Co-ordinate the Work Environment

Supervising & Coordinating

• A supervisor, coordinator or manager is responsible for contributing to and promoting effective work practices.

• Work Practice is a term used to describe the way we go about doing our jobs and the way we ensure that the outcomes of work undertaken are in accordance with the mission and objectives of our organisation

Effective Work Practices

• Planning• Review

• Team communication• Staff access to information• Collaborative leadership

• Work Practices are• Strengthened• Accountable

• continuously improving

Organisational Culture

• Organisational Culture is the tangible outcome of the things an organisation and it’s

management pays attention to. Values and places importance on.

• Positively influence health & efficacy of the organisation

• AND the health, wellbeing and efficacy of workers

Health & Morale• The health & morale of staff and leaders is all

important to the ability to continue to meet performance expectations and to interact with clients, colleagues and management

positively.

STRESS

• We are all subject to stress. In fact, we need stress to motivate us to perform and achieve objectives!

• Too much or too little stress can be harmful.• Too much stress can lead to illness and disease – and

has become subject to compensation in the workplace.

• As such, stress is catered for in OH&S legislation and by worker’s compensation – requiring the same attention as physical workplace hazards.

COPING WITH STRESS

• Each of us has different ways of coping with stress – called moderators.

Past experiences Personality style preferences Self-belief Interests Social contacts General health Personal relationship

….IN THE WORKPLACE

• In the workplace the stress moderators can be:

Organisational SystemsProcesses & protocolsCommunicationSupport – from the organisation &

supervisors/managers.

Distress/Dystress

Negative reactions↓

Perception that stress levels are too high↓

We cannot Cope↓

DYSTRESS (stress overload)

Stress Overload

• Harmful if experienced for long periods of time or in large doses

• Performance is adversely affected → reactions and behaviours dysfunctional…

Anger Aggression WithdrawalPhysical illness Depression Anxiety

• Affecting client relationships and the level of service provided.

Community Welfare Work

• The nature of the work can be emotionally draining and stressful

• Managers and supervisors should provide support mechanisms as a priority…

• These might relate to counselling and debriefing opportunities, but also to the need for building effective workplace relationships around systems and operational procedures that do not depress worker morale or increase workplace stress

ACTIVITY 1• What work practices/procedures &

behaviours contribute to sustaining the health & morale of staff?

• What practices and behaviours detract from it?

Possible Answers to Activity 1Contributing factors:• Accessible, clear & concise information & good communication

systems to support dissemination• Regular opportunities for feedback• Regular team planning & problem solving (collaboration and

consultation)• Clear processes for dealing with conflict• Clear grievance/complaints procedures• Celebration of achievements• Staff talents and potential are recognised and promoted• Staff take responsibility for managing themselves• Staff leave is planned and coordinated• Work hours are organised to ensure non-client contact time is

scheduled to allow for other related duties

Possible Answers cont.Detracting factors• Management does not seek ideas or initiatives from staff• Staff miss lunch and rarely sit down together – lack of opportunity

for social “team-building”• Unrealistic expectations or deadlines• Staff complaints or request for support get no response from

management• Conflict between staff members is unresolved• Achievements go unrecognised• Information is hard to access• Team members do not support or help each other• Staff leave is badly coordinated• Staff do not show commitment to the organisation and its goals

Activity 2

• How can we measure stress levels? Name some ways we might determine the level of stress within a workplace?

Possible Answers to Activity 2• Conduct employee satisfaction surveys• Use self-assessed performance evaluations• Interviews to get feedback from employees• Actively listening to employee concerns and issues• Observation of worker relationships and apparent satisfaction• Monitoring productivity and outcomes of goals• Asking for employee input with regard to systems and procedures• Analysing accident and illness statistics to identify stress related

patterns• Analysing absenteeism and attrition statistics – high turnover and

absenteeism are good indicators of employee discontent• Analysing the number and nature of employee complaints and

grievances (both informal and formal)

Conclusions

• A workplace which promotes and sustains the health and morale (wellbeing) of staff has a higher energy and productivity

• It is in the interests of employersto maintain staff morale, why?

Let’s brainstorm some answerson the whiteboard…