Reading Books
The first activity was reading books on how to be an excellent Human Resource specialist. I read these books to improve my knowledge of human resources. These academic materials taught me how to conduct interviews and evaluate employees’ performance (Werner, 2021). The next thing I learned from these resources was how to manage a team of people working in a company. The third thing that these books taught me was how to deal with complaints from employees who feel their managers or supervisors have unjustly treated them. These books further instilled in me many insights about the various types of workplaces and the diverse workers who occupy them.
Additionally, I learned about the various types of individuals who work within Human Resources. One type of person is the recruiter, who is responsible for finding new employees to fill open positions at our company (Werner, 2021). Another type of person is the employee relations manager, who is responsible for maintaining open internal communication lines between employees and management. Lastly, I learned that an administrator oversees all things related to human resources and other administrative tasks.
Diversity Training
The second activity was a training session on the importance of diversity in the workplace. Diversity refers to the differences among groups regarding race, ethnicity, gender identity, social class, or religion (Werner, 2021). This training took place about two weeks ago, during which I was educated on the benefits of diversity in the workplace.
The session outlined how diversity in the workplace helps create a more cohesive team with diverse perspectives (Werner, 2021). It helped me create a better work environment where everyone felt comfortable sharing their ideas and perspectives, knowing they would be accepted. Human resource professionals must understand how their organization operates in terms of diversity to make informed decisions when hiring or promoting employees internally.
Performance Evaluation Training
The third activity was training on conducting performance evaluations. This training was helpful because it helped me understand how to identify the needs of my employees. It taught me how to utilize performance evaluations for both development and retention purposes.
Further, the training emphasized the importance of being honest with employees when discussing their performance. In addition to the introduction on conducting performance evaluations, the training further emphasized the importance of developing employee motivation (Werner, 2021). This further taught me about various methods that can motivate employees, including monetary incentives and recognition programs. Supervisors taught me about motivation techniques, including self-esteem building and managing peer pressure. Ultimately, the training demonstrated to me the importance of managers understanding their employees’ needs to provide them with the right motivation at work.
Leadership Development Workshop
Another learning activity that I participated in was a workshop on leadership development. The primary reason for attending this workshop was to become more assertive and confident in myself and to lead others (Werner, 2021). It also helped me develop my leadership knowledge by learning about various leadership styles, including transformational and transactional leadership models. These styles can be applied in various situations, depending on the specific needs. The activity positively impacted my practice by helping me become more confident in myself and my ability to lead others effectively in any situation.
Conflict Resolution Workshop
Finally, I participated in a workshop on conflict resolution techniques that focused on communication skills and negotiation techniques. This workshop was to help me learn about different conflict resolution techniques (Werner, 2021). These techniques included mediation and arbitration, which are used in various situations, such as resolving disagreements between coworkers or supervisors. It involved a professional development session with my supervisor, during which we discussed ways to improve communication with our employees. We also discussed ways to enhance our approach to managing employee performance.
Additionally, we discussed ways to encourage employees to become more engaged in their work and contribute to the company’s success. Overall, this session was valuable because it allowed me to practice the skills I learned throughout my career, such as listening and giving feedback, which are instrumental in solving conflicts. The activity helped me develop my knowledge of communication by increasing my ability to listen and communicate effectively with others.
Summary
In conclusion, these learning activities helped me develop my knowledge, skills, and experience as a Human Resource specialist. For example, suppose an employee has a problem with something at work or feels like a supervisor is mistreating them. In that case, my responsibility is to determine what is going on so we can address it together.
Learning has allowed me to better understand what an employee needs. Training has further instilled in me the urge to learn how companies use data analytics technologies, such as Big Data analytics, to make informed decisions and optimize performance.
Reference
Werner, J. M. (2021). Human resource development: talent development. Cengage Learning.