Enduring Wage Gap by Gender
During the preceding years before the Pay Equal Act, women had to work extra hard to earn equal with men. The Act came to remedy the situation and eliminate the gender wage gap as a means of ensuring equality in the employment environment. Despite all this efforts, the gender wage gap still persist and there are several reason that can be used to explain it. For instance, some feminists advance the idea that they experience career interruptions occasioned by taking care of their families. This is not a simple issue as research shows that if gender wage gap is not sufficiently addressed within time, it has long term effects on the earnings of women.
The existing Pay Equal Act make provision for exceptions of equal pay where employers can avoid penalties by demonstrating that the difference in pay by gender is because of some permitted discriminatory factors such as education and experience. Although, women are increasingly taking higher paying jobs which were traditionally male dominated, the majority of women continue to work in occupations with low pay than their male counterparts. In order to peg the gender pay gap and appeal to women, Democrat senators presented a bill that seeks to eradicate gender pay gap. The Paycheck Fairness Bill limits the reliance on some of the above discussed factors in avoiding penalties for equal pay. The bill introduces a harden burden of proof which requires employers to show that the discrepancies on the pay are purely based on job-related necessities.
Why Me? Procedural Justice
Stealth layoff is type of a layoff which is secret in nature or otherwise disguised. There are certain elements that can be attributed to stealth layoff and they include establishing records, information sharing, and voluntary leave negotiation. In most cases layoff begins with the organization building records against the employee. This includes records such as inefficiencies, missed deadlines, poor work product, mistakes, and bad attitude among others. In all these records, some of the criticisms are objective while others are malicious and made in bad faith. However, at the end of day, it is not material whether the criticisms were objective or not as there are no exceptions in handling stealth layoff. Once the organization decides that the targeted employee is going, it creates a negative attitude towards such an employee and he or she cannot redeem himself or herself. After the record, the organization then decides to inform the employee of their decision on the layoff.
Companies choose stealth layoff because it guards it against lawsuits for wrongful or unfair termination of employment. As a result, an employee is dismissed on the grounds of non-performance based on established records of the target employee showing mistakes or poor work product. In this regards, the key to stealth layoff is emphasizing the negative and discrediting the positive aspects of the employee. Although, several employees and organizations may view stealth layoff as unfair, sometimes it is essential in getting rid of non-performing and less productive employees.
In the recent economic times, stealth layoffs are the norm rather than the exception. However, workers perceive them as unfair termination as there is lack of procedural justice as the employee has no active role in the process. Stealth layoffs are also believed to damage the reputation of the organization with future recruits and clients. As a result of this, some organizations are reluctant to declare or admit layoffs, but sometimes when people come to learn about the layoff, the idea that the organization was secretive harms the reputation of the firm. According to some workers, this is sometimes more dangerous as it negatively affects revenues than the retaining the employees.
Electronic Appraisal
In today’s world, several employers if not all make use of performance appraisal and attach great value to it in the achievement of goals and objectives of the organization. Despite the emphasis of such value, some individuals and human resource management scholars question the effectiveness of performance appraisal as a management tool in the development of employees.
In order to be effective and improve performance of employees, an evaluation of all business operations must be done by the organization to ensure that there is no wastage of time in ineffective but time consuming activities and this includes performance appraisals. It should review the performance of the employee with regards to set targets. Sometimes it take the form of key performance indicators (KPIs), a balanced score card or self-evaluation by the employees themselves. In most cases it takes the form of a one-on-one discussion between the employer and the employee where the employer gives his opinion on the performance of the employee with a given period of time. The primary purpose of employee review is to get them enhance their productivity and behavior in line with the overall goals and objectives of the organization.
Performance appraisal is very effective and its feedback is largely acceptable when particular methods such as 360-degree evaluation are used. This is because it is interactive and it illicit feedback from both clients and colleagues who in most cases give their honest opinion without any danger of bias. Another method which is very effective is self-assessment as it gives the employee an opportunity to evaluate and rate herself.
Some organizations also use electronic and automated performance review which is also every effective and less costly in terms of time and resources. It is therefore recommended that organizations make use of electronic employee review as it leaves all concerned parties in a better standing than they were previously to the meeting. In a nutshell, electronic performance review fulfills the wishes of human resource departments and at the same time it is acceptable to both employees and managers.
More Suits for Overtime Pay Case
During recession and the period that followed it, American were under pressure to work for long hours to build and sustain their downtrodden economy. In most cases where Americans worked for long hours, it was either for the same pay or either a lesser pay. The majority of the employees having seen the business lay off millions of workers as a result of recession could not complain but to cope with the harsh reality. However, things are now changing and over the last five years, employees are now suing employers for remuneration or compensation for the hours worked outside the normal working hours.
The courts are now also encouraging workers to sue employers for overtime payments by accepting class-actions suits on behalf of employees for unfairly denied overtime payments. This is a noble action by the courts because it will not be fair for employees to exploit employees by deriving benefits be employees working outside the normal working hours and the companies failing to pay them for those hours. Such overtime policies can be termed as oppressive and unfair as they go against the constitution and labor laws of the United States of America. The add salt to the injury is that fact that some employees are forced to work overtime without pay or any other form compensation. This qualifies to be described as forced labor or slavery are there is no consideration for the overtime work coupled with the issue of lack of free will.
Union Members Protest a 50 Percent Wage
One of the fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution is the right to fair labor practices. This is read together with the freedom of association which give employees the right to form Labour organizations or unions. In cases where employees come up together and form labour organizations, they should advance the plight of the employees because of their bargaining power. However, it is quite absurd and regrettable when Labor unions core-toe to the whims of the employer and enter into agreements that to all extent go against the wishes of the employees. This can only be likened to the story of a game ranger turned poacher.
In a much as labor unions have the power to enter into collective bargaining agreement, and see no reason why such agreements should not be enforced when they lack good will from members of the organizations. In I am an employee affected by a decision or agreement like this, I must like the organization know that I do not ratify such decisions and give them reasons for my dissent. However, I will have to invoke the provisions of the Constitution of the Labor Union in order to present my dissent. If there are suspicion or reasons to believe that the union officials were compromised, I speedy investigation should be undertaken and if any official is found culpable, procedure for removal from office invoked. Although, there are risks such as dismissal and victimization associated with communicating my dissent to both the union and the management, this can be dealt with in another forum such as a court of law or tribunal. To this end, the underlying factor is that labor unions should always act in the best interest of member or employees.
