Employee Services Management for Sports Organization Book Questions Discussion 1- Please identify five major legal concepts involved in the formation of a

Employee Services Management for Sports Organization Book Questions Discussion 1- Please identify five major legal concepts involved in the formation of a contract. Try to use examples to explain each of the concepts?

. 2- Identify some of the questions that need to be answered by the planners before beginning the planning for a special event?

3- What are the recent trends in health promotions? Try to provide the examples and discuss some of these trends?

4- What steps are necessary to be taken in developing an employee social and recreation association/club?

5-Identify various types of employee benefits and give at least three examples of mandatory and voluntary benefits?

6-Address four types of legal issues in the work environment (particularly important in the sport industries). Also provide solutions or suggestions on how to tackle these issues? Employee Services Management for Sports Organizations
Chen & Stapleton 1
Employee Services Management for
Sports Organizations
ISBN: 9781773305950
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1. Developing an ideal sports organization ……………………………………………………..2
Chapter 2. Organizational policies, culture, evaluation and control ……………………………….12
Chapter 3. Work/life balance ……….……………………………….…………………….………..23
Chapter 4. Employee stores and convenience services ………………….……….……………….32
.
Chapter 5. Dependent cares and other servicers ……………………………………………………………..…41
Chapter 6. Employee recognition and special events ………..…………………………………….51
Chapter 7. Employee benefits ……….……………………………..………..…………….………..61
Chapter 8. Wellness and recreational programs ………………..……………………..……………69
Chapter 9. Employee travels and financial management ……………………………………………………82
Chapter 10. Employee associations, clubs, and participation ………..……..…….…..…………..89
Chapter 11. Legal issues and risk management ……….…………………..…………….………100
Chapter 12. End notes: Community services and other thoughts ………..………………………108
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CHAPTER 1: DEVELOPING AN IDEAL SPORTS
ORGANIZATION
Learning Objectives
*Understand the importance and benefits of becoming an employer of choice
*Recognize the quality and needed leadership styles for becoming a good employer
*Understand the employees’ expectations and needs in order to foster an effective and
productive working environment
*Understand and describe the steps that must be taken to develop an ideal corporate culture
Becoming an Employer of Choice
Regardless the size of one’s company or organization, an “employer of choice” is an employer
that attracts, optimizes and holds top talent for a long tenure (HBR, n.d.; Sawyer, 2001). The
employees will make a conscious decision and choose to work for their ideal employer when
presented with other employment opportunities. This mentality of becoming an “ideal” boss can
be practiced in any size organization. Due to the competitive nature and challenges for allocating
additional resources in the industries, employers must understand and face the reality that
employees will have a powerful tool, choice, while seeking employment (Jackson, 2014). Top
candidates with unique skills are in short supply. What can an employer offer to help workers
choose to work for his/her organization? This is why having the brand of “employer of choice” is
extremely vital and attractive in recruiting. There are numerous advantages and benefits for an
individual choosing to be an ideal boss and employer of choice (Herman & Gioia, 2000). Some
of the advantages include:
(1) having easier recruitment,
(2) being able to choose the best of the best,
(3) ensuring high loyalty and low turnover rate,
(4) maintaining high productivity and efficiency, and
(5) obtaining a great reputation and staying attractive to investors and consumers.
It is every employer’s dream to establish a successful organization during one’s tenure. In order
to achieve that dream, experts suggest all employers to become an “employer of choice.” As the
nation’s economy rises and falls like a roller coaster, employment opportunities and rates also
fluctuate. It is a crisis that many educators worry about as more graduates ready to enter the
workforce not assured of their chance for getting hired soon. Surprisingly, with lots of employees
looking for jobs, many employers still have difficulty in recruiting and retaining employees and
complain about the worker shortage. The results of employee benefits in the workplace survey
showed that the employers often failed to utilize relevant incentives to entice potential job
candidates. Examples of these types of incentives may include items such as wellness initiatives
and flexible work arrangements. With wages holding fairly steady since the 2008 recession,
employers could do well by offering great benefits as a “total rewards” approach to attract top
talents. It was noted that well recognized “employers of choice” often have been successful in
developing family-friendly programs and corporate culture. According to the Department of
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Labor, it costs a company 1/3 of a new hire’s annual salary to replace a leaving employee. This
shows the importance of hiring and retention of a good employee (Sawyer, 2001). Past studies
have shown it is not costly at all to develop family-friendly programs (roughly about 2.3% of
employees’ salaries). Since many job candidates and employees have longed for family-friendly
workplaces, many renowned companies are integrating work/life initiatives into their corporate
culture. Readers can refer to Table 1for information concerning work/life initiatives among best
companies to work for in America according to Indeed.com.
Table 1. Examples of work/life initiatives among best companies to work for in America.
[1] Best Places to Work for Work/Life Balance by Indeed.com
http://blog.indeed.com/2018/04/24/best-places-to-work-work-life-balance/
FYI: 2017 Best Places to Work
Top companies in Kentucky:
http://www.lanereport.com/76485/2017/04/2017-best-places-to-work-in-kentucky-rankingsannounced/?utm_source=Faster%20Lane%20Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaig
n=
SHRM: Headquarter based in Alexander, VA, one of Washingtonian magazine’s Great Places
to Work for 2013
Examples of their practices:
*Offering competitive pay and benefits,
*Creating challenging and interesting work environment,
*Monitoring great work/life balance,
*Offering professional development opportunities,
*Maintaining financial stability,
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*Committing to charity and community, and
*Recognizing and respecting employees.
Understanding the employees’ expectations and needs
In sport marketing, knowing the needs and wants of the consumers is considered the most
important priority in providing great and successful service. Employers must remember that
“people” (employees) are the most valuable resource for any corporation or organization
(Sawyer, 2001). Therefore, their concerns and requests can often be critical factors that influence
their commitment, loyalty and satisfaction with the organization (or the employer). The authors
would use the acronym (6Ps) to characterize the concerns that are cared about by both employees
and employers.
(1) Pay: This is the primary benefit that employees care about the most. On the other hand,
revenue generation is not a simple task. While the organization is generating the revenue through
the work and dedication of its workers, the employer may still naturally think about suppressing
the workers’ salaries and try to cut down any of the unnecessary spending regarding employee
benefits.
(2) Pride: Being a professional is not just about earning a paycheck. All employees want to have
a meaningful and enjoyable job that makes them proud and happy. Employees want to work for a
reputable and well-respected organization. In the meantime, the employers would like their
employees to take pride in their organization. Having a great image and professional reputation
is certainly an important element that the employer strives to achieve for his/her organization.
(3) Passion: Passion is the driving force that keeps people motivated, working hard, and loving
their job. Without passionate workers and leaders, the organization will lose its vitality and
enthusiasm to make any progress. When employees are bored and lose interest in their job, it
makes no sense for them to continue their work. Therefore, the employers must create a friendly
and enthusiastic corporate culture to foster employees’ passion towards their job and life.
(4) Performance: This element is the most predominant indicator of the organization’s survival
and success. When employees perform well, this will benefit them in earning higher salaries and
boosting their work morale. However, the employer will be the biggest benefactor, if his/her
employees achieve excellent performance then greater productivity will be reached.
(5) People: A serious complaint that employees may have in the work setting is “don’t make me
work with an idiot.” (Burn2, 2010). This shows how important it is for an organization to have
employees with high quality characteristics working together as a team. It is essential and
fundamental for the employers to hire and retain these quality individuals, so the organization
can function smoothly. People are drawn to good leaders. Leaders are the breakers or makers
who will dictate the success of the company, since they are the ones who set the tone, influence
corporate culture, and hire the people to do the job. So employers must build a trustful and
collegial relationship with their employees to function as a team.
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(6) Place (Environment): Maslow has indicated that having food and safe shelter is the basic
human need. It is no surprise that employees will demand a safe and friendly work environment
from their employer.
In the article “12 things we’d tell our bosses if we could,” Burns (2010) highlighted many
intricate details that an employer may need to emphasize and execute to make the employees feel
respected and nurtured. This means the employer will need to go above and beyond to care about
employees’ needs and expectations and help them perform and grow while performing on their
job. Several suggestions along with advices were given by Burns (2010), Strauss (2011), Rehn
(2015), Roberts (2011), and Barker (2014) with regard to being an ideal employer. Employers
must offer the adequate training, supervision, resources, authority, respect, and tools to execute
their tasks. Employers need to offer clear vision, guidelines, instructions, communications, and
feedback. They must walk the walk by actually leading the employees to do their job, not merely
giving the order or instructions. Employers must consistently praise their employees for their
good performance, and be a buffer when conflicts occur between employees. If possible, they
should mentor their employees in every possible way to develop their employees professionally.
When employees make a mistake, they need constructive criticism and second chance to get
things right, not getting scolded or neglected. More importantly, the leaders must act consistently
and honestly and learn to listen for opinions.
There are also certain pitfalls that a good employer must avoid in their desire to ensure the
employee remain happy and productive (Hyacinth, 2016). First, the employer must stop
micromanaging. In addition, employers cannot lack empathy and they must provide
opportunities for growth and development for their employees. Obviously, failing to support
work/life balance and neglecting employees’ efforts are like devaluing the employees’
contribution that give them reason to leave the organization.
Corporate Leadership
The key to becoming an “employer of choice” is commitment from the top leader. The
employers must commit to the concepts, practices, as well as necessary resources to make it a
reality. Many experts encourage employers to adequately inspire their employees (Roberts,
2011). Most employees do not leave a company; they quit their manager. Therefore, it is critical
to invest in hiring and training great managers (Roberts, 2011). Organizations that are viewed to
be “employer of choice” often are credited with having a family-friendly corporate culture and
inspiring leaders and managers. Leaders and managers are usually the movers and shakers that
make a difference every day in their decisions, actions, and their interactions with fellow
employees. They are the individuals who hold the position and resources to make things happen.
Many studies address the leadership styles, qualities, and characteristics associated with leaders
that explain how these individuals can perform effectively and successfully in guiding their
subordinates (or employees).
In general, leaders are encouraged to adopt a democratic leadership style to foster group
participation, intergroup communication, creativity, and interaction. However, under special
circumstances (i.e. employees are inexperienced, not enough information or time for group
members to form discussion, accountability is great for any others to bear), the leaders may need
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to step up and choose the authoritarian style to make quick decisions. When employees (or
subordinates) are talented, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic, it may be a great idea for the
employers (or leaders) to take a laissez faire approach, so the employees can experience more
autonomy, independence, and freedom. In reality, there is probably no one universal ideal
leadership style or the one-size-fits-all style that works for all cases or situations. So leaders may
take the eclectic approach by blending in many different styles and carefully choosing the most
appropriate style to deal with encountering situations.
Regardless of the leadership style that an individual may act on or carry out, there are preferable
characteristics and traits that employees would love their bosses to exhibit (Strauss, 2011). In
general, employees would like their employers to be both future oriented and people oriented.
Employers must demonstrate visionary leadership. They must provide effective communication,
positive encouragement, and sincere and honest feedback. Employers need to show great
enthusiasm, accountability, compassion, understanding and sensitivity. They must reduce
organizational conflicts and politics, and cannot tolerate jerks. They also need to learn to be a
great listener. Of course, there are more items that can be listed.
The intent of this section is not about looking for or breeding a perfect employer, it is about
helping readers understand that there are clear strategic advantages to be a good employer
favored by employees. The leaders and employers must realize that the most valuable resource of
an organization are the employees, the human capital. When employers exhibit and demonstrate
preferable leadership characteristics and qualities, the talented employees will be drawn to them.
As a result, these popular employers will get to work with the most qualified and passionate
workers and obtain the benefits of their loyalty and productivity.
Video Clip: Create a Mentally Healthy Workplace and Become an Employer of Choice (by
Heads Up Australia)

How to build an ideal organization?
Each organization has its own unique culture. In other words, there is no one particular “right”
way to run and develop a corporate culture that fits all the employees. Employees have choices,
so they select the employers and culture that are most comfortable for them. Despite the notion
of there is no universal ideal way to run a perfect workplace, there are still common
characteristics that are suggested for implementing a family-friendly workplace. Examples of
these characteristics include (Baker, 2014; Boutelle, 2013; Brooks, 2015; Hyacinth, 2018;
Matuson, n.d.; Merchant Pro Express, 2016; Rehn, 2015; Strauss, 2011; Unkonwn, n.d.):
(1) Creating and maintaining a unique culture;
(2) Establishing values and standards;
(3) Developing strong internal support structure;
(4) Providing proper access to information;
(5) Building a culture of success;
(6) Designing a successful communication system; and
(7) Maintaining and honoring rituals and traditions.
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The caring employer will also do the following:
(1) refine the concern about quality of life to concentrate on quality of work life;
(2) build fun and variety into work experiences; and
(3) create an environment that invites people to want to come to work.
Clearly, it is important to recognize the impact that a family-friendly corporate environment may
have on employees. Readers may wonder how to improve or build a great corporate
environment. The primary tasks are focusing on attracting, optimizing, and holding good people.
Organizations are composed of people. When an organization attracts and retains good people to
work with each other, then strategies and practices will become more meaningful as they are
adopted to build a good corporate environment (see Table 2).
Table 2. Examples of strategies and actions for improving corporate environment (Herman &
Gioia, 2000)
Advocate work/life balance
Demonstrate respect for all individuals
Support employees with great safe environment, benefits, flexibility, and convenience
Adopt proper technology for the employees to do the work
Maintain great relationship by connecting with employees’ family and friends
Support simplicity, make it easy to get things done for employees.
Stage events such as employee appreciation, employee travels
Foster communication with technology
Establish reward and promotion system (recognizing milestones, special occasion, and internal
promotion)
Human Resource Development
As able job candidates are recruited, ongoing job-skills training needs to be introduced and
accommodated to help the employees learn and perform their jobs well. Training will help
employees attend to specific, detailed, and routine job skills, techniques, and technologies.
Development should also be encouraged by the employers and managers to promote growth of
ability, attitudes, and personality traits. In general, human resource development begins with the
new employee orientation. Orientation is also the first step of job training. The primary goals and
benefits of orientation are to: (1) reduce errors, turnover, anxiety, and adjustment time for the
new work, (2) instill more positive work values, (3) increase productivity, and (3) improve
motivation and satisfaction.
On-the-job training (OJT) is the most commonly used method of employee training. New
employees are usually coached and guided by the experienced supervisor. They should be placed
at the appropriate level and environment to perform the work. Plans for advancement and job
rotation should also be designed and prepared to further develop the employees.
In sports settings, apprenticeships or mentorships are common practices that allow supervisors to
instruct and guide their trainees to acquire task skills or knowledge through a period of
interactions. Vestibule training aims to provide opportunities for the employees to use new
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equipment, machines, and technology. Organizations also can conduct a series of programmed
learnings by using film, printed materials, or online training modules. Learners can go over the
teaching materials at their own pace and time. Certificates of completion or achievement can be
given to those who successfully complete the training courses as well as be placed in their
personnel file.
Studies have shown that new employees who went through orientation program are more likely
to be with the company three years longer than those who did not attend. Employers also need to
realize that orientation is not just about giving instructions, trainings, and policies to the
employees, but it is also an opportunity for the employees to learn abou…
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