The global lens on productivity: how EAPs respond to the constantly changing workplace Service SETA

1
The global lens on productivity how EAPs respond
to the constantly changing workplaceService
SETA 2004Annual EAP ConferenceDurbanMarch 31,
2004
2
Learning objectives

• Generate an appreciation of how productivity may
  be perceived internationally
• Provide a consistent framework for diagnosing
  threats to productivity
• Present possible ways that EAPs together with
  other disciplines can integrate for workplace
  productivity

3
Presenter
Siyabonga Nkosi Clinical Psychologist EAPA Board
Member Public Relations 083 276 7466

4
Part One

• The global framework

5
What is productivity?

• Productivity is the measure of the ratio of
  output over input, where output refers to the
  goods or services produced by an enterprise, and
  input refers to the resources used to produce the
  outputs, including capital expenditure, raw
  materials, energy, information and labour costs
  (Fisher et al, 2003)

6
Output versus input

• Sales turnover, units sold
• Units produced or manufactured, machine
  utilisation
• Staff morale, motivation and attitudes

• Planning, effort, detail and decision-making
• Expenses related to materials, labour/ machinery
• Time, volume and quantities used

7
The global lens framework
Political forces
Workplace trends
Socio-health conditions
Economic developments
8
Political forces

• Fluidity of political forces
• Case example September 11th catastrophe in the
  US
• Disaster response plans
• Post-disaster interventions

9
Economic developments

• Volatility of market forces
• RAND Global Casino chip? (Business Day, 17/02)
• Restructuring and transformation process
• Insecurity of the labour market
• Widening gap between the skilled and unskilled
  due to technological advancement

10
Socio-health conditions

• The Scourge of HIV/AIDS in the workplace
• Poverty/ inequality
• Disease management
• Lowered life expectancy vs the identity of the
  young professionals
• Employment commitment and engagement
• Existing culture and history of EAPs

11
Workplace trends

• Worker shortage
• Communication paradox
• Education/ talent shortage
• The ageing workforce life expectancy paradox
• Costs of absenteeism, accidents and grievances
• Costs of new healthcare benefits

12
Part Two

• Threats to productivity

13
HIV/AIDS impact on productivity

• Reduces life expectancy and increases child
  mortality
• Creates skilled labour shortages
• Defeats all efforts to invest in education
• and training
• Increases healthcare and funeral costs and low
  investments, dependency and early retirement
• Leads to absenteeism and reduced outputs

14
Workplace bullying

• A major global workplace health risk
• A form of interpersonal aggression or hostile,
  anti-social behaviour in the workplace
• Social isolation or silent treatment, rumours,
  attacking the victims private life, excessive
  criticism or monitoring of work, withholding
  information or depriving responsibility and
  verbal aggression

15

• Associated with high turnover and intent to leave
  the organisation, higher absenteeism and
  decreased commitment
• Lower levels of job satisfaction, psychosomatic
  symptoms
• Common in restructuring or downsizing
  organisations

16
Addictive behaviour

• Internet (sex/sports)
• Related to depression and work pressures
• Common in males
• Can progress from a habit to an obsession
• Costly to the organisation and productivity

• Substances
• Related to depression and work pressures
• Common in males
• Can progress to dependence
• Impacts on line management and productivity

17
Absenteeism

• Absenteeism is the withdrawal of individual
  employees from the process of production, for
  individual personal reasons, normally for health
  or compassionate reasons.
• Workers tend to see sick leave as an
  entitlement, as part of their annual leave,
  rather than to be taken in extraordinary
  circumstances(Wood, Productivity SA).

18

• The result of defective industrial relations
• Reaction to workplace injustice
• Depends on management style if managers are
  firm, then lower levels of absenteeism
• A hidden form of industrial protest during the
  turbulent transformation period
• Also related to HIV/AIDS as accounted for by
  sickness and time for funeral attendance

19
Threats to labour productivity in South Africa
HIV/AIDS
POVERTY
Lower standard
Life expectancy
Low Income
20
Part Three

• Possible ways of managing integration for
  workplace productivity

21
Important factors in improving productivity

• Improving the work environment
• Developing a skilled workforce to ensure faster
  and more effective work performance
• Improved leadership and innovative management
• Transcending the organisation from being the
  learning, knowing to the empathetic organisation
• Raising the morale of workers to achieve fewer
  work stoppages, higher levels of initiative,
  lower absenteeism and enhanced customer
  satisfaction

22
EAP Problem assessment and referral Short-term
problem resolution Crisis intervention Supervisory
training Substance abuse and drug free
workplace Violence prevention
WORKLIFE Child/elder care initiatives Life cycle
living initiatives Flexible work
arrangements Family support Health and wellness
promotion Policies that address work Resources
development
WELLNESS Health screening and stratification Healt
h management interventions Communications
material High risk population interventions Diseas
e management
23
Three pillars of management

• You have to measure productivity to be able to
  improve it
• You need to take a balanced approach to the
  productivity process
• You have to drive the process as ongoing as it is
  not a once-off event

24
Thank you

• The end!