Employment and Working Conditions PDF

Employment and Working Conditions  Employment and Working Conditions Underlying Premises: Control Unemployment Less stress Underemployme nt Stressful work Unsafe work Unemployment  Affects physical, mental and social...

Employment and Working Conditions  Employment and Working Conditions Underlying Premises: Control Unemployment Less stress Underemployme nt Stressful work Unsafe work Unemployment  Affects physical, mental and social health Conditions at Work  Can greatly affect health and emotional well- being Unpaid Work  Employment and Working Conditions “High levels of unemployment and economic instability in a society cause significant mental health problems and adverse effects on the physical health of unemployed individuals, their families and their communities.” Emotional Abuse in the Workplace Despair Serious illness A “silent epidemic”  Manitoba Blue Cross: Employee Assistance Program Manitoba Blue Cross: A private, not-for-profit health insurance provider headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Extends individual assistance to employees and their family members with emotional and personal health concerns, legal and financial issues, as well as child and elder care needs.  EAP Updater: Emotional Abuse in the Workplace Emotional Abuse in the Workplace: Potential Solution: Control Theory  Emotional Abuse in the Workplace Potential Solutions: Primary Control  Emotional Abuse in the Workplace Potential Solutions: Secondary Control (4 Types) di ct i v e Pre Vicarious Illusory Interpretive EAP Updater: Mobbing Mobbing: A behaviour by coworkers, superiors, or subordinates Attack a colleague’s dignity, integrity, and competence Over a number of weeks, months, or years  Mobbing How does it start? With a conflict that escalates Based on scapegoat mentality Can be guided by personal animosities, fear & jealousy  Mobbing Mobbing occurs because… 1) It’s ignored, tolerated, & misinterpreted 2) It has not yet been identified as being clearly different from sexual harassment or discrimination 3) Victims are so worn down & exhausted that they are incapable of defending themselves, let alone taking legal action  The Costs of Mobbing/Bullying Lost productivity Health care Legal costs Psychosocial implications  Mobbing/Bullying: What can be done? Victims should… Realize that they are not to blame Weigh their options Be assertive, & Take control  Mobbing/Bullying: What can be done? Managers should… Watch for early signs of mobbing/bullying Institute a preventive company policy Shift/night work affects Four Spheres of Life: 1. Biological 2. Working 3. Social 4. PHYSICAL Tolerance to shift work is influenced by: Individual characteristics Family situation Social conditions Working conditions Shift-work schedules Tolerance to shift work is influenced by Shift-work Schedules: “What association, if any, does shift work have to Negative Work to Family Spillover (NWFSp)?” (Grosswald, 2003) Considered the following shifts: Evening Night Rotating Split Flexible  Study Findings (Grosswald, 2003) The strongest predictors of NWFSp were: Working a rotating shift Having a family-friendly job culture Having a preference for fewer work hours Having supervisory support Homelessness Some Homelessness Definitions: Absolute Homelessness: Includes individuals who live on the street, or those who have lost their home in a disaster. Relative Homelessness: Refers to people who live in dwellings that they cannot afford, or that do not meet the basic standards for shelter from the elements, safe access to water & sanitation, etc. More Homelessness Definitions: Visible Homeless: Refers to people that you see sleeping on street corners or in shelters, and who spend their days at drop-in centres, in soup kitchens, on the streets, or in other public places Invisible Homeless: Live in unsafe/unstable housing Abandoned buildings, cars, or welfare hotels ~80% are invisibly homeless  Homelessness Categorized by Cause 1. Transitionally Homeless: Homeless due to sudden trauma such as job loss, bankruptcy, eviction, divorce, and/or domestic violence. Caused by an accumulation of the social determinants of poor health such as poverty, illiteracy, lack of job skills, addiction, and others. It is thought that most homeless people in Winnipeg are transitionally homeless.  Homelessness Categorized by Cause 2. Discharged into Homelessness: Released from foster care, prison, mental health care facilities, hospitals, or other public institutions with no place to go  Homelessness Categorized by Cause 3. Chronically Homelessness: Those with physical/mental illness or disabilities who are homeless over long periods of time, or if interrupted, their bouts of homelessness occur frequently Generally they are visible on the streets They make up