A close call....

Well, as it turns out yesterday, I had saved my final GHA to Content Collection in Blackboard, but for some reason, the library computer wouldn't allow me to upload the file (my local library's computer, that is). Thank God I had the presence of mind to print out a copy of the final GHA; I was able to re-type it up and answer the questions in the format that the professor required. I thought I was sunk, for sure.

But the last two weeks have been pretty interesting, as far as topics for discussion were concerned. We talked about employment-at-will, unionization in jobs (and how to avoid it), and electronic monitoring of employees (for purposes of curtailing inappropriate Internet use and misuse of other electronic equipment such as e-mail or voicemail).

Employment-at-will is a rather controversial subject; it states that either the employer or the employee can terminate the business relationship with or without reason. Well, some employers have taken liberties with this approach, firing individuals for whatever reasons they see fit that are not always related to job performance; it could be due to economic downturn. This is what I believe I was a victim of when I worked for Lord & Taylor; they never talked to me about my performance, so as far as I knew, I was doing a great job. I was never later and never had a discipline problem. And then, all of a sudden, I got called into the office and was told I was being fired. If I'd known then what I know now, I would've fought them on it. But it was very interesting to note that I could apply almost every aspect of this class to some part of my work life.

Electronic monitoring of employee use of the Internet is also a controversial topic, because it touches on employee rights. But at the same time, employees using company time for personal means is inappropriate, so these things must be dealt with, as well.

Unionization is another touchy subject; employees want to feel protected and secure in their jobs, and sometimes they feel like the best way to do that is to form a union. But unionization can be avoided if the employer makes sure labor laws are followed to the "T" and that employees are earning a competitive rate compared with similar organizations in the city in which they operate.