Cheong Liang Ruey 31923243

BACHELOR OR COMMRCE

BUS 320 ADVANCED HUMAN RESOURCE PERSPECTIVES

Individual Report

Work Health & Safety Case Study

Student Name: Cheong Liang Ruey

Student ID: 31923243

Lecturer: Marc Tong

Total Words: 1557

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Table of Contents

Title Pages

Cover Page 1

Table of Contents 2

Executive Summary 3

Identify Problems and Case Analysis 3

Solutions 4

Recommendations 5

Implementations 6

Conclusion 7

Appendix A to B & References 8

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Executive summary

Today’s workers have getting more involved in their occupational life than ever

before. This increases the length of workers’ working hours, while the reasons can be

many. Workers like Terry, is clearly a workaholic and worship his work. He is

probably belonging to the group of people that believe they can only attain their

achievement in their career.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has found that stress is one of the biggest

threats in the 21st century and occupational stress as one of the second most common

health problem (TG, 2013). Health and safety in workplace is ever-increasing in the

importance that Singapore is implement a strategy for Workplace Safety and Health

Strategy (WSH) 2018.

In this essay, we will first look into the case study of stress and workaholism and

analyses it and identify problems. Here, we list out the problems that Terry and his

company is facing. After which will we look into some possible solutions that can be

helping Terry and his company to rectify the situation in his company, follow by the a

recommendation for the implementation. While the topic about WSH can be so wide,

we will narrow this case study report focusing more on occupation stress and

workaholism as the case is about.

Identify Problem and Case Analysis

Singapore’s Employment Act consent that employee’s normal hours of work should

be 44 hours in a week with maximum of 72 hours of overtime in a month. Terry’s

working hours is hitting the level of 60 or more hours in a week is hovering around

the maximum hours that listed in Part IV of the Employment Act (MOM, 2013). This

part of the Employment Act is applicable only to employees earning not more than

$2000 basic monthly salaries. Singapore Ministry of Manpower’s Workplace Safety

and Health (WSH) have already made significant progress in the recent year and even

established a WSH strategy towards 2018. Despite of this progress, Singapore legal

framework is still a far cry from countries like Australia with more extensive

Occupational Health Safety legal requirements that could have a better protection on

Terry. In Australia, where employers have the “duty of care” that unpins all OHS

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activities required the employer to ensure the working environment is safe and

without risk to health.

Many organisations like Terry’s CEO, consider workaholic positive because the

organisation makes profit and excessive working of their workers and side effects of

this type of working culture is often ignored or justified through some prizes and

encouragement (Fassel, 1998). Good HRM practise and management supports are

intrinsic to a healthy and safety in workplace. The rewarding of workaholic action

may result in an acute negative outcome.

Terry’s behaviour has also affect his team and creates a culture to work long hours.

This could be a form of occupational stress phenomenon that is acute problem to the

company. This not only endangers the physical and mental health of the employees

and this will lead to an unduly cost to the organisation. Work holism can result in

negative behaviours such as absence, isolation, low efficiency, high stress,

occupational faults and accidents (Marko chi- et al. 1991). Study have been conducted

and found out those workaholics, like other stressful personnel tend to complain more

about their health and experience anxiety disorder (Mc Milan, 2001). These

workaholics are also found to have more tendencies to caught diseases like headache,

asthma, heart palpitation and digestive problems and occupational stress. While

occupational stress claim is not available yet in Singapore, countries with more

developed WSH like UK and Australia, occupational stress claim can be a massive

cost to organisations and companies.

Solutions

It is important for organisations and Annette to recognise and acknowledge that

Workaholic and occupational stress as a form of occupational hazard too. The

management should manage the hardworking culture with organization culture based

on proper performance and work life balance.

Employees that suffer from occupational stress maybe reluctant to report and fearful

to seek assistance from the management. Reasons for such reluctance could vary

among individuals but one of the most commonly reasons are the employee’s fear that

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job security will be affected by reporting the condition. The management and CEO

and Terry should be more aware of and educate with occupational stress and hazards

and more acceptance to recognising it as a hazard. Workers should have self-aware,

responsible and discipline to his or her health. Reporting should also keep as

necessary confidentiality.

Some practical solutions can be suggested like, sending these workaholics to courses

with concepts like “time management “ Problem solving skills”. Some family

activities, like Family day reminds employees of family awareness and to allocate

time for their family. Management can even consider consulting employees’ family

members to reduce the adverse effect of “workaholics”. Employers should have

confidence about their employee leaves and working plans. Thus, encouraging

employees to take a break and replenish their power after completing too much works

(Shariat & Shokuh, 2012).

Some of the examples that management activities that could be implements solutions

for occupational stress are; firstly, management should be communicating and

clarifying expectations of work standards and deadlines including key management

issues that may occur ie conduct investigations, disciplinary matters. Secondly,

management should assisting employees to prioritise work to meet realistic deadlines

and providing feedback on performance. Third, they should monitor individual and

group workloads (Premier, 2003).

Recommendations

One of the responsibilities of the manager’s human resource management is to

prevent and manage workplace hazards including occupational stress. It is

recommendation that Terry’s company should consider developing a strategy

management for WSH. This strategy should have a risk assessment to involves

identifying hazards in workplace; assessing the likelihood of the hazards occurring

and its consequences; and deciding whether the hazards can be eliminated and if not

how it can be controlled. The next section of the essay we will look into the

implementation of the strategy.

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Implementation

The strategy can be considered into four main principles, including the identification

of hazards, implementing a strategy to assist employees, training and development for

employees and develop a protocol for critical risk management.

Firstly early recognition and support the hazards. These workplace hazards should be

identify to determine actual and potential hazard to eliminate the risk or control the

impact. Management need to positively address employee perceptions, inappropriate

management behaviour and cultural barriers in order to assist employees with

occupational health and safety concerns or work related injury or illness, including

occupational stress. These issues are to be addressed for early intervention and

support programs will be effective. The use of some tools or checklists could be

useful (see appendix A). Prioritizing the identify hazards and an assessment of the

hazard frequency and impact is can inform the management to of its priorities in the

development of strategy (see appendix B). For Hazards like occupational stress, there

are some indicators and data that management can gather and look out for are; safety

audits, workplace inspection reports, absenteeism and sick leave records, accident,

injury and incident reports, results of consultations with staff, conduct confidential

surveys, staff turnover statistics, health and environmental monitoring and exit

interviews (Premier, 2003).

Secondly, implementing intervention strategies and programs to assist employees.

The intervention strategies should vary on the type of hazards identifies. Strategies for

occupational stress can be include Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and assist

employees to remain at work. The early identification and actions of managers are

crucial to the assistance to employees facing hazards like occupation stress. Such

actions can prevent or minimise stress-related issues and assist in preventing

employees’ absence from duties. EAP assist with both personal and work-related

disorders. EAP will provide access to confidential counselling and referral to self-help

professionals.

Thirdly, is to provide information and training for and to staffs. Managers may require

training and guidelines to help them identify troubled or distressed employees. After

conducting a risk assessment, a training program should be developed to inform

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employee the occupational hazards (stress) to promote a preventive measure. Training

programs could help employees learn how to cope with stress. Managers’ should be

given information and training on general management and supervisory skills,

competency to exercise workplace safety responsibilities, support services and local

policies and procedures.

Fourthly, develop procedures to prevent or manage critical incidents because

occupational stress may lead to like critical situations that threaten life or health, or

situations that can result in physical injury etc. Procedures should have an early

intervention response plan that is incorporated into the companies overall risk

management plan for occupational stress to manage such situations.

Conclusion

The world governments including Singapore will continue to increase their standard

in WSH and this will affect and influence the conduct and practices in HRM. The

success of developing a safety culture and create a safe work environment could not

lies on HRM practice only. Instead it is the responsible of all the stakeholders; the

employers, unions, legislative, employees and safety representatives.

Workplace safety is also beneficial all stakeholders and may reduce and eliminate the

unforeseen cost for companies due to occupation hazards. Workers compensations

and penalties due to workplace injuries can be massive depending on types. Although

such compensations are much lesser when comparing Singapore to other countries

with well-developed WSH, Singapore is enhancing its WSH with strategy 2018. Soon

Singapore companies will have to force into the change.

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APPENDIX A

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Source: Premier’s Department Occupational Stress Hazard Indentification And

Risk Management Strategy 2013

APPENDIX B

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Source: Premier’s Department Occupational Stress Hazard Indentification And Risk Management Strategy 2013

References .

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Health,34,8-42.

Kramar Robin, Bartram Timothy, Helen De Cieri, Noe, John R.Hollenbeck, Barry

Gerhart, Patrick Wright. 2013. Human Resource Management. 4th Ed. Australia.

McGraw-Hill.

Ministry of Manpower. 2013. The Employment Act. Available at:

http://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/employment-rights-conditions/hours-

of-work-and-overtime/Pages/default.aspx#definition

(Accessed on 25 May 2013)

MC Milan, L.H.w., O. Driscoll, M. P. , Worsh. N.V., & Brady, E.C, 2001,

Understanding Workaholism: Data synthesis the rational critique and future design

strategies. International journal of stress management, 8,pp.69-91.

Premier’s Department New South Wales. (2003). Occupational Stress Hazard

Indentification And Risk Management Strategy. Australia. NSW Public Employment

Office. Available at:

http://www.dpc.nsw.gov.au/public_employment/policy_directory/policy_statement?

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Shariat.H,Taboli.H, Shokuh Saljooghi.Z. 2012. The Relation between “Workaholism”

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pp.8-151.

TGC Corporate Lawyers. 2013. HRM Strategies. Available at:

http://www.tgc.eu/files/file/PsychosocialHazards.pdf (accessed on 1 Jun 2013)

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World Focus Asse. 2011. Workplace Safety & Health In Singapore Interview Suresh

Navaratham. Available at:

http://www.asse.org/professionalaffairs-new/bosc/interviews/docs/

SureshNavaratnamInterview.pdf

(Accessed on 25 May 2013).

AGC. 2009. Workplace Safety & Health Act. Chapter 354A. Revised ed2009.

Available at:

http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/aol/search/display/view.w3p;page=0;query=CompId:bf57d

bec-f1a0-451c-8d71-9e1a341b22d3;rec=0

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