Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Manage Recruitment, Selection & Induction Essay Example for Free

Manage Recruitment, Selection Induction Essay Question 1: Explain the role of probation as part of the recruitment process. All new staff employees are required to serve a probationary period. The probationary period allows the Department and the employee the opportunity to assess each others suitability. It is the responsibility of the Supervisor to continually review the services of staff on probation. An employee must be consulted if there are any problems with performance. Question 2: Explain the term ‘merit selection’ and its implication on equal employment opportunity. Selection based on merit is where the best possible match is made between qualifications, knowledge, skills, abilities and relevant experience of the applicants, and the selection criteria in the Position Description. When assessing applicants, only selection criteria are taken into account; that is, unlawful discrimination based on other applicant characteristics must not occur. In the case of casual and sessional staff, merit is determined by assessing applicants qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience against the duties to be performed. Question 3: Explain the relevant terms and conditions of employment. Not every code of practice of the employer which is referenced within the contract may have any force, but rather, can be used as a guideline. Therefore, when considering whether or not a specific document imposes contractual obligations, the test to be applied in determining intention, is whether a reasonable person would come to the conclusion that the person making the promise, had the intention of being bound by the statement. Question 4: Explain at least 2 valid psychometric testing that you can use in your selection process. Aptitude or Ability Tests Aptitude or ability tests provide information on a person’s ability to perform certain tasks and their potential to learn and understand new information and tasks. The tests cover skills such as: Verbal reasoning (critical evaluation of written information) Comprehension/grammar Numerical reasoning (logical interpretation of numerical and statistical information) Abstract, mechanical or spatial reasoning (pattern recognition) Information checking (checking errors / attention to detail tasks) IQ (how quickly you can learn and master a new task) They can be designed to indicate suitability for specific tasks eg computing, keyboard or foreign?language skills. Work style questionnaires (personality/motivation/Emotional Intelligence) Work style questionnaires or inventories are concerned with how you typically behave, such as?the way you relate to others or the way you approach and solve problems. They generally?explore personality characteristics relevant to the world of work. To answer the questions you often need to think about what you would do in a work situation. If you have no formal work experience, think about how you behave in similar situations such as voluntary work, university activities or when you are participating in your hobbies. Work style questionnaires look at factors such as: Ways of thinking, feeling and acting in different situations Interpersonal style, conflict style, leadership style Patterns of coping with stress Interests how much do you like carrying out various types of activities at work. Motivations – look at the energy with which you approach your work, and the different conditions which increase or decrease your motivation. Work values– what factors make work worthwhile for you How you interpret your own and others emotions and behaviours Question 5: A. Explain the term outsourcing? Outsourcing is the act of one company contracting with another company to provide services that might otherwise be performed by in-house employees. Often the tasks that are outsourced could be performed by the company itself, but in many cases there are financial advantages that come from outsourcing. Many large companies now outsource jobs such as call center services, e-mail services, and payroll. These jobs are handled by separate companies that specialize in each service, and are often located overseas. b. What functions can Human Resources outsource in terms of recruitment selection and induction, please states advantages and disadvantages of each. Functions include: – Employee assistance/counseling – Retirement planning help – Pension administration – Temporary staffing – Background checks – Training and management development programs – Executive development and coaching – Health care benefits administration – Employee benefit administration – Payroll – Risk management – Executive staffing – Employee relocation – HRIS selection, training implementation – Recruitment – Executive compensation and incentive plans – Policy writing – Administration of compensation/incentive plans Wage and salary administration Advantages Brings new ideas/talent into the organization get needed competencies Helps organization get needed competencies Provides cross-industry insights May reduce training costs Helps organization meet equal employment opportunity/affirmative action goals Disadvantages May result in misplacement s? Increases recruitment costs? May cause morale problems for internal candidates? Requires longer orientation or adjustment time Question 6: Research the following links to assist you in your answer. a) What is the role of the HREOC? Leading the promotion and protection of human rights in Australia by: Making human rights values part of everyday life and language. Empowering all people to understand and exercise their human rights. Working with individuals, community, business and government to inspire action. Keeping government accountable to national and international human rights standards. Securing an Australian charter of rights. b) What types of complaint can you make to the Commission The Australian Human Rights Commission can investigate and resolve complaints of discrimination, harassment and bullying based on a person’s: Sex, including pregnancy, marital status, breastfeeding, family responsibilities and sexual harassment Disability, including temporary and permanent disabilities; physical, intellectual, sensory, psychiatric disabilities, diseases or illnesses; medical conditions; work related injuries; past, present and future disabilities; and association with a person with a disability Race, including colour, descent, national or ethnic origin, immigrant status and racial hatred Age, covering young people and older people sexual preference, criminal record, trade union activity, political opinion, religion or social origin (in employment only) c) Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986 Grounds of discrimination Breaches of human rights by any Commonwealth body or agency and discrimination in employment on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction, social origin, age, medical record, criminal record, marital status, impairment, disability, nationality, sexual preference, trade union activity. Areas covered Commonwealth body or agency; employment and occupation. Process for decision making Complaint must be in writing. It is then assessed and if within jurisdiction is investigated. If complaint is not declined, conciliation is attempted. If it cannot be conciliated, the Commission prepares a report to the federal Attorney General who then tables the report in Parliament. Question 7 : Summarise the national 10 privacy principles. There are ten National Privacy Principles (NPPs) that regulate how private sector organizations manage personal information. They cover the collection, use and disclosure, and secure management of personal information. They also allow individuals to access that information and have it corrected if it is wrong. NPP 1: collection – Describes what an organization should do when collecting personal information and what is told to the individual on collection. NPP 2: use and disclosure – Outlines how organization discloses and uses individual personal information. Under certain conditions and organization doesn’t always need the individuals consent to disclose personal information. NPPs 3 4: information quality and security An organisation must take steps to ensure the personal information it holds is accurate and up-to-date, and is kept secure from unauthorised use or access. NPP 5: openness An organisation must have a policy on how it manages personal information, and make it available to anyone who asks for it. NPP 6: access and correction Gives individuals a general right of access to their personal information, and the right to have that information corrected if it is inaccurate, incomplete or out-of-date. NPP 7: identifiers Generally prevents an organisation from adopting an Australian Government identifier for an individual (e.g. Medicare numbers) as its own. NPP 8: anonymity Where possible, organisations must give individuals the opportunity to do business with them without the individual having to identify themselves. NPP 9: transborder data flows Outlines how organisations should protect personal information that they transfer outside Australia . NPP 10: sensitive information Sensitive information includes information such as health, racial or ethnic background, or criminal record. Higher standards apply to the handling of sensitive information. Question 8: List the elements contained in a contract of employment. The full name of employer and employee The address of the employer The place of work The title of job or nature of work The date the employment started If the contract is temporary, the expected duration of the contract If the contract of employment is for a fixed term, the details Details of rest periods and breaks as required by law The rate of pay or method of calculation of pay The pay reference period for the purposes of the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 Pay intervals Hours of work That the employee has the right to ask the employer for a written statement of his/her average hourly rate of pay as provided for in the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 Details of paid leave Sick pay and pension (if any) Period of notice to be given by employer or employee Details of any collective agreements that may affect the employee’s terms of employment

Monday, January 20, 2020

America Must Learn to Respect the Elderly Essay -- Argumentative Persu

America Must Learn to Respect the Elderly It is blatantly evident that America is a country in which youth is king. Everyone wants to look young, feel young, and possess that youthful vigor and dynamism that is so highly respected by both the media and by the public. Our shelves are stocked with products to make us appear younger in any way, shape, or form; our most popular reality TV shows revolve around the lives of the young and beautiful. It seems that America’s population has forgotten that with luck, some day we will all become older. We will become those wrinkly, slow, and uncannily wise beings that hover in the background of today’s society. And what kind of life will we find once we reach that invisible point? Today’s elderly are treated with resentment and antagonism that is in appalling opposition to the respect that they deserve. In many other countries around the globe, especially in the East, growing older is an outward sign of one’s increase in knowledge and experiences. Because of this healthily accurate image of aging, the process is seen as admirable; grand...

Sunday, January 12, 2020

An Interview with Steve

Life for me has amounted mainly to life here in Texas. IVe traveled a little; IVe been to both the west and east coasts of this country. IVe seen large cities and small towns, oceans, deserts and mountains. IVe traveled through several states and have met people from all kinds of backgrounds. Growing up we had classes in school. We learned of a whole new world out there, with different cultures and traditions.We had learned how our country began; how it was discovered, how it was populated, and of the wars our ancestors went through to ain independence and equality for all who live here. Through our parents and grandparents we learned that, with the exception of Native Americans, our ancestors emigrated here from countries far away, most of which are separated from us by vast oceans. Other than what we have read, the pictures we see in those books, the portrayals on television and film, most of us will never know the places our ancestors walked, or converse with people who presently live in those countries.With the development of the Internet and the World Wide Web, those countries are now coming literally to our fingertips. One of the most fascinating aspects of getting access to the Internet is how it brings the people of the world into our own homes. We can find out firsthand how those people live, what they believe, their customs, and their opinions of us. That is the focus of this essay. One of my good friends, for the past two and half years, is a man named Steve. We met online in a chat community and become fast friends. He is 48 years old and lives in Essex, England, which is a county northeast of London.Steve is a truck driver by trade and a musician by heart. He's sent me some of his songs, two of which he rote, and in my opinion, he's a very good musician, though he often says he's not. He's an avid Rolling Stones fan, and most of the songs he performs at pubs reflect this. This makes for amusing chats between us at times as he tries to convert anoth er wayward soft-rock-loving soul into a Stone's fan. I'm not really sure how Steve felt about me asking to do my essay on him. He undoubtedly thinks I'm being very nosey, ‘nosey peep' was the actual term he used, but he did consent to being interviewed.The only question he asked was if he had to be serious in his answers. When I asked him â€Å"Where do you live? † of course he nswered â€Å"modem land†. I told him that didn't help with my essay, and he replied, mfou know the answer, ask the stuff you don't. † And so our interview began†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ It seems that America has a great fascination with Great Britain. We see British actors every. vnere. We even nave some British snows on television. Many ot the stories covered in the news these days are telling of news of England, especially concerning the royal family. Why is this?IVe mentioned this fact to Steve a few times in chats. This opens up quite a little debate. He says it's only natural for us to lo ok to them, as England is the ‘parent' of us. I tell him that can't be. My ancestors came from France and Germany. He gets a chuckle, and then starts to lecture on how America as a whole was started by them, and we made the grave mistake of wasting good English tea, to which I happily reply that it's 0k, because I don't drink tea. I asked Steve if he sees himself as English or British. English, foremost, he says. I then asked him what he enjoys about his country.He said he enjoys the countryside, with its quiet rolling hillsides, spring flowers and gentle smooth rivers. He enjoys the music, and the English ale, with its bitter but smooth taste, and he adds it must be erved at room temperature. Somehow I think he was being extra poetic because I had asked him to elaborate on his original answer of â€Å"countryside, music, English ale†. He's generally a man of few words, at least typed words, but when gently prodded, he can say quite a lot, sometimes sarcastically, but o ften humorously. We discussed some of the history in England.He says that the English tend to take their historical sites for granted, though they do a good Job of protecting the old buildings and sights. When I asked if he goes out and enjoys the historical places, he said, â€Å"No, but IVe worked in a few places of historical interest†. He says â€Å"If you live in Manhattan, you don't go up to the Statue of Liberty. We take it all for granted really. We shouldn't but do. † I can easily see the truth in what he says, as much of our history here is being allowed to be forgotten. When speaking of lifestyles, Steve says that he likes to experience different cultures. â€Å"Big Ben is on my doorstep.I would rather travel the world and see differing ways of living. I can see Big Ben anytime. The world is changing. I'd like to see some of it before McDonalds gets there first. Even Bangkok has a McDonalds. † Steve is speaking f his recent trip to Bangkok, Thailand. I asked him if differing lifestyles was the big draw for so many British to immigrate to the states. He says that the draw for the English is that living in the states is similar to England's way of life, only much more comfortable. The main difference, he says, between England and the United States is that America is very inward looking.We seem to have 99% American news and Just 1% on the rest of the world. Though that may have changed since 9/1 1 . He says that Americans wish to know less of the world in general. Then he apologized for sounding insulting. He ent on to say that England ruled most of the world at one point, so theyVe always had interest in the world. He says that their news is about 50/50. I said that I wondered why England wants to rule so many countries. He said â€Å"We don't anymore. We've tried to give some countries back, but they won't have it. We tried to give Gibraltar back to Spain, but the people said they wanted to stay British † I asked why that was.He said, â€Å"They like us. We're quaint. † This moved us on toa subject Steve has much to say about. I asked him what life was like under the rule of a monarchy. He took no time to say, â€Å"Personally, it's dreadful. I hate being the Queen's subject. † Having only seen the monarchy on American television, I was curious as to why he would say that. He replied, â€Å"l resent their ways, their opinions. They are snobs of the worst kind; privileged and pampered while some of their people starve on the streets. Theyre hypocrites. † He goes on to say that the royals are expensive trophies for the tourists to view.Steve states, â€Å"They'll never change. The aristocracy survives to keep the working man in his place. Give him a beer, a bit of telly and football, and he'll be good and quiet. † I mentioned that they portray the royals here as heading oward a possible collapse, and he says, â€Å"It's not that simple, I'm afraid. They are too powerful, to o rich. They have low friends in high places. It would take a revolution to get rid of them, and the English people Just want a quiet life. † To lighten the conversation up, I turned the subject to English traditions. He states that there aren't many left.He says, â€Å"We have Guy Fawkes Day. It's fireworks to celebrate the capture of Guy Fawkes, who tried to blow up parliament. † He laughs, â€Å"When I worked there, down in the basement on a wall is scrawled ‘Guy Fawkes was here', and an email address. Guy Fawkes was like three hundred years ago. We also have Pancake Day, when we all eat pancakes. Some have pancake races, where women run while tossing pancakes in a pan. We also have egg and spoon races where you run with an egg balanced on a small spoon. All very sensible pastimes. † Our conversation rolled around to what the English think of America.Steve's impression seems to come through easily with his words. â€Å"It depends on whether theyVe been to America or not. IVe never met anyone who's been there that doesn't love America or Americans. Americans over here in England, though, can come across as a little loud and brash. The English that go over to the States tend to go to Florida for the climate and Disneyworld. It's where all the travel package companies sell holidays to. It's closer than California. Most English peeps like beaches. They fly 5000 miles to lie on a beach for two weeks. It doesn't make sense to me. I'd rather see the countryside or the cities. Then he quotes ‘Sunshine bores the daylights outta me,' a Mick Jagger line. Did I mention he was a Stone's fan? Steve has always been quick to say how much he loves America. He's traveled across the ocean about four times already, and driven from one coast to the other, a trek he ays he wants to do again, as soon as he can afford a month off from work. I asked if he thought it would be more difficult, since 9/1 1, to get a visa to come here. He said he has a l ife visa. If youVe been in the States a couple of times on short visas and haven't overstayed or misbehaved, they give you a life visa.Or at least they used to. He proudly admits to having one. With his views of the government in England, I couldn't help but ask if he'd ever considered moving here. He said he had, after his first visit here. And after his second. A d his third â€Å"The first couple ot times I was married My sister-in-law nad MS and my wife wouldn't leave England. I also had a cracking band, which in American terms means a really good band. On a later trip, the housing market crashed. If I had sold my house, I would have owed $120,000. † Going back to the discussion of England, I asked if they got much sunshine during the year.Steve, in his charming way said, mieah, we had a good summer. Think it happened on a Thursday. † I inquired about this because we've all seen the old classic movies depicting London always under a blanket of fog. When I mentioned this, he laughed. â€Å"No, that's a myth. We do get fog occasionally but mostly in the countryside, ot London. But when we get it, we get it, thick as soup. † He goes on to say that it rains a lot in England, which makes the country very green, which he likes. England is known for its poor maintenance on roads. I asked Steve about this.He says, â€Å"Potholes are everywhere in local roads. The weather breaks roads up and they won't pay for upkeep. England is famous for digging holes in the roads. They lay cables, pipes, etc. , fill them in, come back a week later, dig them up again. It's a British pastime. † I asked if people travel much. He says most people holiday abroad. It's cheaper to go to Spain than to stay in England. When asked if England was a majority of wealthy or poor, he says that most are not poor, but they have their money tied up in their houses. â€Å"On paper, there are a lot of rich people.I myself have $200,000 on paper, but it's tied up in my ho use. The cheapest apartment in my area costs $130,000. If you rent, it's usually from the local government. Then, as an example, after a few years you can buy it at a 66% discount. Then you pay maybe $30,000 for a house that's worth $100,000, so most people buy. The government does this for their own benefit. It's short term; they get cash and don't have to pay the maintenance costs. The downside is that there are no homes available for people to rent. I unfortunately bought on the open market, so no discount. It's interesting to know that, like here in America, they have a variety of accents. Steve speaks Cockney, which is known around the London area. If youVe seen the Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen film â€Å"Winning London†, my sister's favorite movie, you'll get a hint of it. To us it's fast spoken and hard to understand, and believe me, isn't much easier to understand in text, which he throws in from time to time Just to confuse me. He also mentions the Queen's English, whi ch is much more proper sounding, and hat we generally hear spoken on television.There are other accents as well, depending on the region you come from. I hated to end the interview. England has so much to learn about. I would have liked to delve much more deeply into the history and culture of his country, the things we don't hear and read about here in the States. But it's getting late for Steve. England is 7 hours ahead of Texas. It's very easy to forget the time difference and Just keep talking, on my end at least. I am very happy to have met Steve, even if we never get the opportunity to meet tace-to-tace.

Saturday, January 4, 2020

The Truth Machine By Chuck Palahniuk - 1332 Words

The Truth Machine had a terrifying aspect about it. Halperin’s idea of a future with no lies sounds delightful at first, but once you scratch the surface and realize that includes white lies you can see the complications that may commence. I could see his future happening if we used the machine only in trials, but I would not eliminate a jury completely. Machines are able to be tampered with, no matter how well they are engineered. The Truth Machine furthered my belief that humans create themselves from their past experiences. Illusions may be the most bizarre book I have held in my hands. And that is saying something since Chuck Palahniuk is my favorite author. I found that as I was reading this book I began to question the world I lived in. How amazing it would be if we could ‘wake up’ and realize that we are a continuous cycle. What I gathered from this book is that we create our own reality. Don was seen as a messiah to all who met him, but he was only a simple man who had life figured out. Esquith’s Teach like Your Hair’s on Fire should open new doors to anyone who reads it. His methods to teaching keep children interested and urge them to good citizens outside of the classroom. He gives his pupils respect, because he wants them to understand to gain respect you have to give it. Esquith’s story has taught me to break tradition and to stand for what I believe in, no matter who stares. He also reminded me not to judge people on where they come from, because it does not