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TOPIC:   EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE ORGANIZATION

Organization officials have a legal and moral responsibility to ensure that the workplace is free from unnecessary hazards. Employers hold responsibility for understanding what is necessary to keep workers safe from harm. Conditions surrounding the workplace must be secure for employee’s physical and mental health. As many organizations have implemented wellness program, that focus on smoking cessation, weight control, stress management, early diagnosis of health problems, prevention and education about life-style related and contagious illness. Wellness program can cut Employers health cost and lower absenteeism by preventing health related problems.

Reference: Textbook- DeCenzo, D. A., & Robbins, S. P. (2013). Human resource management , Chapter 13 Health and Safety.

Assignment Questions:

1. Describe the role of HR in offering Healthy and safe work environment to the workers. Also write the ways that Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA assist employers in creating a safer workplace.

2. Discuss the purpose and significance of Wellness Programs/Disease Management in the Organization. Support your answer with the example of two companies that provide these programs to their workers.  

3. If you’re HR Manager, how can you support your employees during the Public Health Emergency/Outbreak? Present your HR planning to run the organization effectively along with employees’ safety.

Answer 1

Describe the role of HR in offering Healthy and safe work environment to the workers:

Human Resources as a department is the care taker of all the employees in any organisation. Their role extends to provide an organisation with ongoing moral and health support along with professional guidance to all the staff to manage their careers. Also an important duty of HR is to provide their employees with a healthy and safe environment to work. Employees can directly approach their HR representative to report any unhealthy or unlawful practices within the firm. It is the primary responsibiltiy of the HR team to make the work atmosphere and environment a safe one for all their employees. Many companies conduct annual health check ups for their employees which is administered by the HR department. Also the HR department is responsible to manage the health insurance policy in a firm. They have to inform their teams regarding the health insurance cover that the company provides and to help and assist in the execution of the same. It is also the duty of HR to administer emergency treatment measure and provide emergency care and attention to their employees. To do so many offices have an infirmary with a nurse or an emergency doctor on call facility for their employees. HR department plays an important role in taking measures to prevent its staff from all types of work hazards that an employee can encounter while doing their job.

How the Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA assist employers in creating a safer workplace:

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) assists employers in many ways to create a safer workplace. To begin with OSHA requires employers to provide safety training to workers who face hazards on the job. OSHA creates training materials and distributes training grants to non-profit organisations and provides trainings through their educational centers. They also provide and assist companies with authorised trainers to do the safety trainings. It is OSHA's mission to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.

State Plans: State plans are OSHA approved workplace safety and health programs operated by individual states or US territories. There are currently 22 state plans covering both private sector and state and local government sectors. There are six State Plans covering only state and local government workers. State Plans are monitored by OSHA and must be atleast as effective as OSHA in protecting workers and in preventing work-related injuries, illnesses and deaths.

Discuss the purpose and significance of Wellness Programs/Disease Management in the Organization:

Many if not all organisations conduct Wellness Programs and have Disease Management methods and measures in place for their workers. These are very important from a workers safety and well being prospectives. Wellness Programs are conducted periodically to educate workers to ensure that they keep themselves healthy and disease free. Especially during any disease outbreaks there are certain measures which are strictly taken by the organisations to prevent the spread among its workers or staff. Many wellness programs help employees to achieve a good work-life balance so that workers remain motivated and energised and contribute their maximum to the firm. This is also very important from an employee retention aspect. The absence of such initiatives or health benefit programs and measures can severly impact the health and safety of the workers and make the workplace very threatful to work in.

Support your answer with the example of two companies that provide these programs to their workers:

1. Accenture conducts free health check-up camps in collaboration with different hospitals in the area where they are located. It also provides health insurance cover to all its employees where their family members are also covered.

2. IBM's Integrated Health Service Organisation - which encompasses occupational health, industry hygiene, safety and wellness professionals are responsible for implementing proactive, value based practices, programs and policies that effectively manage the complex, diverse and ever-changing health and safety needs of IBMers worldwide.

If you’re HR Manager, how can you support your employees during the Public Health Emergency/Outbreak?

As an HR Manager I can take the following measures to support our employees during an Outbreak or Public Health Emergency:

1. Inform all the employees about the Do's and Dont's at workplace during such an Outbreak.

2. Educate and explain the criticality of the disease and how it can affect an individual's health and what precautions can be taken to avoid it.

3. Get as many people as possible to work from home.

4. Set up an emergency helpline number for all employees for any kind of help they need.

5. Allow flexible working hours for all employees based on their job profile.

6. Set up a screening faciity at the company premises in collaboration with a hospital to diagnose the illness and prevent its spread.

7. Actively assist all employees with their health insurance coverage and benefits they can avail.

8. Roll out additional incentives and overtime pay-outs for people who can work extra during the outbreak.

9. Recognise and reward people periodically who are able to contribute their maximum during this situation.