General Discussion Instructions

You are required to post to this discussion THREE TIMES, on THREE DIFFERENT DAYS. Please refer to the Discussion Grading Rubric for details regarding how your performance will be assessed. NOTE: Please be certain to read the entire discussion assignment since in some cases there is more than one question you need to discuss, respond to, or address. Be sure that you have answered the entire question!

Post 1: Initial Post

Instructions

This posting should be a minimum of one short paragraph and a maximum of two paragraphs. Word totals for this post should be in the 100–200-word range. Whether you agree or disagree, explain why with supporting evidence and concepts from the readings or a related experience. Include a reference, link, or citation when appropriate.

Preparation

To attract the best talent, many employers have expanded their employee incentives and benefits offerings. You read about some of the perks Google offers, such as free food and haircuts, on-site gyms and medical facilities, and more. Some other benefits that have been the topics of recent news stories include paid parental leave and unlimited vacation policies.

While the Family Medical Leave Act guarantees 12 weeks of unpaid leave to new parents, there are no US laws guaranteeing any paid leave. But many companies in the tech sector and beyond have expanded their paid parental leave policies in recent years, including Netflix, Microsoft, Ikea, and Nike. Other companies, such as Apple and Facebook, even offer egg freezing and IVF benefits to employees.

Another benefit some companies are trying out is an unlimited vacation time policy. While the idea that you can take off as much time as you like is appealing to many job-seekers, some evidence suggests that employees at these companies actually take less time off than those at companies with more traditional vacation policies.^[1] Advocates of unlimited time-off policies cite trust between employees and managers as a key factor in making them work.

For Discussion

Choose ONE of the following questions to respond to in your initial post.

1. What benefits and incentives do you think are most appealing to employees, and why?
2. What challenges do benefits like extended parental leave and unlimited paid time off present to managers? How might managers address these challenges?
3. Research some other unique employee benefits or incentives. Share what you discover, and include a link to the article or site. Do you think these incentives would be attractive to employees? Why or why not?
4. If you were working as an HR manager, what benefits and incentives would you recommend that the company offer? Why?

Posts 2 and 3: Respond to Classmates’ Posts

Instructions

After you have created your initial post, look over the discussion posts of your classmates and give at least two thoughtful responses to two different classmates (one per classmate).

A response posting should be a minimum of one short paragraph. Word totals for these posts should be in the 75–100-word range. Whether you agree or disagree, explain why with supporting evidence and concepts from the readings or a related experience. Include a reference, link, or citation when appropriate. The goal of your response posts is to extend discussions already taking place or pose new possibilities or opinions not previously voiced. Your goal should be to motivate the group discussion and present a creative approach to the topic.