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Mondy hrm13 inppt11.ppt
- 1. Human Resource Management 13th Edition Chapter 11 A Safe and Healthy Work Environment Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. 11-1
- 2. Learning Objectives • Describe resilience training and explain the nature and role of safety and health and the function of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. • Explain the relationship between OSHA and whistleblowers, describe the economic impact of safety, and explain the focus of safety programs. • Describe the consequences of musculoskeletal disorders and explain the purpose of ergonomics. • Explain the effects of workplace and domestic violence on businesses and describe workplace bullying. 11-2Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 3. Learning Objectives (Cont.) • Define stress, explain the consequences of stress including identifying stressful jobs, and explain burnout. • Describe the purposes of wellness programs and explain social networking and wellness. • Describe the importance of physical fitness programs. • Explain substance abuse, describe substance-abuse- free workplaces, and describe how to implement a drug-testing program. • Describe employee assistance programs and healthcare in the global environment. 11-3Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 4. HRM in Action: Resilience Training • Resilience: Ability to bounce back and adapt in a positive manner to difficult situations • Often used instead of stress management programs • Meant to strengthen person after experiencing stress • Employee is taught how use mental ‘toolkit’ 11-4Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 5. The Nature and Role of Safety and Health Safety: Protecting employees from injuries caused by work-related accidents Health: Employees' freedom from physical or emotional illness 11-5Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 6. Occupational Safety and Health Administration • Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 created Occupational Safety and Health Administration • Aims to ensure worker safety and health in U.S. • Works with employers and employees to create better working environments • Requires employers to provide safe and healthy place to work 11-6Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 7. General Duty Clause Employers have responsibility to furnish a workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm 11-7Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 8. Results From OSHA • OSHA helped cut workplace fatalities by more than 60% and occupational injury and illness by 40% • At the same time, U.S. employment has more than doubled, from 56 million workers at 3.5 million work sites to 147 million workers at 7.2 million sites 11-8Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 9. Mission of OSHA Promote and assure workplace safety and health and reduce workplace fatalities, injuries, and illnesses 11-9Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 10. Possible Financial Penalties • Serious hazard citation has maximum penalty of $7,000 • Willful citation might have maximum amount of $70,000 per violation • If 10 employees were exposed to one hazard the employer intentionally did not eliminate, penalty amount would jump to $700,000 11-10Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 11. Those Who Repeatedly Violate Health and Safety Standards • Severe Violator Enforcement Program • Increases inspections at worksites where “recalcitrant employers” have repeatedly violated safety regulations and endangered workers 11-11Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 12. OSHA AND WHISTLEBLOWERS • OSHA is charged with more than just enforcing retaliation charges related to health and safety • Enforces whistleblower protection provisions for 21 statutes, covering not just workplace safety • Prohibits discharging or retaliating against any employee because employee has exercised rights under OSHA 11-12Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 13. OSHA and the Small Business • Providing safe environment is also important for small businesses • OSHA provides help for small businesses • On-site consultation service • Helps small business owners improve their workplace safety and health 11-13Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 14. Safety: Economic Impact • Job-related deaths and injuries extract high toll in terms of human misery • Significant costs passed along to consumer • Everyone affected (directly or indirectly) by deaths and injuries 11-14Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 15. Focus of Safety Programs Safety programs may accomplish their purposes by addressing: 1.Unsafe employee actions 2.Unsafe working conditions 11-15Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 16. Unsafe Employee Actions: Prevention • Create psychological environment and employee attitudes that promote safety • Training and orientation of new employees emphasizing safety • Attitude must permeate the firm’s operations • Strong company policy emphasizing safety and health 11-16Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 17. Reasons for Management Support of Safety Program • Personal loss • Financial loss to injured employees • Lost productivity • Higher insurance premiums • Possibility of fines and imprisonment • Social responsibility 11-17Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 18. Job Hazard Analysis • Key to determining and implementing necessary controls, procedures, and training • Multistep process designed to study and analyze task or job, then break down task into steps to eliminate associated hazards • Can have major impact on safety performance • OSHA publication on job hazard analysis Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. 11-18
- 19. Superfund Amendments Reauthorization Act, Title III (SARA) • Requires businesses to communicate more openly about hazards associated with materials they use and produce, and wastes they generate • SARA has been around since 1986 • Hazard communication standard often leads the list of OSHA violations 11-19Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 20. Developing a Safety Program • Employee involvement: Gives sense of accomplishment • Safety engineer: Staff member who coordinates overall safety program • Accident investigation: Safety engineer and line manager investigate accidents 11-20Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 21. Injury Frequency Rate • Number of Recordable Injuries x 200,000) divided by the number of hours worked (The 200,000 is the equivalent of 100 full-time employees working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks a year.) 11-21Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 22. MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS • Conditions that affect the body’s muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments, and nerves • Cost U.S. companies $61.2 billion annually just to cover lost productivity Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. 11-22
- 23. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) • Caused by pressure on median nerve that occurs as a result of narrowing of passageway that houses the nerve • Develop in people who use their hands and wrists repeatedly in same way • CTS is preventable, or at least its severity can be reduced Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. 11-23
- 24. Ergonomics • Process of designing workplace to support capabilities of people and job/task demands • Goal is to fit machine and work environment to people • Attempts to structure work conditions so they: – Maximize energy conservation – Promote good posture – Allow workers to function without pain or impairment 11-24Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 25. Workplace Violence • OSHA defines workplace violence as: –Physical assault –Threatening behavior –Verbal abuse –Hostility or harassment • 1.7 million workers are injured each year, and more than 800 die as result of workplace violence 11-25Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 26. Vulnerable Employees Employees at gas stations and liquor stores, taxi drivers, police officers, and convenience store managers working night shifts face greatest danger 11-26Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 27. Legal Consequences of Workplace Violence • Civil lawsuits claiming negligent hiring or negligent retention • Negligent retention: Company keeps persons on payroll whose records indicate strong potential for wrongdoing, and fails to take steps to defuse possible violent situation • OSHA’s general duty clause 11-27Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 28. Individual and Organizational Characteristics to Monitor Certain behaviors can signal a problem, such as: – Erratic behavior – Increased irritability or hostility – Reduced quality of work – Poor organizational and time management skills – Absenteeism – A look of physical exhaustion 11-28Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 29. Preventive Actions • Two parts to violence prevention: –Process in place to help with early detection of worker anger –Supervisors and HR staff need to be trained in how to skillfully handle difficult employment issues 11-29Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 30. Domestic Violence • Unexpected threat in workplace, both to women and companies • Easiest place to find victim is at his/her workplace • Can have impact on firm’s bottom line 11-30Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 31. Laws Related to Domestic Violence • Family Violence Prevention and Services Act: Helps prevent domestic violence and provide shelter and victim assistance • Violence Against Women Act: Created federal criminal laws and additional grant programs within HHS and Department of Justice • Violence Against Women and DOJ Reauthorization Act: Mandated study of prevalence of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking among men, women, youth, and children 11-3111-31Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 32. Trends & Innovations: Workplace Bullying • Workplace bullying: Acts of continual hostile conduct to deliberately hurt another person either emotionally, verbally, or physically • May cause severe psychological pain for victims and for coworkers who witness attacks 11-32Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 33. Nature of Stress • Body’s nonspecific reaction to any demand made on it • Potential consequences include diseases that are leading causes of death • May even lead to suicide • Stressful jobs include lack of employee control over work 11-33Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 34. Potential Consequences of Stress • If severe enough and persists long enough, can be harmful • Can be as disruptive to an individual as any accident • Related to diseases that are the leading causes of death • Tops list of changeable health risks 11-34Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 35. Twelve Jobs With the Most Stress 1. Laborer 2. Administrative assistant 3. Inspector 4. Clinical lab technician 5. Office manager 6. Foreman 7. Manager/administrator 8. Waitperson 9. Machine operator 10. Farm owner 11. Miner 12. Painter 11-35Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 36. Burnout • Individuals lose sense of basic purpose and fulfillment of work • Body or mind can no longer handle overwhelmingly high demands • Costs: Reduced productivity, higher turnover • Individuals in helping professions seem to be most susceptible to burnout • Danger: It is contagious! 11-36Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 37. Wellness Programs • Traditional view: Health is dependent on medical care and is simply absence of disease • View is changing • Optimal health can be achieved through environmental safety, organizational changes, and healthy lifestyles • Firm conducts health needs assessment to tailor programs • Chronic lifestyle diseases are much more prevalent today 11-37Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 38. Social Networking and Wellness • Employers increasingly are adopting social networking to strengthen wellness programs • Social networking brings employees together and works to increase peer support 11-38Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 39. Physical Fitness Programs • Most commonly offered in-house corporate wellness programs involve efforts to promote exercise and fitness • Reduce absenteeism, accidents, and sick pay 11-39Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 40. Substance Abuse • Use of illegal substances or misuse of controlled substances • Between 10-20% of nation's workers who die on the job test positive for alcohol or drugs 11-40Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 41. Alcohol Abuse • Medical disease characterized by uncontrolled and compulsive drinking that interferes with normal life • 40% of workplace fatalities and 47% of workplace injuries are related to alcohol consumption 11-41Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 42. Drug Abuse • Drug users are increasingly gravitating to the workplace, which is also an ideal place to sell drugs • Substance abusers are three-and-a-half times more likely to be involved in a workplace accident 11-42Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 43. Substance-Abuse-Free Workplace Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 •Requires some federal contractors and all federal grantees to agree they will provide drug-free workplaces •Condition of receiving a contract or grant from a federal agency 11-43Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 44. Steps for Establishing a Substance- Abuse-Free Workplace 11-44 Establish a Drug- and Alcohol-Free Policy Provide Education and Training Implement a Drug-Testing Program Create an Employee Assistance Program Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 45. Signs of Possible Substance Abuse • Excessive absenteeism • Radical mood swings • Decline in personal appearance • Smell of alcohol or other physical evidence of substance abuse • Accident proneness and multiple workers’ compensation claims • Lack of coordination 11-45Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 46. Substance Abuse Testing • Most employers use urine testing • Experts regard blood tests as forensic benchmark against which to compare others • Hair sample analysis can detect drug use from 3-90 days after • Oral fluid testing is well-suited to cases of reasonable suspicion and to post-accident testing • New method able to detect drugs and other substances from sweat in fingerprints 11-46Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 47. Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) Comprehensive approach that many organizations have taken to deal with numerous problem areas such as: – Burnout – Alcohol and drug abuse – Other emotional disturbances 11-47Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 48. Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) (Cont.) • Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988 requires access to EAPs for federal employees and employees of firms with government contracts • Primary concern is getting employees to use program 11-48Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 49. A Global Perspective: Healthcare in the Global Environment • Safety and health laws and regulations often vary greatly from country to country • Vary greatly in their state of modernization • Growing number of expats are being sent to emerging markets 11-49Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
- 50. 11-50Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
Editor's Notes
- Resilience is the ability to bounce back and adapt in a positive manner to difficult situations. Most of us have experienced failure or a major disappointment at some times in our life. It might be from being fired, an unsuccessful romance, or failure on a major exam. Certainly disappointments are a nearly inevitable part of living. Many believe that resilience training should be used instead of stress management programs in today’s work environment. Resilience training is not intended to help workers reduce stress, rather it is meant to strengthen them after experiencing stress. Resiliency training deals with the individual’s emotional reactions to situations. Many firms use resilience training to prevent stress as opposed to dealing with the symptoms of stress.
- Safety involves protecting employees from injuries caused by work-related accidents. Included under the umbrella definition of safety are factors related to repetitive stress injuries and workplace violence. Included within the umbrella definition of safety are factors related to musculoskeletal disorders, stress injuries, and workplace and domestic violence. Health refers to employees’ freedom from physical or emotional illness. Problems in these areas can seriously affect a worker’s productivity and quality of work life. Problems in these areas can seriously affect a worker’s productivity and quality of work life. They can dramatically lower a firm’s effectiveness and employee morale. In fact, job-related injuries and illnesses are more common than most people realize.
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (or OSHA) ensures worker safety and health in the United States by working with employers and employees to create better working environments. Employers are required to provide employees a safe and healthy place to work, and this responsibility also extends to providing safe employees. The courts have reasoned that a dangerous worker is comparable to a defective machine.
- Employers have a responsibility under the general duty clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act to furnish a workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm. In order to prove a violation of the general duty clause, OSHA has to demonstrate: That a condition or activity in the workplace presented a hazard; That the employer or its industry recognized this hazard; That the hazard was likely to cause death or serious physical harm; and That a feasible and effective means existed to eliminate or materially reduce the hazard.
- In 1913, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics documented about 23,000 industrial deaths in a workforce of 38 million, a rate of about 61 deaths per 100,000 workers. The number of fatal work injuries in the U.S. in 2010 was 4,547 which was the lowest total since the fatality census was first conducted in 1992. Since its inception, OSHA has helped to cut workplace fatalities by more than 60 percent and occupational injury and illness by 40 percent. At the same time, U.S. employment has more than doubled from 56 million workers at 3.5 million work sites to 147 million workers at 7.2 million sites.
- The mission of OSHA is to promote and ensure workplace safety and health and reduce workplace fatalities, injuries, and illnesses. OSHA is committed to assuring that every working man and woman in the nation has safe and healthful working conditions. Addressing safety and health issues in the workplace also saves the employer money and adds value to the business.
- Even though OSHA would like a successful partnership with employers, at times financial penalties must be imposed. A serious hazard citation has a maximum penalty of $7,000. A willful citation might have a maximum amount of $70,000 per violation. Calculated instance by instance, if 10 employees were exposed to one hazard that the employer intentionally did not eliminate, the penalty amount would immediately jump to $700,000.
- OSHA has implemented the Severe Violator Enforcement Program that increases inspections at worksites where “recalcitrant employers” have repeatedly violated safety regulations and endangered workers. It also requires a mandatory follow-up inspection to make sure required changes were made.
- A little known fact is that OSHA is charged with more than just enforcing retaliation charges related to health and safety. Within the Department of Labor, OSHA enforces the whistleblower protection provisions for 21 statutes, covering not just workplace safety but also the environment, consumer products, the financial system, and other areas. For instance, Sarbanes-Oxley has a provision that makes it illegal to fire or otherwise discriminate against a corporate officer for trying to report possible accounting irregularities to higher corporate officials or enforcement agencies. The U.S. Department of Labor administers this portion of Sarbanes-Oxley Act, not the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. The whistleblower provision laws enacted by Congress prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who raise various protected concerns or provide protected information to the employer or to the government.
- As a small business owner, a safe workplace is not only critical to employee health and the business’s success, it is the law. Under the provisions of OSHA, employers must provide a workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing, or are likely to cause, death or serious physical harm to employees regardless of the size of a business. OSHA provides a web-based step-by-step occupational health and safety guide that can help determine the government requirements that apply to small businesses. The guide is intended to help small business employers meet the legal requirements imposed by OSHA and achieve an in-compliance status before an OSHA inspection. It covers the basics of an occupational safety and health plan for small business owners, tips on how to self-assess the workplace, employee training strategies, and more.
- Job-related deaths and injuries result in widespread human misery and economic loss. According to a recent Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index, the most disabling workplace injuries and illnesses cost U.S. businesses $53 billion in direct workers’ compensation costs annually. The significant financial costs are often passed along to the consumer in the form of higher prices. The leading cause of workplace injuries was overexertion (i.e., lifting, carrying, pulling, etc.), which accounted for almost 26 percent of direct workers’ compensation costs to U.S. businesses.
- Faulty management safety policies and decisions, personal factors, and environmental factors are the basic causes of accidents. These factors result in unsafe working conditions and/or unsafe employee actions. Every employer needs to have a comprehensive safety program in place that address the two primary causes: unsafe employee actions and unsafe working conditions.
- Training and orientation of new employees that emphasizes safety is critical. The first approach in a safety program is to create a psychological environment and employee attitudes that promote safety. Accident rates decline when workers consciously or subconsciously think about safety. Management’s role is clear, as OSHA places primary responsibility for employee safety on the employer.
- Safety programs are supported by management for a variety of very good reasons, and not just the potential lost productivity of an injured worker. Every phase of human resource management is involved. For instance, the firm may have difficulty in recruitment if it gains a reputation for being an unsafe place to work. Employee relations erode if workers believe that management does not care enough about them to provide a safe workplace.
- Job hazard analysis is a multistep process designed to study and analyze a task or job and then break down that task into steps that provide a means of eliminating hazards. It results in a detailed written procedure for safely completing many tasks within a plant. A successful program features several key components: management support, supervisor and employee training, written program, and management oversight. OSHA publication 3071, Job Safety Analysis, provides a good overview on how to conduct this analysis.
- The Superfund Amendments Reauthorization Act (or SARA) requires businesses to communicate openly about the hazards associated with their products, the materials they use, and the wastes they generate. The “hazard communication standard,” meaning that a company has no written hazard communication program, often leads the list of OSHA violations.
- One way to strengthen a safety program is to include employees in the process. Larger organizations will typically have a full-time safety engineer or safety director to provide safety training for company employees. This involves educating line managers about the merits of safety, and recognizing and eliminating unsafe situations. Accidents can happen even in the most safety-conscious firms. Whether or not an accident results in an injury, an organization should carefully evaluate each occurrence to determine its cause and to ensure that it does not recur. The safety engineer and the line supervisor should jointly investigate all accidents.
- Perhaps the best indicator of a successful safety program is a reduction in the injury frequency . Injury Frequency Rate = (Number of Recordable Injuries x 200,000) divided by the number of hours worked (The 200,000 is the equivalent of 100 full-time employees working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks a year.)
- Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are conditions that affect the body’s muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments and nerves. Work related MSDs including tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and back pain cost U.S. companies $61.2 billion annually just to cover lost productivity. They are the leading cause of nonfatal workplace injuries nationwide, accounting for 28 percent of all such incidences requiring days away from work.
- A serious repetitive stress injury is carpal tunnel syndrome (or CTS), which is caused by pressure on the median nerve that occurs as a result of a narrowing of the passageway that houses the nerve. People who have CTS may experience pain, numbness, or tingling in the hands or wrist, a weak grip, and, in later stages, muscle deterioration, especially in the thumb. Illustrators, carpenters, assembly-line workers, and people whose jobs involve work on personal computers are most commonly affected. Claims for carpal tunnel syndrome accounted for just 2 percent of all lost-time workplace injuries, but accounted for $1 billion in workers’ compensation claim benefits. CTS is preventable, or at least its severity can be reduced. Managers can provide ergonomic furniture, especially chairs, and ensure that computer monitors are positioned at eye level and keyboards at elbow level.
- Ergonomics is the process of designing the workplace to support the capabilities of people and job or task demands. Through ergonomics, the goal is to fit the machine and work environment to the person, rather than require the person to make the adjustment. Ergonomics includes all attempts to structure work conditions so that they maximize energy conservation, promote good posture, and allow workers to function without pain or impairment. Failure to address ergonomic issues results in fatigue, poor performance, and musculoskeletal disorders. In fact, ergonomic disorders are the fastest-growing category of work-related illness. Companies have discovered that improving the work environment boosts morale, lowers injury rates, and yields a positive return on investment. A sound ergonomic approach to avoiding workplace injuries is prevention.
- OSHA defines workplace violence as physical assault, threatening behavior, verbal abuse, hostility, or harassment directed towards employees at work or on duty. The fact that OSHA has included verbal abuse in the definition of workplace violence has HR professionals concerned that the general duty clause could even be cited for obscene language. According to a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health publication, on average, 1.7 million workers are injured each year, and more than 800 die as a result of workplace violence. Sadly, homicide is the second leading cause of death on the job, second only to motor vehicle crashes. Regardless of who commits the crime, there is the horror of random workplace violence. Homicide, as terrible as it is, accounts for only a small percentage of the overall incidence of workplace violence. There is no way to estimate the physical and psychological damage to other employees, who are only onlookers to the violent behavior. The issue facing most large employers is not if they will ever deal with an act of workplace violence, but when.
- Employees at gas stations and liquor stores, taxi drivers, police officers, and convenience store managers working night shifts face the greatest danger from workplace violence. When these workers are threatened with violence, 90 percent of the time it is from armed criminals, not disgruntled co-workers.
- In addition to the horror of workplace violence, there is also the ever-present threat of legal action. Civil lawsuits claiming negligent hiring or negligent retention are a constant threat. We discussed negligent hiring previously, and negligent retention is similar: It is the liability an employer may incur when it has people on the payroll whose records indicate a strong potential for wrongdoing, and fails to take steps to prevent violence. Under OSHA’s general duty clause, employers are required to provide a place of employment that is free from recognizable hazards that are likely to cause death or serious harm to employees.
- While there are no sure signs an employee will commit an act of violence, certain behaviors can signal a problem. These behaviors include erratic behavior, increased irritability or hostility, reduced quality of work, poor organizational and time management skills, absenteeism, and a look of physical exhaustion. Organizations can take preventive actions if they are on the look out for the signs preceding workplace violence.
- There are two basic parts to violence prevention. First, there must be a process in place to help with early detection of worker anger. Second, supervisors and HR staff need to be trained in how to skillfully handle difficult employment issues. Firms should consider the actions listed here to minimize violent acts and to avoid lawsuits.
- Spillover from domestic violence is a threat to both women and their companies, because after an abusive relationship is over, one of the easiest places to find female employees is at their workplace. A recent study examined 500 assaults that occurred in the workplace as a result of domestic violence, and just over half of the incidents studied ended in at least one homicide. Domestic violence costs firms about $5.8 billion each year in absenteeism, lower productivity, and turnover.
- A number of laws passed since the early 1980s recognize and address the seriousness of domestic violence: The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act helps prevent domestic violence and provide shelter and related assistance for victims. The Violence Against Women Act create new federal criminal laws and established grant programs to prevent violence. The Violence Against Women and DOJ Reauthorization Act required a study to determine the prevalence of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking among men, women, youth, and children.
- Companies have expanded the definition of workplace violence to include bullying because it has become a more common, costly, and a possible indication of physical violence. Workplace bullying is acts of continual hostile conduct in order to deliberately hurt another person either emotionally, verbally, or physically. It is often seen as a means of gaining power over another person through repeated aggressive behavior. Bullying may cause severe psychological pain for victims and for coworkers who witness the attacks. In recent years, employers have noted increased workplace rudeness which may often results in increased bullying. According to one study, 35 percent of employees report being bullied at work.
- Stress is the body’s reaction to any demand made on it, and it affects different people in different ways. Certain events may be quite stressful to one person but not to another. Moreover, the effect of stress is not always negative. For example, mild stress actually improves productivity. Many believe their stress has increased over the past five years. Several factors account for this rise, including increased workloads, terrorism, corporate scandals, and economic conditions. The recent recession increased stress levels even among employees who still had jobs. Although much of the world has reduced the number of hours worked each year per person over the past decade, Americans have done just the opposite. Each year, more than 275,000,000 working days are lost in the U.S. because of absenteeism resulting from stress.
- Stress can be as disruptive to an individual as any accident. It can result in excessive use of alcohol or drugs, poor job performance, or even overall poor health. There is increasing evidence indicating that severe, prolonged stress is related cardiovascular disease, depression, immune system disorders, alcoholism, and drug addiction—plus everyday headaches, back spasms, and overeating. Stress tops the list of changeable health risks that contribute to health care costs, ahead of other risks such as smoking, obesity, and high blood pressure.
- Stress and workload strains are very real challenges for organizations today. Twelve of the most stressful jobs are listed here. A common factor cited is a lack of employee control over their work.
- Burnout is an incapacitating condition in which individuals become physically and/or mentally exhausted. Burnout differs from stress in that it causes people who have previously been highly committed to their work to become disillusioned and lose motivation for work. Burnout is frequently associated with people whose jobs require them to work closely with others under stressful and tension-filled conditions. However, any employee may experience burnout, and no one is exempt. Burnout also appears to be contagious in the sense that one cynical and pessimistic employee can trigger burnout in other team members.
- Wellness programs are becoming more widespread as more employers become conscious of the impact employee health has on performance. Employers that start wellness programs not only help lower health-related costs, but also find that employees are more engaged and productive at work. A survey by the American Institute for Preventive Medicine found a $3 cost savings for every $1 invested in corporate wellness efforts. Further program growth is being prompted by the shift toward wellness and prevention in the design of employer-sponsored health care benefits and by federal health care reform legislation.
- Employers increasingly are adopting social networking to strengthen the success of their wellness programs. Social networking brings employees together and works to increase peer support. Social networking also generates participation rates higher than any traditional form of wellness initiative. Using social network tools such as Twitter and Facebook, employees can tell others how well they are doing with regard to quitting smoking or losing weight. .” Once workers quit smoking or lose weight they are certain to tell others, creating a sort of competition.
- Physical fitness appears to be critical to career success and employers should be promoting it. The most commonly offered in-house corporate wellness programs involve efforts to promote exercise and fitness. To understand the interest in such programs, consider that the results of physical inactivity include obesity, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and even certain types of cancer. From management’s viewpoint, physical fitness programs often reduce absenteeism, accidents, and sick pay.
- Substance abuse involves the use of illegal substances or the misuse of controlled substances such as alcohol and drugs. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that the chances an organization employ one or more of the millions of Americans who abuse drugs or alcohol is greater now than ever. These workers use more sick days and are late more often. They remain in jobs for shorter lengths of time, are three-and-a-half times more likely to cause accidents at work, and their health care costs are twice other employees. Research indicates that between 10 and 20 percent of the nation’s workers who die on the job, test positive for alcohol or drugs.
- Alcoholism is a medical disease characterized by uncontrolled and compulsive drinking that interferes with normal life. It is a significant problem that affects people at every level of society, and it can both result from and cause excessive stress. The National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence reports that 40 percent of workplace fatalities and 47 percent of workplace injuries are related to alcohol consumption.
- Drug users are increasingly gravitating to the workplace, which is also an ideal place to sell drugs. Drug use in the workplace costs employers approximately $81 billion each year in lost productivity, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The National Institute of Drug Abuse cites that employees at risk for illegal on-the-job substance use have been shown to have three times more sick days, three times the tardiness rate, three times more accidents, and are five times more likely to file workers’ compensation claims than individuals not engaging in illegal substance use.
- The Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 requires some federal contractors and all federal grantees to agree that they will provide drug-free workplaces as a condition of receiving a contract from a federal agency. The U. S. Department of Transportation requires drug and alcohol testing for safety-sensitive positions such as drivers of commercial vehicles. There are six situations where testing for alcohol or other drugs is required: pre-employment, random, post-accident, reasonable suspicion, return-to-duty, and follow-up.
- The steps for establishing a substance-abuse-free workplace are shown here. Creating a policy and providing education and training for all employees are the first steps. The next, and often most difficult, step is to implement a drug-testing program. The last step is to create an employee assistance program.
- These are some of the signs that might suggest an employee may be a substance abuser. Many indicators of poor performance may also be signs of medical or mental health problems. The existence of these indicators alone is not adequate to determine the presence or absence of any condition. The supervisor should never try to diagnose, make accusations, or treat such problems. The indicators only provide the supervisor a basis for making a referral to an Employee Assistance Program.
- Urine, blood, oral fluids, or hair samples are possible drug testing methods. Most employers currently use urine testing. While experts regard blood tests as the best, this approach is invasive and requires trained personnel. The use of hair samples is unique in that drug traces will remain in the hair for up to 90 days. Human hair samples are easy to collect, store, and transport, and they are difficult to change. The use of an oral fluid method is a great deterrent because it can be done immediately in the workplace and it does not give an individual an opportunity to adulterate or substitute a urine specimen. From a prospective employee’s viewpoint, oral fluid and hair testing may be less embarrassing than a urine test. A new method is able to detect drugs and other substances from the sweat in fingerprints, permitting mobile drug testing with immediate results.
- An employee assistance program (or EAP) is a comprehensive approach that many organizations have taken to deal with numerous problem areas such as burnout, alcohol and drug abuse, and other emotional problems. Whether managed in-house or outsourced, EAPs traditionally focus first on mental health, including substance-abuse counseling. Today, many companies have expanded programs to include financial and legal advice, referrals for day care and elder care, and counseling for marital or family difficulties, job performance problems, stress, and grief.
- The Drug-Free Workplace Act requires federal employees and employees of firms under government contract to have access to EAP services. A primary concern is getting employees to use the EAP. Some employees perceive that there is a stigma attached to needing help. Under the Act, supervisors must receive training designed to provide specialized interpersonal skills for recognizing troubled employees and encouraging them to use the firm’s EAP.
- U.S.-based global operations are often safer and healthier than host-country operations, but frequently not as safe as similar operations in the United States. Safety and health laws and regulations often vary greatly from country to country. Such laws can range from virtually nonexistent to as stringent as those in the United States. Health care facilities across the globe vary greatly in their state of modernization. The vast majority of healthcare in developing world countries do not have acceptable systems for drinking water, sewage treatment, or reliable power.