Bdo 229 - Module; Employee Health and Ergonomics

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BDO 271  PRACTICAL

BDO 229: Module; Employee Health and Ergonomics

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Index

1. Introduction
2. Purpose of Health Management System
3. Structure of System
4. Responsibilities
5. How the System will function
6. Evaluation
7. Conclusion

1. Introduction

Technology and the people are the two most important things in any organisation, thus must they be managed effectively and efficiently. Although the primary goal of most organisations is to make profit, it has been accepted that they also have a definite social responsibility towards their employees. Employee health refers to the safety and health of employees. It has been proven that healthier, happier employees will lead to higher productivity, higher employee morale and loyalty to the organisation. We can thus conclude that employee health is a critical management area that needs attention. Organisations must also make sure that their employees are working in a safe work environment where the safety risks have been limited to the best of their abilities. The organisation must introduce thorough health and safety training programmes to the employee, so that the individual can make sure that health and safety regulations are met. The effective management of industrial health should be seen as a matter of shared responsibility between the organisation and the individual employee (Science, 2016). To assist the organisation in keeping their employees ‘healthy’ an employee aid program can be used.

An employee aid programme can best be described as a formal, structured programme that assists employees with problems, physical and social (Science, 2016). If such a programmed is implemented it will lead to the employee’s productivity being sustained or even improved and the employee’s social functioning promoted.

Ergonomics can be defined as the study of the relation between people and their occupation, equipment and environment, and particularly the application of anatomical, physiological and psychological knowledge to the problems arising there from (Science, 2016). Ergonomics can help the organisation by improving the work conditions of the employees.

Taking all the above factors into account, I will now discuss a detailed proposal for a comprehensive organisational health management system, which also includes ergonomics.  

1.  Purpose

The purpose of a health management system is to make sure that the organisation’s objectives is successfully completed in a healthy and safe manner with regards to employees. Poor employee health leads to absenteeism and low productivity. More satisfied employees will directly equal higher productivity. The satisfaction of employees must be considered as an integrated concept with different aspects for different individuals. Effective health care should involve both physical and psychical welfare of the individual.

With regards to physical harm caused by the work environment, certain rules and regulations need to be established by the health management system.  For example; in work environment where employees have to work with carbon-wastage (coal miners), which can cause black lung disease, they have to wear safety masks. Except for this medical facilities must be available on site, including medical officers and nurses to monitor the health of the employees on a regular basis.

The health management system must also accommodate for employees who are not physically harmed but emotionally. The purpose of the system in this area will be to make sure that the individual employee’s well-being is not suffering because of work related stressors. It is important to manage and maintain a work environment where employees feel safe and motivated to achieve higher productivity. It is vital to remember that each individual employee has specific needs. For example; an employee with children that are in school will enjoy the benefits of a flexi-time schedule so that she has time off in the afternoon to pick up her children from school. In allowing this employee to work on a time schedule that she is comfortable with the organisation will prevent her from undergoing unnecessary stress.

Effective use of ergonomics can utilise the space, movement and communication of the work place. This will lead to the employees getting the job done in less time because of the layout, design, physical and psychological environment, job selection, design and training and physical and cognitive aspects of the user – machine interface factors that were adjusted to suit the employee’s needs.

After taking all the above aspects into account we can conclude that the purpose of a health management system is to limit restrictions and risks of the employee in both physical and psychical aspects. This will lead to higher productivity, better customer service, less absenteeism, motivation and involvement of employees and loyalty to the organisation.

1. Structure of system

The health management system will adapt the structure of the organisation in such a way that the employees will be more satisfied. After medical and psychological facilities with the necessary staff are set into place, the managers will have an open communication link with these facilities to keep up with all employees well-being. The structure will also force top managers to be more involved in the health and safety of lower employees. It will also make sure that employees have a clear understanding of what the job specifications are and what is required from them. Except for that, the structure will also command job rotation and task significance, which will eliminate the effect of boredom and demotivation under employees.

 Job rotation will require employees to do different tasks on the same level of difficulty and thus broaden their understanding of different tasks and improve their skills. Task significance will allow employees to practice autonomy in the work place and thus feel more valuable to the organisation. Both of these actions will lead to higher levels of productivity and motivation in the work environment.

Employee aid programmes will be set into place to train and develop healthier, more equipped and more motivated employees. This will as well inform them of the do’s and don’ts in the work environment so that they can respect and appreciate each other. The functions of the EAP are; to identify the problem employees, to evaluate and follow up and to treat the employee.