Learning Goal: I’m working on a management discussion question and need the explanation and answer to help me learn.

HRMN 467

1.Topic 1(Genevieve Teufel)

What does an employer’s “duty of care” to their employees consist of? As a Global HR manager, what steps would you take to ensure the safety of expatriates in your organization who are working overseas? In particular, what actions can you take to reduce the risks related to terrorism threats in international assignments?

Many professionals are constantly talking about the importance of providing a “duty of care� for expat employees sent to work abroad and even when sending employees for long or short term assignments and meetings. A duty of care means that the global employer needs to take all steps required to safeguard and prepare for the safety, well being and health of their employees. (Tompkins, 2020) Depending the safety of the host country for expatriate on assignment the strides to make sure the employees to be safe. Safety and health laws and regulations vary from country to country, ranging from virtually nonexistent to more stringent than in the United States. The importance placed on workplace safety varies among different countries. With more and more expatriates working internationally, especially in some of the less-developed countries, significant health and safety issues are arising. (Global employee relations issues, n.d.) There are many global employers and mentors to stress to be trained in security. This can be from avoiding US logos on your person to how to be discreet to meet with friends. Many global firms purchase coverage for their international employees from an organization that provides emergency services, such as International SOS, Global Assistance Network, or U.S. Assist. To use such a service, an employer pays a membership fee per employee, and all employee travelers are given emergency contact numbers. If an emergency arises, the emergency services company will dispatch physicians or even transport employees by chartered aircraft. If adequate medical assistance can be obtained locally, the emergency services company maintains a referral list and will make arrangements for the expatriate to receive treatment. (Global employee relations issues, n.d.)

Global employee relations issues. (n.d.). Whatishumanresource.com. https://www.whatishumanresource.com/global-employee-relations-issues

Tompkins, D. (2020, June 17). Is your company meeting it’s “Duty of care” obligations to its expat employees? Expat Financial – Global Insurance for Expats. https://expatfinancial.com/is-your-company-meeting-duty-care-obligations-for-expat-employees/

2.Topic 2( Lamont Holland)

For reentry of an expatriate a company should have information and or briefings to inform the expatriate of the difficulties they may face. Every individual and or family will react differently or have varying difficulties with the re-entry process. Therefore, it is important to offer information on what to expect and or be on the lookout for so shock of returning to the home country has minimal impact. Ensuring that family members are present for these offerings is important as they too may face difficulties. In my experience in the US military returning from deployments or one year unaccompanied assignments I have routinely been briefed on the need to accept that the family as developed their own routines in the absence of the service member and it is important not to come in and immediately try and change things based off of how we perceive a situation should be from where we originally left the home.

When it comes to supporting dual career, expatriates companies can assist with helping with spousal visas and or work permits to either maintain careers upon departure or ease the ability of initiating a new career in the new location. My wife, for example, utilize services offered by the Air Force to obtain what is known as a work vignette here in the UK. This is documentation similar to a work permit but outlines support agreements establish between the UK and US for department of defense personnel and their families authorizing spouses and dependents to work legally while on assignment. My wife was previously working remotely with a German company and then switch jobs to work in a US-based company with a UK office. The company hired my wife on her own merits but was enticed by the need to not have to sponsor and fund a work visa.

HRMN 408

1.Topic 1( Courtney Polite)

Memo

TO: Human Resources Manager

FROM: Human Resources Department

DATE: Saturday, February 25, 2023

RE: Employee Monitoring Policy

________________________________________________________________

Workplace monitoring is subject to federal and state laws regarding an employee’s right to privacy, as well as an employer’s right to monitor. These laws enable our organization to monitor the usage of company owned technology such as employee email, internet, or telephone usage without the employee’s direct knowledge that they are being monitored.

According to National Conference of State Legislatures (n.d.), “some employers, say that access to personal social media accounts of employees is needed to protect the employer’s proprietary information or trade secrets, to comply with certain federal financial regulations or to prevent the employer from being exposed to legal liabilities (Week 7: Technology and communication, p.1). 18 U.S.C. §§ 2510-22, as amended by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, (Pub. L. 90-351; 6/19/68), also known as the “Wiretap Act (Bureau of Justice Assistance, n.d., p.1 ),

• Prohibits the unauthorized, nonconsensual interception of “wire, oral, or electronic communications” by government agencies as well as private parties;
• Establishes procedures for obtaining warrants to authorize wiretapping by government officials, and;
• Regulates the disclosure and use of authorized intercepted communications by investigative and law enforcement officers.

18 U.S.C. §§ 2516-18 Title III requires that federal, state and, other government officials obtain judicial authorization for intercepting “wire, oral, and electronic” communications such as telephone conversations and e-mails. It also regulates the use and disclosure of information obtained through authorized wiretapping.

In this statue a judge may issue a warrant authorizing interception of communications for up to 30 days upon a showing of probable cause that the interception will reveal evidence that “an individual is committing, has committed, or is about to commit a particular offense” listed in § 2516.

Maryland General Assembly §3–712, states that “Electronic communication devices includes computers, telephones, personal digital assistants, and other similar devices (MGA, n.d., Week 7: Statue text, p1) . Paragraph (2) of this subsection, mentions that an employer may not request or require that an employee or applicant disclose any username, password, or other means for accessing a personal account or service through an electronic communications device. However, an employer may require that an employee disclose their username, password, or other means for accessing nonpersonal accounts or services that provide access to the employer’s internal computer or information systems (MGA, n.d., Week 7: Statue text, p1).

To establish best practices for this company, our organization has established a employee technology monitoring policy which enables us to track employee usage such as e-mails, internet, phone calls and company-owned vehicles are subject to company monitoring, without notice or warning. The following guidelines have been created for all employees that are currently use or authorized to use company owned electronic devices.

• The usage of company computers, telephones and other equipment is generally intended for business-related use with a limited amount of personal use being acceptable.
• The company prohibits the transmittal or downloading of material that is offensive, pornographic, obscene, profane, discriminatory, harassing, insulting, derogatory or otherwise unlawful.
• The company prohibit the transmittal or downloading of material that is offensive, pornographic, obscene, profane, discriminatory, harassing, insulting, derogatory or otherwise unlawful.
• The prohibit the transmittal or dissemination of the company’s confidential information or trade secrets to any outside source.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email or by phone.

Bureau of Justice Assistance. (n.d.). Title III of the omnibus crime control and safe streets Act of 1968 (Wiretap Act). https://bja.ojp.gov/program/it/privacy-civil-liberties/authorities/statutes/1284

Maryland Department of Labor. (n.d.). Discharge – Sections 8-1002, 8-1002.1, 8-1003 – Maryland unemployment decisions digest – Appeals. https://www.dllr.state.md.us/uiappeals/decisions/8-1002page3.shtml

National Labor Relations Board. (n.d.). Interfering with employee rights (Section 7 & 8(a)(1)). https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/the-law/interfering-with-employee-rights-section-7-8a1

2.Topic 2(Niko Pinkard)

Dear CEO,

It has come to our attention that one of our employees is writing a blog in which they make accurate but unflattering comments about fellow employees using their own name and the name of the company. We recommend that you consider the following advice:

Should the CEO respond or not to the blog? Why or why not? And if so, what should the blog say? Our recommendation is that the CEO should not respond to the blog directly. Responding to the blog may only serve to draw more attention to it and potentially escalate the situation. Instead, we suggest that the CEO privately meet with the employee to discuss the impact their blog may have on the company’s reputation and on the morale of fellow employees. It may also be helpful to remind the employee of the company’s social media policy.

What actions, if any, should our CEO take against the blogger? The company should take disciplinary action against the blogger if their comments violate company policies or if they are engaging in behavior that is harmful to the company’s reputation. The nature and severity of the disciplinary action will depend on the specific circumstances of the case, such as the impact of the blog on the company’s reputation and the employee’s prior behavior.

What specific actions should the company take to protect its brand? The company should take steps to monitor and manage its online reputation. This may involve monitoring social media platforms for negative comments, responding to negative reviews, and proactively engaging with customers and employees to maintain a positive brand image. Additionally, the company should review and update its social media policy to ensure that it is clear and comprehensive.

Pick a specific state law and is it applicable and if so why and if not, why not? In the state of California, employers have certain rights to protect their reputation from employee conduct. California Labor Code Section 96(k) provides that employees may be subject to disciplinary action for “willful acts or omissions” that harm the employer’s reputation. The comments made in the employee’s blog may qualify as a willful act or omission that harms the employer’s reputation, and therefore the employer may be able to take disciplinary action against the employee under California law.

References:

California Labor Code Section 96(k)

Society for Human Resource Management. (2017). Social Media in the Workplace: A Guide for Employers.

HRMN 406

1.)Topic 1(Jeri Lawson)

Reaction:

• This is the initial stage where employees react to the training being given
• Some might find it really interesting and others might find it in no relation to their work
• This is the ground level stage where interest needs to be build up in the subject, discussing it’s importance in their work and creating impact/ interest in the training
• Here emphasis is laid on the importance of client relationship building, it’s importance, ways to do and reflect the same

Learning:

• This is the stage where lesson has been taught, now it needs to be inculcated
• This can be ensured by conducting group role plays from the participants where they have to show the things they learnt, how to implement the same in worklife, understanding how it could be implemented and how to work on the same
• Participants show demo calls talking to the client, using professional language, building relationship showing empathy etc.

Behavior:

• In this stage, employees reflect what they learnt in the training during work ongoing
• They use it in their day to day work to increase their effectiveness
• Employees use the training lessons in their client calls, building relationship, understanding each other better and working more effectively

Results:

• This is the final stage where all the hardwork done needs to be paid off in the form of effective results i.e. increased profit/ revenue
• This is achieved by more work/ appreciation from the client

This, because of increased communication/connect with the user comes in the form of better and increased work, happy clients and better.

By going over all of the points in each level I’m sure my Manager would understand why each level of the evaluation model are equally important.

2.)Topic 2( Ashely Adkins)

Donald Kirkpatrick’s four levels of evaluation are reaction of student, learning, bahaviour, and results. All of these levels of evaluation are important learning levels of an organization because it can be used to evaluate either formal or informal learning, and can be sued with a variety of of styles of training (The Kirkpatrick Model, 2022).

In level one of the reaction evaluations, this is how the delegates felt about the training or the learning experience. It is important because it is very quick and easy to obtain. It is not expensive to gather and analyse. In the learning evaluation (level two), is the measurement of the increase in knowledge before and after. This is helpful as it is relatively simple to set up, clear-cut for quantifiable skills. It is also less easy for complex learning. The bahaviour evaluation is the extent of applied learning back on the job implementation. It is the measurement of behaviour change typically requires cooperation and skill of line-managers. The last evaluation, which is results evaluation is the effect on the business or environment by the trainee. It is not individually not difficult unlike whole organizations. The process must attribute clear accountabilities (Kirkpatrick Evaluation Method, n.d.).

The HR boss may only be interested in the final results or product, but it is important that we use all four evaluation steps as they are each helpful in their own right. For example, the behavior evaluation is important because it measures the changes after learning and shows if the learners are taking what they learned in training and applying it as they do their jobs (The Kirkpatrick Model, 2022).

References

Kirkpatrick Evaluation Method. (n.d.). Retrieved from Business Balls: https://www.businessballs.com/training-assessment-…

The Kirkpatrick Model. (2022, January 17). Retrieved from Valamis: https://www.valamis.com/hub/kirkpatrick-model