Analysis of Case Study 1
Possibilities and addressing areas of concern
The employer is responsible for maintaining a proper Occupational Health and Safety at the workplace. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, the employers must maintain an appropriate environment for the organization and recognize the physical as well as psychological health impacts of the workplace on the employees (Gibson, 2014). In this case, Joe Peterson worked in an atmosphere that was not familiar for a aged person. He used to carry a large number of items from up the stairs that made him feel ill in the workplace. The area in which Joe worked did not have any temperature control and the temperature in the storage area exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Considering the working environment it can be said that the employer Joann did not maintain a proper atmosphere for his workers. The HRM must be careful about the working environment and must take necessary steps to make the workplace environment suitable for their employees.
Along with that, Joe was suffering from arthritis. Therefore, when he informed Joann about his illness, Joe was threatened to be terminated from his job. According to the Employee Rights, Joann cannot terminate Joe for his illness. It is the responsibility of the employers to look after the physical and psychological health and safety of the employees. Arguably, without supporting Joe to get recover from his illness, he was threatened to leave the job. Hence, the forceful termination of Joe can be considered against the employee right legislation (Hepple, 2012). Joann is responsible for taking care of his employees and providing them with proper support to recover from his illness and have a better environment at workplace.
Advice as an HR Consultant
Workplace wellness can be identified as one of the prime responsibilities of the employers creating an effective, healthy workplace environment. Considering this particular case study of Joe Petersen, it would be recommended to understand the employee health related laws and regulations to be followed dealing with such circumstances. As Joe Petersen was an employee of the local automobile dealership, he ought to get such responsibilities to carry out the order of his boss. On the other flip, recognizing the age factor of Joe Petersen and his issues with arthritis, the management must have to take some of the responsibilities according to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (2004) (Gibson, 2014). Understanding the extreme working condition of Joe, he decided to protest against the decision of Joann Demeter, his boss to continue work in the Shipping, Receiving and Inventory section. As a Human Resources consultant, it is advised to the management to understand the situation of Joe. Considering the Employment Right Act, the management cannot terminate Joe showing any reason for work inefficiency. Issuing provisional improvement notice, the management can encourage Joe to take volunteer retirement from his existing job position.
Procedure to be implemented to improve employee health
On behalf of employee’s point of view, if the organization wishes to retain the employee, the automobile dealership can provide long-term medical assistance for employees such as Joe, who has health related issues such as arthritis. Considering the performance of an employee, the organization can transfer that employee to another division identifying his health-related challenges and issues. Meanwhile, long-term medical assistance program can support the employee’s performance balancing the health-related issues on a continuous basis. Understandably, employee wellness programs, stress management policy and Occupational Health and Safety legislation must consider protecting the overall health problems of the workforce (Hepple, 2012). Conclusively, in this case, study, the management must help out the employee regarding his age and health issues. Some professional HRM standards must be developed to support the workplace environment in favor of aged employees.
References
Gibson, M. (2014). Health and safety legislation. Occupational Medicine, 64(6), 441-441. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqu084
Hepple, B. (2012). Human Rights - Human rights and employment law. Ac, 1998(8). http://dx.doi.org/10.14296/ac.v1998i8.1573
