Changes to future workspaces?

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/11/16/2503904/big-changes-coming-to-future-workplace.html

Interesting article that to me read like: “Watch out campus life is coming to work”. This is probably a way they can sell this idea to the decision makers. We tend to forget the negatives from our past and in perspective what was already done seems incredibly simple. Luckily I graduated York University not too long ago and I have a few concerns about the possible trend.

First and foremost, this sounds like it could further endanger work-life balance, even more-so than flexible work schedule. The problem here is that people are given an option to schedule their own time when work is clearly the more important priority because everything depends on our income, hence it would always take precedence. So whenever it gets busy, guess who is sleeping less? Imagine what happens if you have someone pushing the team to achieve more to make themselves look good. The only way this would work is if the corporate structure would change and perhaps more flat power structure, where work could be collaborative and project based.

Now with the 20/20 hindsight would you honestly say that you have been your most productive at school? Not many people can. For whatever reason it may be, this work style certainly didn’t make us more productive.

Do you remember how “awesome” it was to try to align schedules for group work or meetings? I hated that the most about group work. Then you learned that sometimes you have to have group majority meetings and fill someone in after. 

Ergonomics must also be considered, Having a big open space for people to work in creative ways can work, but working on a bean bag chair for 8 hours would quickly make your back hurt.

I do agree that with the environmental push, there is an opportunity to make as much digital and allow for this kind of flexible workspace. I could see myself working in this kind of environment. 

Holiday shopping madness

The big holiday season is upon us. It’s the time to indulge in excess of everything: food, presents, down time, sleep, etc.  But before any of that happens people indulge in biggest shopping period of the year starting Black Friday the stores get pretty crazy. There are shoppers pepper-spraying other shoppers to keep their desired merchandize, people getting trampled when the doors open. It’s all pretty ridiculous and unfortunate for the victims of these incidents. Full disclosure, I find it hilarious mainly because it’s so unusual.

Having worked retail, for about 5 years I have encountered the holiday season. Arguably the worst part of working retail is that occasionally you will be required to work holidays, but it comes with the territory, and frankly speaking most employers usually compensate extra for this time.  Apparently Target does not:

Count your blessings and then get to work. That may be Thanksgiving for more retail workers this year, as stores — desperate to pull in buyers on the first weekend of the holiday shopping season — push their openings earlier and earlier. Unhappy workers…are trying to persuade companies to back off, but retailers say they’re stuck: It’s what customers want.

Reporting to work at 11 p.m. on Thanksgiving ruins what is supposed to be a day spent with family, said Anthony Hardwick, who works part-time at a Target store in Omaha. His online petition against Target Corp.’s plan to open at midnight on Black Friday had drawn more than 100,000 signatures…“The folks that work at Target are going to be working all night overnight on one of the most hectic retail days of the holidays,” Hardwick said. “They need to be well-rested for that, so they have to miss out on Thanksgiving if they’re going to be working overnight.”

http://www.fistfuloftalent.com/2011/11/support-or-humiliate-your-employer-you-make-the-call.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FistfulOfTalent+%28Fistful+of+Talent%29

I am not certain on what the compensation system is like at Target, having worked at a similar type of retailer I can say that they probably pay base pay to the employees and that’s it. Whatever increase they provide is likely forced onto the employer by the government in terms of holiday/overtime pay.  Economically speaking the “price” that the employer puts on working at said time (the wages that employees are paid) might be deemed to low by some employees, which would lead to dissatisfaction and everything associated with it.

By contrast employees at stores that pay commission for the sales are looking forward to the holidays because that is the time they can make the most money. In this instance they would consider that the price the employer is paying for their service is high and it leads to satisfaction.

Therefore, I believe that this problem can be solved by: increasing the pay to the employees that are working these holidays.  It’s a well-known fact that retail jobs overall are notoriously under-valued, and a commitment to increase that value at least during the holiday season would be great. Raising the wage for the holidays would in theory would make employees more reliable and productive which could potentially increase efficiencies in the stores. 

Great speech on Non-Verbal Communication

Continuing with the super-hero theme I set in my last post.
I've come across this video, which is a very well done speech on non-verbal communication. Remember that non-verbal is always more important/effective than verbal communication. Interestingly enough there is even more proof to that.

Amy Cuddy: Power Poses from PopTech on Vimeo.

HR Super HeRo

So it's sunday morning and I just got through morning cartoon watching session. I watched the old X-Men series that was originally aired in the mid 90's. I'm moderately surprised that it's not half bad, for a children's cartoon. Perhaps the quality threshold for whats acceptable to show on Television was higher back in the day. My generation didn't really part with comic-books as they grew, which is clear when you think back on how many blockbuster movies were released with super heroes. Even rated R super hero movies, which makes it clear that their main audience didn't change from the kids who watched those sunday cartoons.
One of my favourite superhero quotes is from Batman the Dark Knight: "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain". Here's the youtube clip of that scene.

This quote can be used in reference to the Human Resources Departments of companies. Clearly any prospecting employee would consider the HR department useful and helpful if not purely good prior to join an organization. The whole process of apply for the job and going through the selection process in which both parties are trying to do the best for themselves to determine fit. Granted HR people don't make the hiring decisions, but nevertheless they provide a selfless service in the grande scheme of things. Their often impartial nature in the actual working relationship allows them not to be boggled down in the politics as much as a manager might be.

It also seems that with tenure employees develop a certain negative view of the HR department. For example, 

"The human-resources trade long ago proved itself, at best, a necessary evil -- and at worst, a dark bureaucratic force that blindly enforces nonsensical rules, resists creativity, and impedes constructive change"  - Fast Company, 2005

In other words, those who once might be considered a hero became a villain.
Also while studying HR and talking to my fellow students in the early years of the program the common response to a question "why are you studying human resources?" was "because I like people", or something about being a people person. Then one day a professor dropped a cold heart truth on the class, that HR is not for people people it's for business people. Expectedly this got a nice reaction from an audience. Evidently many people start in HR with the so-called pure, social work type ideals, which are eventually transformed or corrected to the ideals of someone who manages humans as resources.