Dozens of the laboratory's employees work in what used to be animal pens, the drain holes on the floors now covered with linoleum, the rooms still tiny and cramped. Knocking down a few walls would help, but they're full of asbestos, which would mean enormous renovation costs and lots of ...

How often does the strategic-planning process start with senior executives asking what the rest of the organization can teach them about the future? Not often enough, argues Gary Hamel. In many companies, strategy making is an elitist procedure and ¿strategy¿ consists of nothing more than following the industry's rules. But ...

OBJECTIVES: Employee assistance programs (EAPs) are job-based programs designed to identify and assist troubled employees. This study determines the prevalence, cost, and characteristics of these programs in the United States by worksite size, industry, and census region. METHODS: A stratified national probability sample of more than 6400 private, nonagricultural US ...

One of the most frequently cited strategies for successful return to work post-injury or illness--early return to work--is often an unattainable goal for many employees. Returning injured or ill employees to an existing program outside of the company (where the injury or illness occurred) is a means of overcoming the ...

BACKGROUND: An improvement initiative begun by nurses at Parkview Episcopal Medical Center (Pueblo, Colo) to develop patient-focused care delivered by multiskilled workers followed a quality improvement methodology. Implementation of the new care delivery system on a model unit--2 South--provided the opportunity to plan, analyze data, and make changes as appropriate. ...

SETTING: Coors Brewing Company is a self-insured corporation of 10,600 employees located in Golden, Colorado. Management has long believed in the value of a healthy workforce and has instituted ongoing health and wellness programming since 1981. PROGRAM DESIGN: Coorscreen was started in September 1985 to create an ongoing awareness of ...

Cross training is a job design method that can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of a hospital pharmacy department. Although employee satisfaction is often improved, some employees may fear that cross training makes them expendable. Good communication and employee participation are keys to successful implementation of a cross-training program. Methods ...

Employee assistance programs have developed from alcoholism assessment and referral centers to specialized behavioral health programs. Comprehensive employee assistance programs are defined by six major components: identification of problems based on job performance, consultation with supervisors, constructive confrontation, evaluation and referral, liaison with treatment providers, and substance abuse expertise. Other ...

Providing support for travel to conferences, workshops and other off-site continuing education activities is an expensive component of a professional development program. The authors describe a policy addressing this issue which was implemented within the multidisciplinary environment of a comprehensive cancer centre. The policy is open, easily adapted to changes ...

"After presenting the three major types of migrant workers currently in South Korea--professional employees, technical trainees and illegal workers--this article examines the role of contractors and other middle-men to expose the possibility of ¿intermediary exploitation'. The results of such exploitation are illustrated in the living and working conditions of foreign ...

This article describes preliminary results from a natural experiment that tested the impact of report cards on employees. As part of the 1995 enrollment process, some members of the State of Minnesota Employee Group Insurance Program received report cards on the plans offered to them, and others did not. Both ...

The clinical significance of occupational exposure to antineoplastic agents is controversial. Accrued evidence does not seem to indicate mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, and tertogenicity when exposure is limited by proper precautions. However, medical surveillance of personnel continually exposed to these cytotoxic agents will aid in early detection of any problems should they ...

This study defines a company's quality orientation as "all process-related activities that can be discerned by customers." This even includes certain processes internal to the company that can be seen and evaluated by customers. One significant contribution this study provides is scale development centered on customer rather than employee perceptions. ...

This article reflects the authors' experiences in the conduct of a third-party internal review of a device manufacturer as part of the Application Integrity Policy. The experiences are discussed in terms of recommended operational procedural issues from the vantage point of the sponsor and consultant(s). Issues pertaining to the sponsor, ...

120 MBA students in a program with a professional work experience component completed a survey in which they were asked whether they would seek counseling under different sets of circumstances. Respondents were more likely to seek counseling when they were looking for general career counseling or when their employer insisted ...

PURPOSE: To describe how well-established health promotion programs at selected federal worksites were designed, organized, and implemented and to identify factors related to employee participation. DESIGN: This descriptive study related characteristics of the health promotion program, worksites, and workforce to employee participation and perceptions of program impacts. SETTING: The study ...

BACKGROUND: This article presents a study of the determinants of starting participation in an employee fitness program. Information from 488 employees, recruited from two worksites, was obtained. From these employees the determinants of participation were studied. METHODS: A questionnaire based on two theoretical models was used. The Stages of Change ...

Research related to workplace violence is in its infancy. The epidemiologic data, which are just beginning to appear in the literature, show that workplace violence is a growing concern for employers and employees. Experts provide suggestions on ways to prevent workplace violence, but the literature lacks studies that examine the ...

For several years, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has explicitly recognized flight crew members as workers who are occupationally exposed to radiation. To help these workers assess their radiation risks, the FAA has developed a computer program that will estimate cosmic-ray exposures from individual flights. They have published documents which ...

1. Drug use is most prevalent among young adults representing the segment of our society entering the work force. 2. The "fitness for duty" policy stipulates that all employees assume responsibility to report to work in a fit condition and perform their jobs without increasing risk to themselves or others. ...

Drug abuse costs American industry and the public an estimated $100 billion a year. As a result, workplace drug testing programs have become a serious option for many companies. Federal guidelines regarding testing and laboratories are in place. An overview of the current components necessary in designing a corporate drug ...

Though the long-term effects of preemployment agreements on career development are unknown, these guidelines are suggestions to ensure responsible interactions among facilities, health information management students, and academic programs. Preemployment agreements meet personal, educational, professional, financial, and institutional goals. Long-term implications warrant additional study. Preemployment agreements are increasing because they ...

Some managers may not feel confident conducting job interviews. A major reason is that most have not been trained to interview, and managers in departments with few employees and/or low turnover rates usually do not interview frequently enough to develop the skill on their own. Hiring the wrong employee results ...

Financial management has emerged as a critical component in the long-term viability of today's ranches and farms. Proper and timely financial reporting and analysis of financial statements are valuable tools that agricultural producers can use to monitor, coordinate, and plan their operational production and marketing schemes and strategies. A side ...

Many employees and managers alike dread annual performance evaluations. However, there is a way to get past the "dread" factor. Annual performance evaluations can be a positive experience and even motivational. They can be a time for affirming good work of the past year and planning together what will be ...

To develop a quality program is a long process. One must understand the program to develop it. Administrative support is vital to a successful program. The practical collaborative approach to helping the new employee integrate into the work environment efficiently and effectively is a reward for both the preceptee, preceptor, ...

This article reviews an approach to leverage business process reengineering and employee empowerment for not only cycle time and cost reduction opportunities, but also a more exciting and expanded role for the employee. It promotes the reduction of simple, routine tasks, and refocusing the improved skill level of today's employees ...

Introduction of new decision-oriented information technology, a powerful means of improving competitive performance, can be viewed as one of six elements of culture change. By creating more knowledgeable employees, old hierarchical norms become counterproductive. This demands upgrading job descriptions, collaborative skills, cross-functional networking, pay and progression systems, and leadership styles.

1. The functions of a continuous quality improvement tool used by Deming--the Plan, Do, Check, Act Cycle--can be applied to the assessment, implementation, and ongoing evaluation of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). 2. Various methods are available to assess the need for an EAP. As much data as possible should ...

Studies have indicated that active participation by employees improves job satisfaction and performance. There is a sense of pride and accountability that is demonstrated in the work environment when staff are involved in the decision-making process. Recent emergence of a relatively new philosophy for management that promotes employee ownership is ...

1. Disability management provides opportunities to control costs and improve employee benefits through three levels of prevention: primary prevention of disabilities (work and non-work related); secondary minimization of disability costs; and tertiary facilitation of rehabilitation and early return to work. 2. A totally integrated disability management program has many components, ...

World class enterprises have placed a premium on employee training but often have difficulty in confirming the success of that training. An employee's improved performance is the ultimate measure of success, but frequently it is desirable to have feedback on the training session before the employee begins work with his ...

This article presents the results of a study of the determinants of adherence level in an employee fitness program. Of all 236 employees who started participating in the program the determinants of level of participation (high adherence, low adherence, and dropouts) during the program were studied by means of a ...

Supervisors need to be able to delegate work. They may not delegate due to lack of trust in subordinates, the feeling that they can do tasks better, new/old employees not being fully trained, a need to dominate, and/or fear that their bosses will think they are lazy. Employees may engage ...

A pre-employment screening inventory was incorporated into the selection process for a 6-month period. The interview is the most commonly used method for selection of employees. This method, even when well structured, often relies solely on the intuitive skills of the interviewer. The use of a pre-employment screening inventory can ...

This article has examined selected reasons why companies resist implementation of return to work programs. The reasons include many fears that companies can readily justify. Nearly all the fears can be eliminated when the occupational health nurse applies both nursing and management principles. As a specialized line manager in the ...

Pilots holding the Airline Transport Pilot certificate were surveyed about the seriousness of the alcohol problem in various areas of aviation and about the importance of a number of possible reasons why a pilot might drink and fly. They also rated a number of actions in terms of their potential ...

The authors extend prior research by examining employee attitudes towards wellness programs among thirty-eight large and small companies in five states. Program components that were considered to be most desirable by workers at different sized companies are identified in a series of regression models. The results indicate that different sized ...

In summary, employees' flexibility and mood showed modest improvements following the implementation of a plant-wide, 10-minute, daily flexibility and strength program. The initial six-week pilot study, administered prior to the plant-wide program implementation, successfully assessed program feasibility, assessed the efficiency of program implementation, identified administrative and logistical concerns, and generated ...

Gainsharing links pay for performance with employee involvement in improving operations. As operational performance improves, employees share financially in the gain. A successful gainsharing program addresses two primary issues: employee involvement and the formula for bonus payout. The formula must be simple and understandable, and the employees must see clearly ...

Organizational commitment is an affective work outcome that has been used to predict work-related behaviors such as turnover, absenteeism and intent-to-leave. There has been little research in organizational commitment for the allied health professions and no empirical studies in the radiologic sciences. The purpose of this study was to examine ...

What can governance do to ensure the continual improvement of organizational performance? This article explores this question, with particular emphasis on two central considerations. First, what constitutes good governance? Second, what are the sources of and opportunities for leveraging performance available to governance? We argue that focusing on strategy, evaluating ...

Formal performance appraisal interviews are often ineffective because they strain working relationships between managers and employees and provide inadequate feedback to both parties. This article provides supervisors with specific guidance to improve appraisal interviews by addressing three topics: 1) why appraisal interviews are held; 2) what information is exchanged; and ...

This qualitative case study of a workplace literacy program in a hospital setting provides a description and analysis of a continuum of educational services. The specific purposes of the study were to identify the benefits of working through an advisory committee, to explain the program planning processes that create a ...

Holy Cross Health System (HCHS), a South Bend, IN-based organization that stretches from coast to coast, has instituted a diversity initiative to take advantage of demographic changes in its facilities' work forces and the communities they are serving. Launched by Holy Cross's corporate headquarters, the program is carried out by ...

BACKGROUND: Traditional performance appraisals, with their emphasis on individual (versus systemic or organizational) performance, are thought to undermine efforts to implement a total quality management or continuous quality improvement strategy. SEARCHING FOR A NEW PROCESS: A team charged in 1989 with the mission of improving the performance evaluation process finally ...

Want to motivate others? Establish meaningfulness and value to them of what they are supposed to do for you, and provide the tools they need to do it. Until they see the value to them, and that value outweighs their perceived risks or costs of doing it, you may get ...

The UKCC has made clear recommendations for the development of Professional Profiles (portfolios). Senior midwives should recognise the importance of their responsibility in assisting junior colleagues in the preparation of portfolios. Midwives preparing portfolios need assistance in identifying their aspirations and in reflecting on current practice. Those assisting should consider ...

1. The history and development of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) can be traced back to the 1800s. There are currently over 10,000 EAPs in the United States. 2. Standards for program accreditation and counselor certification have been established for EAPs. The "core technology of Employee Assistance Programs" includes identification of ...

As the technological environment changes and libraries assume new and more active roles in their institutions, the traditional library hierarchy ceases to be an effective organizational structure. Guided by theories that emphasize teamwork, quality, and employee empowerment and participation, libraries are developing flatter, more networked organizations. The Health Sciences Library ...