Absenteeism in the Small Business Sector

In spite of the fact New Zealand small businesses represent over 90 percent of the business population there has been little research and scant discussion regarding absenteeism in small businesses. The implication is that absenteeism in the small business sector is similar to that experienced by large businesses and therefore does not warrant special attention. Based on data gathered from 65 New Zealand small business case studies since 1990 onwards, this paper attempts to outline the issues surrounding absenteeism in the small business sector within the context of the ECA employment environment. It is understood that any discussion on absenteeism cannot be separated from the employment issues surrounding worker injury and illness as one is the consequence of the other. It is also argued that worker absenteeism in small businesses is the action of last resort for the following reasons: lack of compliance and enforcement small business employment practices; precarious employment and the employment environment

Chronicle

Chronicle from July 1994 to October 199

Health and Safety of Aircrew: A Critique of the National and International Debates

There are a number of current debates about the enforcement of occupational health and safety of aircrew and about their levels of injury and illness. The impetuses for these debates are the regulatory reforms of occupational health and safety taking place in both New Zealand and overseas. This paper aims to provide an informed response to this discourse on the health and safety of aircrew by drawing on a number of sources. The paper presents a critique of the legislation governing the health and safety of aircrew and of the industry's response to possible legislative reforms. The paper also analyses civil aviation safety practices both nationally and internationally, and will argue that civil aviation authorities are not necessarily the best agencies to enforce and promote occupational health and safety in the airline industry

Occupational Health and Safety in the Kuwait Construction Industry: The Rationale for Research

Over half of all construction businesses in Kuwait are small firms employing fewer than 10 employees, most of whom are contingent, migrant workers. There is also anecdotal evidence that the practice of employing illegal migrant labour in the Kuwaiti construction industry, particularly amongst sub-contracting firms, is rife. There are disturbing indications that the injury and illness rate amongst construction workers is extremely high. The paper will present the rationale for the proposed study and highlight the characteristics of the Kuwaiti construction industry. A brief review of the literature outlined in the paper will also attempt resolve (or not) the following questions: what are the intersections between the literature on contingent workers and the literature on OHS in the construction industry? In addition, what does the research literature say on the extension to which cultural factors shape employers' practices and attitudes toward employment relations and workplace health and safety? Finally, areas for future research on the topic will he identified and mapped out

Management Practice and Employee Mental Health: An Occupational Safety Perspective

There has hitherto been little attempt to investigate the links between management malpractice, mental health and occupational health and safety. In this paper the development of criteria for a viable methodology to assess the possibility of the existence of this link, has been developed. A semi-structured questionnaire was devised and used in a pilot study which revealed a connection between poor management techniques and mental ill-health. Some of the selected people who were invited to participate declined for fear of further intimidation. The analysis of the pilot study is discussed and the results indicate that there is a need for further, more detailed research to establish and quantify factors contributing to poor mental health in employees

Precarious Employment in the New Zealand Call Centre Industry

Precarious employment is an increasingly prevalent phenomenon in contemporary labour markets. Research on the call centre industry has not only identified a growing use of non-standard employment arrangements, but also evidence to indicate that precariousness may be a feature of employment in this industry. Despite this evidence, however. There is still little known about the extent to which precarious employment is an integral part of the NZ call centre context. In addition, there has been scant research on the individual experiences of non-standard workers employed in the call centre industry. This paper aims to address the gaps in the literature by essentially 'marrying' these three broad areas of research. A framework for measuring precariousness is introduced and examined in relation to two case study call centres, selected to facilitate a comparative approach. Based on in-depth interviews with case study participants and key stakeholders, this paper examines the applicability of this framework to the NZ call centre context. Key findings from the study indicate that precarious employment is indeed a phenomenon that affects non-standard workers in the NZ call centre industry. A number of policy concerns are raised through the data, particularly where the incidence of precarious employment is associated with the lack of organisational compliance with employment legislation

Absenteeism in the Small Business Sector

In spite of the fact New Zealand small businesses represent over 90 percent of the business population there has been little research and scant discussion regarding absenteeism in small businesses. The implication is that absenteeism in the small business sector is similar to that experienced by large businesses and therefore does not warrant special attention. Based on data gathered from 65 New Zealand small business case studies since 1990 onwards, this paper attempts to outline the issues surrounding absenteeism in the small business sector within the context of the ECA employment environment. It is understood that any discussion on absenteeism cannot be separated from the employment issues surrounding worker injury and illness as one is the consequence of the other. It is also argued that worker absenteeism in small businesses is the action of last resort for the following reasons: lack of compliance and enforcement small business employment practices; precarious employment and the employment environment

Call Centre Work and Health and Safety Issues

The international research on call centre employment presents a mainly negative view of the nature of this work. A more positive portrayal of call centre work has been demonstrated in some New Zealand research, highlighting the problem of generalising across different contexts. Previous New Zealand research has also found variation in terms of employment outcomes, job satisfaction and career opportunities across various industries, type and size of call centre and different management approaches. This paper continues to explore the work experiences of call centre workers and is based on research in New Zealand conducted in public sector call centres. Insights from focus groups of trade union delegates informed the development of a survey which was circulated across 22 organisation, drawing responses from 845 call centre workers. The findings show that over half of the workers consider their call centre work is enjoyable most of the time, their work is strategically important and there are a number benefits. The benefits include career enhancements, new skills and developing social capital. However, despite the positives described in open ended survey questions and the ranking of attributes important to call centre workers, almost half of the respondents have health concerns about the nature of their work or the call centre workplace. It is this particular finding that is the focus of the paper. It illustrates the need for an occupational health focus to be extended to call centre employment in New Zealand

Productivity Indicators and Challenges in New Zealand Workplaces

As part of a government initiative, the Department of Labour’s Workplace Productivity Working Group has been charged with the task of stimulating debate and broadening the discourse on workplace productivity. The Department of Labour has also supported research into how New Zealand businesses are responding to the productivity challenges they face. The paper presents findings from two studies that were part of this research agenda. In particular, the paper reports on the experiences of individual business case studies, (predominantly SMEs), of introducing and maintaining initiatives designed to raise workforce productivity. Analysis of the data reveals a number of key themes: catalysts and drivers for change; distinctive characteristics of high performing firms; differing characteristics of the case studies; and barriers to introducing productivity initiatives and some solutions. The findings also indicated that in practice, efficiency increased both though innovation and a realignment of activities, with higher value added than those conducted in the past. However, there is an inherent tension with these and other similar studies that cannot easily be resolved. On one hand, employers are striving to obtain increased worker performance and gain more productivity while on the other hand they are driving their employers to wok longer, harder and more effectively often in extremely hazardous conditions. Thus, it would appear that efforts to increase productivity can have contradictory results