Employee recognition in an organization

When we hear of employee recognition, we think of merit, acknowledgment, gratitude, appreciation, and some thanks for the job well-done by an employee. Employee recognition may be in the forms of awards, employee merits, promotions and monetary incentives. However, a simple saying of thanks and round of applause can also become a good form of recognition that may boost the morale of a certain worker. The importance of recognizing your personnel is as important as making them productive and achieving organizational goals. That’s why, a failure to properly recognize your best assets (human resources), may result to a total organizational disaster. Read more

The essence of a meeting in an organization

Meeting is an essential activity that must be regularly conducted in an organization. Whatever and whoever are involved – business owners, employees or customer… meetings should be done effectively. But how can we do that? By assembling people together and telling them what to do? And then by making these people follow our desires and commands, we can already consider that we had an effective meeting? No, we cannot absolutely consider that as a successful meeting. Rather, we may call that an effective announcement or an accomplished instruction. Managers and leaders are the ones who control meetings in an organization. For this reason, they should realize one important thing – the essence of a meeting. Read more

Labor unions and strikes: Employers’ nightmare?

Striking workers with raised placards, shouting for increased wages and benefits – this could be the worst scenario that a business owner or employer would not want to see.  These images cause many employers to be afraid.  To them, this could mean lawsuits, suspension of business operations, loss of profits, or even closure of business.  This could be their biggest nightmare.

Why do most employers shy away from the idea of unions, strikes, collective bargaining and related concepts?  It is because they have a mistaken notion about these topics.  They think of a union as troublesome, a nuisance which will only lead to the failure of their businesses.  They also often associate a strike with violence as if it were some sort of a mutiny or an armed attack.  What employers fail to see is that forming unions and participating in strikes are only some ways by which employees exercise their legal right to express their sentiments about their working conditions.  If only employers would listen well, they could constructively see it as a form of an evaluation on how they are running their businesses.  If people are given their correct wages, as well as fair and reasonable working conditions, they will not go on strike.  And there would not be a need to form unions, which are precisely meant for negotiating or bargaining for terms and conditions of work.  Simply put, if they are satisfied and happy, they will not complain. Read more

Legal requirements for employing minors in the Philippines

All work and no play makes Juan dela Cruz a dull “boy.”   Our boys and girls are supposed to be playing and schooling, not working.  This is perhaps what lawmakers had in mind when they crafted laws protecting minors who are employed.  Thus, even if our laws allow minors to work, it is subject to stringent requirements.   Employers are required to comply with the minimum hours of work specifically applicable to minors.  It is also a must to provide favorable facilities and services, especially unhindered access to education.   Most importantly, the express consent of the parents or guardians and the child is necessary.  All of these are aimed at promoting the “best interest” of the child. Read more

Philippine laws for women at work

Through the years, women have always been regarded as inferior to men. Tagged as the weaker sex, women strived to achieve a better place in Philippine society. From the struggle for the right to vote and to the right to engage in male-dominated occupations, women have shown that they can be as good, even better, contributors to society’s progress.

In recognition of women’s important role in our nation’s development, our lawmakers have passed several laws addressing their problems and protecting their rights against abuse and discrimination. Notably, in the field of labor law, women are considered as a special category of employees. Their working conditions are treated in a separate chapter in the Labor Code (Chapter I, Title III, Book III).  They are given special benefits and privileges to address the historical problem of women being subjected to unfavorable conditions of work. Read more

Next Page »