HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT - Labor Laws and Unions Essay

HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT - Labor Laws and Unions - Essay Example The Company’s mission is to â€Å"connect people with their world everywhere they live, work and do it better than anyone else†. AT & T Inc has been accused of inhuman treatment of their employees and overtime payment row to their middle managers in a number of states (Sterling Attorneys, 2011). In the first case, AT&T was accused of requiring employees to stand all day when attending to customers in newly acquired stores notwithstanding the extended hours of operation to 12-13 hours a day. AT&T was in breach of The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) which stipulates the minimum wage and overtime pay. It is not only individuals that enjoy a wide range of benefits arising by virtue of being a member of a trade union but also organizations. For instance, organizations stand a better chance of identifying challenges faced by their workers owing to liaison with workers representatives. This gives an opportunity to tackle the problems faced by employees in due time. The Unionization process begins with gathering information about whether there is an existing union in the organization. If there is an existing union then an individual will contact them for further information. In case no union exists in the organization then employees will have to build their own union by coming together to sign an â€Å"Authorization† card. The next step involves making the union official by holding a secret ballot election under the supervision of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The workers can also make their union official by asking the employer to voluntarily recognize the association. The trade unions tend to bargain through collective bargain whereby the union agents on behalf of the unionized employees, petition the employer to take into consideration a particular interest of the employees such as pay rise or improved working condition. Unions bring about serious implications on employers. In case the union disagrees on

Team Organizational Style of Fisher and Paykel Essay

Team Organizational Style of Fisher and Paykel - Essay Example This aspect was highlighted by Imai (1997) in his approach when he highlighted the importance of the shop floor or the teams working on the industry floor in ensuring that continuous improvement takes place within an organization. The advantages of employing such lean manufacturing processes through the Kaizen approach has also been explained by Wilson (2005). Â  Once the new teams were developed, they have engaged actively in the team building process. The changes that occur were in terms of additional time spent in communication skills and team building, followed by activities that were focused on the improvement of work performances and promoting team goals and a common understanding. The goal of the process was to bring about changes in a positive manner through the application of inspiration and communication developed among team members. Â  This process is summed up in the Kaizen approach to organizational behavior. The Kaizen philosophy has been defined as "a means of continuous improvement in personal life, home life, social life, and working life. At the workplace, Kaizen means continuing improvement involving everyone—managers and workers alike. The Kaizen business strategy involves everyone in an organization working together to make improvements without large capital investments." (Imai, 1986) Â  The organization took great pains to improve the teams because they recognized the importance of the shop floor to the success of the organization, as highlighted by Imai (1997).