A second handbook may also be given to a new employee. In a unionized company, employees get a copy of their collective agreement. This is a legal and binding contract between employees and management for a specific period of time. It is regularly renegotiated.

Organizational Chart

This can be a drawing of lines and boxes that shows the levels of responsibility in the organization or it can be a description of individual departments.

XYZ Hotel

• Rooms Division
• Food and Beverage Division
• Conference Department
• Purchasing Department
• Accounting Department
• Engineering Department
• Personnel and Training Department

Each of the two divisions might also have several departments. In the Food and Beverage Division there is probably a Food Production Department, Catering, Banquet, Room Service, café, restaurant, bar, lounge or coffee shop. In the Rooms Division there would probably be the Front Office, the Communications Centre (for calls and reservations), Guest Services, Housekeeping, Laundry and Security.

What would an organizational chart look like? Can you guess what kind of jobs you would find in each of these departments? They would also go on the organizational chart (e.g., in a bar there would be a manager, bartenders, and servers). There would probably also be a day shift and a night shift.

What about other places we work? What might those look like? How would they be described? Choose a type of business or service. Brainstorm the divisions, departments and the related jobs that might be found in the organization. You might choose:

• a bank
• a school, college or university
• public service
• the military
• a grocery store
• another type of retail operation
• a hospital
• a factory
• your choice

It is surprising the number of different types of jobs that are available in each organization!