National Workplace: Effects of Negative Events

Sometimes, I wonder if what happens at work effects us even after we leave the workplace. I know that we can still be mad or scared about things, especially losing a good job or even a crappy job. But I also wondered about physical health...can events that happen at work have long term effects on our health? So I conducted an online survey through ZOOMERANG. Brief Method. There were 563 people who participated in the survey (46% female; 54% male; 87% Caucasian). There were 30 items in the survey, but not all are salient to this discussion. The survey was open for a two week period and 11 items assessed work environment,5 items assessed perception of workplace, 5 items assessed patterns of illness. Negative work events: Discrediting personal character, Discrediting Professional Competence, Verbal abuse, Humiliation, Isolation Patterns of Illness: PAIN Back pain, joint pain, shoulder pain, arthritis Affect Agitiation, difficulty sleeping, depression, moodiness, worthlessness, panic Job Stability: Have you resigned a position because of work environment? Have you accepted a position because of work environment? So what did I find out? I found out that workers who had experienced negative work events had greater frequency in all patterns of illness. People who experienced humiliation and isolation experienced the greatest frequency of illnesses. I also found that when people percieve their work environment to be negative they showed more interest in getting a different job (well derrrh!!) However, these people also reported greater anxiety because they "knew the environement could be more positive." People who see their position as negative are more willing to resign a position. However, people who report negative environments and DO NOT LEAVE THE POSITION had the highest percentages of illness categories. When people were asked if they had accepted a position because of the environment most people said yes (74%). These respondents had higher frequency of negative events at a prior job (all negative event categories above 80%. When asked if if they would resign a position because it was a negative environment the result was not so clear. 42% of respondents said they had left beause of a negative environment and 56% said they had not. These respondents experienced high levels of humiliation and isolation (86% and 80) but lower levels of discrediting and verbal abuse. I can send the data to you if you would like. What do you think? Can workenvironement lead to health problems or do health problems lead to workenvironment problems?

some more good workplace links--check these out

http://www.workplaceviolence911.com/ http://www.usda.gov/news/pubs/violence/wpv.htm http://workplacepsychology.net/about/

link to a domestic violence and work blog

http://domesticviolenceworkplace.blogspot.com/ This link will help tell you more about domestic violece and the workplace

Workplace Relationships-Happy Valentine's Day

We all know the standard rule about workplace relationships--DON'T DO IT and yet at one time or another we all find ourselves, at least, contemplating the idea. So in the spirit of St.Valentine's day TMtalent management has posted THREE TIPS TO NAVIGATE WORKPLACE RELATIONSHIPS.

They report that 40% of workers have dated a co-worker at some point in their worklife. An astonishing 3 in 10 said they married that person (CareerBuilder.com 2011 survey).

Office Romance is here to stay so--what should we do accoding to this article?
Be sure everyone knows the "cultural norms and expectations" of the specific workenvironment. Be sure everyone knows how to handle wanted and unwanted approaches. If an organization does not have policy covering these types of work relationships potential bad news could be in store!!

So--1. Create a policy or know what the policy is--
Have something down on paper for everyone to follow. Outline how to file a claim, handle consequences, and reinforce company policy. Consider prohibiting relationships between a boss and someone in direct line of adminsitration--include the process by which a person could request a transfer.

Don't create policy that forbids all workplace dating. This would be unrealistic and reduce marriages by about 30%!! Such policies might encourage sneaking and lieing or loss of great talent-it is often the stronger partner who leaves because that person has an easier time finding a job.

2. Encourage Communication
Encourage people to be open about office romance with other colleagues--when this is not the case there is almost always an undercurrent of nervousness and tension that undermines the workplace. However, ensure that people know that the workplace IS NOT the proper place to air relationship highs and lows. You may have met your partner at work--but keep the details at home.

Don't gossip or disclose someone else's relationship.

3. Consider interoffice dynamics
People must behave professionally at work--no matter who they are dating. Be aware if relationships in the office start to go bad--have a plan in place that will not disrupt workplace functions. It may be up to the leaders in the workplace to speak directly to the couple and outline expected behavior before the relationship "goes south." Have a plan in place!!

Given this, however it is not necessary to separate people because they are dating. People can still work on the same project with great success, just be certain that others are not left out and that the relationship stays professional. In many cases this can be beneficial as partners may continue to talk about work related project in their own time!!

To contact the author of the article this information was gleened from: editor@talentmgt.com

SO WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK ABOUT THIS? I can see the sense of it all--but it makes me nervous...given that we are still at a high rate of divorce and the disruption a divorce can create I worry about this. An additional thought to consider is that the workplace is not immune from domestic violence--there are cases where spouses were confronted at work and other people were endangered. I will check the latest statictics and see what is going on these days relating these two topics.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY