Reflection:
Unit two presented some challenging topics that required a great deal of research and law review. Many of the topics were things that I had experienced in career only as a bystander. I had some knowledge of discrimination but not the laws behind why a manager shouldn’t do specific things. I also had a basic understanding of at-will employment, but I didn’t realize how many of the things we say could end up with unintended consequences. It was also valuable to see other discipline policies and discuss the dangers of not following or not providing the same enforcement to all employees.
Throughout the unit, opportunities presented themselves for me to test out my new skills in real life. One example is the sexual harassment portion of the unit. I have already utilized the investigation plan I created to investigate a claim of discrimination. While I had to adjust the questions a little bit, the general plan worked well. In the end, I was able to present a report to my director that was well received. She appreciated the reminder to my staff member that we shouldn’t advocate for others without their permission (which she says is way better than telling people to mind their own business). I also spent time researching my current employers discipline policy, which I since had to utilize on the job.
Overall, this unit has developed my skills on seeing the entire picture when creating policies, onboarding, and managing people. I have experienced the difficulty of establishing a dress code for multiple departments and now have a list of things to remember that ranges from basic safety and visibility to more modern accommodations for transgender individuals and diverse religions. I am a better manager because of these topics and the depth to which they are covered and extra research that I took the time to do.
Skills Inventory:
· Creating an Investigation Plan: Researched and developed a detailed investigation plan for sexual harassment claim that I tested/used in a real-world situation with ease.
· At-will Employment: Able to identify phrases that could be construed as a verbal/written contract with an employee. Knowledgable on the three exceptions to employment-at-will
· Developing a Dress Code: Built on dress code knowledge to develop a multi-department dress code that took into consideration various positions and employee needs to reduce/eliminate claims of discrimination.
· Employee Communications: Strengthened on prior communication skills to now include writing HR focused emails such as warnings and denial of services letters.
· Analyzing a Discipline Policy: Able to review a discipline policy and enforce it consistently. Can analyze policy to determine areas that may cause discrimination or inconsistencies in enforcement. Built on foundation to include writing a policy in a way that encourages employees to follow and understand expectations in a concrete way (through more specific examples, a tiered approach).