All work is stressful but by educating ourselves and with the support of colleagues and a strong and healthy professional association, it should be possible to function safely. That is the ideal but reality often seems to fall short. Recently I was contacted by a person who had heard me speak about workplace bullying and … Continue reading “The stress of the wrongly accused”
The Age newspaper reports on a safety initiative that has backfired. The writer of a safety awareness song for the Woolworths retail store has used a famous Australian tune and, possibly, breached copyright. An unnamed member of staff wrote safety-themed lyrics to “Up There Cazaly”. The issue became page 3 news mainly due to Australia … Continue reading “Safety song in copyright problem”
Work-related suicides have been in the press a lot in Australia over the last six months. In June 2010, the Australian Government released a report into suicide called The Hidden Toll: Suicide in Australia. It covers suicide as a social issue broadly but there are some mentions in the report about work-related suicides that are worth noting. On social costs: “Ms … Continue reading “New suicide report has something to say about workplace mental health”
On 24 January 2010, the Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, encouraged all Australians to increase their “productivity growth“. But what if increased productivity could result in developing a mental disorder? The February 2010 edition of the Harvard Mental Health Letter includes a report that lists the following key points: “Symptoms of mental health disorders may be different … Continue reading “Work harder? You must be mad”
The Irish Times has reported on a speech made by Dr Jukka Takala, Director of EU-OSHA, in Spain in November 2009. “[Dr Takala] said since the publication of a recent study showing a very high level of work-related suicides by French Telecom workers, there was an urgency about getting this information. “Personally, I favour a … Continue reading “Work-related suicides in Europe”
The managerial turmoil at France Telecome over a spate of work-related suicides is likely to become a case study in failed change management, firstly, and public relations, secondly. A report in The Guardian on 6 October 2009, points to a (French) video of the company’s chairman and CEO, Didier Lombard, speaking to Telecome’s managers in January 2009. … Continue reading “France Telecome becoming a case study”
According to various media reports, a senior executive of France Telecome has resigned due to the mismanagement of the organisational restructure of the company which has been happening for almost two years and that, some say, has led to suicides. One report says: “France Telecom’s deputy chief executive Louis-Piere Wenes had faced calls to resign … Continue reading “Executive resigns over work-related suicides”