harassment, sexual discrimination, ageism, or racism at work (descriptions of situations, definitions of terms and problems, and ways to deal with and prevent occurrences). It must real news.. any w

Proposal To Help Workers Cope With Stress In The Workplace

Prepared for

Sajia Ebrahimi

Senior Director, Human Resources Management

HEART Trust/NTA

Prepared by

----- -----

Senior Career Development Officer

North East Region

HEART Trust/NTA

November 23, 2018

Introduction

The Human Employment and Resource Training Trust - National Training Agency (HEART Trust/NTA), for the first time in five years, did not achieve its customary over 90% of annual operational targets. We are an organization that measures and rewards the success of employees and the organization by percentage of objectives achieved. Our workers are the machines behind our proud accomplishments. Our annual report has indicated that among our (internal work environmental challenges for last operational year awkward phrasing), are the high levels of stress workers experience to attain our goals. Lozanski (2003) describes workplace stress as “The serious physical and emotional responses that can happen when there is a conflict between job demands on the employee and the amount of control an employee has over meeting these demands.” Errol Holmes, Senior Director, Human Resources and Administrations in acknowledging the demands of stress on workers, states that we have seen a 47% increase in the number of stress-related illnesses and a 35 % surge in absenteeism of employees during the 2015-2016 operational years (E. Holmes, personal Communications, August 1, 2016). Great start – context, definition, problem with evidence.

Within this department, you would have experienced first-hand the impact of stress on the worker and by extension productivity. In 2015, two of our managers were out sick for a total of 3 months, one recovering from a mild heart attack and the other a nervous breakdown while on the job. The most alarming of the cases, though, was a public letter, signed by all members of one team indicating the stress that the demands of our workplace have placed on them to achieve with limited resources. Clear background and catalyst.

Could this problem of increased levels of stress be the contributing factors that prevented the achievement of our organizations’ goals last operational year? Towers Watson as cited in Karen Higginbottom (2014), states that “Employees suffering from high-stress levels have lower engagement, are less productive and have higher absenteeism levels than those not working under excessive pressure, according to research from professional services firm Towers Watson” (para. 1). There is a strong correlation between work stress and productivity. In supporting this concept of work stress and productivity, The Canadian Mental Health Association as cited in The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (2012) explains that,

Fear of job redundancy, layoffs due to an uncertain economy, increased demands for overtime due to staff cutbacks act as negative stressors. Employees who start to feel the "pressure to perform" can get caught in a downward spiral of increasing effort to meet rising expectations with no increase in job satisfaction. The relentless requirement to work at optimum performance takes its toll in job dissatisfaction, employee turnover, reduced efficiency, illness and even death. Absenteeism, illness, alcoholism, "petty internal politics”, bad or snap decisions, indifference, and apathy, lack of motivation or creativity are all by-products of an over stressed workplace (para. 3).

Great start, but your proposal statement is missing. What are you proposing? This need to be stated clearly in the introduction.

Why are you the right person to do this work?

Scope

This research is a collection of sources that speak to stress in the workplace and general applications made to the HEART Trust/NTA worker population. The proposal highlights general work-related stress that is negatively affecting all categories, genders, and levels of employees and system performances within the region. However, this proposal does not apply to special individual cases of stress otherwise treated.

Any limitations to your research?

Solutions

You may now be wondering, how are we to respond to this challenge and is it ours to tackle in the first place? According to (Lorenzo Lisi not APA)(2014), wherein an employee experiences mental illness, the employer has a duty to accommodate his or her recovery, inclusive of the lost days due to the sickness, even if an employee did not request such an accommodation. Mental illness of a worker could be an expensive liability to treat. The solution is clear, HEART Trust/NTA should first initiate action to avoid litigation and promote staff wellness, which will result in greater productivity and an improved internal environment.

The accommodation of the mental illness of workers may take various forms. You could focus on just empowering the employee to cope. One argument levied against this approach, by Bruce Tulgan (2003) however, is that it concentrates on the worker as the source of the problem and it sends an ‘I blame you’ message to the already ailing employee. The second solution then lies in identifying the sources of stress and taking steps to eliminate them. Any appropriate solution should support the workers’ recovery and hope for the future. While learning stress management techniques is good, it has a minimal role in reducing the actual source of the stress. Therefore, the third solution is to have an organizational awareness and coaching system intervention. While no system response can guarantee the elimination of stress – good. Mentions limitations and realistic/best approach, appropriate intervention can reduce stressors. Logical analysis of best approach

Work and Timeline

Upon approval of this research project, work will span April 2017- March 2018.The program implementation will have 4 phases, (one stage per quarter). The table in figure 1.0 below outlines the plan. Can you state any sources that show this type of plan is most beneficial or has proven benefits to other organisations? Researched evidence is key for reports.

Figure 1.0 Work Time Line Table

Issues with spacing/formatting; this statement does not belong here. Statement of Qualification

As a trained and experienced workplace counselor, I have been helping employees cope with the stressors of work for 11 years. I have also developed an intense interest in workplace stress and its impact on organizations and their resources. This needs to be in introduction as well as throughout body and conclusion, whenever appropriate.

Costs

The following is the proposed cost to implemented proposal. All cost are in $US. (should be CA $)

• Meeting Venue – $505.00

• Refreshments - $1096.75

• Resource Materials - $4100.00

• Part-time worker - meaning? $4368.00 pa

• Stress Reduction Coaches - $5320.00

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• Total $15389.75

Conclusion:

Workplace stress is inevitable. However, when this pressure is increased to levels wherein, workers are unable to cope it affects both the employee and the organization. Employers are to be proactive in minimizing stress in the workplace, thereby limiting poor health and low productivity levels. A dynamic approach supports the worker without blame and presents an opportunity for employers to increase productivity and improve the workplace environment. Needs more review of key findings (1-2 sentences)

This proposed plan needs your urgent attention and approval for a smooth April 2017 start as suggested in the timeline. Therefore, it is imperative that feedback be provided no later than January 10, 2017. I am confident that as an experienced counselor in helping workers manage stress in the work environment coupled with my passion for this program, that it is the solution we seek.

Spacing issues here

References

Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (2012) OSH Answers Fact Sheets -Workplace Stress. Retrieved from http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/stress.html (accessed 16 November 2016) http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/stress.html

Higginbottom, K. (2014, September 11). Workplace Stress Leads To Less Productive Employees. Forbes, page 1. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/karenhigginbottom/2014/09/11/workplace-stress-leads-to-less-productive-employees/#6bdc6c775bb2

Lisi, L. (2014). Mental Health in the Workplace:Practical responses to tough challenges.Human Resources Director, issue 2.5, page 6.

Lozanski, L. (2013). Occupational Stress. Canadian Association of University Teachers. Page 1. Retrieved from https://www.caut.ca/docs/default-source/health-safety-fact-sheets/occupational-stress.pdf?sfvrsn=12

Wenk, H. & Tulgan, B. (2003). Performance Under Pressure: Managing Stress in the Workplace. Amherst, Mass: HRD Press.

Incorrect hanging indent