Week 1: Myah Garcias Blog

Labor unions have better benefits compared to other jobs. They provide great benefits like higher wages, insurance, and retirement plans. Unions jobs represent a wide range of industries like construction, education, and medical professions. There are many reasons why people chose to not be apart of a union. One reason includes that some union workers get paid and receive more benefits then others and they dint seem like it is a fair way of business. Another reason is the rules regarding their work schedules and seniority. Some people may be treated based on how long they have been with the company. Unions also have the authority over what managers can and can’t do.

I personally do know someone who is in a union but didn’t get to talk to him for this assignment. I do know thought that he is very happy with all the benefits that he has received since being in a union. He was able to buy a house and a car when he had little to nothing before his union job. He was able to provide for his family and I do recall him saying that he recommends being in one if the opportunity comes up. He is in the construction industry and enjoys it very much. I personally wouldn’t want to be in a union but I would want my partner to be since he is into tree work. He does have similar experience and it would work well for him in the construction industry.

Employee stress is one of the most important workplace health and safety issues today. It can impact employees individual’s mental/physical being, but also their overall work performance. Employees can set boundaries, like practicing meditation and reaching out for support when needed. These strategies can help reduce daily stress and improve mental health.

After taking the “Life Stress Questionnaire”, my score was 150 which was considered average. What I learned from this experience is that a lot of people have a lot more stress then I do as of right now. A lot of these prompts are things that could potentially change in the next couple of years and that would increase my stress level. These would include things like taking over a major financial responsibility or getting pregnant. I know that when I move out of my home soon after graduation, these are things that could potentially change within the year. This is very exciting to me as I like to have change in my life frequently but I know there will also be stressful times as well.

As I step into my new job of being a management trainee in the next month, I want to be able to have some barriers set, since I will be in a salary position. I want to be able to work my scheduled amount and not over work myself so that I can have a good work performance the following day. I only want to stay over my scheduled amount when it is absolutely needed and I want to be able to stick up for myself when it is time to go home. I know that I will make mistakes but I will learn from them along the way.

Why does compensation affect employee decisions:

I believe that when I have been declined from certain offers, I tend to thrive off of rejection. I remember about two years ago, I had been a team member for over two years with Target, and I wanted to see if there was any opportunity of being promoted or developed to a team lead. I wanted to do this because not only would I be getting paid more, it would be a good thing to have on my resume for when I graduate college. The whole process of trying to be promoted was so rocky for me and I didn’t feel that anyone wanted to take the time to help me develop some leadership skills. I didn’t want this to be forceful in anyway and I wanted upper management to believe that I could be a great leader some day. After a couple months go by, I had an interview that I thought went well. The person that interviewed me is someone that I thought potentially didn’t care for me or believe in me, so I was already expecting her to tell me that I wasn’t ready for the position.

After hearing that she thought I needed some more interview prep and time developing, I interviewed with a different company for an internship position to do later that year during the summer time. I was able to do well with the 3 interviews that was required for the position and it has turned into a career opportunity for when I graduate in June. I believe that being rejected for Target, truly set me up for the best possible opportunities.

Reflect on a training (or a class you’ve taken) that you found especially beneficial and one that you didn’t find beneficial. Drawing on this week’s material, what made the one training (or class) effective and the other not so much?

Since I have been at my job, with Target, for more then 4 years, I have experienced a lot of computer trainings. These are the training videos that we watch so that when an emergency happens or we have a situation that involves a guest that is somewhat complicated, we know how to go about it. For example, every year we have the same training video to watch about how to handle an active shooter. In the four years I have been with the company, it hasn’t changed. However, I would say this the video is helpful for people to navigate and understand the steps that are involved for this type of emergency. It goes through the steps of finding a weapon that you potentially can use if needed and using even the products that we sell, like a baseball bat. Then finding a room that you can lock and covering all the windows. Then it talks about barricading yourself in the locked room if needed. These are helpful tools to know if you are in a situation like this and it is always good to have a refresher.

A lot of the classes that I have taken, have not been beneficial to me or my degree. I know that lots of Universities have requirements on the extra classes that you have to take. Even though you can choose from a wide selection, I genuinely think they make these “pointless” classes a requirement, just to get money out of you. An example would be the music class that I am in, even though I am majoring in Business Management.

When I go in for any interview, I like to ensure that I have the full picture of the role. I want to make sure that I know what I am getting myself into like the job description and the salary. For my first interview, at the store that I work at, I remember being very nervous but it was also over video because of COVID. I used this to my advantage because being in person for me felt more daunting.

I knew over the years that, I would need to get more comfortable having in person interviews because this is how it is in the real world and its something I have to do in order to get a “real paying, salary” job. Since I am in the search for a “real paying, salary” job for after I graduate, I have had at least five in person interviews and it has helped me tremendously by being comfortable with these kind of interviews. I believe that practice makes perfect and having more experiences has helped me a lot.

When I was trying to promote for a management position at this same store that I work at, I was able to interview with a ETL. I went in the interview knowing that the person that was doing my interview didn’t like me. I’m not sure why she doesn’t but I can tell that she doesn’t with the way she acts with me and then other people. I did the interview and of course I didn’t get it. I thought it was odd because my interview went well. I then decided to interview for an internship, and I interview three times, and passed all three. Since, those interviews were only a month apart, I knew that it actually went well. This experience only made me more determined to believe in myself and to never give up.

By Myah Garcia

As I am about to graduate and am looking for a new job, job descriptions are always something that I am looking for and are aware of. It’s an element of a careers website that I feel is crucial of having all important elements for a future employee. I want to know what I am signing my self up for, what my compensation is, and the skills they are looking for.

According to an article called, Job Worth Doing: Update Descriptions”, states, “Updating descriptions is sometimes “the last thing to on the list to tackle because there are so many other issues that require HR’s time and attention,” says Cathy Maddox, SPHR, HR coordinator at Lincoln Surgical Hospital in Lincoln, Neb. But revising job descriptions “is very important, especially when you are hiring people,” Maddox adds.” This is very important to know with a job description because they need to be frequently added to and updates. If you want to hire people and want it frequently, it is HR’s and the staffs responsibility to staying on top of it and fixing any changes that may occur within the company.

As I had mentioned earlier, that I am on the job search. The first thing that I look at when I am on job search sites, is how long the position has been posted, the salary, and what the job entails/job description. Its very important to be that the company that I may work for has an established site and this includes with their job description.

Sources:

Tyler, Kathryn. “Job Worth Doing: Update Descriptions.” Welcome to SHRM, 21 Dec. 2023, www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/hr-magazine/job-worth-update-descriptions.

Buckingham, M., & Coffman, C. W. (2014). First, break all the rules : What the world’s greatest managers do differently. Gallup Press.

By Myah Garcia

After looking through “Fortunes 100 Best Companies to Work For”, the companies that stood out to me the most was Cisco, Workday, and American Express. I was able to take a deeper dive into what former and current employees were saying about these companies that they have worked for.

At Cisco, 94% of employees were saying that this is a great company to work for. Why? There management team is a great team to work for. The employees feel that their team is ethical, honest, and that they truly care about their employees. They are able to focus on their employees well being, making sure there is opportunity for growth, as well as making sure there is a culture environment that is included for everyone.

At Workday, 93% of their employees state that this is a great company to work for due to their management team being great people to work for. They believe in strong company culture, great facilities and environment to work in, as well as the company is committed to an innovative space for their employees. Workday has a strong emphasis on work-life balance. Employees enjoy flexible work days like remote work opportunities or paid time off. These are benefits that most people would look for in an employer and this is something that is very attractive about Workday!

At American Express, 94% of their employees state that this is a great company to work for with their competitive benefits, employee culture, and opportunity for growth within the company. Amex’s leadership encourages open communication and makes it a priority to listen to employees’ feedback and address their concerns. By doing this, it creates a positive workplace atmosphere and would encourage more people to work for American Express.

As someone who is in studying management and hopes to be a successful leader, I hope that I am able to have similar traits to these companies. It makes me eager to get out there in the real world and show people what they deserve. My goals as a leader would be to show them that they are worthy of whatever company we are working for and that there is always opportunity for growth.