Personal Aspects of OHS.docx

Personal Aspects of OHS Class 11 – Nov 21st What is the work-nonwork interface and how can it be used to strengthen family friendly policies? How can we use the job demands-resource model to improve health promotion at work? Final Exam When: Tuesday, December 12, **19:00 – 21:00 (2 hours)** Where: M...

Personal Aspects of OHS Class 11 – Nov 21st What is the work-nonwork interface and how can it be used to strengthen family friendly policies? How can we use the job demands-resource model to improve health promotion at work? Final Exam When: Tuesday, December 12, **19:00 – 21:00 (2 hours)** Where: MB S1.105 & MB S1.115 What: Mostly content from class 6 onwards Format: A mix of multiple choice and short answer questions Learning objectives for today Define key work-nonwork balance concepts Outline family friendly policies Describe the job demands-resources model Highlight key health promotion programs WELLNESS INITIATIVES Life of a typical North American We spend a great deal of time working… …so active attempts should be made to ensure a healthy and safe work environment. Wellness at work It makes sense to focus on health at work 90% of American companies with more than 200 employees offer health-related programs. Most common initiatives: exercise & weight loss Canadian companies offer a range of wellness programs. Examples include vaccination programs, nutrition, fitness, weight control, or stress management support Benefits of wellness initiatives: Reduce rising healthcare costs Improve productivity Build a supportive organizational culture WORK-FAMILY INITIATIVES Work-nonwork balance Theoretical framework Work–nonwork balance definition A person’s evaluation of the favourability of their combination of work and nonwork roles arising from the degree to which their emotional experiences and their perceived involvement and effectiveness in work and nonwork roles are commensurate with the value they attach to these roles. Why commensurate with the value attached to these roles? Work-family Conflict Work–Family Conflict (WFC) Inter-role conflict in which the role pressures experienced in the work and family domains are incompatible Work-to-Family Conflict Work–family conflict in which work demands interfere with the fulfillment of family responsibilities Family-to-Work Conflict Work–family conflict in which family demands interfere with the fulfillment of work responsibilities Work-family enrichment Work & family roles can also be “allies” rather than “enemies” Work family enrichment (WFE) The extent to which experiences in one role improves the quality of life in the other role Like WFC/FWC, it can be bi-directional Spillover & crossover How are WFC and WFE transmitted? Spillover A within-person, across-domains transmission from one area of life to another - e.g., work overload impacting amount of time spent with family + e.g., active listening skills developed at home with children improve leadership ability at work Crossover A dyadic, between-person transmission across individuals, whereby experiences and their consequences cross over between closely related persons - e.g., a person’s work stress affects their spouse’s stress + e.g., a person’s excitement about their work inspires their friend Work-family conflict Consequences Work-family conflict is expensive for organizations! Related to reduced work performance, higher absenteeism Work-family conflict also associated with substantial health and well-being costs for individuals Higher perceived stress, poorer physical health, decreased family functioning, increased mental health concerns, increased drug & alcohol use. Causes Behavioural involvement The amount of time a person spends in a particular role Influenced by factors such as workload, schedule, job stress, etc. Psychological involvement The degree to which a person identifies with a particular role and sees the role as a central component of his or her self-concept E.g., a woman who considers her status as a mother to be the defining feature in her life has a high degree of psychological involvement in her mother role Family-friendly policies Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) Modifications to traditional work schedule Two broad types of FWAs FWA Type 1: Reduced Time in Workplace Compressed Workweek Full-time hours in fewer days/week Job Splitting 2 people divide responsibilities of a job Job Sharing 2 people share responsibilities of a job FWA Type 2: Increase Control of Schedule Flextime Employees to have variable start and finish work times Flexplace (AKA telecommuting) Employees complete work assignments away from the office Personal Leave Systems Policies that involve leave time for employees Programs designed to help employees meet their family demands, thereby reducing the occurrence of family-to-work conflict Examples: Maternity leave, Parental leave, Personal days, Family leave, Sick leave The existence of such a leave program should reduce the incidence of unexcused absenteeism and tardiness Family care benefits Benefits that assist with family care Benefits designed to help employees who have children reduce their work-family conflict Examples: Daycare benefits such as onsite daycares Eldercare benefits such as subsidized dependent care Evaluating family friendly policies Difficult to gauge availability of programming: A study of >30 000 Canadian employees reported FWAs available to 49.4% Another study of 25 000 employees found that 27% reported high levels of flexibility at work Research often inconclusive, but meta-analytic evidence suggests modest positive effects Context matters: E.g., telework has more positive effects for those with more autonomy in their work Organizational outcomes Flexible work options have positive effects on job satisfaction and performance ROI: $1.68 for every $1 invested in family-friendly programs Availability of family-friendly programs versus employee uptake of these programs? In some organizations, employees choose not to use family-friendly policies such as flextime because they fear doing so will negatively affect their career progress or stigmatize them among their coworkers. Clearly, the formal existence of a policy does not guarantee that employees will make use of it. HEALTH PROMOTION PROGRAMS Job demands-resources model Job-demands resources model is a theory of balance between job demands (aspects of a person’s job that require physical and psychological effort) and job resources (aspects of a person’s job that help people achieve work goals, mitigate demands, or lead to employees’ growth and development) A dual process emerges from an imbalance between job demands and job resources: When demands are high and resources are low, an impairment process leading to strain emerges When demands are low and resources are high, a motivation process leading to engagement emerges Health promotion programs Health Promotion: Combination of diagnostic, educational, and behavioural modification activities designed to support attainment and maintenance of positive health Assistance programs HPPs Employee and family assistance programs (EFAPs) Programs designed to help individuals address personal concerns Provide counselling and assistance to employees and their family members with problems that may interfere with worker productivity such as: Alcohol and other drug abuse Emotional or behavioural problems among family members Financial or legal problems Services are accessible and confidential Stress management HPPs Stress Management Programs Goal = educate workers about causes & consequences of stress, teach skills for managing physiological and psychological symptoms Cognitive-Behavioural Skills Training Helps people to think about events in new ways and to be aware of how they view stressful events Provides skills for coping with stress Relaxation Training, Meditation, and Mindfulness Relaxation training focuses on relaxing the physical body Meditation focuses on quieting the mind Mindfulness brings attention to the present moment Increasing Social Support Stress management efficacy How effective are stress-management programs? Review studies suggest that cognitive-behavioural interventions appear to be the most effective More comprehensive studies are needed Lifestyle programming Worksite health promotion programs can be classified into 3 categories: Screening Education Behavioral Change Worksite Health Promotion: Lifestyle Changes Most common programs are designed to affect an employee’s health practices or physical lifestyle Smoking cessation Alcohol and drug testing Hypertension screening Nutrition and weight control Physical fitness programs Lifestyle Programming Steps in secondary-level health promotion programs for those who are feeling stress and are at risk for illness: Step 1: Physical or psychological assessment Step 2: Counselling concerning findings and recommendations about personal health promotion Step 3: Referral to in-house or community-based resources Steps in tertiary-level health promotion programs for those who are currently experiencing symptoms or illness: The identification of currently symptomatic as well as high-risk individuals The appropriate referral or treatment of individuals Treatment directed at the symptom, delivered by the appropriate professionals Follow-up with the client to ensure the treatment was effective Evaluation of health improvement and cost efficacy Successful health programs Lessons Learned Developing a Successful Program Keep program in line with workplace goals and values. Consider multiple factors that influence health, including those at the individual, cultural, and policy factors. Target programs to a range of health issues. Tailor programs to meet specific needs. Aim for high participation. Engage in thorough evaluation. Communicate program success to the stakeholders. Unintended Consequences of WHP Programs Reduction of health care use by employees may lead to higher unit costs. Participation in fitness programs may cause work disruptions, increase fatigue, lower performance, and increase accidents among those starting a program. Health promotion can cause friction among workers. For example, smoking restrictions may produce conflict between smokers and nonsmokers, produce negative attitudes about smoking, and reduce productivity among smokers if they must leave the workstation to smoke. Diagnosis of previously unknown risk factors may contribute to absenteeism (e.g., doctor’s appointments).