Workplace Health and Safety - Psychology and Management - Case Study Example

Workplace Health and Safety: Psychology and Management Contents Work Related Stress 3 Commonality of the 3 Causes and Consequences of Stress 4 Psychological Theories and Models for Management and Prevention of Stress 5 Key Policies and Legal 6 Reference List 9 Work Related Stress The growing work related stress is badly affecting the productivity of the business body as well as the health and well-being of the employees. This basically develops when an employee is unable to cope up with the growing demands related to work. The demands exceed his capability to produce effective output. This can lead to illness and can be linked to frequent sickness absent, staff turnover and other issues like committing more errors. Beehr (2014) has observed that this is not confined to any particular sector but is visible at all levels. The source of work related stress is divided into two groups, when the employee is under a lot of pressure due to work load, long working hours and its demands and other source comprises of conflicts with the management or co-workers, lack of job security, constant change, etc. Hence, it is clearly implied that for proper functioning of an organisation, it has to take steps for reducing work related stress. There are benefits of averting stress like decreased sick leaves, less illness and reduced injuries indicating improved health conditions of the employees and the reduced cost of absence; increase job satisfaction which results in increased productivity; high level of motivation which converts into high work engagement, favourable working environment. All these have a positive impact on the production level (Dewe, ODriscoll and Cooper, 2010). Commonality of the Subject The statistics suggests that companies in UK loose approximately 70 million working days due to poor health. Depression, stress and anxiety also lead to the loss of an estimated 10 million working days. In 2005-06, Great Britain had to bear the cost of an excess of £530 million due to stress and depression. Results of work related stress such as sickness absence, disoriented productive value, increased labour turnover, high recruitment cost and medical expenditures cause UK to lose nearly 10 percent of its Gross National Product each year (Garbarino, Chiorri and Magnavita, 2014). Over 30% of Americans have high stress level which has adversely affected their work. Britain is believed to be more stressed in recent times than ever. Over 100 patients complain of neck pain, back pain, poor eyesight, etc. each year which has resulted from work related stress (Hetherington and Blechman, 2014). Jourdain and Vézina (2014) have noticed that more than half of the data scientists in the UK are suffering from work related stress. Research suggests that one in four men and a third of women are being identified as stressed heavily. The increased stress level is because the profession is undergoing accelerated change due to high industry demand and there is shortage of skilled data scientists. Mental illness form the basis for 20% of disability claims which has gone up tremendously. The average disability insurance expenditure has hiked up to 15-20% due to stress related injuries (Yao, et al., 2014). Causes and Consequences of Stress Due to increasing competition, there exists a lot of pressure to achieve goals within 24 hours. The work related stress can be caused by various factors. Some of them are categorized in the report: Work practices can cause stress when the demands are not controlled by the employees. This include lack of clarification of what the job wants, lack of certainty regarding job security or career, fixed- term contracts or temporary works, lack of a good leader, long working hours, no reward or appreciation for good performance, no opportunity to register complaints, burdened with responsibilities without any decision making power, lack of opportunity to proof personal talents, inadequate time to complete projects or presence of strict deadline or pressure of achieving targets, etc. (Li, et al., 2014). Poor Management techniques like inability of the management to check the rising pressure on the employees, inefficient treatment of issues bothering them, lack of a good human resource management, etc. Even poor working conditions can build up the stress level. Conditions like threat of violence, poor relationships with the management or co workers (Puttonen, Härmä and Hublin, 2010). Psychosocial risks occurs when the work and even the organisation is poorly designed such as conflicting opinions, ineffective communication, poor support system of the organisation, sexual harassment, etc. (Van Gordon, et al., 2014). Lack of freedom of the workers and discrimination also adds up to the stress level. Poor resources and boring work can diminish the efficiency of a worker. Over supervision, unnecessary rules and regulations can create pressure on the employees. The symptoms can be behavioural, physical and obviously mental. Behavioural symptoms are high sick leaves, aggression, irritability, mood swings, impatience, low levels of creativity and enthusiasm, diminishing work performance, isolation, etc. On the other hand, headaches, fatigue, heart palpitations, sleeping disorder like insomnia, gastrointestinal trouble, high blood pressure and hypertension are examples of physical symptoms. Psychological symptoms are depression, pessimism, discouragement, anxiety, labile emotions, discouragement, reduced ability of proper decision making, etc. (Van Gordon, et al., 2014). To cope up with the stress, people get addicted to bad habits like drinking and smoking which again causes health problems. It escalates stress hormones such as adrenaline and Cortisol. It has been estimated that mental problems due to stress has lead to the death of around 120,000 people per year (Beehr, 2014). High stress levels are expensive in monetary terms as well. Research results reveal that 5 to 8 percent of annual healthcare costs which amounts to around $ 180 billion per year are stress related expenses (Vetter, et al., 2015). It has been cited that stress in the organisation can be contagious. The problem of low job satisfaction is discussed among the employees thereby hurting the health of the workplace. Psychological Theories and Models for Management and Prevention of Stress Health promotion is not only the identification of people who are at risk of developing chronic, life style associated disease but also encouragement of a healthier lifestyle (Yao, et al., 2014). The aim is to identify those individuals, social, economical factors that contribute to the health of the employees and the organisation. There are three overlapping models of stress classified as Engineering Models, Physiological Models and Psychological Models. According to the Engineering Model, definitions of load and strain used in Physics influence how job related stress can affect employees. It was argued that stress on an individual can be measured in similar way physical strain on a machine is measured. In Physiological Models, aversive characteristics of the environment are viewed as stressors and these stressors caused stress which is the reaction of the employees. In this theory, stress is considered as the dependent variable that is, it is the physiological response to a threatening environment. In the Psychological Models, there is a linkage between the stress as a negative psychological state with emotional factors and its consequence on the health of the workers and the company (Dewe, ODriscoll and Cooper, 2010). With the purpose of obtaining an explanation about the ill-health and well-being of the workers and its consequences, Job Demands- Resources (JD-R) models is applied. Beehr (2014) suggests that it starts with job resources and job demands in which job resources are believed to boost work engagement which is related to the positive results such as organisational commitments. The health impairment process can be defined as an exhausting process which is created by burnout and emotional exhaustion. The indirect role is played by the job demands in the motivational process because burnouts are negatively related to organizational commitment. The result underlined that the main indicator of the health impairment process is the role played by the job demands. Burnout anticipated depression. The model also suggested that rather than concentrating on individual factors to hike employee health, workplace factors should be targeted by the corporate health endorsement and prevention programmes. This implies that the organisation should plan to increase job resources with the aim of promoting engagement and commitment and lower job demands so that burnout and ill health can be reduced. In that way, well being of an employee does not remain a personal issue but it is the issue of the company. It is also suggested that at a strategic level, HR professional should collaborate with the occupational health professionals for developing a comprehensive Integral Health Management system (Hetherington and Blechman, 2014). This model focuses on providing a valuable tool to tackle distress as part of occupational health efforts and promoting successful functioning, development and motivation of the employees as a part of HRM efforts. Key Policies and Legal To improve the health conditions and well being of the employees, Workplace Health Promotion (WHP) is the incorporated efforts of the employees, organisation and the society. It is of utmost importance to promote workplace health because greater volume of time is spent at work. Also, in our society there is social and economic value of employment which has direct and indirect implications for employees’ physical and mental health. WHP can be achieved through an amalgamation of improved work environment, involvement of the employees in the process of WHP, facilitating healthy choices and promising personal development. The WHP programmes have put attention on the measures taken at the individual levels like encouraging them to embrace healthy lifestyle habits. The programme also includes strategies that concentrate on health related attitude, knowledge and behaviours of the workers by providing them guidance on leading a healthy lifestyle. There are different kinds of employee- directed plans like health related programmes, creation of awareness, counselling sessions, etc (Hetherington and Blechman, 2014). The healthy working conditions can be achieved by preventing occupational hazards through the proper management and assessment of risk. From the JD-R model, we can also extract few examples that can help formulate policies towards healthy work conditions. Such as Job resources which may enhance extrinsic motivation at workplace and also intrinsic motivation among workers by satisfying their basic desires of autonomy, capability and belongingness. There is no law that is directly related to the work related stress. However, laws and policies can be implemented to examine the causes and impact of stress. Jourdain and Vézina (2014) explained some laws, Employers’ Liability Act, 1969 is imposed on employers so that they fulfil the requirements of proper insurance to ensure that the working environment is safe. Along with that, it also seeks reduction in the level of injuries that employees suffer. Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1974: by this law, intentional harassment in the office can be made a criminal offence where the offender applies abusive language or gestures to abuse another person. Discrimination Law aims at providing protection from discrimination with recourse to Employment Tribunals for acts of discrimination in relation to age, disability, ethnicity and race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. Beehr (2014) highlights other acts like Sex Discrimination Act 1975 with Amendment Regulations 2003; Race Relations Act 1976 with Amendment Regulations 2000 and 2003; Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003; Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003; Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006. When there is any stress caused due to racial or sexual component to any behaviour, the employer could be held for the act of harassment. Similarly, under the religion or belief and age legislation, discriminatory behaviour is treated as illegal and employer liabilities can be judged in an Employment Tribunal. Disability Discrimination Act 1995 is against any discrimination towards disabled people in the office and their right to use goods, services, education and transport. So, to make the employers aware, employees should disclose about their disability. The employer then can make adjustments legally. Under Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978, complains can be brought by an employee to an Employment Tribunal regarding unfair dismissal in situation where workplace bullying has forced him to leave his employment. Public Order Act 1986 has the provisions that can be applied where racist actions have caused stress. Protection from Harassment Act 1997 also declares personal harassment as an illegal action. Under Human Rights Act 1998, a range of autonomy is provided through this Act. The UK Health and Safety Law, imposes a wide range of duties of care on employer to the employees (Vetter, et al., 2015). Health, Safety and Welfare at Work, Act 1974 Section 2 of the Act places a compulsion upon all workers to make sure that the health, safety and the welfare of all employees are maintained and to generate a safe and healthy working environment. RIDDOR 95 (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases or Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) Act facilitates all employees to report all violent incidents, including bullying and harassment. Other Acts include Employment Relations Act 1999, The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (including the Approved Code of Practice), Employment Act 2002 (Disputes Resolution) Regulations 2004, etc. (Puttonen, Härmä and Hublin, 2010). Reference List Beehr, T. A., 2014. Psychological Stress in the Workplace (Psychology Revivals). London: Routledge. Dewe, P. J., ODriscoll, M. P. and Cooper, C. L., 2010. Coping with Work Stress: A Review and Critique. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Garbarino, S., Chiorri, C. and Magnavita, N. I. C. O. L. A., 2014. Personality Traits of the Five-Factor Model are Associated With Work-Related Stress in Special Force Police Officers. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 87(3), pp. 295-306. Hetherington, E. M. and Blechman, E. A., 2014. Stress, Coping, and Resiliency In Children And Families. New York: Psychology Press. Jourdain, G. and Vézina, M., 2014. How Psychological Stress in the Workplace Influences Presenteeism Propensity: A Test of The Demand–Control–Support Model. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 23(4), pp. 483-496. Li, J., Zhang, M., Loerbroks, A., Angerer, P. and Siegrist, J., 2014. Work Stress and the Risk of Recurrent Coronary Heart Disease Events: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International Journal Of Occupational Medicine And Environmental Health, 27(6), pp.1-12. Puttonen, S., Härmä, M. and Hublin, C., 2010. Shift work and cardiovascular disease—pathways from circadian stress to morbidity. Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health, 36(2), pp. 96-108. Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., Zangeneh, M. and Griffiths, M. D., 2014. Work-Related Mental Health And Job Performance: Can Mindfulness Help? International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 12(2), pp. 129-137. Vetter, C., Fischer, D., Matera, J. L. and Roenneberg, T., 2015. Aligning Work and Circadian Time in Shift Workers Improves Sleep and Reduces Circadian Disruption. Current Biology, 25(7), pp.907-911. Yao, Y. H., Fan, Y. Y., Guo, Y. X. and Li, Y., 2014. Leadership, Work Stress and Employee behavior. Chinese Management Studies, 8(1), pp. 109-126. Read More