Workshop Employee Health and Wellness: Diagnosis and Intervention

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Workshop - Employee Health and Wellness
Diagnosis and Intervention

• Feedback

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Structure

• The changing workplace The nature of work
• Effects of work
• Dual-process model

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Changes in the organization past year

• Affirmative action as one measure to employment
  equity (concerns not articulated)
• Focus on women promotion and fast tracking
• Mainstreaming Human Rights Issues periphery
• Restructuring is on-going process
• Communication Faster and more concentrated
  volumes

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Changes contd.

• Performance management system
• Excellent in concept
• Lacking in implementation
• Who holds power, who benefits perceptions?
• Perceptions on unfairness

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Changes contd.

• Integrated approach to health and wellness
• Mainstream human rights
• Dept plans, programs, policies
• Accommodation for people with disabilities
• Job design
• Work environment changes
• Increased IT roles - Live link
• Paperless trail for work in progress electronic

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Changes in the organization recent

• Impact of Resolution 7 Lean operation and
  restructuring of the civil service
• Project management format for work performed
• PFMA and sanctions
• Procurement procedures - preferences
• Re-configuration of departments merging
• Lesser involvement by unions absent at times?

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Changes in the organizationrecent

• Diversity issues more pronounced
• Changing of political heads
• Balance between career progression and family
  life
• Poor leadership demonstrated by some managers

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Changes in the organizationexpected

• Lack of managerial direct participationEHW
• Not enough importance attached to employee health
  and wellness
• Reasonable accommodation to escalate
• Increased uncertainty about job structures/
  security
• Environment Will be subject to constant change

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Effects at work observed

• Increased illness / longer periods absent
• Increased medical boarding white males
• White males have heightened feelings of
  insecurity
• Staff shortages produce work overload
• Stress sources multiply / increase
• Greater staff mobility Blacks and women
• Inability to relate to much younger senior
  managers - old versus young

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Effects at work observed

• Post traumatic stressHealth, SAPS
• Clumsy beaurocracy slows service delivery
• Substance and alcohol abuse levels up
• Note some of these symptoms are caused by
  personal problems

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Symptoms at work contd.

• Stress sources personal work related
• Absenteeism - avoidance of frustration in
  organization
• Presenteeism physically present

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Symptoms at work

• Low levels of motivation / pessimism
• Management support not evident/ prominent enough
• Staff Turnover increases
• Stress / suicidal tendencies

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Traditional employee well-being

• Definition of health remains the absence of
  disease
• Wellness is not just the absence of disease it
  is a state of complete physical, mental and
  social well-being

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Definition of employee health and wellness ours

• Health and wellness is a state whereby an
  employee feels physically, mentally, emotionally,
  and spiritually well, experiences optimal quality
  of life, is relatively satisfied with his/her
  environment, co-workers, family, friends, and has
  the ability to serve optimally
• An employee health and wellness programme is a
  proactive and a holistic intervention programme
  that is aimed at ensuring a capacitated,
  motivated, fulfilled and productive workforce
  through individual and organisational
  interventions

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Dual process model
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Demands and resources

• Demands Things that have to be done include
  physical, social and organisational aspects that
  require sustained physical and mental effort
• Resources Physical, psychological, social or
  organisational aspects that are necessary to
  achieve study goals, to reduce study demands and
  stimulate personal growth and development

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Stressful job?
Job demands
Job resources
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Job demands

• Continuous increase in workload
• Task duplication
• Red tape submissions
• Demands versus time constraints

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Job resources

• HR lack of staff and development opportunities
• Information and communication technology lack
  provincially
• Lack role clarity
• Budget is available, but it is not utilised
• Poor communication between management and
  employees
• Budgetary restraints Training, IT

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Job resources (continued)

• Divergent reporting processes and tight deadlines
• Job descriptions not clearly defined
• Lack of management commitment
• Opportunities to learn
• Social support levels vary
• Career possibilities differing perceptions

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The role of individual factors in health and
wellness

• Research has shown that individual resilience
  makes a difference in the way an individual
  perceive and cope with stressors
• Sense of coherence is one individual factor that
  could be considered strong relationship with
  health and wellness
• Employees with a strong sense of coherence
  understand the nature of challenges, feel that
  they can manage it and look for meaning in events
• If an employee has a weak sense of coherence
  (i.e. do not understand, manage and find meaning
  in events) effort should be spent on helping
  them to understand, manage and find meaning