Chapter 3: Creating a Culture of Well- being Flashcards
What is organizational culture?
- Collective understanding of beliefs and values that guide how employees act and behave
- The “personality” of the organization
What is the impact of organizational culture in a workplace?
- Provides the compass of what employees do and say
- Several dimensions to culture, including how management does or does not involve employees in decision-making and whether the focus is on team or individual
- Culture has profound impact on success of organization
What does employee engagement mean?
- Amount of commitment and dedication an employee has toward organization
- Way in which organization has truly captured the total person in achieving organizational outcomes
What makes employee engaged?
- positive work relationships with co-workers and management
- good fit between skills, job requirements, and organization’s culture
- regular feedback on employee
- opportunities to learn new skills
- employees having control over their work
What can leaders do to improve employee engagement?
- design jobs to include employees’ skills and strengths
- listen to and incorporate employee opinions
- communicate clear expectations
- give recognition and praise
- provide learning and career development opportunities
- provide resources and support in finding solutions to problems
- clarify roles and decision making authority
- provide flexible work schedules and workloads
What are the 3 health and safety concerns for employers?
- Occupational Injury
- Occupational Illness
- Industrial Diseases
What is an occupational injury? Give example.
An occupational injury is bodily damage resulting from working. The most common organs involved are the spine, hands, the head, lungs, eyes, skeleton, and skin. Occupational injuries can result from exposure to occupational hazards (physical, chemical, biological, or psychosocial), such as temperature, noise, insect or animal bites, blood-borne pathogens, aerosols, hazardous chemicals, radiation, and occupational burnout.
What is an occupational illness?
A condition that results from exposure in a workplace to a physical, chemical or biological agent to the extent that the normal physiological mechanisms are affected and the health of the worker is impaired.
What is an industrial disease? Give example.
An occupational disease is any chronic ailment that occurs as a result of work or occupational activity. It is an aspect of occupational safety and health.
- lung disease
- skin diseases
What type of stress disabilities are also of great concern
- Physical injury leads to mental disabilities
- Mental stress causes a physical disability
- Mental stress creates a mental condition
How to create a healthy and safe work environment?
• Legal framework
• Duties and responsibilities of employers,
employees, and supervisors
• Recognize that younger employees may need more training and understanding of their role in creating the environment
What are the health and safety duties and responsibilities of employers?
- provide a hazard-free workplace
- comply with laws and regulations
- inform employees about safety and health requirements
- keep records
- compile annual summary of work-related injuries and illnesses.
- ensure supervisors are familiar with work and associated hazards
- report accidents to WCB.
- provide safety training.
What are the health and safety duties and responsibilities of workers?
- comply with all laws and regulations.
- report hazardous conditions or defective equipment
- follow employer safety and health rules
- refuse unsafe work
What are the health and safety duties and responsibilities of supervisors?
- advise employees of potential workplace hazards
- ensure workers use or wear safety equipment
- provide written instructions
- take every reasonable precaution to guarantee safety of workers
- take every reasonable precaution to guarantee safety of workers.
What are the health and safety duties and responsibilities of joint health and safety committees?
- advise employer on health and safety matters.
- create a nonadversarial climate to foster a safe and healthy work environment.
- investigate accidents
- train other in safety obligations.
What does C.S.S.T. stand for?
La Commission de la Sante et de la Securite du travail du Quebec
What are the employers’ rights on C.S.S.T.?
- To receive training and obtain information on occupational health and safety;
- To seek out support and advice regarding your prevention process.
What are the employers’ obligations on C.S.S.T.?
• To identify, control and eliminate hazards to workers;
• To ensure the safety of the equipment, tools and work methods in your facilities,
and to make sure these are properly used or adopted by workers;
• To inform workers of any job-related risks;
• To provide workers the necessary training to ensure they can safely perform their tasks;
• To supervise the work of employees and ensure adherence to safety standards;
• To offer medical attention (first aid) on site;
• To develop a prevention program (may be mandatory under applicable legislation).
What is the law for workers compensation?
Workers may receive • Cash payouts for permanent disability • Wage loss payments if absent (or seriously ill) worker can no longer earn as much • Medical (First) aid on site • Vocational rehabilitation
What is the goal of workers compensation?
return the employee to his/her original job
What are the ways to reduce workers’ compensation costs?
- Perform an audit to assess high-risk areas within a workplace
- Prevent injuries by proper ergonomic design of the job (such as position of keyboard) and effective assessment of job candidates.
- Provide quality medical care to injured employees by physicians with experience preferably with training in occupational health.
- Reduce litigation by effective communication between the employer and the injured worker.
- Manage the care of an injured worker from the injury until return to work. Keep a partially recovered employee at the worksite
- Provide extensive worker training in all related health and safety areas.
What are the purposes of a safety program?
- Promoting safety awareness
- Enforcing safety rules
- Investigating accidents and keeping records
Explain 1. Promoting safety awareness
• Most important role
• Most effective when:
o Managers/suprvs are good role models
o employees willingly obey and champion safety rules
• Supervisor is key (must communicate), but employees should be actively involved
• Training Topics: first aid, accident investigation, accident prevention techniques, hazardous materials, emergency procedures
Explain 2. Enforcing safety rules
- Communicate specific expectations and standards to workers
* Specify penalties and apply them consistently
