Category Archives: Workplace

New Study Shows Scope of Workplace Bullying

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In a new study, the Workplace Bullying Institute found that 27% of Americans have suffered abusive conduct at work and another 21% have witnessed it. Overall, 72% are aware that workplace bullying happens.

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Bullying was defined as either repeated mistreatment or “abusive conduct.” Only 4% of workers responded that they did not believe workplace bullying occurred.

The study found that 69% of the bullies were men and they targeted women 57% of the time. The 31% of bullies who are female, however, overwhelmingly bullied other women—68% compared to 32% who mistreated men in the workplace. Identifying the perpetrators also shed light on how corporate power dynamics play a role in abusive workplace behavior. The majority of bullying came from the top (56%), while only a third came from other coworkers.

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“Sadly, what stops bullying the most is requiring the target to lose her or his job,” said Gary Namie, director of the Workplace Bullying Institute. According to the survey, in 61% of cases, the bullying only stops when the target quits, is fired or forced out.

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Employer reactions are failing employees—and may open many companies to costs from turnover or even legal liability:

Workplace bullying employer responses

Check out the infographic below for more insight into workplace bullying:

Workplace Bullying Survey

Health Care Reform and Workers Compensation

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Since its passage in 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly referred to as health care reform, has been the subject of intense political debate and a source of anxiety for many employers. Although most employers have focused on the law’s health benefit requirements, the ACA is also expected to impact how they manage their workers compensation costs in the following ways:

Workers’ Health

Proponents of the ACA say that it will lead to a healthier society. Advocates say that because more people will have access to health care, there will be a reduction in comorbidities. There is, however, no significant evidence to support this contention. For example, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States and that the percentage of Americans with a high body mass index has steadily climbed over the last 50 years—two trends that are not confined to the uninsured population.

Cost Shifting

Employers have long been concerned that injuries from non-work-related causes will be shifted to workers compensation. Doing so is tempting because of workers compensation’s combination of higher reimbursement rates for medical providers and lack of deductibles and co-payments for employees.  Some have speculated that the greater access to health insurance promised by the ACA will reduce this shift to workers comp.

It has become clear, however, that the law will not result in all Americans having health insurance coverage. With the ACA requiring that employers offer coverage to all employees working 30 or more hours per week starting in 2015, one-in-10 large companies are planning to cut back on hours for at least a portion of their workforce, according to “Mercer’s National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans” 2013.

Access to Care

Probably the most predictable outcome of the ACA is that it will increase the number of individuals in the U.S. with health insurance coverage. Despite the potential benefits, this could put additional stress on a health care system that is already short on doctors.

This is particularly troubling as it relates to specialists and the potential for delays in obtaining diagnostic tests and scheduling elective surgeries and other procedures. Longer periods of disability and complications as a result of such delays would ultimately drive workers’ compensation costs up.

With this added pressure on a limited number of medical providers, it becomes more important than ever for employers to develop medical networks that focus on quality of care and outcomes—even if it means paying more on a fee-for-service basis.

Standards of Care

Traditionally, the health care industry’s focus has been on volume; more patient admissions, tests, and procedures translated to higher revenues. Post-reform, however, the industry has shifted its focus to improving standards of care and achieving better patient outcomes.

If this transition results in less emphasis on costly procedures, which often produce questionable results, workers’ compensation costs could be reduced.

Although it remains to be seen whether the standards of care developed under the ACA for group health care would be enforced under workers compensation, this is a promising development for employers.

Trends and Predictions for Retailers

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Last year, retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies faced challenges stemming from evolving regulatory compliance, brand exposure, reputational risk and increasingly complex global supply chains. No doubt 2014 will prove to be a pivotal year for organizations to demonstrate their focus and commitment to strong governance, risk management, and compliance in order to truly emerge as leaders. Here is a look at some top trends that have influenced the industry, and a few predictions that will shape the year ahead.

2013 Key Trends:

Increased Volume and Complexity of Regulations. In 2013, the retail/CPG industry faced a flurry of new and amended regulations spanning environmental compliance, conflict minerals reporting, product safety, data privacy, anti-corruption, product packaging and labeling to name a few.

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Ensuring compliance and staying one step ahead of regulators requires that retail and CPG organizations establish more centralized and collaborative compliance programs.

Managing the Supplier Ecosystem. We saw that environmental, man-made, and human rights issues can threaten the financial stability and reputation of retail and CPG organizations. Establishing a unified view of the organization and its entire supplier ecosystem requires consistency and transparency, which can be achieved only through stronger due diligence, monitoring, and reporting processes.

Focus on Collaboration. In response to increased compliance mandates, and added complexity throughout the supply chain, internal business functions have begun converging and collaborating in new ways. A strong, compliant, and risk-aware organization brings together the right people, the right skill sets, and necessary resources against a shared vision, mission, and purpose.

2014 Predictions:

Rising Importance of Reputation. Non-compliance, fines, product recalls, bribery and corruption allegations, customer activism, factory fires, and health and safety issues have put many retail and CPG companies in the hot seat.

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These incidents not only play out over front-page headlines, but can spread virally across social media sites in a matter of minutes. In 2014, building and maintaining an organization’s reputation will become a matter of survival.

Complying with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA impacts retail companies that employ a significant number of temporary workers. According to the ACA, health insurance must be provided to full time employees who work at least 30 hours per week. In the retail industry, however, employees who work at least 40 hours per week have traditionally been considered full-time. Overcoming this discrepancy will require new policies and processes that will impact employees, human resources teams, and compliance executives alike.

Investments in Technology. As operations expand and supplier ecosystems become more diverse, organizations will be faced with new opportunities and new challenges. We will see organizations continue to focus on integrating the activities of multiple functions.

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Investing in new technologies and tools to help integrate quality customer service, regulatory compliance, supply chain governance and security can help organizations realize greater efficiencies, enhanced agility and improved business performance.

Protect Outdoor Workers from Extreme Cold

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During this winter’s extreme cold spells, caused by a polar vortex creating frigid temperatures, workers are at added risk of cold stress. Increased wind speeds can cause air temperature to feel even colder. This increases the risk of cold stress for those working outdoors—including snow cleanup crews, construction workers, postal workers, police officers, recreational workers, firefighters, miners, baggage handlers, landscapers and support workers for the oil and gas industry.

The U.S. Department of Labor notes that what constitutes extreme cold and its effects can vary across the country. In regions that are not used to winter weather, for example, near freezing temperatures are considered “extreme cold.” Because a cold environment forces the body to work harder to maintain its temperature, as temperatures drop below normal and wind speeds increase, heat can leave the body more rapidly.

Wind chill is the temperature felt by the body when air temperature and wind speed are combined. For example, when the air temperature is 40°F, and the wind speed is 35 mph, the effect on exposed skin like an air temperature of 28°F.

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Cold stress can occur when the skin temperature goes down and the internal body temperature (core temperature) drops. This can lead to serious health problems and also cause tissue damage and possibly death. Exposed workers are vulnerable to hypothermia, frostbite and trench foot, the DOL said.

Some risk factors that contribute to cold stress are:

  • Wetness and dampness, dressing improperly and exhaustion
  • Predisposing health conditions such as hypertension, hypothyroidism and diabetes
  • Poor physical conditioning

The DOL recommends that employees working in frigid temperatures avoid alcohol, smoking and some medications to help minimize risks.

The best way to avoid cold stress is by wearing proper clothing. The type of fabric makes a difference as well. For example, cotton loses its insulation value when it becomes wet, while wool, silk and most synthetics retain their insulation even when wet.

Here are some clothing tips for workers in cold environments:

• For better insulation wear at least three layers of clothing: An inner layer of wool, silk or synthetic to wick moisture away from the body; a middle layer of wool or synthetic to provide insulation even when wet; and an outer wind and rain protection layer that allows some ventilation to prevent overheating.  Avoid tight fitting clothing.

• Wear a hat or hood to help keep the entire body warm.

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Hats reduce the amount of body heat that escapes from the head.

• Wear insulated boots or other appropriate footwear.

• Keep extra clothing (including underwear) handy in case clothing gets wet.

• Do not underestimate the wetting effects of perspiration. Venting of the body’s sweat and heat can be more important than protection from rain or snow, according to the DOL.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) also issues guidelines. For example, because it is easy to become dehydrated in cold weather, employers can provide warm sweetened liquids to workers. Additionally:

• If possible, schedule heavy work for the warmer part of the day. Assign workers to tasks in pairs so that they can monitor each other for signs of cold stress.

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• Allow workers to interrupt their work if they are extremely uncomfortable.

• Give workers frequent breaks in warm areas.

• Acclimatize new workers and those returning after time away from work by gradually increasing their workload. Also allow more frequent breaks in warm areas to help them build tolerance for working in the cold environment.

These and other safety measures should be incorporated into the organization’s health and safety plan.