edition. New York: W.W. Norton, & Co. 1993. 76-144. Benson. Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales. February 1997. October 24, 1998. Online. Internet. Available http: icg.harvard.edu/~eng115b/ Bobr, Janet. Welcome to Camelot. 1998. October 24, 1998. Online. Internet. Available http: www.csis.pace.edu/grendel/prjs3f/arthur1.htm Canterbury Tales. 1998. November 30, 1998. Online. Internet. Available http: userzweb.lightspeed.net/~cheezit/pilgrims/index.html Jokinen, Anniina. Geoffrey Chaucer (ca. 1343-1400). July 1996. October 24, 1998. Online. Internet. Available http: www.luminarium.org/medlit/chaucer.htm

Graduation Speech: This is Not the End :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

It sure took me a long time to get this far. At times I thought I wouldn't make it through high school because as I was growing up I would watch my older brother, Jason, struggling in school. I would think that if he was having trouble, then I would too. My Mom heard about Hall High and their different way of teaching, so she enrolled my brother. As time passed, his grades got better and he quit skipping so much. So when I could, I enrolled in Hall, expecting this school to help me. It did! I like Hall because of all the extra attention from the teachers. Everyone here is on a first name basis, and if I had a problem, they were by my side to help me. I could ask them anything, and they would guide me, steer me in the right direction. But the main thing I like about the teachers here at Hall is that they take time out of their way during or after school to help out me with my troubles ... and I have had a LOT of troubles. History, for instance. I just couldn't see why I needed it. But, Pat, my History Teacher taught me that if you learn about the past, it helps enable you to predict the future and not keep making the same mistakes. If you know what has happened in the past (like concentration camps) we can help make sure that doesn't ever happen again. If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting what you've always gotten. If you want to change, you have to do something different. There are also many things I've learned about myself here at Hall. Like, how to cope with my problems. Now I know how to work through them. Thanks Mary. Thanks Jane. I've made many friends in this school, Friends that I hope to have for a lifetime. Not just the students, but teachers too. As I proceed in life, I plan on coming back and visiting all of you. All of you helped make me who I am today. George Matthew Adams said there is no such thing as a "self-made man." We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts.

Equality, Diversity And Inclusion In Work With Children And Young People

Dominic might be feeling excluded, lonely, confused and have low self esteem as he could feel that the children he sees attending the school have a higher status in society as they are allowed to attend the school. He is old enough to have probably attended school in his home country before moving to Britain and may be missing it and may make him feel anger towards the country/system he has moved to. He will be worried for his Uncle in prison without understanding why he is there.Dominic may also feel an amount of resentment to his parents as he might not understand why they have not tried to get him into the school if this has not been discussed with him. He may feel disempowered as at such a young age he might not feel able to express his feelings succinctly to his parents. 4. How might the discrimination affect other children in the setting? If there are other children within the hostel who are attending the school they might feel that Dominic is different as he doesn’t go to school like them.This can lead to them not wanting to socialise with him as children have a propensity to shy away from people/situations that are different to their â€Å"norm†. The children that are living in the surrounding area would wonder why this child is not going to school like most of their peers. This could lead to them thinking that Dominic, and other asylum seekers are different to them and perhaps lower in the social sector. They may not want to socialise if they see him outside school in a park or play area for instance.This can perpetuate the problem. 5. What could be done to prevent the discrimination? The managers of the hostel, who will be getting income from the government to house the family, should have information on a notice board or in a folder in the room, for example, in many different languages about local authority contact details. It would also be hoped that they would notice that Dominic is not attending school and, if they could not communic ate effectively with his parents, contact the nearby school and explain the situation.As it is the governments’ policy to provide education for all children of compulsory school age, it is the LEA’s legal duty to ensure this happens. Therefore, when the family applied for asylum and they listed Dominic as being 7, the LEA should have been notified and have contacted Dominic’s parents. This is irrespective of the asylum status. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in work with children and young people Case Study 2 1 Who is being discriminated against? The travelling community are being discriminated against.This case study highlights Sally in particular within the school setting. 2 What kind of discrimination is taking place? Cultural discrimination 3 How might the child experiencing the discrimination feel? Sally might be feeling a loss of motivation as she does not have a progress file, she may feel it is not worth trying her best as she may feel that there is no point as it is not cherished in the same way as her peer’s work is. This could also lead to resentment and anger.A child in this situation could feel depressed and confused, and that her work, and therefore herself as an individual, is not as valued as the other children in her class. This could bring on low self esteem. 4 How might the discrimination affect other children in the setting? The fact that Sally has settled into the nursery school well and that she is enjoying certain activities suggests that the discrimination is stronger amongst the adults in the setting rather than the children.As it is a nursery school the children will be younger and, to a certain extent, less likely to discriminate against Sally because she is a traveller. Another factor to this is that Sally has been there for 3 months which is a long time for children in this age range (normally 0-5 years old) to create friendship bonds, this however may be challenged if the other children notice that sh e is not being treated in the same way by not having a progress file. One very negative aspect is that it is stated that the local community have started a campaign to get the travellers removed from the area.The children within the homes of adults with this view may hear discussions and opinions that have a negative impact on how they see travellers themselves. This could be made worse if they learn that Sally, who is a traveller, is attending the same nursery as their own children and they may see her as someone they wish their children should stay away from. 5 What could be done to prevent the discrimination? The most obvious course of action would be that Sally’s key worker is challenged and reprimanded for her comments and for not having created a progress file for Sally.It should be explained to the key worker how this may make Sally feel and that especially as her key worker, it is the key workers role to make Sally feel included. Colleagues should have questioned why there was not a progress file for Sally, and a discussion, perhaps involving the parents of Sally, as to whether a progress file could be made for her to take with her if she did end up moving out of the area. This could be given to another nursery school as part of continuity in monitoring her progress in key stage 1.It can be difficult in an area where there is a lot of local opposition to a group in society but it would be the responsibility of the nursery to try to educate the children attending, about the travelling community, perhaps with stories and wall displays about their way of life and cultural beliefs. This could help to break the cycle of prejudice and the children may then challenge their parents views, making the parents stop and think about their own actions. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in work with children and young people Case Study 3 1Who is being discriminated against? Daniel 2 What kind of discrimination is taking place? Stereotyping 3 How might the chil d experiencing the discrimination feel? Daniel might be feeling a sense of disempowerment as he might believe that he is unable to challenge the practice of the playgroup even if there are other children who would prefer not to the run around game before snack time as it is insinuated that the children are not asked what they would like to do. There may be other reasons why Daniel doesn’t enjoy the afterschool club that are not explained in the text.He may have hearing problems and more sensitive to noise, this could be made worse by there not being a separate room for the children to go to for some peace and quiet. It may be simply that he needs some quiet time after a long day at school but feels ostracised to a certain extent as, for him to do what he wants he is not only physically, but socially put outside the group to the corners of the room. Although Daniel is happy to play by himself at home, he is of an age and maturity, where he may feel that this is socially unacce ptable when in a large group. This may lead Daniel to feel depressed.How might the discrimination affect other children in the setting? There are probably other children in the setting that, like Daniel would benefit from some quiet time after school, they may be physically and mentally tired but feel that the expectation to join in with the group activity it too much to say no. This can, like Daniel, lead to them feeling disempowered as the playworkers will be encouraging them to conform to the rest of the groups activities. There may also be children with other disabilities, whether they are physical or behavioural that excludes them from joining in the activity.They might then feel depressed or angry that they are not able to participate in something that is done every day. The exclusion could then give them a sense of lowered self esteem. 5 What could be done to prevent the discrimination? The play group should look into finding a separate â€Å"chill out† area for the ch ildren to use. Ideally it would be a room adjacent to the hall so that the noise levels would be greatly reduced, but failing this, a partitioned area that had a television and perhaps a games console would be useful.There could be soft furnishings like bean bags and oversized comfortable pillows for the children to relax on and perhaps read a book at the opposite end of the â€Å"chill out† area to the television. There should also be a weekly rota as to what group activity happens, this could be based on asking the children themselves what group activities, if any, they would like. This could mean that the children who like taking part in a fun quiz, or craft session for example, would be able to participate in a group activity.This would still allow the children who enjoy the run around games the opportunity burn off some energy. Daniel should be assigned a key worker who should notice the difference in his attitude between the morning and afterschool club. If he is assign ed a different person or the key worker does not work both sessions, then there should be discussion between the staff. It should then be raised gently with Daniel and his parent/carer to find out what was wrong. Question 2 Consider how your own attitudes, values and behaviour could impact on work with CYP.My own culture, background and upbringing can have an effect on my attitude towards the children I am working with. It would be important to understand and recognise this as any personal prejudices may lead to me discriminating against certain groups or individuals. It is my legal duty to protect the rights of children and young people. I could overcome this by researching different cultures and disabilities, especially of those children I am working with and by knowing and understanding any special educational needs it would enable me to help and communicate better with the children.If I find out about their own back grounds, abilities and individual needs, it will enable me to b e more effective and provide more appropriate and personalised support for those children. It would also be personally empowering when dealing with a new situation I hadn’t expected.Question 3 Describe what is meant by the term ‘inclusion’ and how this is implemented in schools. Inclusion or inclusive practice is a method of identifying and understanding barriers to participation and belonging. It is then being able to breakdown these barriers to ensure that the children are able to fully participate in all aspects of their school.In a school where inclusion is practiced everyone feels valued. It is not about viewing everyone as the same, or providing everyone with the same equipment, but giving them all the same opportunities to achieve their best through a high quality of education and understanding. Differences and similarities are understood, accepted and celebrated. Pupils should be educated along side their class mates and not segregated when they need supp ort. An example of this could be a child with a sight disability having a magnifier on hand for work books, or the same information in large print ready for him for each lesson.

College Essay Essay

Topic: In the space provided, please write a concise narrative in which you describe a meaningful event, experience or accomplishment in your life and how it will affect your college experience or your contribution to the UF campus community. You may want to reflect on your family, your school or community activities, or your involvement in areas outside of school â€Å"Hurry up! The plane leaves in two hours,† my mom reminded me as I swiftly, yet reluctantly continued to stuff more and more belongings into the tiny taxi. Waving good-bye to family members and friends, who I had spent my whole life with, was an exceptionally uncomfortable and difficult task. On the way to the airport as my mom tried to comfort me, she constantly reminded me, â€Å"Life will be no different in the Dominican Republic than in the USA.† However, this proved to be false as soon as I stepped off that plane. Not understanding a single word being said around me, I realized I would have to adapt to a new culture, but at the same time carry on my own. â€Å"Class, this is Alberto and he will be joining our class for this last month of the school year,† the teacher yelled as I stood next to her puzzled and embarrassed. For a few hours, I plainly sat in my chair without saying a word, reflecting on my already missed memories of school in Rhode Island, until another student named Luis approached me. Of course, I was expecting him to say something in Spanish, but shockingly he spoke to me in English. Without hesitation, I responded to him and we quickly became close friends. As time went on, I realized that all those Spanish classes I had taken in Hendricken were not a waste of time, and were finally beginning to pay off. After just a few weeks I accomplished my goal of speaking a different language, and was able to exchange a few words with my teacher and other classmates in Spanish. From then on, my fear turned into a desire to learn more and more about the Dominican culture and teach others about mine. As  the school year came to a close, we were told to bring food for a party we were going to have to celebrate a successful year. Hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, just to name a few different things, were set on the table. The shy whispers of my classmates showed their eagerness for what I had brought. â€Å"These are called meatball surprise; they are a meatball sandwich mixed with pasta and topped off with grated cheese† I proudly announced, as people tried and promptly fell in love with the food. It felt great to be able to teach others about my own culture and  heritage while learning about theirs. It didn’t take long to overcome my fear and turn it into a desire to adapt to a new world and teach others about mine. I went to the Dominican Republic as a boy just trying to get service hours but I left a man and understanding that everybody needs help and if you give it, you will be rewarded somehow. Now, three years after this life-changing event, I am reminded everyday by my habits and actions about my American roots and my newly acquired Dominican traditions. What happened in the D.R will always be a part of me because when I think of the Dominican Republic I can think to myself that I helped family have a house and food and water and that will always be a positive thing to me. Whether at the University of Florida, or anywhere else, I will always carry, teach, and expand on my distinct heritage.