Written Assignment

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Part 9 of Organizational Profile - Compensation, Benefits, Health and Safety

1a. Analyze your organization's compensation package (financial and non-financial components). (Prior to completing this question, you may want to review Maslow's hierarchy of needs from Module II).

• List its components and tell how each meets one or more of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
• Research and determine how salaries are derived for your organization both in terms of internal and external equity.
• Determine what might need to be done to improve internal and external equity.
• As you look at your agency's jurisdiction (eg community), analyze the local demographic, economic, cultural and political trends that may impact salary and other compensation issues within your agency.

OR

1b. If you are a member of a combination or volunteer organization, address the following.

Recognizing that some combination and volunteer agencies do provide minimum financial incentives for volunteers (per call, mileage reimbursement, etc.), describe the financial incentives that are in place and analyze the non-monetary rewards and enticements the agency has in place to retain volunteers. How might they address the needs identified in Maslow's hierarchy?

Many organizations experience a relatively significant turnover in volunteers. Analyze strategies your agency might employ to retain them for a longer period of time.

2.Evaluate your organization's approach to safety, health, and wellness issues.

A. Briefly describe each of the three. Determine if you consider each to be strong (e.g. proactive), mediocre or weak . Explain the reasons for your evaluation of each.

B1. Employee assistance programs exist in all sizes and shapes. Evaluate your organization's employee assistance program and analyze its strengths and weaknesses. How could it be made better and more successful?

OR

B2. If your agency does not have an employee assistance program at this time, create one. In other words, what would you include and why, if you were designated to design one? How would you sell it to your superiors and/or the governing board?

C1. Violence in the workplace is unfortunately becoming more common. Evaluate the steps your agency is taking to prevent the occurrence of violence in the workplace. Is there room for improvement in preventive steps? If so, what would you propose and why (how would it help to prevent it)?

OR

C2. If your agency does not address violence in the workplace proactively, what would you propose and why? Explain how / why your proposal would be effective.

You are expected to backup your opinion with sources. You should be prepared to cite approximately 3-5 sources. Be sure to credit all sources. The length of this assignment will vary depending on the type of department you are analyzing and how succinctly you can make your points. The assignment should be somewhere in the range of 5-7 pages. You can visit Diana Hacker's Research and Documentation Online at http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/ to find complete examples of how to cite sources.

General Instructions for Written Assignments

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Your written assignment is intended to test your understanding of important concepts and sharpen your intellectual skills of analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and application. The intent of the written assignment is to provide an opportunity to more fully describe, explain, and analyze the books and other sources.

There are three main resources that will enable you to successfully complete written assignments:

1. Writing Resource Center - link here for access to writing resources developed by Empire State College and the Genesee Valley Center Writing Program.
2. Hamilton College's Nesbitt-Johnston Writing Center - link here for general writing advice.
3. Empire State College's Writer's Complex - link here for writing tips and assistance.

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