Conduct an interview with an employee (preferably a supervisor or manager) at your current job or a previous job. If you have no prior work experience, you may interview a family member or friend who is currently employed.  You have just been promoted to the manager of your department and have been asked to review the following:

• Value of a team environment: Is the company operating with a team structure?  How effective is the team structure?  How could the company improve the effectiveness of the team environment?  If there is no team structure currently in place, how should one be implemented?
• Job satisfaction of the employees: Are the employees satisfied or is there a lot of complaining, absenteeism, and turnover?  What could the company be doing to improve job satisfaction?
• How does the company currently communicate with their employees regarding company changes?  Do they rely on technology for their announcements?  Is this an effective method of communication?
• Efforts made to motivate your employees: What is being done to motivate the employees? Do employees get regular pay raises?   Is there a rewards program?  Are they being recognized for their accomplishments?  Name at least three things the company could be doing to motivate their employees.
• Assistance offered in helping your employees to deal with stress management: Are the employees given any tools to deal with stress management?  Does the company have access to mental health counselors?  Are employees given permission to take any mental health days?  What could the company be doing to help employees deal with their employees’ stress?

Prepare a 4-6 page report that includes an overall assessment of how each of the above is currently being handled and how you would change the system.  Be sure to provide examples and be specific in your reasoning behind your suggested changes.  Utilize at least three scholarly resources in your report (one of which may be your text book). This report must include:

• • Executive Summary
  • Analyze and explain what is being done in the five areas described above (team, job satisfaction,  communication, motivation, and stress management) in the company.
  • Write recommendations for what they could be doing better in all five areas
  • Conclusion
  • Appendix: List of questions asked in interview

The paper must be well organized using headings and subheadings.

The written report must be in APA format, have proper punctuation and grammar, as well as free of typographical error.

All materials used must be cited correctly and listed on a reference page.

 

Assignment 2 Grading Criteria	Maximum Points
Write an executive summary highlighting the scenario and the focus of this paper.	36
Analyze and explain what is being done in the five areas (team, job satisfaction, communication, motivation, and stress management) in the department.	100
Write recommendations for what they could be doing to improve in all five areas in the company.	100
Writing Components (20% of LASA 2 grade)Organization (16 points): Introduction, Thesis, Transitions, and Conclusion. Usage and Mechanics (16 points): Grammar, Spelling, and Sentence structure. APA Elements (24 points): Attribution, Paraphrasing, and Quotations. Style (8 points): Audience, and Word Choice.	64
Total:	300

Response 1: Week 2 Blog

 

Respond to the blog post of three colleagues in one or more of the following ways:

 

• ·      Make a suggestion to your colleague’s post.
• ·      Expand on your colleague’s posting.

Be sure to support your blog posts with specific references to this week’s resources and provide full APA citations for your references.

 

Colleague 1: Carolyn

 

An explanation of potential challenges in adhering to confidentiality in your field education experience

 

 My field education experience is called “brighter future”.  It is an agency that most of the employee are related.  And so part of their confidently is made sure that they do not share information.

 

A description of agency policies or mandates about confirms to evidentiality

Today at my field placement, we discuss the important of confidentiality. According to my agency policies, we have to make sure that everything we do is kept confidential.  For example, I was observing and learning how to input documents into the computer.  I found out that, everyone in the agency is required to keep every file, everything they do about that client has to be protected.

 

The files that inputted in the computer were also kept manually and under the table so that no one would know about their client’s names.

Discussing any client outside the office was a no-no.  They were also required not to address any problem faced by the clients until they have any a consent letter from the client.

 

An explanation of potential challenges in communicating with clients within your agency

 

The challenges that I see with confidentiality within this agency is how they interact with each other. Some of the confidential information is shared throughout the agency and take lightly as a joke.  I think it’s about time for all employee to come together and be supportive of this little fella who wanted a bike but lack of financial report

 

Reference:

Saxon, C., Jacinto, G. A., & Dziegielewski, S. F. (2006). Self-determination and confidentiality: The ambiguous nature of decision-making in social work practice. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 13(4), 55–72.

 

 

Colleague 2: Melissa

 

With the place that I am working at Paso Del Norte Children’s Development Center, I am working in a variety of places that require different safety plans. The number one rule is to always sit by the door and have the client sit in front of u while the door is behind you. This is in order to prevent any type of danger that may occur. The bright side about working with clients that are in our organization is that these clients are willing to meet with us. It is important to keep note that these clients are in need of help and come to us in order to get help with behavioral, students with special needs, or other specific behavior’s that kids need help with. There are also a number of speech therapists that work within the building and help the kids overcome their fears or behavior patterns when dealing with this issue.

 

If the social worker is working with a client in the client’s home, it is also important to keep by the door, take a phone with you in case of an emergency, or take a partner out there with you such as the case worker and the intern in order to keep safe.

 

Because My agency is on a volunteer basis, most of the clients that are seen are not violent because of the fact that they are reaching out to the non-profit organization to gain more knowledge for kids with disabilities.

However, you will never know what the client’s intentions may be. It is important to look at your surroundings when going to a home visit, try to sit in a chair where it is much easier to get up and leave in case of an emergency, and be aware that if a person leaves and comes back they may come back with a weapon.

 

 

Colleague 3: Patricia

 

A description of your personal safety plan for your field education experience

 

A description of my personal safety plan while in field is to be familiar with my surrounding, know the people I am working with be familiar with clients that are being served in the agency. It is important to know the enter and exits in the building. Know where the fire extinguisher and alarms are located. Be familiar with access codes and who may have them if needed.

No what the agency polices is concerning any type of weapons/ and fire arms. Other measures I would take are not to be in an area alone, if I must travel to an area inform someone of my location. Never give out personal information concerning my family, where I live, and my phone number.  Facebook and other types of social media should be limited, not detailing personal information.

Prevention is very important when considering safety. Regeher, & Glancy (2011) states “Prevention can occur at three levels: preventative education for social workers, individua prevention strategies, and organizational policies that enhance safety.” Regeher & Glancy also states “there be training that address issues of boundaries and how to properly De-escalate confrontations.”

 

An explanation of how your personal safety plan might differ from your agency safety plan during your field education experience

 

The agency has additional safety measures in place, example there are location maps placed near all enter and exists. All rear doors are lock automatic when existed. The front and main entries all visitors and employs must be buzzed in. Staff must wear ID badges no visitors can will be allowed to enter without approval or notification from the individual they are meeting with.

Someone must be at the front desk in the main enter always. No one is left in the building alone. Fire arms are prohibited and everyone must have a list of emergency numbers on their desk.

For me another precaution that is important to use is the NASW Code of Ethics, this is a guide to adhering to boundaries and what those boundaries are and how it relates to the social work profession.

 

 

 

 

 

Discussion 2: Formulating Research Questions

 

·      Respond to a colleague whose post has not yet been addressed by offering comments regarding the importance of his or her research problems and related research questions.
 
·      Be sure to comment on whether the phenomenon related to the research question is measurable.

 ·      Then, offer suggestions as to how the information might be attained.

 

Please use the resources to support your post.

 

 

Colleague: Jennifer

 

Two questions that come to mind after reviewing the Johnson case are:

 

Does prolonged abuse have to be sexual in nature to harvest predatory behaviors in adults? Do the same predictors apply to both men and women?

 

Does society produce rapists by exposing young males to domineering male attitudes and modeling sexually aggressive behaviors?

 

By understanding what, if any, societal and environmental roles play in the development of rapists may help identify potential rapists before prior to attacks. By identifying characteristics that may predispose one to identify as a rapist, intervention services may be offered in order to modify the individual’s thoughts and patterns. Some of the characteristics of rapists are outlined by Linsak include “the rapists scor[ing] significantly higher…[in] measures of hospitality toward women, underlying anger motivations, dominance as a motive for sexual interactions, underling power motivations, and on two indices of hypermasculinity” (1991, pg. 248). Although it would be difficult to identify every individual that exhibited some of these characteristics, school social workers could work close with teachers at the elementary levels to note children who exhibit some of these characteristics at a very young age. This information could also be useful for those working in family or juvenile court systems working with males who do not have healthy relationships with their children, as Lisak also notes that these characteristics are more dominate in individuals who have worse relationships with their fathers experience more hostility and dominance over women (1991). By identifying those at increased risk of assaulting others, prevention services on the individual, group, or school levels could be offered to modify the thoughts and behaviors of individuals who exhibit these behaviors.

 

Reference

 

Laureate Education (Producer). (2013). Johnson family (Episode 1) [Video file]. In Sessions. Retrieved from

https://class.waldenu.edu

Linsak, D. (1991) Sexual aggression, masculinity, and fathers. Signs, 16(2), 238-262

 

Walden University (n.d.). Academic Walden University (n.d.). Academic Guides: Research Ethics & Compliance: Welcome from the IRB. Retrieved December 9, 2016 from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/orec