1st Edition

Healthy and Productive Work An International Perspective

Edited By Lawrence R. Murphy, Cary Cooper Copyright 2000

    The Enterprise Culture of the 1980s helped transform economies of Western Europe, but left behind a legacy of stress, both for managers and shop floor workers. The cost to business is seen in absenteeism, reduced productivity, compensation claims, health insurance and direct medical costs, which in the US cost approximately $150 billion a year. Stress related absences are about ten time more costly in the UK than all industrial relations disputes put together, and sickness absence, premature death and retirement due to alcoholism costs a staggering £2 billion a year.
    The future is likely to get worse. As the pace of change increases and competition intensifies, organisations will restructure and the pressure on individual workers will increase. They can expect to feel less in control and more insecure in their work.
    This major work includes a collection of good practice examples and has been drawn together in a structured way to allow clear comparisons of a number of companies in the USA and Europe, ranging from the US Air Force, to an international pharmaceutical company (Zeneca), and a high-powered international retailer (Marks and Spencer). Human resource and occupational health professionals should find this an enlightening work, full of good examples to help them create a healthy environment for their workforce.

    1. A Model of Health Work Organizations 2. Changing the Health Culture in Retailing - Marks & Spencer 3. Individual and Organizational Activities to Build Better Health - Home Depot Inc. 4. Building World Class Performance in Changing Times - Threat and Opportunity in the US Air Force 5. A Dual-Phase Stress Control Intervention to Improve Organizational Health - Corning Incorporated 6. Excellence in the Health Care Industry: A Case Study of One Hospital System's Efforts 7. Managing Risks and Developing Human Assets to Improve Health, Stress Resiliency, Work/Family Life and Performance at Elkay Manufacturing 8. Stress Management in a Pharmaceutical Company - Zeneca 9. Improving Communications and Health in a Government Department - HM Customs and Excise 10. Developing a Healthy Corporate Structure

    Biography

    Lawrence R. Murphy and Cary Cooper