In response to Jean's comment about pay secrecy...

The current public debates we are now having about CEO pay is an example of the problem (at least in part) that stems from pay secrecy. Most people (inside or outside the organization) don’t know what CEO’s “earn.” Secrecy (real or perceived) frustrates employees and because it is secret, they cannot address it. That’s not good for workers or the organization. Secrecy leads to suspicion. Sometimes the suspicion is warranted – because a worker may not be entitled to his/her salary. Or, it may involve discriminatory practices by the organization. This certainly has been the case in the past regarding salaries between men and women. But once the secrets are out, the system has a chance to adjust itself. People can openly discuss and negotiate salaries – and things can become fairer as a result. I think that’s better for everyone. I think that minimally pay should be open to those within the organization – at all levels.

In response to Eythoxia's post...

Eythoxia,
You (and the Equinox) raise an important issue regarding student life at KSC. It can lead to a student retention problem for the campus. As you noted, there are many reasons for students not graduating “on time.” One that wasn’t mentioned in the article (although I believe you did) is the pressure students feel when they also are working. Role conflict is something that all workers face at some time or another: a worker becomes a new parent, a worker must care for an aging parent or spouse, a worker needs to take on an extra job to make ends meet, a worker takes classes at night in order to get promoted or change careers. In recessionary times like ours, labor has less power at the negotiating table and employers can demand schedules that don’t conform to our “other” lives and needs. This can have real and serious consequences for both individuals and organizations. In class we’ve been discussing alternatives at the workplace to accommodate the needs of workers (e.g., variable work schedules, flexible work schedules, job sharing, telecommuting, etc.). We’ve also mentioned that sometimes this turns out to be a win-win situation for both employer and employee. Can you think of alternative arrangements that might help with your situation? Has it worked out for you?
krj

Dollars & Sense?

According to a recent Huffington Post article (http://www.portfolio.com/careers/features/2008/02/28/Millennial-Job-Switchers), the so-called Millennial Generation (many of my students) tend to place more importance on non-monetary rewards on the job. They are more concerned about job satisfaction and lifestyle issues than just making money or moving up to the executive suite. Do you think this research reflects the relatively well-off status that many Millenials have enjoyed in the 1980s and 1990s? If that’s true, will we find a change in Millenial attitudes during our recession-riddled global economy? How are they going to react to tough times?

A Case of Group Think?

Hopefully you have been keeping up with some news while on spring break. The latest debacle regarding the AIG bailout has to do with the bonuses given to AIG executives (the very executives responsible for the financial troubles created by the organization in the first place). It included 418 employees, nearly 52 of whom were given $33.6 million. In fact just 73 people got $1 million each. This came during the aftermath of Obama’s denunciations of executive bail outs and provisions in the original stimulus bill which would have prevented such bonuses. So how could this happen? The provisions apparently were taken out. But why? They had wide public support and even bipartisan support as an amendment, but it then died “in conference.” I wonder what those conference conversations were like and if it had any resemblance to group think? The pressure to kill the idea must have been intense. And since no one at this point knows who killed it, there indeed must have been anonymity in the process. Was there also an illusion of in vulnerability? These are characteristics of group think. Let’s stay tuned to see if other characteristics of group think rear their ugly head. If you want to read more about this story go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/business/18bailout.html?th&emc=th