Chapter 10: Implementation Activities

Objectives
At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to:
• Know the clarification of health, safety, accident and welfare
• Understand strategies for managing health and safety during
implementation
• Know the steps to risk assessment
• Understand types of discrimination
• Understand workplace discipline
• Define the principles of workplace grievances
Clarification of Key Concepts
Some of the employees raised concern about their health, safety,
welfare, including accidents in the organization where they work.
Workplace health and safety and hazards seek to address the building
and managing or renovating healthy and safe work premises in which
the workers will not feel insecure about their health or the likelihood
of encountering any injury while doing their job or suffer any effect
due to the work they do. Consequently, the three concepts are clarified
as follows.
Health
Which means being in a state where outwardly or mentally one is free
from any form of illness. For instance, working with high heat
producing machine can impact negatively on employees; for instance,
male workers may be impotent as a result unnecessary heat at the
place of work.

Safety
This focuses on putting measures in place to protect the workers from
any unforeseen incident that can harm them or even claim their lives in
the course of work.
Accident
Accident refers to any unplanned and uncontrolled event which creates
and/or result in harm whether through diseases or injury.

Welfare
Refers to all that matters about the entire quality of life as a whole
(physically, emotionally, psychologically) of the worker, for example
the quality of work-life balance.
Strategies for Managing Health and Safety During Implementation

Reactive Approach
This implies that firms may not have any blueprint/laid down
procedures to address the health and safety of their staff, but only
respond to health and safety issues as and when they happen.
Proactive approach
In this approach firms put every necessary measure required in place
to deal with issues of health and safety. These measures are normally
written down to prescribe what procedure to follow in handling the
health and safety issues. For example, XYZ does a periodic sanitation
training for new employees on preventive and protective measures at
the workplace causing them to develop inscriptions (e,g. keep
off ,radiation zone, strictly out of bounds, emergency exist,) pasted
where visible to prevent accident.
Step 1: Checking hazards at workplace
What this means is that management must allot specific periods to
undertake risk audit. Key areas to check are machines/equipment,
activity, the building, the floor, walkways, lighting, ventilation among
others.
Step 2: Determine who might be harmed should any factors in step 1
happens
Here, the number of people that will be involved in the event of the
accident, including the severity or how worst-case scenario will be is
key.
Step 3:
Evaluation – that is organization doing an assessment to ascertain the
risk to know whether there are proper measures put in place in the
organization to handle it should it occur.

Step 4:
Write down all findings - the results should be written down in simple
and clear language for easy reading. It should be readily available as a
proof for anyone who will require it any usage e.g. legal action etc.
The things realized from the risk assessment should be shared across
based on what was known is previous steps (1-3) and the steps taken to
minimize the risk. The benefit of the information is that it can be used
to pre-inform everybody and educate them if need be.
Step 5: Review and revision
At this level, anything that introduces a hazard must trigger a review
of risk assessment in the course of the process. Even situations where
new machinery are purchased or even a change in the operating
process, still the risk assessment must be reviewed. Overall, it is a
good practice for organizations to review assessment procedures on a
regular basis to check for new hazards and see if the control measure
is still effective and can secure the firm concerned.
Discrimination at work
This is based on the idea that management should create equal
opportunities for all employees irrespective of   their gender,
ethnicity, race, religious beliefs and sexual orientation. All workers
must be treated fairly and should be given equal access to services
and benefits in the organization. Organizations are normally
obliged to put in place anti-discrimination measures in an attempt
to create equal opportunities for all workers. Among the reasons
cited for these anti-discrimination laws are:
1.Common decency and fairness, in line with business ethics

2.Good HR practice, to attract and retain the best people for the job,
regardless of race or gender

3.Compliance with relevant legislation and Codes of Practice, which

are used by employment tribunals

4.Widening the recruitment pool in times of skill shortages

5.Other potential benefits to the business through its image as a good

employer, and through the loyalty of customers who benefit from (or
support) equality principles.
Types of discrimination

Discrimination at the workplace can take several forms. However, it

can be direct, indirect or victimization.

Direct discrimination
Discrimination is said to be direct when one group is treated less
favorably than another. This form of discrimination is often
intentional even though there could be some exceptional cases where
it may be done unintentionally.
Indirect discrimination
This happens when a policy or practice looks fair in form, but
discriminatory in operation. An instance is when there are imposition of
conditions or terms such that the target group cannot comply for which
it will be to their disadvantage.

Victimization
It normally happens when a person who took an action or give out
information on an alleged discrimination is penalized.
Workplace Discipline During Implementation

Workplace discipline can be considered where rules ensure that staff

are self-controlled. Normally these rules are in conformity with the
organizational goals and objectives and therefore they are highly
acceptable by the organization. Workplace disciplinary measures vary
between formal and informal processes. The informal procedure
implies that they are not written down and may be handled discretely
by the manager while the formal procedures are more likely to be
coded in a company handbook, employment contract and followed
closely by workers. The purpose of discipline is not to punish but to
improve the future behavior of the employee and other members of
the organization.
Discipline is said to exist in an organization when there is orderliness
and everyone behaves sensibly and conduct themselves well in
accordance with acceptable behavioural standards which are in line
with the goals of the organization. Just like motivation, discipline is
meant to secure desired behaviour in the organization.
Types of discipline
Distinction can be made between positive and negative discipline.
Positive discipline
This is meant to make employees act in ways that will ensure
successful and safely completion of tasks.
Negative discipline
This is meant to force employees to act in a certain way that is
acceptable, but it could be punitive, deterrent or reformative. Some
occurrences that may draw the attention of management to apply
disciplinary measures are Excessive absenteeism, Poor timekeeping,
Defective and/or inadequate work performance and Poor attitudes
which influence the work of others or reflect on the image of the
firm.
It is however important to note that the best form of discipline is
self-discipline. It must be noted that the purpose of discipline is not
punitive or retribution but for the betterment of the employee and
the organization as a whole.
Attributes of Good Discipline
• It should be written down and made available for everyone to have
knowledge about
• It should be clear
• Not partial in its enforcement
• Indicate the disciplinary actions which may be taken
• Specify the levels of management which have the authority to take
the various forms of disciplinary action
Managing Discipline

Informal talk:
This type of discipline does not normally follow a specific pattern; it
can be either written or oral.

Oral warning:
This is where the one involved receives the discipline orally.

Written official warning:

This is also the situation where a caution is giving to the worker in
written form. It could be in letter or an e-mail.
Lay-off or suspension:
This is where an employee is being asked to stay away from work for a
particular period of time and may or may not be called until proven
changed.

Demotion:
This is a form of discipline where someone is being removed from his
or her position to another and is normally from high to low. Using
company XYZ as an example, should a higher ranked worker fights
with a subordinate and moved from that rank to lower rank-say 3rd
deputy,he/she is said to be demoted.
Dismissal:
This is also an outright removal from post and fired. This is normally
the last option for firms to apply on workers whose conducts are highly
unacceptable. For example, theft, deliberately destroying properties,
the use of abusive words on leadership etc.
Summary
This chapter examines implementing workforce planning in the areas
of health, safety, accident and welfare, strategies for managing health
and safety during implementation, steps to risk assessment, types of
discrimination work place discipline and the principles of work place
grievances