Intro to HRM Lecture 6 - Employee Wellbeing

Employee Wellbeing

Employee Wellbeing

Have you ever witnessed any of the following from someone

in a work setting?

• Struggling to maintain satisfactory job performance because of severe

anxiety or depression

• Refusing medical or other assistance for a treatable condition

• Burnout or fatigue as a response to ongoing work pressures and stress

• Showing up for work under the influence of alcohol or drugs

• Involvement (or noninvolvement) in organizational efforts to promote

good health (e.g., fitness, nutrition, weight control, or control of high

blood pressure)

2Allen Grabo – VU University Amsterdam

Employee Assistance Programs• EAPs are based on the premise that work is very important to people;

the work itself is not the cause of the employee’s problem

• The workplace can be a means to get people help

• Supervisors and workplace peers can play a critical role in getting help

for the employee – and in denying and thereby sustaining the problem

• EAPs concentrate on job performance issues

• They are not intended to be medical programs

• Information about job performance is needed for diagnosis and

treatment

• Cost-effectiveness is an important consideration and must be

addressed with upper management


Components• Problem identification

• Education

• Referral

• Counseling

• Treatment

• Follow-up.


Behavioral Problem Indicators

Absenteeism

• Taking many absences without authorization

• Using vacation days to cover frequent absences

On-the-job absences

• Often away from one’s work area

• Frequent tardiness after lunch or breaks

High accident rates

• Accidents off the job that affect work performance

• Accidents on the job due to carelessness, inattentiveness, etc.


Behavioral Problem IndicatorsJob performance issues

• Complaints from coworkers or clients

• Missing deadlines

• Frequent shifts between high and low performance

• Difficulty understanding instructions or new information

Poor relationships with coworkers

• Extreme reactions to real or implied criticism

• Large mood swings

• Avoiding coworkers and friends

• Increasing irritability or argumentativeness


EAP EffectivenessHRD professionals who are considering adopting an EAP for their

organization should:

• Determine whether it is likely to be a cost-effective solution for their organization

• Determine the types of programs needed

They can make these decisions by:

• Calculating the per-person cost of treating problems to obtain the desired

outcomes

• Comparing those costs to the cost of replacing the person rather than offering

treatment


Stress in the WorkplaceThree main components:

• Some environmental force affecting the individual, which is called a stressor

• The individual’s psychological or physical response to the stressor

• In some cases, an interaction between the stressor and the individual’s

response


Organizational StressorsFactors intrinsic to the job

• role conflict or ambiguity

• workload

• insufficient control

Organizational structure and control

• red tape politics

• rigid policies

Reward systems

• faulty and infrequent feedback

• inequitable rewards


Organizational StressorsHuman resource systems

• inadequate career opportunities

• lack of training

Leadership

• poor relationships

• lack of respect


Stress, health, and performanceStress can impair employee and/or organizational performance by

influencing:

• Physical health: absenteeism (lack of efficiency) and presenteeism

(accidents, poor customer service, lack of efficiency)

• Mental health: Depression and anxiety, emotional exhaustion (burnout)

predict voluntary turnover

• Accident proneness: due to fatigue or risk-taking/deviance

• Teamwork: Stress increases self-focus and inhibits cooperation with

others

• Organizational culture


Stress, health, and performance

Five categories of behavioral responses to stress:

• Degradation/disruption of the work role itself (e.g., accidents and

errors)

• Aggressive behavior at work (e.g., stealing)

• Flight from the job (e.g., absenteeism)

• Degradation/disruption of other life roles (e.g., spouse abuse)

• Self-damaging behaviors (e.g., smoking or alcohol or drug use)


Stress, health, and performanceIn general, there is a negative relationship between stress, health, and

performance. However, it depends on the type of stress:

• Eustress: (from the Greek euphoria), “positive stress”, stress that arouses or

motivates individuals to meet challenges.

• Distress: strain; stress that is unmanagable and damaging to health and

performance

Moderators or boundary conditions of the stress-performance relationship:

• TASK: simple or complex

• SITUATION: demand-control-support, reward-effort imbalance

• PERSON: perceptions of challenge vs. hindrance, gender, coping styles


Stress, health, and performance


Gender and workplace stressCocchiara & Bell, 2009:

• Gender moderates the relationship between stress and strain

(dysfunctional performance) in the workplace

Women face unique stressors when compared to men

• Multiple conflicting roles

• Lack of career progress

• Discrimination and stereotyping

• Overall, women experience higher levels of stress than men, and suffer

from more health ailments than men.


Health Promotion Programs Based on the premise that wellness is more than the mere absence

of disease

• Activities that promote healthy workplace behavior

• Organizational practices that ensure employee health and fitness

• Encourage individuals to adopt a lifestyle that maximizes overall well-

being

• Deal with stress and non-stress issues

• Obesity

• Nutrition

• Smoking cessation


Health Promotion Programs

1. Provide nutritious options in cafeterias and vending machines and, if possible,

subsidize the purchase of them

2. Make the workplace smoke free and help employees kick the habit outside of work

3. Encourage exercise by offering employees free use of a fitness center or subsidizing

employees ’memberships to offsite facilities

4. Offer on-site health education and screening for conditions like high blood pressure

and cholesterol

5. Share with employees who take care of themselves some of the savings they

generate

6. Design healthcare programs with a component that extends to employees’ families


Take-HomeBoth organizations and employees have much to gain from

workplace counseling and wellness interventions

Healthy work environments cannot be expected to occur without

healthy employees


Leadership & Management

Intro to HRM Lecture 6 - Employee Wellbeing