LEADING THOUGHTS

A Conference Board of Canada study provides some welcome data on literacy and basic skills in the workplace.

Literacy in the workplace means the ability to understand instructions and read and apply printed information, among other basic skills. A workforce with a deficit in these skills will see lower productivity, higher health and safety costs, and more prevalent problems with product and service quality.

The Conference Board’s survey of employers, workers, union representatives, and providers of services to immigrants and Aboriginal groups shows that despite the importance placed on literacy skills in the workplace, training to build these skills is not often available through the workplace. Specifically,

• Forty-five percent of employer respondents and 55.6 percent of worker respondents said  training in the workplace to improve the ability to “listen to instructions” is never, or only seldom, available.
• Fifty-six percent of employer respondents and 58 percent of worker respondents indicated that training in the workplace to improve the ability to read printed information is never, or only seldom, offered.

According to the Conference Board survey, the biggest challenge resulting from workplace literacy training is the scheduling or reorganizing of work. Measuring success and determining the return on investment were other obstacles reported.

On the positive side, those organizations that offer workplace literacy programs see a boost in performance:

• More than 60 percent reported that productivity and the quality of products/services were improved.
• Fifty-eight percent of respondents said health and safety and workplace communications were improved.

The Conference Board survey also revealed a mismatch in perceptions between employers and workers. Employers in the survey, for example, reported a much higher level of confidence in workers’ understanding of health and safety policies than did any other responding group.

• Sixty-four percent of employer respondents said they felt that health and safety policies were understood fully or to a large extent, while 50 percent of responding labour representatives and 40 percent of workers agreed.

This mismatch has potentially significant consequences. “Because employers are already confident,” the report concluded, “they are unlikely to see the need to provide training to upgrade workers knowledge and understanding of the health and safety policies of the workplace.”

The Conference Board report includes the analysis of 10 Canadian workplace literacy and learning programs, particularly relating to their impacts on workplace health and safety.

What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You: Literacy’s Impact on Workplace Health and Safety, by Alison Campbell; The Conference Board of Canada (July 2010)

Change can be stressful, no doubt. But not all employees experience change in a similar way, say researchers Loretto (U Edinburgh), Platt (U Edinburgh), and Popham (U St. Andrews). Downsizing, for example, could have a positive effect on mental health, they write in the British Journal of Management, if they lead to clearer roles and responsibilities for employees and increasing worker participation.

FACTOID: Employers in the UK are under legal obligation to prevent and control factors leading to stress in their workforce.

To fill in the research gap, Loretto et al set out to devise a comprehensive measure of organizational change (based on self-report questionnaires) and then to use that tool to explore the effects of change on employee mental health (using the well-validated General Health Questionnaire). Their study focused on nearly 5,400 employees in the National Health Service in the UK.

The study did show that the prospect of changing employers and terms and conditions of employment are likely to have detrimental effects on staff health and well-being.

But the researchers’ findings also challenge the assumption that change necessarily has an adverse effect on health. “Our findings indicate areas, such as promotion and development, where a positive impact can be anticipated.” They speculate that training and promotion may reduce employees’ uncertainty by increasing their control over their future.

Loretto, W., Platt, S., & Popham, F. (2009). Workplace Change and Employee Mental Health: Results from a Longitudinal Study British Journal of Management DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8551.2009.00658.x

Judging from the lunchroom activities in your typical workplace, plenty of organizations can see as much action as Vegas on a Saturday night. Consider the office pool, lottery syndicates, spread betting, and the newest and perhaps most insidious star in the games-of-chance galaxy, internet gambling.

That last compulsion is what Mark Griffiths (Nottingham Trent U) says managers should really worry about. Writing in the Journal of Workplace Learning, he says internet gambling can transform a mild habit turn into a raging addiction because it is a hidden, solitary activity.

“Employees do not even have to leave their desks as they can set up internet accounts with a variety of different bookmakers, online bingo operators, or online casinos,” he writes. “Part of the problem stems from the fact that employers are reluctant to acknowledge gambling as a workplace issue and the possible implications that may arise from it.”

Griffiths doesn’t offer any statistics on the prevalence of web-based gambling at work; he says the area is woefully understudied. He does offer advice to managers to help identify and deal with problem gambling at work. He suggests managers make available diagnostic gambling checklists, monitor monthly telephone bills and check internet bookmarks of staff, develop a “gambling at work” policy, and offer support to identified problem gamblers.

“Internet gambling in the workplace,” by Mark Griffiths; Journal of Workplace Learning (Vol. 21 No. 8, 2009, pp. 658-670)

If you cannot find this journal is your local library, email me for a copy of the article at Alan [at] AlanMorantz.com

photo credit: JohnSeb

They are smoother than glass and have the conscience of a stone. They have an almost mystical ability to ingratiate and fool people with their wiles. They are sociopaths, and woe is you if you cross their path in your organizational travels.

In Organization Development Journal, psych profs Joseph Cangemi and William Pfohl (Western Kentucky U) offer seven short case studies of sociopaths in leadership positions — stories that will probably make you squirm. And the authors offer some insight on how to unmask a sociopath. Namely:

:: Sociopaths are very charming in public but away from the spotlight they lie, steal, and generally behave unethically, usually getting away with it. Lesson: Take note of how leaders behave in more private moments.

:: Sociopaths, particularly those with educational credentials, are adept at making others doubt themselves, often by fudging information. Lesson: As Maslow advised, develop a healthy skepticism in relationships with others.

:: Sociopaths are envious and will have no reluctance to destroy competition by any means. Lesson: This behaviour, which is lauded in leaders in competitive industries, can easily be turned on colleagues or underlings.

“Sociopaths will take advantage of others whenever they can, whenever they sense individuals involved with them show great respect for them, are naive – or fear them,” Cangemi and Pfohl write. “The recipient must expose the conscience-less predator for what he/she is – face-to-face. No excuses. The sociopath must be exposed and must know the individual is aware of what is going on and is not afraid.”

But have no illusions: exposing a sociopath does not mean he or she disappears. Either you will have to always keep up your guard or leave the organization altogether.

“Sociopaths in high places”, by Joseph Cangemi and William Pfohl;  Organization Development Journal (vol. 27 no. 2, Summer 2009; pp. 85-96)

If you cannot find this journal is your local library, email me for a copy of the article at Alan [at] AlanMorantz.com

photo credit: L-plate big cheese

In case you need convincing, here is a compelling reason to pray that your boss is self confident and up to the task: researchers studying powerful managers have found a link between self-perceived incompetence and aggression.

In a paper published in Psychological Science, Nathanael J. Fast (U Southern California) and Serena Chen (U California, Berkeley) report on four studies showing that power paired with self-perceived incompetence leads to aggression, and that this response is driven by feelings of “ego defensiveness.”

Incompetence alone does not lead to aggression; it is only when mixed with power that behaviour turns volatile. Power increases the degree to which individuals feel that they need to be competent, the researchers write, both in order to hold onto their power and to fulfill the demands and expectations that come with their high-power roles.

Now, if you are on the receiving end and think you can calm the manager-beast with heaping spoonfuls of flattery, think again. The researchers write: “It is both interesting and ironic to note that such flattery, although perhaps affirming to the ego, may contribute to the incompetent power holder’s ultimate demise—by causing the power holder to lose touch with reality.”

Factoid: According to Workplace Bullying Institute and Zogby International, 37 percent of American workers have been bullied at work, primarily having been sabotaged, yelled at, or belittled by their bosses.

“When the Boss Feels Inadequate”, by Nathanael J. Fast and Serena Chen; Psychological Science (Vol. 20, No. 11, pp. 1406-1413, 2009)

If you cannot find this paper in your local library, email me for a copy: Alan [at] AlanMorantz.com

photo credit: mouton.rebelle

The immediate days after the mid-March switch to daylight saving time (DST) may be the most perilous of the entire year.

Researchers Christopher Barnes and David Wagner of Michigan State University found that the number of workplace accidents jumps after the DST changes every March, when an hour of sleep is lost as clocks are moved ahead.

Using U.S. Department of Labor and Mine Safety and Health Administration data, they found that the switch to DST resulted in 40 minutes less sleep for American workers, a 5.7 percent increase in workplace injuries, and nearly 68 percent more work days lost to injuries.

But they found no significant increase in workplace accidents or sleep loss when the clocks were set back an hour in November.

The study was presented at the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology’s annual conference in March, and will be published in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

photo credit: Phillie Casablanca

For all the attention paid to domestic violence, there is little focus on how it may play out in the workplace. In fact, researchers from University of Arkansas say, it is a “dirty little secret” that domestic violence casts a shadow on workplace performance.

In a thorough overview of domestic abuse and the workplace, the authors illustrate the scale of the problem, offer a case study of one organization’s response, and present current best practices.

Just how big a workplace problem is Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)? Studies in 2006 and 2007 involving 2,400 workers at three large American organizations showed that 10 percent of female and male employees experienced  physical abuse, stalking, or threats of physical harm within the previous 12 months. Of these employees, 19 percent said some form of abuse occurred while they were at work, most likely stalking or threats by their partners.

What effect this has on their workplace performance is not clear, the authors state. Research to date seems to indicate that IPV affects the employee’s ability to be mentally engaged at work but not necessarily the employee’s ability to be physically present at work. IPV victims find a way to get to their jobs because they see employment as an economic lifeline. In the U.S. health care context, the average cost of IPV victimization ranges from $294 to $948.

The paper offers a case study of Liz Claiborne, Inc., where IPV started as an externally focused marketing campaign that grew into internal educational seminars and policies and protocols. From their experience and the experience of other organizations, the authors offer the following best practices:

• Organize a team to oversee the process, with representatives from HR, corporate security, legal services, communications, employee assistance programs, and unions. The team must be supported by top management. Small organizations can tap into local law enforcement or IPV advocacy groups for assistance.
• Develop a corporate policy that addresses: acceptable/unacceptable conduct; assistance available to affected employees; and guidance on how managers and co-workers should handle cases of IPV in the workplace. The policy is particularly useful for co-workers who are often unsure whether an incident should be noted or to whom it should be reported. The policy can either be included in the organization’s existing workplace safety policy or stand on its own. Sample policies are available at The Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence
• Provide training specific to domestic abuse, organization wide. Training should be based on the mantra “Recognize, Respond, Refer”: how to recognize the signs of IPV, how to help employees respond to an incident, and how to refer victims and co-workers to get help.
• Build awareness through internal communication.

Coming Into the Light: Intimate Partner Violence and Its Effects at Work; O’Leary-Kelly, Lean, Reeves, Randel; Academy of Management Perspectives (vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 57-71).

photo credit: taberandrew