Workplace Presentation - Essay Example

Workplace Presentation a. How does human behavior impact work life? Human behavior in the work place and the way they work together become an organization’s greatest asset and are very essential for the success of both individual and the organization. However, without proper behavioral management, the risks linked with the workplace behavior have a negative impact on the productivity of the organization. Optimizing workplace quality, organizational performance and productivity is critical to improving the overall cost-effectiveness and quality of service delivery. Unplanned absences can be particularly costly and symptomatic of underlying workplace quality issues that may need to be proactively addressed. Research has shown that workplace absence is consistently linked to decreased productivity and that low levels of absence boosts productivity. There is growing evidence that human and behavioral factors – including management style and organizational culture – have an important bearing on work-related ill health, particularly in the case of mental health and stress-related conditions (Queensland Government, N.D.). Threatening behavior, whether verbal or physical, may intimidate or endanger others or damage the organization. These are primarily associated with employee behavior, values, and socialization. They include state of physical/mental health, low self-esteem, personal habits, substance abuse, domestic disputes, personality conflicts, romantic obsession, personal values, interest in weapons, and negative social experiences. Threats of violence may be either lethal (homicides and physical assaults) or non-lethal involving teasing, angry outbursts, bullying, harassment, throwing or breaking objects, hitting, pushing, poking, slapping, grabbing, stalking, and sexual assault or rape. When such violent activities occur in the organization, threatened employees become concerned of their safety and security, and want to know what the agency or the organization is going to do to protect them, and what measures they can take to protect themselves (Chauhan, N.D.). The presence of violence and harassment in the workplace represents very considerable costs to individuals in terms of ill health and with respect to their employment relationship. In addition, violence and harassment in the workplace also represents substantial costs to the organization due to the impact of absenteeism, productivity and staff turnover. Therefore, it makes good financial sense to combat bullying at the levels of the individual and the organization, as well as for society as a whole (Hoel et al, 2001). b. How do perceptual hypotheses and assumptions based upon them play a role in conflict at work? Conflict arises from differences. When individuals come together in work teams their differences in terms of power, values and attitudes, and social factors all contribute to the creation of conflict. It is often difficult to expose the sources of conflict. Conflict can arise from numerous sources within a team setting and generally falls into three categories: communication factors, structural factors and personal factors (Varney, 1989). Barriers to communication are among the most important factors and can be a major source of misunderstanding. Communication barriers include poor listening skills; insufficient sharing of information; differences in interpretation and perception; and nonverbal cues being ignored or missed. Structural disagreements include the size of the organization, turnover rate, levels of participation, reward systems, and levels of interdependence among employees. Personal factors include things such as an individuals self-esteem, their personal goals, values and needs. In order for conflict to be dealt with successfully, managers and team members must understand its unpredictability and its impact on individuals and the team as a whole. Conflict in work teams is not necessarily destructive, however. Conflict can lead to new ideas and approaches to organizational processes, and increased interest in dealing with problems. Conflict, in this sense, can be considered positive, as it facilitates the surfacing of important issues and provides opportunities for people to develop their communication and interpersonal skills. Conflict becomes negative when it is left to escalate to the point where people begin to feel defeated and a combative climate of distrust and suspicion develops (Bowditch & Buono, 1997). c. What happens when bias and stereotyping enter our observations of other people’s behavior? Workplace equity connotes fairness in the allocation of jobs, duties, promotion, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment. Employment-related distinctions on the basis of race, sex, national origin and religion, in particular, have been recognized as perpetuating invidious forms of social bias and discrimination, and have been almost universally condemned. More recently, distinctions drawn on the basis of age and disability have come to be recognized as similarly inequitable. These characteristics are generally irrelevant to an individuals desire to work, financial need for employment, and are often irrelevant to the ability to perform a job. Failure to integrate all able and willing individuals into productive activity not only stymies human potential but also defeats social needs by reducing the population of self-sufficient individuals. Principles of equity rely on the premise that workers should be judged on the basis of an objective assessment of their own skills, abilities and characteristics, not on assumptions about any group to which they belong. Thus, at the core of workplace equity is the repudiation of stereotypes and generalizations to judge individuals, since even accurate generalizations often inaccurately describe many individuals. For example, even if it is true on average that men are stronger than women, some women are stronger than some men. In hiring workers to perform a job requiring strength, it would be inequitable to exclude all women, including those who are strong enough to do the job, on the basis of a generalization about the sexes. Instead, a fair assessment of individual abilities will reveal which women and men have the requisite strength and ability to perform the job adequately. The classic barriers to workplace equity include physical requirements such as height and weight, written tests, and education or diploma requirements. Seniority systems sometimes exclude members of groups that have been disfavored, and veterans preferences often disadvantage women workers, who are often neither required nor permitted to do military service. Stereotypes, traditions and assumptions about skills and characteristics associated with race, sex and ethnicity also operate, often subconsciously, to perpetuate a traditional allocation of employment opportunities, as do other factors, such as preferences for friends or relatives. The presence of such barriers is often signified by a work environment that does not accurately reflect the composition of the pool of qualified workers, but shows members of certain groups holding a greater share of desired positions than would be expected based on their representation in the field or labor pool (Bertin, N.D.). d. What personality traits are beneficial and/or detrimental in your workplace? Traits are automatic, instinctive reactions. They are not positive or negative, but the way they play out in a particular environment or job can have a positive or negative influence on the organization as a whole. If your traits are a good fit to the environment, you will be happy and productive. If they are not a good fit, you will be stressed and less successful than you would be in the right situation. For example, peoples skill is an important factor that determine the organizations well being. If you are high on this trait, everyone wants to work with you. If you are low, even your relatives may want to leave when you enter the room! People Skills does not refer to superficial charm. Rather, it reflects the kind of emotional intelligence and social skills that make people who have worked with you for a long time look forward to continuing that relationship. If you are in the average range on People Skills, some people like you - others dont (Piani & Company, 2000). e. Who is responsible for fostering motivation in the workplace? Good leadership is an essential element in all of the factors that support attendance. Leaders and managers at various levels are responsible for initiating, approving and implementing the programs that lead to a safe and healthy workplace. Managers and supervisors will have a significant impact on organizational environment. They are directly responsible for the level of involvement of employees in job design and work organization. Credible, far-sighted and trustworthy leaders will foster a positive climate and more cohesive work groups. Conversely, low levels of trust, micro-management and task-focused management styles can lead to excessive absence and higher turnover (Queensland Government, N.D.). f. Is lifelong learning necessary for people in your field? It is essential that workers are enthusiastic and are always in a process of learning new things. While lifelong learning skills are useful for all aspects of people’s lives, they are particularly important in the workplace. Lifelong learning in the workplace is a joint responsibility of the employer, the worker, and the workers representative. It requires support and commitment. All parties need to cooperate to provide resources, opportunities, and facilities and to recognize learning as an essential part of work. When workers are demonstrating it every day and are eager to learn new skills when given the opportunity to do so, the organization grows. They already know that learning new skills and acquiring new knowledge must become part of every job, and they are making continuous, lifelong learning a standard feature of the workplace. Lifelong learning requires access to opportunities for education and training, which will provide knowledge and skills relevant to any juncture in a life dominated by continuous change. We must support this effort, because we all benefit from the enhanced skills that it makes possible (Goldberg, N.D.). g. What can you use from psychological research findings, theories, or models to produce recommendations for improvement in the issues your team has documented? Workplace attendance and its converse absenteeism are complex multi-dimensional issues involving the interaction and subtle interplay between worker, employer, workplace, social, societal and economic factors. Solutions to maintaining and improving attendance can be based upon theoretical principles, workplace investigation and assessment and through assessing and reviewing the practical application of workplace strategies and experience of industry. Research and experience supports that a program with the following elements is likely to provide solutions to workplace absenteeism and attendance problems if implemented in a consultative manner, with the workforce involved addressing the factors causing the absence problem: Workplace Attendance Policy; Sick Leave System that promotes attendance; Absence Monitoring System; Employee health and wellbeing enhancement including Employee Assistance, Rehabilitation and Health Promotion strategies; Supervisory and Management Training in Absence Management; and Adoption of workplace management practices that promote attendance (The Australasian Faculty of Occupational Medicine, 1999). It is essential to manage attendance, personal problems and harassment in work place at an individual level. This will definitely have a positive impact on both the employ and the organization. All the three are directly linked to the productivity of the individual. Use of good leadership and interpersonal skills by the supervisors and the managers to solve the problems faced by their subordinates can go a long way to improve the productivity. References Bertin, J. (N.D) Health, Safety and Equity in the Workplace. Retrieved August 11, 2006, from http://www.ilo.org/encyclopedia/?doc&nd=857400056&nh=0 Bowditch, J. L., Buono, A. F. (1997). A primer on organizational behavior (4th ed.). New York, NY: JohnWiley & Sons. Chauhan, D.S. (N.D). Preventing Violence in the Workplace: Threat Assessment and Prevention Strategies. Retrieved August 11, 2006, from http://www.pamij.com/99_4_3_Chauhan.html Goldberg, M. (N.D) A Perspective on Lifelong Learning. Retrieved August 10, 2006, from http://www.workplacelearning.org/perspaper.htm Hoel, H., Sparks, K. and Cooper, C.L., (2001). The cost of Violence/Stress at Work and the Benefits of a Violence/Stress-free Working Environment (Report commissioned by ILO), University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST). Piani & Company, (2000) Trait Guide. Retrieved August 11, 2006, http://www.eurofound.eu.int/publications/files/EF02109EN.pdf Queensland Government, (N.D) Guide to promoting attendance in the Queensland Public Service. Office of Public Service Merit and Equity. Retrieved August 10, 2006, from http://www.opsme.qld.gov.au/pubs/Absenteeism.pdf The Australasian Faculty of Occupational Medicine, (1999) Workplace Attendance and Absenteeism. Retrieved August 14, 2006, from http://www.racp.edu.au/afom/absenteeism.pdf Varney, G. H. (1989). Building productive teams: An action guide and resource book. San Francisco, CA: Josey-Bass, Inc. Read More