HRM Chapter 11

Sustainable health & safety and HRM

● Health defined as a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not
merely the absence of disease or infirmity (by WHO)
● OHS (Occupational health & safety) - for prevention of hazards and promotion of
health at workplace.

Importance of health, safety & wellness

● Economic consideration: A safe & healthy work environment built on sustainable

principles can reduce operating costs and improve organisational effectiveness.
● In addition to direct costs related to lost production due to accidents and illness there
are also indirect costs. these include overtime payments necessary to make up for
lost production, the cost of retraining replacement employees and the legal cost
associated with court hearings.

● Legal consideration: legal rights of workers are categorised into individual and
collective. Individual rights evolved from common law, eg. employers have a duty to
provide a safe working environment for the workers.
● Collective health and safety rights arise from the negotiated collective agreements
between unions and Management.

● Psychological considerations: work system designs have effects on physical health,

mental health and longevity of life itself. Healthier workplaces have greater
experience of HR practices, and are also associated with a more positive state of
psychological contract and lower reported levels of stress.

● Ethical considerations: grey areas of occupational health safety and well being that
do not fall within the scope of legislation.
● informed consent - workers should be competent to assess the risk and be fully
informed about the risk and voluntarily accept it.
● Multinational companies rather than addressing underlying issues, relocate
hazardous work to countries with more lax health and safety regulations effectively
outsourcing the problem.

Workplace health and safety issues

● Mental health at work - Risk to mental health include excessive workloads, unclear
tasks, poor communication and management practices, low levels of support, Limited
participation and decision making and low control over one’s work, inflexible working
hours and inadequate health and safety policies.
● The financial cost to employers and the economy as a whole is high. Individuals are
less productive and their remaining costs include sickness absence and staff
turnover.
 ● Workplace stress and burnout - workload in particular tight deadlines, too much work
and excessive pressure or responsibility is the primary cause of pressure. this is
followed by lack of support, violence, threats & bullying, changes at work, role
uncertainty and lack of control.
● Internet and smart devices have created a 24/7 on-demand lifestyle that results in
intrusion of work into private life. Stress is also caused by dual role syndrome which
is when employees tries to balance family and work and it leads to stress.

● Workplace violence - includes sexual harassment and abuse. Negative results of this
on organisation includes decreased commitment, retention and performance.

● Workplace bullying - This Falls into 3 categories. 1) Work related such as withholding
information, setting unreasonable deadlines or creating unmanageable workload. 2)
Person related which includes humiliation in connection with work, repeated
reminders of mistakes and persistent criticism. 3) Physical intimidation which
includes insults or threats.

Cost associated with this are higher turnover rates, absenteeism, reduced productivity,
diminished performance, legal expenses, reputational damage and decreased loyalty and
commitment. Resolution options are apology, coaching, mentoring or financial
compensation.

Alcohol and drug abuse

Architects, doctors, lawyers, teachers, airline pilots, train drivers, sea captains cannot use
alcohol and go to work.

Sick building syndrome

This is very stupid but this syndrome is when occupants or workers of a certain building face
health issues. It can be because of poor air quality, inadequate ventilation, unsuitable lighting
and airborne pollutants.

Workplace wellness
Programs that are intended to increase productivity enhance well being and reduce
spending on medical care. Eg. Supporting employees to quit smoking, take more exercise,
improve diet, financial support to freeze their eggs, gender reassignment procedures etc.

Interesting!

Conclusion
HR strategy should be complementary and compatible with corporate strategy.