Welcome! This is the blog of TEAM DS, a group of human resource management students from De La Salle - College of St. Benilde and we will be blogging about our thoughts on Human Resource news, issues and anything else that catches our fancy. We strive to offer you posts that you'd actually bother reading and look forward to. We also guarantee that you'd be hard pressed to find an HR blog quite like ours.
Feel free to browse around, and don't forget to leave a comment if you find something interesting. ^_^
We dedicate doing it...backwards to our fellow Human Resource majors from De La Salle College of St. Benilde...as we approach the end of our last academic term may we be able to impart knowledge and give back to our school and fellow students.
I've been a staunch believer of Stephen Covey's "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" since I first picked up book ten years ago, one of the habits that really struck me and has been embedded in me ever since was Habit no. 2 - Begin with the End in Mind. To begin with the end in mind is to begin with the image of your goal as the frame of reference by which everything else is measured. It is about creating things twice - first, in your mind (the mental) and second the physical (the actual).
In an organization, this is applied through Leadership and Management, Leadership is the first creation and Management, the latter. Management is doing things right, Leadership is doing the right things.
This habit is quite helpful in Training employees, since there has been a lot of debate and confusion on which method is more effective - an academic approach (like in school) or a work-based model approach (practical and applied learning). The right approach is pretty straightforward - at work you have to get things done, so for employees to benefit their organization and do their jobs well, they need to learn the skills needed to perform their roles effectively, this proves that a work-based model is more effective as compared to learning frameworks, theories and history like in a classroom based setup.
"In order for employees to develop the right skills that will in turn build the business and fortify the organization, companies need to train their employees in the context of what they need to know and do in order to successfully execute the functions of their roles."
To do this more effectively, just remember toBegin with the End in Mind- clearly and explicitly define first what the employees need to learn after the training, then use the "lessons" that could be learnedto back it up and reach the desired results.
So there you go, these were the thoughts ran through our heads when we were thinking of a blog title, thus we've decided on Doing it Backwards. Source: HR Made Simple
This blog post is dedicated to our friend, a future HR practitioner who obviously knows how to "Do It Backwards". Happy Birthday Jan Michael "Jimbo" Valerio! XOXO :)
A lot of Presidential candidates position themselves in a way that people can relate to them. I become curious about one of the presidential candidate, Manny Villar. I have nothing against him but everywhere I go I always heard children singing "tunay ka bang mhirap..." in which it is one of the jingle of Manny make me more curious of his background. when people talk about Tondo, they imagine poverty and the life living on the ports.
I read Philippine Star newspaper and I encounter the column of William Esposo. In his column he discussed about the real status of Manny when he was still a kid. I want to share this facts to let other people know if he is still deserving to be a president despite the reality that he didn't came from a very poor family.
Facts that are doubtful. TUNAY KA NGA BANG MAHIRAP?
1. Manny Villar finished his education at Holy Child Catholic School in 1962, and finished his high school education at Mapua Institute of Technology in 1966. He attended the University of the Philippines-Diliman and earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1970. He returned to the same school to earn his master’s degree in business administration in 1973. in which you can see that he came from a private school that a middle class to a rich family can afford to send their children.
2. His father was a government employee and his mother is a seafood vendor. It may not be Class AB household income but it is definitely not Class E.
3. Villar’s father used to have a “nikaladong (stainless steel clad)” private Jeep. During the 1950s, a nikaladong private Jeep is a status symbol in Tondo, definitely not the hallmark of a poor household.
4. Manny is degrading himself with the story that he shared. He thought that Corned beef is cooked just like a soup But the fact is that there are really two ways to cook canned corned beef. One is the dry sautéed type while the other is the soupy type where you can add potatoes and cabbage. Both the rich and the middle class enjoy corned beef both ways. Before up to the 1980s, people from the provinces consider it a status symbol to be eating corned beef.
As a first time voter, I really want to make sure that the person whom I will believe in is the one who will make the Philippines a better place. Each one of us has a different mindset of what we want and what we believe in. Research if you must so that comes election day, you know who you'll root for.
“Ang MANLILINLANG ay kambal ng MAGNANAKAW"
Our country’s biggest deceivers are also our biggest thieves
"Starting this year, undergraduate degrees in the Philippines will no longer be recognized in most European countries. Jobs in most European countries that require undergraduate degrees will no longer be open to Filipinos who went to school in the Philippines" according to educator, Isagani Cruz
As someone about to graduate I am appalled upon learning that the our tertiary education system does not meet up to global standards and could mean not being able to get a job in most European countries. This is due to the educational reform set up in 1999, popularly known as the Bologna Accord (pronounced as bo-LO-nya) wherein 29 European countries signed a document agreeing to reform higher education to achieve the following aims:
create a system of comparable and understandable degrees throughout the European Union
establish a clear and standard division between undergraduate and graduate studies
promote student mobility among different fields of study, institutions, and nations
develop a quality-assurance process and governing body to ensure standard qualifications and quality throughout participating countries
define a European focus for higher education
As of this writing, there are now 46 countries who have signed the accord which is practically the whole of Europe
One objective of Bologna is for graduates to have the same level of competencies, having undertaken the same number of units and years, same exams and so on, so that when they would be importing students they are sure that the student is as good or better than their own. Apparently our country's undergraduate courses have less than 3 years of undergraduate concentration contrary to the required 3 years concentration prescribed by Bologna, since we spend more than a year and a half on General Education subjects which poses a problem, because even though we based our education system from the US, they only spend one year for general education subjects. So even though our students spend more time in school than their European counterparts, they actually spend less time on their majors because of the extra subjects required by the school (e.g. religion subjects by Religious schools) This would indeed be detrimental for us Filipinos since if we won't comply with their requirements, we wouldn't get hired and it would hurt our economy since there are also Filipinos who work as "foreign workers" in Europe.
Cruz suggests that for us to limit our GE subjects to one year, what we could do is to add one or two more years to our basic education before college. (One in grade school and one in high school) Our country is the only one in the world which has 10 years of basic education before college, it is explicitly required by Europeans and both the Washington Accord and the Sydney Accord to have 12 years of pre-university education while the Dublin Accord requires 11 years. We have long been pressured to act on this and the DepEd has long been recommending adding 2 more years, but our government never listens.
Another provision of the Bologna accord has to do with "practical training" and for relying only book knowledge, examinations that rewards recall or memory and attendance inside classrooms to be considered a thing of the past. Starting 2010, students would have to do research on their own instead of disciples of their professors while universities will all be "research universities" instead of just "teaching universities" As future Human Resource practitioners, we should be sensitive to issues such as these since it tackles Recruitment head on. We ourselves must know the basic qualifications of other countries to know what it is that is considered "world-class" and for our own sakes as well if we are to consider working abroad. In fact, I believe that it is the HR industry's responsibility to make sure that our country's educational system be amended to comply with international standards so as to produce better graduates that would be helpful to our country whether they work locally or abroad. Let us not for the day that one of our graduates would do something as sad as this, if ever he or she can't find a job.
Source: this Philstar articleand this That's it for today, "Happy Valentines' Day and "Happy Chinese New Year" y'all from TEAM DS!
A polish newspaper has mistakenly printed a shopped picture with pedobear among the Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 mascots, apparently the photo edited by Michael Barrick came up when the editor was looking for a photo from the Internet and he wasn't able to tell that it wasn't genuine. This shows that we should really be careful in hiring people, an error such as the one above might be costly and entail the company lots of unnecessary embarrassment which is why we need to ensure that our employees especially in fields like journalism are careful, takes the time to review their work and not that lazy to be relying on google image search without verifying the authenticity of the image.Although we could also give him the benefit of the doubt and believe that it was an honest mistake. As future employers we should be merciful and remember that just like us, our employees are human and prone to err.
This is the real picture that should have been printed....
but you've got to admit that pedobear does blend in seamlessly
An 80-year-old man is having his annual checkup. The doctor asks him how he's feeling. "I've never been better!" he replies. "I've got a 17-year-old girlfriend who's pregnant and having my child! What do you think about that?" * The doctor considers this for a moment, then says, "Well, let me tell you a story. I know a guy who's an avid hunter. He never misses a season. But one day he's in a bit of a hurry and he accidentally grabs his umbrella instead of his gun. * "So he's in the woods and suddenly a bear appears in front of him! He raises up his umbrella, points it at the bear, and squeezes the handle. The bear drops dead in front of him, suffering from a bullet wound in its chest." * "That's impossible! Someone else must have shot that bear," the man said. * "Exactly," replies the Doc.
When I encashed a cheque today at a certain bank, I found one of the tellers cute and like most men who finds a girl attractive, wanted a closer look. Then it hit me, she was there for a reason, or rather she got her job for a reason - among others is because of her looks. How many times have you seen "Pleasing Personality" when you come across job ads? Doesn't it sound ambiguous whenever you hear that word? Well I learned during my HR Mgmt class that it's a euphemism for "someone who looks good" and that there are actually some positions that requires an attractive employee for the job such as front desk staff, bank tellers and hotel lobby personnel. Since these type of establishments depend on first impressions, they need to have a reason for their clients not to get turned off and actually have a reason to come back.
It's not only in our country that employers favor those who look better, in fact in countries like China. Fresh college graduates and Job Seekers are pressured to undergo cosmetic surgery just to get any advantage to land the job they're applying for.As one student who had surgery to get double eyelids puts it, "They may not say it openly, but during the process they will pick the prettier one" It might seem cruel and really unfair, but you can't blame people for being this way due to the "halo effect" that more attractive people have on us, taller people are considered more capable and healthy than their shorter counterparts. While there are laws that forbid job discrimination based on race, ethnicity, sex or religion, no similar legal oversight covers physical appearance. Some employers routinely specify desired height, weight and other physical requirements. A nursing position at the Beijing Modern Women’s Hospital requires applicants to be taller than 5'2 1/2 and have “acceptable facial features” while a government post puts emphasis on appearance, one extreme case in the Hunan province required their civil servants to have "symmetrical breasts" which was later scrapped for good reason. Even procedures that lighten the skin are also highly desired as it is considered to be more delicate and desirable to have a fairer complexion. Here is an excerpt from the article...
"More, commonly young Chinese looking to boost their job prospects want double eyelids, higher or sharper noses, rounder cheekbones and other changes that will give a face smoother lines, softer curves and symmetrical features. The Chinese call it san ting wu yan, or three equal parts and five eyes. From the chin to the bottom of the nose to the top of the eyebrow should be equidistant, while the space from one temple to the other should be five equal parts, each the width of an eye"
As much as we want "equal opportunity" when hiring employees, it is human nature for us to prefer people who are more pleasing to the eyes. Clients and customers would also be more willing to do business with attractive employees or somebody who looks pleasant, it would be easier to convince clients if they are on a date with your sales people rather than have them talk to someone they'd find repulsive but we must also consider that in some jobs it is the person's skills that counts and as HR practitioners we musn't give in to our biases especially if the person's looks wouldn't affect him/her performing his/her job. But as a tip for job hunters, one must really be conscious of his/her appearance, you don't need to look like Brad Pitt or Megan Fox but be sure that you know good grooming, what clothes to wear, and be hygienic in order for your prospective employer to see that "your look" is that of someone who fits the company image and the person they're looking for, if you could project yourself to be that person, half the game is done!
Here are some tips on what to wear for an interview:
For guys: a) Dark-colored slacks (black/brown) b) Long sleeves button down polo c) Necktie (no fancy designs)
For girls: a) Knee length skirt (A-line/pencil cut) b) Blazer c) Stockings d) Closed high-heeled shoes (at least 2")
Source: Job Hunting Skills Module
Here are some pics of people who went under the knife:
Today, we’ll discuss about corporate communication and how important it is not to overlook the importance of internal communications within the organization.
There’s a lot of research that shows that well informed employees are more productive and are happier as compared to those who are kept in the dark. By sharing things with your employees and communicating with them as much as appropriate (not necessarily personal or financial information) you satisfy their desire to know if things are going well, if they are doing fine and how they could be of help with regards to the organization’s future plans.
People love to be asked of their opinions, by involving them in important decision making, strategic planning or in the budgeting process they’ll feel that the organization values their individual opinion. Some of the rewards of internal communication are, improved morale, productivity, cooperation, loyalty, and reliability during tough times. If they truly feel that they are part of the company, they’d be more willing to give helpful suggestions and offer their help even before you ask for it.
With the advent of technology, talking to your employees has never been easier. One of the vehicles that are adopted is Podcasting. Podcasts are downloadable audio or video files that are released through RSS feeds or web feeds. The RSS feeds or web feeds can be accessed through the use of certain podcatcher softwares especially to private channels that pertain to specific groups or individuals. Once downloaded from your computer, you could transfer it to your Ipod or any similar device that could read the file and play it when and wherever you choose. Companies are now using podcasting as an internal communication tool in order to relay company objectives and updates to their employees.
As we watched the videoclip, we noticed that increasing productivity through internal communication among employees is very effective simply through the use of podcasting which is the next best thing to face to face communication. Just like in sales and marketing, the human voice provides an emotional connection, by having an emotional connection with the consumer it is easier to get a buying response, which is the same thing in making announcements to employees in order to convince, motivate and get employees to do what you want.
The best practices in corporate communication according to William J. Clegg are:
First, see if the message that will be related to the audience is clear, because not everyone has the same understanding of the message.
Second is that if you feel doubtful of what you will relay, let someone read it and ask how he/she understood it.
and Last, is to never assume that your audience is familiar to the subject of your message. You must simplify it.
“Let’s all try to say what we mean and mean what we say. And, if you don’t know an acronym, an abbreviation, business jargon, or are just not familiar with a concept — just ask someone on your team. We’ll all be the better for it”
It took me a while before I learned how to appreciate ownership and entitlement, and as far as I can recall, as a kid, I was always heedless of my belongings to the point that I usually misplace them or more often than not, lose them irretrievably. This was just all normal though for a child who was yet incapable of grasping the realities of the world, and like all 7-year olds who watched cartoons all day and idolize their favorite superheroes, I thought the whole world revolved around me too. I thought I could have everything I wanted and took things for granted. I thought things can be easily replaced whenever it was lost. But as I grew wiser, and so does my curiosity of exploring the unknown, I began to understand certain facts about life, truths that are very basic and important.
I learned that there are important things not to be carelessly handled and taken for granted. Essential things like education, a job, a right of suffrage, friends, and in my case a girlfriend (naks) since these are the things that play a vital role in the path of life we choose to take. I saw the importance of things that some people ignore apathetically, important things like the essence of a philosopher's idea and a scientist's new discovery or the footwork of a skilled mixed-martial artist. And lately, I understood that the reason some people value their work so much is because in some cases, it is the only thing they have. This may be viewed in a negative perspective but it may also be a positive one especially if the reason for doing it is pure passion. If you love your job so much and it makes you happy, then why not put all your energy into it?
After assimilating all the ideas that would be pivotal for a successful managerial career, now comes the fun part of how I will be able to apply what I've learned in a corporate environment. As a future HR practitioner, dealing with the employees under my wing is a constant challenge that must be addressed at appropriate times since there will always be conflicts whether it originates from the company or the employees. Let's face it, we are needed in order for a company to function. We drive the metaphorical wheel of corporate demands adjoined with employee expectations and at the same time ensuring a smooth ride on a bumpy road of unavoidable traffic causing losses for the company and employment termination. And at the end of this rat race of various industries competing for competitive advantage, it is the HR manager who gets the accolades for the success, but blamed for the mishaps.
By now, we should have a working idea of how we can properly handle the essential factors that contribute to our purpose including the people we interact and especially ourselves. If you would ask for my unsolicited opinion, I think we all have what it takes to be successful managers, and if you just disregard the job title, we are our own HR managers and some just don’t realize it yet, because we align our objectives based on what is important to us. It’s just a matter of setting priorities, exploiting opportunities and embracing change.
I wonder why we never bothered to take care of what we once had, did we take these things for granted? Imagine 20 years from now, what kind of pics would we show our kids? Would they be happy to see what Taft Avenue looks like while we were in college? Or malls like MOA, Glorietta and ATC, will they even be around after a couple of decades? I wish our kids wouldn't have to think that the Philippines during our era is a better place to live in, for it means that our country has changed for the worse just like how we look at the pics above and compare it with what we have today. If only one of our presidential candidates would think of restoring our country to the way it used to be (in terms of image, cleanliness and order as shown in the pics), then he would surely get my vote. To have a better Philippines, let's be better Filipinos and choose wisely in voting our next leader! This blog post is dedicated to every Filipino who still believes in our country.
I would also like to dedicate this blog post to a friend of mine who is celebrating her birthday today. Hope this cheers her up. :3
