Presentation Transcript

1. Week 9

   GSBS6040 Human Resources Management asif.hoshiarpur@newcastle.edu.au
2. Workplace Health, Safety, Equity and Diversity
3. Learning Objectives 1 Trace the development of WHS programs in Australian industry 2 Understand the various perspectives of employers, unions and employees and the influences of medical, paramedical and legal professions on WHS theory and practice Explain recent WHS legislation in Australian national and state government jurisdictions, and analyse its respective advantages and disadvantages (cont.)
4. Learning Objectives (cont.) 4 Describe the scope of WHS programs 5 Determine the roles of senior, middle and line managers as well as human resource management specialists in the management of WHS issues at the workplace
5. Introduction Health and safe work environment both desirable and cost-effective WHS pervades all aspects of HRM Costs of workplace accidents and disease major factor in strategic focus
6. An SHRM model for managing WHS (WHS)
7. The extent of the problem Between 2006 and 2007, around 240 workers died and more than 150 000 were injured or became ill Direct and indirect costs Potential hazards include: Physical factors Chemical agents or other hazardous substances Workplace organisation Stress Violence or physical harm from work colleagues
8. Perspective of WHS in Australia Developed through social reform and humanitarian movement Professionals’ interest in WHS
9. Professionals’ interest in WHS An emphasis on diagnosis and treatment rather than the prevention of illnesses and disease Medical or physical approaches often seem narrowly focused or unable to fully explain causes or to devise suitable preventative strategies Critical Issue 1: The medical model and patienthood Discuss both sides of the following statement: ‘The medical model is the only appropriate scientific method for resolving WHS issues. Sociology ad psychology are largely unhelpful.’
10. Professionals’ interest in WHS Research ‘epidemics’, or the incidence of diseases and illnesses in workplaces, and attempt to establish their causes and solutions The study of employees’ psychological reactions to their workplaces
11. Professionals’ interest in WHS The study of interpersonal communications and relationships in the workplace Four-level causative model of injury/disease (Dwyer 1982) Reward systems Command structure Work organisation Individual factors Critical Issue 2: Industrial psychology and sociology Discuss both sides of the following statement; ‘The effective management of WHS issues requires attention to both psychological issues’.
12. Professionals’ interest in WHS Aim to eliminate risks and improve productivity by modifying the physical arrangements and conditions of the workplace Draw on scientific management theories Legal action has increased since the passing of more comphrensive WHS legislation
13. Professionals’ interest in WHS ACTU vision 2005–2015 Support employers, employees and all those in the supply chain to develop cultures and attitudes, and accept responsibilities, that achieve safer places of work and safer methods of working so that Australian workplaces are free from death, injury and disease Cooperating with governments to harmonise the present state and federal WHS laws towards standard national WHS legislation Critical Issue 3: Unions and WHS Discuss both sides of the following statement: ‘Unions should have more involvement in WHS processes and issues’.
14. WHS and HRM Requires substantial input and consultation from all parties at the workplace Issues range from: strategic level of current issues, legislation to new work processes operational level from presence on workplace committees to support and advice (cont.)
15. WHS and HRM administrative level can range from coordination of collection of statistics to secretarial support for committees A wide range of Acts and statutes concerning specific occupational risks and hazards
16. WHS law in Australia National ‘model’ WHS legislation passed in during 2011 Three broad thrusts Prevention Compensation Rehabilitation Critical Issue 4: WHS legislation Discuss both sides of the following statement: ‘WHS legislation is the result of the vested interests of governments and unions rather than genuine concern for employee health or management excellence’.
17. Historical developments 1970s concern with costs UK and US influences Prevention focus Compensation Rehabilitation
18. Rehabilitation legislation Rehabilitation should be: industry based function oriented based on early intervention multidisciplinary based on a shared responsibility
19. Creating a safe, healthy and ethical work environment ‘While the success of a WHS program depends largely on managers, supervisors, union representatives and employees themselves, HR professionals can be involved in strategic, operational, coordinating and administrative roles that support all their activities.’ (Nankervis, Compton, Baird & Coffey 2011 p.475)
20. Issue 1: Accidents at work Need to be able to: Assess extent and costs to industry and society (imprecise) Identify cause and build in prevention Develop an effective framework
21. Accidents in the workplace
22. Accident reduction Comprehensive safety policies Specialist WHS function Safety awareness, prevention and training programs Medical, first aid and workers’ compensation systems Fire drills, protective clothing and equipment Safety incentive and prevention programs Accident investigation and analysis
23. Issue 2: Smoking in the workplace The most heated OHS/WHS issue of the late 1980s and the 1990s Reasons for smoke-free policies: financial legal health corporate image
24. Issue 3: Occupational stress Increased pressure on employees Legal precedents Series of research studies No agreed definition of stress Symptoms – fatigue, exhaustion, physical or emotional breakdown Effects
25. Stress and job performance
26. Stress in organisational settings
27. Critical Issue 5: Occupational stress Discuss both sides of the following statement: ‘Occupational stress is more a psychological reaction to lack of perceived control of work and bad workplace management than a response to work overload or the challenges of increasing employee responsibility’.
28. Issue 4: potential hazards of mobile phones No conclusive research evidence but some studies link exposure to electromagnetic radiation to lymphoma Further research being undertaken in Australia Potential flammability …
29. Issue 5: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) Employee, legal and medical concerns regarding potential risk of transmission in workplace National initiatives began in the 1980s Anti-discrimination legislation
30. Issue 6: The risks of international travel Increased terrorism Severe acute respiratory syndrome ‘Bird’ flu and ‘swine’ flu Deep vein thrombosis Employers advised to: monitor levels of travel required develop alternatives establish codes of practice discuss risks personally examine and communicate levels of insurance and workers’ compensation entitlements
31. Miscellaneous OHS/WHS issues Office hazards Video display units Workplace ‘bullying’ Repetition strain injury (RSI or OOS) Shift work Sick building syndrome Employee personal problems Wellness programs
32. Managing WHS programs Top management commitment Integrated promotion, communication, training and development activities Protective and medical/first aid facilities Risk management, recording, analysis and development systems Consultative mechanisms Integrated approaches
33. WHS information systems Comprehensive workplace data Accurate records Disease and accident cost-management Control of cost reimbursement from insurance companies Clear details of rehabilitation programs Medical programs Interface with other HR processes
34. Sources of information WorkSafe Australia Australian Safety and Compensation Council WorkCover (NSW) WorkCare (Vic) State-based rehabilitation and labour councils, workers’ health centres
35. Managing WHS programs Successful WHS programs require: Top management commitment Extensive safety and health promotion, communication, training and development activities that are integrated and cost-effective Adequate protective and medical/first aid, diagnostic and treatment facilities Risk management, recording, analysis and development systems Consultative mechanisms to investigate, monitor and prevent actual and potential workplace issues Integrated approaches to accidents/injury/disease, rehabilitation and workers’ compensation Critical Issue 6: Managing WHS Discuss both sides of the following statement: ‘The huge range of WHS issues and the complexity of managing them have seriously restricted management prerogatives.’
36. Summary Single largest growth issue in HRM Range of interest groups involved Comprehensive Australian legislation dates from the 1980s and continues today Focus is on consultation and prevention Diverse and changing range of WHS issues Key area HRM can demonstrate contribution
37. Diversity Diversity is when members of a group or organisation differ from one another along one or more important dimensions such as age, race, sex or ethnicity. Differences that are obvious – e.g. sex, age – are called primary dimensions. Differences that are not generally obvious – e.g. communication style, family status, education – are called secondary dimensions.
38. What do organisations say? Westpac Bank: ‘It is very important to us that we create an environment that understands, values and utilises the differences within our people. We aim to offer a supportive, harmonious workplace, free of prejudice, harassment and discrimination. In fact, it's a right we are all entitled to. Creating an environment where people can excel without encountering bias or being hampered by race, gender or disability has long been our focus.Westpac strives to provide equal opportunity in all aspects of employment, including recruitment, assignments, promotions, transfers, remuneration and training.This is not only the right thing to do, it also makes sense for our business; enabling us to attract people with the best skills and attributes and to develop a workforce whose diversity reflects that of the Australian population—our customers. In doing so we can develop a greater understanding and sensitivity to our customers' needs. A company's reputation is built in part by what people say about it. We feel privileged to have received external recognition for our diverse employment practices.’ (Westpac 2009)
39. What do organisations say? Australian Public Service (APS): ‘Diversity in this context covers gender, age, language, ethnicity, cultural background, sexual orientation, religious belief and family responsibilities. Diversity also refers to the other ways in which people are different, such as educational level, life experience, work experience, socio-economic background, personality and marital status. Workplace diversity involves recognising the value of individual differences and managing them in the workplace. The diversity of the people in the APS is one of its greatest strengths. Managing diversity successfully means creating an environment that values and utilises the contributions of people with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives…. The concept of workplace diversity includes the principle of equal employment opportunity (EEO). EEO policies address continued disadvantage experienced by particular groups of people in the workplace, including women, Indigenous Australians, people with disabilities and those who suffer disadvantage on the basis of race or ethnicity. These policies remain an important foundation for workplace diversity policy.’ (APS 2005)
40. Descriptions of the term ‘managing diversity’ (MD) and its variants There is no one generally accepted definition of MD. Oxford’s Dictionary of Human Resource Management describes MD as ‘the concept of recognizing the wide variety of qualities possessed by people within an organization.’ It goes on to say that MD ‘emphasizes the individuality of people, and the importance of valuing each person for his or her unique combination of skill, competences, attributes, knowledge, personality traits, etc.’ (Heery and Noon 2001: 215). Yet the above explanation is contested! Confusion abounds.
41. Origins of MD: USA Changing workforce demographics: 1987 report predicted a more feminised and ‘disadvantaged’ workforce (less white male workforce) for the year 2000 – the US would need greater investment in education and to change organisation of work, e.g. flexible hours. Increased global competition and assertion that US equity legislation (affirmative action) had not reached its goals. An additional force for change was increased global competition. R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr coined the term ‘managing diversity’: influential 1990 article in the Harvard Business Review. The identified goal was ‘to manage diversity in such a way as to get from a diverse work force the same productivity we once got from a homogenous work force’, and diversity could ‘perhaps’ deliver a bonus in performance (Thomas 1990: 112).
42. Spread of MD ideas Good for business: ‘A more diverse workforce, they [managers] say, will increase organizational effectiveness. It will lift morale, bring greater access to new segments of the marketplace, and enhance productivity. In short, they claim, diversity will be good for business’ (Thomas and Ely 1996: 79). Spread of MD ideas was swift: By 1997, 75% of Fortune 500 companies in the USA had diversity management programs.
43. What is the MD approach? NO AGREEMENT ON THIS MD moves beyond earlier equity approaches – MD is ‘new’ and equity is ‘old’. MD and equity approaches are different. MD is a new approach to management – a managerial philosophy. Kirton and Greene (2005: 123) list 5 approaches. MD is: ‘an evolutionary step from equality’ ‘a sophistication of the equality approach’ ‘a repackaging of equality’ ‘a sanitized, politically unthreatening and market-oriented notion’ ‘a “comfort zone”, allowing employers to avoid actively fighting discrimination’.
44. The business case for MD (competitive advantage) Need to maximise resource (staff) acquisition due to labour shortages Need to respond to diverse customer/client base Problem-solving potential and creativity of diverse teams MD facilitates organisational and cultural change Note that there is disagreement in the literature about points 3 and 4.
45. Equity approaches Equity – a premise that all persons have the right to benefit fairly, irrespective of gender, race, socioeconomic background, disability and so on. Equity legislation specifies groups of citizens who historically have experienced labour market disadvantage, such as women and certain ethnic groups. Managing diversity does not overtly recognise groups but predominantly talks about individuals. Yet one of the difficulties of understanding MD is that, while it promotes individual differences, practices within organisations often target specific groups.
46. Equity and MD The implicit cultural values underlying equal opportunity and affirmative action are egalitarianism, meritocracy and a remedy for past wrongs – that is, social goals – whereas those underlying MD are inclusiveness and respect for differences. The problems equal opportunity sets out to address are caused by bigotry and the limited access some groups have to jobs, networks and skills, whereas the problem diversity addresses is that the ‘organization loses out by requiring workers to assimilate to White male system’. Promoting equal opportunity involves formalisation of and commitment to non-discrimination and targeted programs for recruitment and advancement; for diversity, ‘culture change efforts will remove systemic, institutional barriers blocking minorities’ and women’s advancement’ (Kelly and Dobbin 1998: 976).
47. Business case and social justice MD does not engage with notions of past prejudice and discrimination or even present prejudice and discrimination and ‘provides only limited motivation for organizations to establish agendas promoting equality for historically excluded groups’ (Konrad 2003: 5). We cannot rely on MD policies ‘alone to deliver fairness and inclusion at work’. MD ‘is an organisational policy with business motives…It may indirectly produce a more equitable society…but there is no guarantee of this’ [original italics] (Wrench 2005: 79).
48. Diversity and equity issues have to be understood in their historical, cultural and geographical settings – MD is a concept reflecting the Western understanding of equity and outlook on management.
49. MD in an organisation Each country has its own mix of legislation and policies that may be promoted by government, business organisations, multi-national corporations, trade unions and/or community groups. Each organisation will develop its own approach – major influences are national legislation, labour market and ethos of the organisation.
50. Westpac and APS policies The nature, rationale and operation of diversity programs are more complex than is suggested in their statements. What would you need to do to implement these objectives? What difficulties might you face?
51. Questions? Tutorial Class/Exercise