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Coles, Monica. "Impact of Smoking Cessation Education on Workplace Wellness." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6410.
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Guidelines and laws prohibit smoking in public places, and evidence supports the safety and effectiveness of workplace wellness programs in promoting healthy environments. A long-term care (LTC) facility selected as the focus for this project does not offer wellness programs and does not restrict on-site smoking by employees. The purpose of this project was to construct an evidence-based smoking cessation education program for delivery to employees at the LTC facility. The practice-focused question addressed whether a workplace wellness smoking cessation education program would increase employees' knowledge of the harmful effects of smoking and promote engagement in smoking cessation strategies. A pretest and posttest to assess knowledge of the harmful effects of smoking was designed to be administered to employees prior to and after the education program. A panel of 6 experts consisting of 4 clinical nurse specialists, a nurse educator, and a nurse researcher was selected to assess the potential effectiveness of the education program. A 10-question survey was used to obtain the panel experts' evaluation of the program. Descriptive statistics were then used to analyze the results. Nearly all of the experts surveyed reported that they would recommend the education program to a friend or colleague, with 66% selecting "very likely" This is indicative of the potential for the program to be effective. Findings might support social change at the selected facility by increasing staff knowledge of the harmful effects of smoking and staff commitment to participating in a smoking cessation program.
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Chen, Lili, and 陈丽丽. "Effectiveness of workplace smoking policy on smoking behavior in Asian population : a systematic review." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/193768.
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Introduction: Smoking has been considered as one of the leading preventable cause of lung disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer. China, has 20% of the population in the world, but consumes 30% of the world’s cigarette and has suffered 1 million deaths per year from tobacco use. The workplace is an important field for smoking control, but there are relatively few reports on the current situation of workplace smoking control with the exception of reports from North American countries.
Objectives: This project aims to investigate the effectiveness of workplace smoking control policy on smokers’ behavior in Asian population, mainly the comparison of smoke free policy, smoke restriction ban with no smoking ban, and to identify the potential factors that associated with the compliance of smoking policy.
Methods：Articles that are relevant to workplace smoking policy were searched and identified through PubMed and CNKI by using a combination of keywords. Articles that studied the effects of workplace smoking control policy on smoking behavior and the factors that associated the compliance of smoke control policy were included. All studies were conducted in the Asian countries and the outcome measures were current smoking prevalence, daily cigarette consumption, and willingness to quit smoking.
Results: Of the 541 studies identified, 11 articles were identified to be relevant and included in this systematic review. Smoking-free policy was showed to be the most effective strategy to enhance the changes in smokers’ behavior. Eight of nine studies that compared smoke free with no smoke ban gave consistent conclusion that smoking free policy could reduce the prevalence of smoking dramatically. It was associated with higher willingness to quit smoking among smokers and could reduce the smokers’ daily cigarettes consumption by 3 to 4 cigarettes per day. There was limited evidence that smoke restriction policy could reduce the prevalence of smokers. Even though smoke restriction policy could reduce daily cigarettes consumption and increased the smokers’ willingness to quit smoking, but the effect was much lower than those in the workplace with smoke free policy. In addition, occupation, such as salesmen and marketing employee, the reason of implementing the smoke control policy(e.g. ‘workplace safety’, ‘maintain good air quality’, ‘reduce ETS in non-smokers’), and lack of knowledge of hazard in cigarettes were the factors contributed to the low compliance of smoke control policy.
Conclusion: Overall, workplace smoke-free policy is the most effective way in changing smoking behavior. Workplace smoke-free should be implemented as a public health priority and accompanied with health education and smoking cessation service to assure the compliance.published_or_final_version
Medicine
Master
Master of Public Health
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Elliott, Joan Lincoln. "The age of rage : smoking guns that trigger workplace violence /." View abstract, 2001. http://library.ccsu.edu/ccsu%5Ftheses/showit.php3?id=1645.
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Thesis (M.S.)--Central Connecticut State University, 2001.Thesis advisor: Christopher Pudlinski. " ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Organizational Communication." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 110-116). Also available via the World Wide Web.
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Jones, Sandra, and mikewood@deakin edu au. "The relationship between workplace reform and workplace participation." Deakin University. Bowater school of management and marketing, 2000. http://tux.lib.deakin.edu.au./adt-VDU/public/adt-VDU20050825.091140.
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This thesis sought to advance understanding of the politics of workplace reform, explaining the respective roles of management and employees and how they relate.
The literature on workplace reform usually argues that reform is predicated on greater workforce participation in managerial decisions. More specifically, different approaches to workplace reform can be aligned to different forms of participation. Thus quality management can be associated with direct forms of participation, institutional workplace reform may depend on representative forms, and best practice may require a combination of both.
This thesis uses empirical evidence to explore this alignment between the different approaches to workplace reform and forms of participation.
The period chosen for empirical study is approximately 1985-1992 - an era of rapid innovation in workplace reform for Australian manufacturing. Three workplaces were chosen for intensive study from automotive component manufacturers because that industry was itself a laboratory for workplace reform and also because these firms exemplified different approaches to competitiveness and reform.
Three approaches to workplace reform - quality management, institutional workplace reform, and best practice - were distinguished to capture the range of Australian practice at that time. Similarly two approaches to workplace participation were distinguished - direct and representative - to reflect the range of observable practices at that time and to represent competing philosophies. Direct participation illustrated an approach founded in managerial context of the political status quo, whilst representative forms were considered to permit a pluralist shift of power to enable employees to manage in place of management.
The three case studies depict companies sharing the competitive crisis of their industry. From this stems the impetus for workplace reform. At this point the firms diverged in their choice of competitive strategies for workplace reform.
The case studies reveal, at the superficial level, a match between the chosen approaches to workplace reform and forms of participation. Basically, quality management is associated with direct employee participation, institutional workplace reform with collective bargaining and representative consultative committees, and best practice with both. However when the implementation of reform and participation are examined this match becomes less significant. One firm, Auto Air, achieved highly effective outcomes in both reform and participation. Another firm, Auto Electrical, failed in both.
The thesis concluded that the relationship between forms of participation and reform is less significant than the effective implementation of policy. Unitarist or pluralist approaches to power distribution count less than managerial capacity to integrate successive reform initiatives and their commitment to workforce participation hi change.
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Weng, Stephen Franklin. "The health and economic costs of smoking in the workforce : premature mortality, sickness absence and workplace interventions for smoking cessation." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2013. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/27653/.
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Background: The common argument used against the implementation of tobacco control policies is that revenue from tobacco duty is considerably higher than the health care costs smoking imposes on society. This point is true as revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) totalled £9.1 billion while recent costs estimates for the treatment of smoking-attributable disease totalled £5.2 billion to the UK National Health Service. However, this argument becomes unclear when indirect costs such as productivity loss or cost of absenteeism are incorporated. In the UK, there were 29.2 million employed adults in 2011 of which 20% were current smokers. This equates to approximately 5.84 million employed adult smokers. There are currently no studies which have quantified the economic impact of smoking-attributable indirect costs to both employers and the wider society in the UK. These costs are suspected to impose a large economic burden to society but the best practice methodology for estimating indirect costs and the magnitude of these costs are still unknown. Therefore, the aims of this thesis were to quantify the economic impact of smoking-attributable indirect costs due to productivity loss from premature mortality and absenteeism of workforce and to evaluate workplace interventions which could potentially decrease the burden of smoking in the workforce in the UK. Methods: A number of methods were used along with a range of data sources which provided the information to quantify the economic impact of smoking in the workforce. Cost-of-illness methodology based on the human capital method was utilised to quantify the monetary burden of smoking in the workforce due to premature mortality in the UK. Systematic review and meta-analysis was used to examine the epidemiological association between smoking and absenteeism while also providing the necessary parameters to estimate costs of absence in the UK. Finally, decision analysis and Markov simulation modelling was used to conduct both cost-benefit analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis from the employer's perspective for evaluating workplace smoking cessation interventions of brief advice, individual counselling and nicotine replacement therapy with individual counselling. Results: Cost-of-smoking modelling estimated that smoking was responsible for 96,105 deaths (58% male) in adults aged 35 years and over (17% of all deaths) in the UK annually, resulting in 1.2 million years of total life lost and 357,831 years of productive life lost valued at £4.93 billion in 2010. From the systematic review of 29 longitudinal studies, current smokers had a 33% increase in risk of absenteeism and were absent for an average of 2.74 more days per year compared with non-smokers. Compared with never smokers, ex-smokers had a 14% increase in risk of absenteeism; however, no increase in duration of absence could be detected. Indirect comparison meta-analysis showed that current smokers also had a 19% increase in risk of absenteeism compared with ex-smokers. Consequently, smoking was estimated to cost UK employers £1.46 billion in 2011 from absenteeism in the workplace. Workplace interventions for smoking cessation provide a possible method for reducing the burden of smoking in the workforce. Cost-benefit analysis of workplace interventions resulted in brief advice being the optimal decision strategy for women while brief advice and individual counselling both were optimal decision strategies for men in terms of minimising total costs and maximising return on investment for the employer. If the employer valued maximising quitting instead, cost-effectiveness analysis showed that nicotine replacement therapy with individual counselling would be the optimal strategy given a maximised budget constraint. Conclusion: This thesis has provided the first indirect cost-of-smoking study quantifying the productivity loss due to premature mortality and absenteeism in UK; the first systematic review and meta-analysis which has explored the association between smoking and absence from work; and the first cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses of workplace interventions for smoking cessation in the UK. The implications of this research have particular relevance for UK policy makers and employers to justify stronger tobacco control policy which promotes smoking cessation. However, these findings are not unique to the UK. The thesis has provided the framework and methodology for studies that can strengthen the evidence-base around the economics of smoking in other countries as well.
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Dimberio, Amy M. "Status of worksite smoking policies in Indiana manufacturing industries." Virtual Press, 1991. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/774760.
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The purpose of this study was to assess the status of worksite smoking policies in Indiana's manufacturing industries and to describe the relationship between policy, workforce size, and manufacturing type. Of the 493 questionnaires distributed, 181 (36.7%) were returned. Approximately 67% percent of the industries reported having some type of restrictive policy with the majority of those policies not allowing smoking at the worksite except in designated areas. Most policies were developed within the last five years and were implemented due to a concern for employee health. Workforce size was directly related to the prevalence of significant restrictions. Those companies employing greater then 100 employees were the most likely to have a policy whereas the employing less than 11 were the least likely to have a policy. Standard industrial classifications 34 (fabricated metal products) and 35 (machinery, except electrical) had less restrictive policies as compared to other S.I.C. classifications. A follow up on 10% (n=30) of the nonrespondents yielded similar results to those who did respond.Department of Physiology and Health Science
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Hutchinson, Jacquie. "Workplace bullying in Australian public service administrations." UWA Business School, 2008. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2009.0014.
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This is a study of workplace bullying policy in the public service. The research draws on interviews with policy actors from three groups located in four Australian states and one Australian territory. The groups are senior managers, policy implementors and employee advocates. The study is also informed by research and popular literature to examine how assumptions about what the problem is in workplace bullying dictates the direction taken in policy development. Unlike much of the research into workplace bullying that is based on psychological theorisations, this study is influenced by scholars who focus on the power imbalances that underpin workplace bullying. The key argument in this thesis is that the conceptual dominance of 'gender neutrality' operates to mask the gendered power imbalances which perpetuate bullying behaviour. Hence, to start to address workplace bullying, the effects of power must be acknowledged and addressed in the organisational policy responses to the growing phenomenon of workplace bullying. However, analysing the effects of power is insufficient if gender is not made visible in the analysis. The methodological touchstone for this is Carol Bacchi's 'whats the problem' approach (1999), which is taken further through feminist organisational theory, post modernist understandings of power realtions and a critique of New Public Management practices. The thesis shows how workplace bullying policies in Australian public service administrations have been carefully crafted as gender-neutral, and interweaves data and literature to develop a thesis for why such an approach is a deeply flawed outcome of gender politics. This thesis concludes with some modest suggestions about how organizations might more effectively develop more effective gender-sensitive approaches to workplace bullying.
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Mashal, Huda. "Uncontrolled Workplace Breaks and Productivity." ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/3309.
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Behaviors that may waste time in the workplace, like surfing the Internet for personal purposes (cyberloafing) or smoking breaks, may be the root antecedent for poor productivity. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine whether there was a relationship between the independent variables: time spent cyberloafing and time in uncontrolled smoking breaks, and the dependent variable: employee productivity. Procedural justice theory was used to frame the study. The population consisted of 34 employees working in a multinational engineering company in Jordan who have official smoking policies, but not cyberloafing policies. Correlations and multiple regression were computed using a Cyberloafing Scale and time spent smoking (independent variables) and The Endicott Work Productivity Scale (dependent variable). The results of the correlations indicated no significant relationship between Internet surfing and employee productivity. Smoking breaks were not a significant source of wasted time during the workday (the subsample and frequency of engaging in smoking were low); therefore, smoking did not have an effect on productivity. The findings of this study support the theory that using the Internet at work does not affect employee productivity. These findings have implications for positive social change that are also supported by existing research. Employees who engage in personal Internet activities at work tend to meet private demands and obligations. This connectivity may help to facilitate work-life balance.
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Cipa, Anthony. "The moralization of cigarette smoking in Australia : a new approach to an old problem /." [St. Lucia, Qld.], 2006. http://www.library.uq.edu.au/pdfserve.php?image=thesisabs/absthe19767.pdf.
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Brown, Debora. "Depressed men angry women: Non-stereotypical gender responses to anti-smoking messages in older smokers." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2001. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1034.
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This qualitative study into the effective use of fear arousal in social marketing advertising, focused on exploring gender differences in smokers' attitudes towards threats in anti-smoking messages in the 40 to 50 year old age group. This age group of smokers has received relatively little attention in the fear arousal literature to date, presumably because their 'hard core' attitudes are perceived as difficult to change by social marketing and medical practitioners. The key purpose of this study was to explore the attitudinal responses of male and female smokers in the 40 to 50 year old age group to anti-smoking messages and in particular to those using death and non-death threats. Unexpected findings from a previous study (Henley 1997) were the first to indicate that significant gender differences occurred in this age group to anti-smoking messages. Henley's (1997) study focused on death versus non-death threats in social marketing messages in two age groups of smokers: 16 to 25 and 40 to 50 year aids. Response to the death threat, 'Quit smoking or you'll die of emphysema' was compared to the response of the non-death threat, 'Quit smoking or you'll be disabled by emphysema', in producing change in attitude, motivation and intention to adopt the recommended behaviour. The appropriateness of these threat messages was considered in relation to male and female smokers in two age groups, 16-25 years and 40-50 years. Henley (1997) found that significant differences occurred between older male and female smokers' responses to death and non-death threats in social marketing messages, and that in general, 40-50 year old males responded more to death threats and 40-50 year old females responded more to non-death threats, with the exception of death threats and loved ones. Focus groups were the qualitative method used for data collection in this study. Data was collected from four focus groups (2 male and 2 female), that consisted of 40 to 50 year old regular smokers. Group interviews were conducted as free flowing discussions interspersed with questions pertaining to the major objectives of the study. Projective questioning techniques were used to draw out participants' deeply held beliefs rather than their more easily accessible altitudes. As such, they were not asked direct questions pertaining to attitudes or specifically prompted for response to death and non-death threats. The men and women in this study fitted the characteristics of 'hard core', precontemplative smokers due to their long term smoking behaviour and low-involvement with anti-smoking information. Data were analysed manually according to themes in relation to the major objectives with special consideration given to gender differences that emerged. Attitudes were examined according to emotional, cognitive and behavioural responses. Gender differences are discussed in relation to how responses were articulated. Significant gender differences occurred in attitudinal response to threat in antismoking messages. In particular, gender differences occurred in relation to perceived self-efficacy, and strategies employed to cope with cognitive dissonance and negative emotions that emerged from exposure to anti-smoking messages. Men in this study revealed low levels of perceived self-efficacy, self-esteem and a sense of helplessness and powerlessness over their smoking behaviour. Discussions revealed the men had adopted maladaptive coping responses such as avoidance behaviour and denial in relation to anti-smoking messages. Women in this study revealed higher levels of self-efficacy and derived more benefits from smoking than men. However, their responses indicated anger towards patriarchal and authoritarian anti-smoking messages. Data also revealed that women had adopted maladaptive coping responses such as defiance, reactance and avoidance behaviour in relation to anti-smoking messages. An unexpected finding in this study was that both genders were clearly more accepting of positively framed anti-smoking messages that engendered self-esteem and higher efficacy. The implications for practitioners and researchers are that market segmentation is advisable for older smokers. 'Hard core' smokers may be a difficult group to reach via negatively framed anti-smoking messages and it is possible that positively framed messages may offer a solution. Further quantitative research is indicated into the relative effectiveness of positively framed messages and 'hard core' smokers.
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Leslie, Lana. "Body perceptions of Western Australian female group fitness instructors and the influence of the workplace." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2002. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/712.
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Group fitness instructors work in an environment that promotes the often unattainable pursuit of an ideal body shape. The fitness centre often displays pictures of slim body shapes on the walls and sells goods and services that relate to weight loss and the improvement of the appearance. The instructors are part of this environment that promotes ideal body shapes, and they arc often seen as role models of health, fitness and slimness. It is possible that instructors arc under pressure to attain or maintain an ideal body shape, to be consistent with what their work environment represents. The purpose of this study was to explore workplace influences on the body perceptions of female group fitness instructors. This exploration gathered perceptions held by female group fitness instructors of their body perception and their work settings. Data were collected from female group fitness instructors working in and around Perth, Western Australia, using two methods. First, interviews with six female instructors explored body perception issues and workplace influence. Second, a survey based on interview results was conducted. to confirm the extent of instructors' views on workplace influences. Two hundred and nine questionnaires were distributed, with sixty-eight replies, a response rate of 32.5 percent. Most of the women had a positive body perception, and were satisfied with their body shapes and weight. Although satisfied. many stated they wished they could change certain body parts if they could, such as have a flatter abdominal area. There were several influences on body perception, the most interesting was the influence of the fitness industry. The women believed that their participants and their employers expected them to maintain a slim body shape in their role as an instructor. Although they felt that their employers did not mind overweight instructors. interestingly they also believed their employers favoured lean instructors. Some of the women stated that looking at and comparing themselves to other instructors also influenced their body perception, at times making them feel fat. The women stated that management practices did not largely influence their body perception. They believed that recruitment was not based on appearance, and that wearing uniforms of tight Lycra was beneficial to show their body movements efficiently. The selling of body improvement products at fitness centres did not appear to concern the women, most accepted their existence as a normal practice. The physical environment (large mirrors and pictures of slim body shapes) did not largely influence the body perception of the instructors. In fact, the majority of instructors liked the mirrors, as they were a teaching resource. The pictures of slim body shapes also inspired the instructors. Only a small number of instructors were negative towards the mirrors and pictures. The profile of the women in the study had results that indicated that the women engaged in large amounts of exercise. The average instructor taught over seven classes per week and also did an additional 6 to 7 hours of exercise per week in their own time. These figures indicate that instructors are exercising over 200 percent of the Australian recommended guidelines. This study suggests that the physical environment does not largely influence the body perception of female group fitness instructors. This study does suggest, however, that female instructors maintain or attain an ideal body shape in an effort to live up to expectations of others, such as employers, participants and other instructors. They do this by engaging in large amounts of exercise and attention to their diet regime.
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Stephens, Raymond Peter, and rays@turningpoint org au. "Why alcohol and drug treatment workers smoke cigarettes." RMIT University. Health Sciences, 2007. http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20080521.122401.
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A grounded theory approach was used to explore the reasons why staff who work in alcohol and drug treatment services smoke cigarettes. Eleven in-depth interviews were conducted with staff in Victoria across a variety of service types and roles. Data gathered from the interviews were analysed and grouped into categories. From analysis of the interviews it appeared that cigarette smoking is given legitimacy in the alcohol and drug treatment field that reinforces its place in these services. Legitimacy was evident in three main ways - Permission, a Therapeutic Tool and Rewards. Permission to smoke was communicated by means which included the opportunity to smoke at work, the provision of smoking areas, the absence of no-smoking rules and policies, and an acceptance of smoking. Smoking was seen as a therapeutic tool that enhanced the treatment provided to clients. Some smokers saw cigarettes as a tool to convey empathy, develop rapport, promote a feeling of engagement and manage difficult clients. Smokers also received some rewards to reinforce their behaviour. There was a benefit of feeling an increased acceptance by other staff, increased socialising, work breaks, a reduction in perceived stress levels and the opportunity to readily satisfy cravings for nicotine that reinforced the smoking behaviour. Punishments, or negative rewards, for smoking were also described. These included being recipients of harassment or pressure from non-smoking staff and concerns about the impact of smoking on their health. These three categories of permission, therapeutic tool and rewards contribute to the legitimacy of smoking in this field and support the continued presence of this behaviour.
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Jones, Kelly. "Prevalence and predictors of non-smoking policies in South Australian restaurants, hotels and other public places." Title page, abstract and table of contents only, 2001. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09MPM/09mpmj769.pdf.
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Hall, Virginia Kaufman, of Western Sydney Hawkesbury University, of Health Humanities and Social Ecology Faculty, and School of Social Ecology. "Women transforming the workplace : collaborative inquiry into integrity in action." THESIS_FHHSE_SEL_Hall_V.xml, 1996. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/438.
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This collaborative research is an account of the recent lived experience of twelve women who bring about transformations in their own workplaces. The work integrates feminist theory with the social ecology focus of studying interactions between people and their environments. The study is multidisciplinary including psychological as well as social aspects and applies critical social research to workplace situations. The research group informed each other primarily by stories which narrated: social and family context; work situations; particular situations and specific strategies. Reflexive and archetypal meanings emerged from recounting ancient myths to help understand complex and difficult work structures which constrain the participants' creativity. This inquiry is a fresh approach to a range of workplace problems by engaging many women’s preferred working styles and applying this creative response: pro-active strategies which are demonstrated, are indeed, highly effective.Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)(Social Ecology)
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Burford, Oksana J. "Delivering a personalised smoking cessation intervention by community pharmacists in Western Australia : a randomised controlled trial." Thesis, Curtin University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/1541.
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Background: Tobacco smoking leads to death or disability and a drain on national resources. The literature suggests that cigarette smoking continues to be a major modifiable risk factor for a variety of diseases and that smokers aged 18–30 years are relatively resistant to anti-smoking messages.Aims: This research project aimed to test a digital ageing intervention to promote smoking cessation among young adult smokers within a community pharmacy setting and explore the value of the unfunded intervention within pharmacy practice.The primary outcomes were efficacy of the intervention measured by quit attempts and nicotine dependence and the secondary outcomes were cost-effectiveness of the intervention from a health sector perspective and community pharmacy business viability.Methods: This research project was named ‘Pharmacy PAINT’ (Photo-Ageing INTervention) and was conducted in community pharmacies in Perth, Western Australia in two trials: i) a pilot study; ii) a full Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT).The research was underpinned by the Medical Research Council (MRC) – Framework for design and evaluation of complex interventions, to improve health and the complex intervention was delivered by a qualified, registered pharmacist.Young smokers, aged 18 – 30 years who randomly entered the pharmacy, either to have a prescription dispensed or purchase an OTC (Over the Counter) medication were eligible to be recruited for the research if they were English speaking and able to give informed consent, did not have beards, moustaches or facial accessories that couldn’t be removed, were available for phone survey follow-ups and were not using Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) or taking nicotine dependence medications.Consenting participants were randomised into two groups: a control group and an intervention group with equal numbers in each. Allocation into the groups alternated weekly so that all participants recruited in any specific week received the same treatment.Participants in the control group received standard smoking cessation advice from a pharmacist-researcher. Participants in the intervention group received the same standard smoking cessation advice from the pharmacist-researcher but in addition, they were photographed and their images digitally aged, as a smoker and non-smoker and then invited to view the age-processed images.The intervention involved using a photo-ageing tool (APRIL® Age Progression Software, 3D age progression software based upon Canadian normative ageing data) to deliver the non-smoking message by exposing the young smokers to graphic images of the detrimental effects of smoking on their future facial appearance.Results: The pilot study recruited 50 participants, 25 allocated to the control group and 25 to the intervention group and participants were followed-up for a three-month period. The pilot study was conducted between February 2008 to December 2008 and the results informed the feasibility, recruitment strategy, outcome measure, effect size and attrition rate for the subsequent RCT.The RCT was conducted from January 2010 to June 2011 and involved 160 participants, with 80 allocated in each of the control and intervention groups. Participants were followed-up for a six-month period. At the final six-month follow-up, five (8%) in the control group declared that they had quit smoking, however, only one (1.3%) of these subjects was an objectively confirmed non-smoker (validated on carbon monoxide (CO) testing). For the intervention group, 22 (38%) declared they had quit, with 11 (13.8%) confirmed by CO testing. This difference in these proportions between groups was highly significant (p = 0.005 by Fisher’s exact test). Results for the change in nicotine dependence score using the Fagerström Scale, showed a greater proportion of the subjects in the intervention group moving to a lower smoking dependence score than the control subjects (p<0.0001).Total costs of implementing the intervention from a health sector perspective were AUD 366 or the equivalent of AUD 4.58 per participant (Table 7). With an additional 10 quitters in the intervention group compared with the control group (11 versus one respectively), the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was AUD 37 per additional quitter. Cost offsets of AUD 2,144 from a reduction in the health care costs of quitters resulted in the intervention potentially generating net total cost savings of AUD 1,778.Participants indicated a mean willingness to pay for the digital ageing service of AUD 20.25, which exceeded the mean cost per participant for delivering the service of AUD 4.58. This suggested the service may be viable if the customer was charged in the pharmacy if not subsidised by government. The median willingness to pay of AUD 20.00 was similar to the mean value. Ten respondents thought aspects of the service could be improved and so made the following recommendations: to also provide information on methods to quit; to also offer a support program; to also show the effects of smoking on major organs. Over 80% of participants said they would be more likely both to use the pharmacy to purchase future smoking cessation therapies and to use it more generally for other purchases. Over 80% of participants also thought their friends would be willing to pay for the service and the vast majority of participants said they would recommend photo-ageing to one or more friends who were smokers.CONCLUSION: Emphasising the link of smoking to the detrimental effects on skin and physical appearance using a personalised promotion intervention can be an effective motivator to persuade younger adult smokers to quit. This intervention can be proactively and economically delivered by a pharmacist as primary health care counselling in a community pharmacy setting.
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McManus, Jacqueline Law Faculty of Law UNSW. "Capacity-development at work: the contribution of workplace-based learning to tax administration." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of Law, 2007. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/29565.
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This study is concerned with workers, workplace learning and organisations. In the current climate of techno-logisation and globalisation, change is constant. Consequently, development of workers??? capacity to grow and adapt is essential for both the employability of the individual, and the economic survival of organisations. Capacity is considered essential because it encompasses more than current ability, it enables the growth of innovative approaches to work, which are required to adapt to change. Learning is central to capacity-development and so learning skills and related ???general skills??? are vital, but these skills must be developed in a specific context to be useful tools. Learning involves balancing the chaos of uncertainty and the old grooves of experience. Learning also involves personal growth. This study explores ways of helping workers develop capacity and especially learning skills, in a context of complexity, to meet the demands of their changing environment. The methodological approach taken is two fold, including both a conceptual and an empirical component. Firstly, a framework, based on conceptual innovation, is constructed to direct the design of workplace-based programs aimed at developing workers??? capacity. This is done as guidance in tailoring a program that promotes the development of an understanding of the necessary skills and knowledge in the context of the work undertaken, how to use them effectively, and the impact they have on the worker and their environment. It is contended that this framework promotes continued and sustained growth in workers??? skills and adaptability, that is, it develops capacity. Secondly, fieldwork based on a program developed for a group of tax administrators to instantiate this framework is reported. The findings show that this workplace-based program designed for the Australian Taxation Office has precipitated the development of the participant workers??? capacity, and in so doing, has shown the empirical significance of the conceptual innovation. Finally, the broader implications of developing workers??? capacity are explored. These include the need for organisational support for workers??? capacity-development, the possibility of the development of a learning culture in organisations, and the general applicability of the framework to other organisations, professions, and industries.
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Wakefield, Melanie. "Evaluation of a smoking cessation intervention for pregnant women and their partners attending a public hospital antenatal clinic." Adelaide : University of Adelaide, Dept. of Community Medicine, 1994. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phw147.pdf.
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Wakefield, Melanie, and University of Adelaide Dept of Community Medicine. "Evaluation of a smoking cessation intervention for pregnant women and their partners attending a public hospital antenatal clinic / Melanie Wakefield." Adelaide : University of Adelaide, Dept. of Community Medicine, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/21562.
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Includes examples of information booklets as appendicesIncludes bibliographical references: p. 232-251
xiv, 251 p. : photo. ; 30 cm.
Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Community Medicine, 1994
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Rosengreen, Kathleen, and n/a. "UNDERSTANDING WORKPLACE EXPECTATIONS: A STUDY OF THE PERCEPTIONS OF PRELINGUALLY DEAF WORKERS AND EMPLOYERS." University of Canberra. Education, 2007. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20090209.162542.
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This study examined the understanding of workplace expectations of a group of deaf workers. Nine males and fifteen females, ranging in ages 18 to 48, all prelingually deaf, and whose preferred mode of communication was Auslan (Australian Sign Language), participated in the study. All had a history of extended periods of unemployment, interspersed with short-term vocational training courses that had not resulted in long-term employment. Ten of the participants were individuals identified as low-functioning deaf (LFD) characterised by their limited communication skills in sign language, English and presence of secondary disabilities.
The purpose of this research was to investigate the extent the deaf participants understood employer expectations and how this knowledge may have impacted their employment success. Each deaf participant completed a 25-item written questionnaire exploring their views about workplace behaviours. A group of 100 employers from the Western Sydney area completed the same survey. The 24 deaf participants were interviewed regarding how they prioritised the items in the questionnaire and were asked to describe their workplace experiences. Subsequently, both data sets were analysed and compared.
The participants were divided into four subgroups based on their employment status: employed/unemployed and functional levels: medium/LFD. Analysis of questionnaire rankings indicated the employed participants? responses showed good understanding of employer expectations. Results for the unemployed participants were divided; the rankings for the medium-functioning unemployed participants were very similar to
the employed participants except in four areas. Predictably, the unemployed participants with LFD demonstrated a much lower understanding of employer expectations.
The qualitative interviews provided further insight into the deaf participants? attitudes towards employment and the importance of meeting employer expectations. Additionally the interview transcripts identified many workplace problems experienced by the deaf participants which contribute to a lack of correspondence. The findings suggest deaf workers? dissatisfaction with their workplace conditions may play a role in their ability to sustain employment. Therefore, meeting employer expectations can be seen as only one of many components of successful employment.
The findings suggest that both deaf workers and employers would benefit from greater understanding of each others? perspectives about the workplace. Seven topics are recommended for inclusion in future curricula. Better understanding of each others? views can support improved workplace relationships, employment retention and satisfaction levels.
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Cullity, Marguerite Mary. "A case study of employees' motivation to participate in a workplace language and literacy program." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1998. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1735.
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The reasons why non-English speaking background (NESB) shopfloor employees participate in workplace language and literacy classes and the factors that affect their motivation to participate are relative unknowns. This study investigates NESB shopfloor employees' motivation to participate in a Communication Skills Development Program (CSDP) course and the factors that affected their motivation. An inductive analysis of findings revealed that all of the employees participated in one of the CSDP courses for a variety of pre-determined life-specific reasons. These reasons are represented by three main categories of goals (i.e., 'Self-improvement through language and literacy development', 'Work', 'Outside work'). Of these goals, all of the employees reported 'Self-improvement through language and literacy development' as the underlying reason why they participated in one of the CSDP courses. Further, each employee reported a language/literacy practice that is peculiar to all of his/her goals and most sub-goals. An extended analysis of the employees' motivation to participate identified the employees as being 'transactional-', 'vocational-', 'fellowship-', 'social camaraderie-' and/or 'self-satisfaction- oriented' learners. Findings also revealed that a variety of 'personal', 'course-related' and 'context-related' factors either positively or adversely affected the employees' motivation to participate. A qualitative case study design was implemented. Data was collected through interviews, observations, field notes and the review of artifacts. Data was inductively analysed by classifying patterns of relationships into categories that represent the employees' motivation to participate and factors that affected their motivation. ii This study's findings have implications for theory and practice. At a theoretical level, these findings add to the existing theoretical understanding of why English as second language adults participate in workplace language and literacy classes and the factors that affect their motivation. At a practice level, these findings illustrate the need for Food Products management and program teachers to have an understanding of the reasons 'why' NESB shopfloor employees participate in workplace language and literacy classes and the factors that affect their motivation. For with such an understanding, first, Food Products management will be able to implement organisational practices that positively affect the employees' motivation to participate in future CSDP classes. Second, teachers will be able to assist the employees to set realistic goals, and design and implement course content that assists the employees to attain these goals.. For it is when employees attain their goals that they will form and hold positive perceptions of the course in which they participate.
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Baudains, Catherine Mary. "Environmental education in the workplace : inducing voluntary transport behaviour change to decrease single occupant vehicle trips by commuters into the Perth CBD." Access via Murdoch University Digital Theses Project, 2003. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browser/view/adt-MU20040310.121357.
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Cockfield, Sandra A., and n/a. "The Interaction of Industrial Tribunals and Workplace Industrial Relations in Australia: the Metal trades, 1900 to 1929." Griffith University. Griffith Business School, 1998. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20050914.170636.
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This thesis examines the influence of compulsory state arbitration and wages board systems on workplace industrial relations. Using an historical and comparative case study approach, the thesis researches workplace industrial relations at three firms operating in the metal industry between 1900 and 1929. A political economy perspective is employed to examine the interaction of institutional stnictures and economic and political processes in the regulation of the wage-effort bargain at the workplace. Key concepts are drawn from both mainstream industrial relations theory, in particular the Oxford School approach, and labour process theory. Drawing on the work of flanders, a distinction is made between the economic and political aspects of the wage-effort bargain through the differentiation of market relations and managerial relations. This thesis argues that arbitral and wages board systems interacted with a range of factors to shape and influence workplace industrial relations. In keeping with the political economy perspective, the thesis examines the economic, industry, technological, political, and institutional environment within which the three cases operated, identifying changes and trends in these factors during the period under review and their implications for workplace industrial relations. The three cases allowed a closer examination of the influence of these general trends on the development of workplace industrial relations. The cases demonstrate the diversity of the metals sector, each representing a different industry in that sector. Further, the cases differed in their geographic and jurisdictional location, allowing comparisons between Victoria and New South Wales to be made. An examination of the role of arbitral tribunals and wages boards argues that the tribunals used their ability to regulate and stabilise market relations to offset their intervention in managerial relations. In this respect the tribunals sought to engineer changes in managerial relations favourable to industry development and yet simultaneously obtain support from the unions through improvements in market relations. As a consequence of these conflicting objectives the tribunals often behaved in a contradictory manner. In addition, unintended consequences often flowed from tribunal regulation and were important in shaping events at the workplace. Thus while industrial tribunals sought to improve market relations, they inadvertently assisted workers to gain more influence over managerial relations. In each case the workplace was the site of much regulatory activity, whether initiated by management, unions or workers. However, the three cases each present a different pattern of workplace industrial relations in terms: of scope of regulation at the workplace; the role of unions; the nature of managerial strategy; the role of unions; and the implementation and enforcement of tribunals decisions. Moreover, the effect of arbitration and wages board systems at each workplace varied, with the influence of a particular matrix of industry, economic, technological and institutional conditions shaped at the workplace.
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Olofsson, Marie. "Arbetsplatsen som arena för rökavvänjning : - en litteratrustudie." Thesis, Högskolan i Halmstad, Sektionen för hälsa och samhälle (HOS), 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-18147.
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Tobaksanvändning är ett av de största hoten mot vår hälsa. Det finns mycket att vinna på att sluta röka cigaretter och det är aldrig för sent för att sluta. På arbetsplatsen är det viktigt att fokusera på arbetsmiljön då denna påverkar individens välbefinnande och hälsa. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att kartlägga vilka åtgärder som satts in inom rökavvänjning med inriktning på arbetsplatsen som arena. Metod: För att besvara syftet har en systematisk litteraturstudie gjorts. De databaser som använts vid sökningen av vetenskapliga artiklar var PubMed och PsycInfo. Antal artiklar som använts i resultatet var 11 och dessa har blivit kritisk granskade. En temaananlys har gjorts för att analysera artiklarna till studien. Resultat: De åtgärder för rökavvänjning som framkom genom studien var policy mot rökning, rökavvänjning i grupp, internetbaserade rökavvänjningsprogram samt motiverande åtgärder. Ett införande av en policy mot rökning minskade antalet anställda som rökte. Genom att studera rökavvänjning i grupp framkom det att motivation till att sluta röka var viktigt i ett tidigt stadie av rökavvänjningen och socialt stöd en viktig faktor gällande att hålla sig rökfri på längre sikt. Det som framkom om internetbaserade rökavvänjningsprogram var att de anställda som använde programmen mer frekvent hade störst chans att uppnå rökstopp. De motiverande åtgärder som hittades var tävlingar, pengar, gratisbiljetter till fitnesscenter samt att sätta ett datum för tänkt rökstopp. Dessa hjälpte de anställda på vägen till att bli rökfria. Implikation: En interventionsstudie kan göras där deltagarna fokuserar på att ge varandra stöd och råd gällande rökavvänjning. Fortsatt forskning kan handla om att finna nya sätt att uppnå rökstopp på längre sikt.Tobacco use is one of the greatest threats to our health. There is much to gain by quitting smoking cigarettes and it's never too late to quit. In the workplace it is important to focus on the work environment as it affects individual well-being and health. Aim: The aim of this study was to identify the measures put in place in smoking cessation, focusing on the workplace as an arena.Method: To answer the question, a systematic literature rewiev has been made. The databases used in the search of scientific articles was PubMed and PsycInfo. Number of articles used in the results was 11 and these have been critically examined. A thematic analysis have been made to analyze the articles of the study. Result: The measures for smoking cessation that emerged were a non-smoking policy, groupcounseling, Internet-based smoking cessation programs and motivating actions. The introduction of a non-smoking policy reduced the number of employees who smoked. By studying smoking cessation groups it was shown that motivation to stop smoking was important in the early stages of smoking cessation and social support was an important force to stay smoke-free in the long run. What was found on Internet-based smoking cessation program was that the employees who used the programs more frequently had the best chance of achieving smoking cessation.The motivational measures that were found to be effective were competitions, money, free tickets to a fitness center as well as setting a date for the planned cessation of smoking. These incentives helped the employees on the road to becoming smoke-free. Implication: An intervention study can be done where the participants focus on giving each other support and advice regarding smoking cessation. Further research may be able to find new ways to achieve smoking cessation in the longer term.
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Wakefield, Lynette Florence, and mikewood@deakin edu au. "Workplace education and training: Are Tafe teachers prepared for their evolving roles?" Deakin University, 1996. http://tux.lib.deakin.edu.au./adt-VDU/public/adt-VDU20050815.103545.
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Sharma, Manish. "Workplace Bullying: An exploratory study in Australian academia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2017. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2013.
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Workplace bullying is a behaviour which adversely affects individuals, organisations and the community at large. While substantial research has been conducted on workplace bullying in different work settings, limited research exists on this behaviour at universities; no comprehensive studies have to date been conducted in the context of Australian academia. This study therefore contributes through breaking new ground by exploring bullying within the increasingly corporatised and competitive Australian higher education sector. New Public Management (NPM) practices, diminished government funding, and limited resources risk transforming this sector into a full-fledged industry focused on corporate objectives to achieve operational profitability. Universities’ primary commitment to further higher education and quality research may also be overshadowed by the bids to achieve revenue maximisation. The resultant competitive workplaces staffed by a more contingent workforce may also influence bullying experienced by both academic and professional staff in universities. While prior research has shown that competitive work environments can facilitate workplace bullying, no known previous study explored the bullying experiences of academic and professional staff in the Australian higher education sector.
This study’s primary aim was therefore to explore the nature, influencing factors and consequences of workplace bullying for both academic and professional staff within Australian academia. Being an exploratory study, this research adopted a qualitative approach to gather a rich description of bullying experienced by both these distinct workstreams in universities. Individual accounts of being bullied at work were gathered by interviewing academic and professional staff from four Western Australian public universities. Thematic analysis of these confidential semi-structured interviews provided insights into the interplay of various underlying factors which enable workplace bullying. While many of this study’s findings resonate with the established literature on the subject, others are unique to the two-tiered context of Australian higher education sector.
This study’s participants, explicitly as well as implicitly, linked bullying behaviours in their workplaces to the volatile economic environment of the Australian higher education sector, and increased competition amongst its workforce. As the sector’s changing employment patterns have moved towards a more contingent workforce, the sense of insecurity amongst university employees has developed to a point where many may prefer to endure bullying rather than reporting it formally. One strong theme emerging from this study’s data was the role that organisational and individuals’ culture(s) played in the occurrence of workplace bullying. Participants identified their universities’ work culture as one which tolerated workplace bullying, despite the considerable impact on individual victims. Some participants also noted the differences in individuals’ cultural backgrounds as triggers for bullying. In light of this study’s findings, measures to ameliorate workplace bullying may include steps to spread awareness and respect about cultural differences amongst the universities’ workforce. Universities might also consider explicitly addressing these issues in its anti-bullying policies. This study’ findings also underlined the lack of consistently implemented, robust anti-bullying policies in universities to safeguard employees’ wellbeing.
On an individual level, power was found to be at the core of bullying. The power differentials between the victims and the alleged perpetrators stemmed from the hierarchical organisational structures existing in the universities. Although hierarchies are set in universities to accomplish its objectives, these structures often result in power being concentrated with certain individuals who may misuse it to bully others. In some cases, it appeared that bullying was being used to counter a perceived threat that high performing individuals posed to the alleged perpetrators’ established power and organisational status. Data analysis also highlighted the adverse consequences of bullying for both individuals and organisations. Workplace bullying was found to have harmful effects on an individual’s psychological and physical health; its negative impacts extended beyond the workplace to victims’ home life with their family and friends. On an organisational level, workplace bullying resulted in lower levels of staff productivity and engagement, while increasing universities’ employee turnover and damaging institutional reputations. This study, therefore, highlights how the adverse consequences of bullying experienced by academic and professional staff may prove particularly detrimental to their universities. While the productivity losses due to workplace bullying may be less obvious in universities than in other organisations, they can impair the intellectual contribution these academic institutions make to society. Such contribution can be in the form of the quality of teaching and research outputs, as well as the provision of support services for the students and staff at these institutions. Since this study incorporated the inputs of both academic and professional staff, its findings may represent the views held by the larger workforce in the Australian higher education sector. This study also provides a base for further qualitative and quantitative studies of workplace bullying within and beyond Australian academia.
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Hyde, Penny. "Australian psychologists' perceptions and experiences of client threats." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2014. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/863.
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There is empirical evidence that workplace violence is increasing, particularly in settings where health care professionals such as psychologists are employed, and often these incidents are perpetrated by clients. Given that client violence can have wide ranging and serious consequences, it is not surprising that researchers are focussing on this issue. One notable finding is that psychologists feel that they do not have the training or confidence to manage the violent behaviour of clients. A review of the relevant literature was undertaken to determine why psychologists feel ill prepared for such incidents. Whilst there is a wide range of definitions of client violence, it appears that many of the professionals’ concerns about various forms of client behaviour go beyond these definitions of violence. There is an array of client behaviours that make professionals feel their wellbeing is at risk which fall outside the general definition of violence. Consequently, the term client threats may be more appropriate. There is no research in which psychologists were directly asked what client interactions they perceived as putting their wellbeing at risk and, without this information, professional advice to them may not be effective. The purpose of this research project was to determine psychologists’ experiences and perceptions of client threats. Stage 1 included interviews with 45 psychologists which indicated that their experiences and perceptions of client threats could be best conceptualised by developing a preliminary theory of client threat. In stage 2 a Delphi approach, with a panel of experts, helped formulate a modified Client Threat Theory that proposes a three phase model outlining the process through which psychologists experience these threats. This theory begins with a client behaviour being observed and conceptualised as a threat (activation phase), then influential factors are assessed (risk assessment), and lastly a management plan is formulated and applied in response to the threat (execution phase). This research project also provides a detailed understanding of how the participating psychologists experienced client threats. It was discovered that threatening experiences were triggered by more than violent client behaviours and that a term broader than violence was needed to encompass these experiences. The types of threats reportedly experienced by participants were physical, sexual, verbal, psychological, reputational, and financial in nature. Participants also reported feeling threatened when they perceived that a client behaved in a threatening manner towards people known to them, such as colleagues and family members. This provides a basis from which future researchers could develop a comprehensive definition and theory of client threat, along with efficient and effective tools to reduce its occurrence and deal with it more effectively.
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Watt, James Robert. "Electronic workplace surveillance and employee privacy : a comparative analysis of privacy protection in Australia and the United States." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2009. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/26536/1/James_Watt_Thesis.pdf.
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More than a century ago in their definitive work “The Right to Privacy” Samuel D. Warren and Louis D. Brandeis highlighted the challenges posed to individual privacy by advancing technology. Today’s workplace is characterised by its reliance on computer technology, particularly the use of email and the Internet to perform critical business functions. Increasingly these and other workplace activities are the focus of monitoring by employers.
There is little formal regulation of electronic monitoring in Australian or United States workplaces. Without reasonable limits or controls, this has the potential to adversely affect employees’ privacy rights.
Australia has a history of legislating to protect privacy rights, whereas the United States has relied on a combination of constitutional guarantees, federal and state statutes, and the common law. This thesis examines a number of existing and proposed statutory and other workplace privacy laws in Australia and the United States.
The analysis demonstrates that existing measures fail to adequately regulate monitoring or provide employees with suitable remedies where unjustifiable intrusions occur. The thesis ultimately supports the view that enacting uniform legislation at the national level provides a more effective and comprehensive solution for both employers and employees.
Chapter One provides a general introduction and briefly discusses issues relevant to electronic monitoring in the workplace. Chapter Two contains an overview of privacy law as it relates to electronic monitoring in Australian and United States workplaces. In Chapter Three there is an examination of the complaint process and remedies available to a hypothetical employee (Mary) who is concerned about protecting her privacy rights at work. Chapter Four provides an analysis of the major themes emerging from the research, and also discusses the draft national uniform legislation. Chapter Five details the proposed legislation in the form of the Workplace Surveillance and Monitoring Act, and Chapter Six contains the conclusion.
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Watt, James Robert. "Electronic workplace surveillance and employee privacy : a comparative analysis of privacy protection in Australia and the United States." Queensland University of Technology, 2009. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/26536/.
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More than a century ago in their definitive work “The Right to Privacy” Samuel D. Warren and Louis D. Brandeis highlighted the challenges posed to individual privacy by advancing technology. Today’s workplace is characterised by its reliance on computer technology, particularly the use of email and the Internet to perform critical business functions. Increasingly these and other workplace activities are the focus of monitoring by employers.
There is little formal regulation of electronic monitoring in Australian or United States workplaces. Without reasonable limits or controls, this has the potential to adversely affect employees’ privacy rights.
Australia has a history of legislating to protect privacy rights, whereas the United States has relied on a combination of constitutional guarantees, federal and state statutes, and the common law. This thesis examines a number of existing and proposed statutory and other workplace privacy laws in Australia and the United States.
The analysis demonstrates that existing measures fail to adequately regulate monitoring or provide employees with suitable remedies where unjustifiable intrusions occur. The thesis ultimately supports the view that enacting uniform legislation at the national level provides a more effective and comprehensive solution for both employers and employees.
Chapter One provides a general introduction and briefly discusses issues relevant to electronic monitoring in the workplace. Chapter Two contains an overview of privacy law as it relates to electronic monitoring in Australian and United States workplaces. In Chapter Three there is an examination of the complaint process and remedies available to a hypothetical employee (Mary) who is concerned about protecting her privacy rights at work. Chapter Four provides an analysis of the major themes emerging from the research, and also discusses the draft national uniform legislation. Chapter Five details the proposed legislation in the form of the Workplace Surveillance and Monitoring Act, and Chapter Six contains the conclusion.
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Penney, Kendal. "Gender equity leadership in Western Australia: Exploring the experiences of executive leaders driving gender equity in the workplace." Thesis, Penney, Kendal (2020) Gender equity leadership in Western Australia: Exploring the experiences of executive leaders driving gender equity in the workplace. Masters by Coursework thesis, Murdoch University, 2020. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/60670/.
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The status of women in society has improved remarkably in Australia since the early 1900s. This has seen a marked increase in the number of women in the workforce, yet adequate progress towards eradicating gender inequality from Australian workplaces remains to be seen. This lack of sustainable progress in Australia’s attempts to achieve gender equity highlights a need to better understand how organisations are tackling gender inequality in the workplace. A review of the literature reveals gaps in understanding the role leaders can play in achieving effective and sustainable outcomes in gender equity. A qualitative exploratory design using secondary archived audio recordings explores the lived experiences of fourteen WA executive leaders committed to driving gender equality in their organisations, in order to gain insight into the lived experience of leading gender equity in W.A. organisations; identify possible determinants of effective and impactful leadership in gender equity; and 3) lay the foundations for future research. Results from inductive thematic analysis identified three core themes; Internalizing Desire for Gender Equity Action, Create an Environment for Gender Equity Action; and Considerations for Designing Gender Equity Action. Implications of findings for further research and practice are discussed.
Keywords: qualitative, secondary, archived, leadership, gender equity
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Kraemer, Sharan. "The whistleblower in the workplace: The influence of the personal characteristics of individuals who have blown the whistle in one Australian context." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2008. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/229.
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Whistleblowing is not a new phenomenon but recent technological advances, which make corrupt behaviour difficult to hide, have exposed whistleblowingg as a burgeoning problem on several levels: international, national and local. Whistleblowing presents problems not only for the organisation which must deal with the offender, contain any damage to its reputation and manage the problems that enabled the corrupt behaviour in the first place; but it presents problems for the whistleblower. While ultimately an organisation may benefit from a whistleblower's action, the whistle blower's journey is rarely without sacrifices. Individual whistleblowers must call upon personal strengths to report misconduct despite probable adverse consequences. To explore an aspect of contemporary whistle blowing, this research relies on the theory of Organisational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB) which identifies five characteristics of whistleblowing behaviour: altruism, courtesy, sportsmanship, civic virtue and conscientiousness (Organ 1990, 1997). Van Dyne, Graham and Dienesch (1394) whose research tested OCB theory, argued that loyalty to the organisation was also an important characteristic. In a later study Paine and Organ (2000) concluded that in Australia. OCBs and loyalty to the organisation are negated by the Australian ethos of "mateship". These concepts are a springboard for the proposed research.
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Byrne, Margaret Mary, and University of Western Sydney. "Workplace meetings and the silencing of women : an investigation of women and men's different communication styles and how these influence perceptions of leadership capability within Australian organisations." THESIS_XXX_XXX_Byrne_M.xml, 2004. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/667.
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The aim of this thesis is to investigate how the distribution and function of talk in workplace meetings contributes to differential outcomes for women and men in Australian organisations. This study explores how patterns of male advantage and female disadvantage are reproduced in workplace meetings through the different communication styles which tend to be employed by men and women, and through the way that these different performances are judged. Workplace meetings emerge as a critical site where leadership potential is identified yet, it is argued, men and women do not meet as equals when they meet at work. The thesis includes an evaluation of the current literature on women's and men's communication styles, and the findings of the present study are discussed in terms of the extent to which they correlate with or diverge from existing views. The implications for social change are explored and recommendations provided for the consideration of organisations seeking to broaden the pool of talent from which future leaders are drawn.Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Lake, Rosalind. "Discrimination against people with mental health problems in the workplace : a comparative analysis." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005712.
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For a long time the rights of disabled persons have been ignored worldwide. A major obstacle faced by disabled persons is discrimination in the workplace. Due to the development of a social approach to disability and the efforts of the Disability Rights Movement, legislation has been passed throughout the world to improve this dire situation. The thesis considers the efficacy of some of these statutes. It is concluded that stigma and negative stereotypes remain a constant hurdle in overcoming discrimination. The forthcoming UN Disability Convention is demonstrative of the recognition of the importance of the needs and rights of disabled people. The convention proposes some innovative measures to overcome stigma and stereotyping. Mental health problems constitute one of the leading causes of disability. The thesis explores how people with mental health problems fit within the concept of people with disabilities and whether they are included in anti-discrimination legislation and affirmative action measures. Special attention is given to statutory definitions of disability, the different forms of discrimination and the concept of reasonable accommodation. A comparative approach is taken to analyse how South Africa's disability law measures up against that of Britain and Australia in terms of its substantive provisions and enforcement thereof. In considering the South African position American and Canadian jurisprudence is consulted in order to aid in interpretation. It is concluded that although South Africa has a comparatively good legislative framework, it is held back by an overly restrictive and medically focused definition of disability. As a result many individuals with mental health difficulties, desirous of obtaining and retaining employment may be excluded from protection against discrimination in the workplace. It is argued that it will be necessary either to amend the Employment Equity Act or for the courts to adhere strictly to the concept of substantive equality in order to ensure that the rights and dignity of people with mental health difficulties are adequately protected.
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Hu, Shu-Chen. "A Study of Intention To Quit Smoking In Males In the Workplace in Southern Taiwan: An Applicaiton and Modification of The Theory of Planned Behavior /." The Ohio State University, 1995. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1487929745336736.
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Omari, Maryam. "Towards dignity and respect at work: An exploration of bullying in the public sector." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2007. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/45.
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Organisations today function in complex and dynamic environments which exert continual pressure to change and compete. Employees are often seen as a key to success in this world, as flexible and adaptable resources. The quality of their work life therefore takes on an important role in ensuring they reach their full potential. A long-standing safety and performance issue in the workplace is bullying, or mobbing as it is called in the European literature. Bullying can have adverse effects for individuals, including both the perpetrator and the victim, as well as their families, the organisation, and ultimately the wider society.
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Rogers, Jenna. "Managing learning in the workplace: a study of the perceptions and practice of local government managers." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2017. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2041.
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In 1995 the Australian Government commissioned the report Enterprising Nation ‘: renewing Australia’s managers to meet the challenges of the Asia-Pacific century (Karpin, 1995), which emphasised the change that was necessary in Australian business to remain competitive in the global and growing economy. The development of flexible organisational cultures, where managers increasingly displayed leadership and developed their staff to generate innovative cultures, was a central premise of the Karpin Report Task Force’s vision. Twenty years later, this study explored the extent to which managers have moved from being ‘cops to coaches’ and integrated the facilitation of employee learning within their roles. Currently, there is still a lack of empirical research into the role that managers play in the learning of employees. This study asked managers to reflect on how they value their role as managers of learning and what activities they undertake to operationalise these responsibilities.
This study was developed by gathering clusters of manager and employee perceptions about their experiences of the facilitation of workplace learning. A local government context provided a revelatory and purposeful case study, as government agencies were at the fore-front of management change initiatives in the early 2000’s and have been subject since to considerable and continuing change through structural re-alignment and increasing social demands.
The study began with a collection of contextual data and subsequently moved to in-depth interviews, which were used to focus on how learning is being facilitated in the workplace by managers and what roles they are taking. The study used well-established theories of workplace learning (Billett, 2004; Marsick & Watkins, 1999; Poell, Chivers, Van Der Krogt, & Wildemeersch, 2000; Senge, 1990; Van der Krogt, 1998) to form the instrument protocols and shape the analysis process.
A comparison of viewpoints showed the real and perceived barriers and enablers to facilitating learning in the workplace. Significant topics that emerged from the study can be categorised into four themes: understanding learning in the workplace; the extent of informal learning in the workplace; managers’ intentions becoming actions; and employee engagement with learning opportunities. Following these themes, four recommendations were provided for managers to enhance their workplace operations. Academically, the study provides a unique profile about the development of management roles in Western Australia and extends current understanding of manager learning roles within organisations from an empirical basis. Pragmatically, the study will provide organisations and managers with a role model case study and examples of workplace cultures and actions that can have positive impacts on workplace learning.
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Gardner, Jan Maria, University of Western Sydney, of Science Technology and Environment College, and School of Environment and Agriculture. "Assessment of effective implementation of respirator programs in industry in NSW." THESIS_CSTE_EAG_Gardner_J.xml, 2002. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/781.
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In spite of the substantial repository of literature about respirators, little is known about the practicalities of their use. The focus of this research was about the practical aspects of using respirators in New South Wales workplaces. Two self-administered postal surveys were used to assess the level of implementation of respirator programs in 1996 and 2001. After five years, six elements improved. The most improvement was seen in the area of documentation including written procedures, keeping training records, recording respirator tasks, and maintenance records. The second survey investigated respirator maintenance and found little automated cleaning. Thorough washing was scarce with more than 50% of organisations relying on moist towelettes. For the third portion of the research methodology 485 used, half facepiece reusable respirators from 36 different sites were examined to determine the most common respirator defects. Maintenance and cleaning procedures were primitive and probably inadequate. Disinfection or sanitisation was common practice indicating concern about infectious diseases. The 2001 survey found that physical inspection of respirators in the workplace usually checked for the common types of defects found in the examination of used respirators. Weight, breathing resistance, heat and tightness were reported as causes of discomfort. The key outcomes from the research were that respirator programs were poorly implemented in a group of organisations that were expected to have more expertise than most and that the most common defects could be corrected by good respirator cleaning programs.Doctor of Philosphy (PhD)
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Harwood, Susan. "Gendering change : an immodest manifesto for intervening in masculinist organisations." Western Australia. Police Service, 2006. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2007.0017.
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[Truncated abstract] Conservative, incremental and modest approaches to redressing gendered workplace cultures have had limited success in challenging the demographic profile of densely masculinist workplaces. In this thesis I draw on a study of women in police work to argue that combating highly institutionalised, entrenched masculinist practices calls for more than modesty. Indeed the study shows that ambitious, even contentious, recommendations for new procedures can play an important role when the goal is tangible change in cultures where there is an excess of men. In conclusion I posit the need for some bold risk-taking, alongside incremental tactics, if the aim is to change the habits and practices of masculinist organisations . . . This dissertation maps that interventionist process across a four-year period. In assessing the role played by the feminist methodology I analyse what people can learn to see and say about organisational practices, how they participate in or seek to undermine various forms of teamwork, as well as how individual team members display their new understandings and behaviours. I conclude that the techniques for supporting women in authoritarian, densely masculinist workplaces should include some bold and highly visible ‘critical acts’, based on commitment from the top coupled to strongly motivated and highly informed teamwork.
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Barratt-Pugh, Landis G. B. "The discourses associated with the frontline management initiative and their relationship to managing practice." University of Western Australia. Graduate School of Management, 2004. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2005.0073.
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[Truncated abstract] This thesis is an analysis of a technology that is radically changing the location, process and position of manager learning, leveraging organisational learning agendas, and creating networks re-ordering institutional frameworks. The thesis examines the discourses, performances and productions associated with the Frontline Management Initiative (FMI) and provides a model of workplace-based management development. Academically, it provides new knowledge about the discourses constituting, enacting and producing manager development. Practically, it provides an understanding of the relations between workplace learning and outcomes that can inform practice. The FMI is a critical technology in terms of leveraging enterprise growth, due to its extensive national profile within the politically dominant societal structures of organisations, the critical interpreting role of frontline managers, and the innovative workplace-based, learner-centred framework. As the solitary Karpin (1995) report beacon, the FMI is positioned in highly contested terrain. Managing practice confronts the complexity of ordering knowledge work, where meaning and knowledge are more fluid and transient. Management development practice is more workplace located where knowing is more situated, distributed and relationally negotiated, but framed by politically endorsed competency-based frameworks. This study takes the unique opportunity to examine a learning technology that is being shaped by powerful mediating discourses. It examines how these multiple discourses construct FMI practice, what meanings of managing they develop and what effect these relational experiences have on subsequent managing practice.
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Weller, Stephen Adrian. "A study of organisational justice and participative workplace change in Australian higher education." Thesis, full-text, 2009. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/2028/.
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This thesis explores employee participation in the management of workplace change through an organisational justice framework within the context of the Australian Higher Education (HE) sector. The thesis examines the extent to which the Australian HE sector makes provisions for participative workplace change, the extent to which participants within the sector perceive participative workplace change as providing fairness, and practices that can facilitate and foster participative workplace change.
The provisions for participative workplace change are examined through a longitudinal study of enterprise bargaining agreements across all public universities in Australia for the period of 1997-2006. The research findings identify a decline in both the degree and form of employee participation in workplace change across this decade.
The perceptions of participative workplace change are examined through an altitudinal survey of management and union executives within all public universities in Australia. The research findings identify considerable divergence between management and union executives in relation to employee participation, workplace change and organisational justice.
The practices for participative workplace change are examined through twenty semi-structured interviews with management and union executives drawn from amongst the respondents to the attitudinal survey. The research findings identify areas of convergence around organisational justice dimensions and workplace change practices between management and union executives.
The thesis concludes that it is a combination of fair processes and fair interactions which are most effective in facilitating workplace change and fostering employee participation in the Australian HE sector and which in turn are seen to be able to contribute to shared perceptions of organisational justice.
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Omari, Maryam. "Towards dignity and respect at work an exploration of bullying in the public sector /." Connect to this title online, 2007. http://adt.ecu.edu.au/adt-public/adt-ECU2007.0005/01front-Omari,M.pdf.
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Thomson, Lisa, and FRANCISandLISA@bigpond com. "Clerical Workers, Enterprise Bargaining and Preference Theory: Choice & Constraint." La Trobe University. School of Social Sciences, 2004. http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au./thesis/public/adt-LTU20050801.172053.
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This thesis is a case study about the choices and constraints faced by women clerical workers in a labour market where they have very little autonomy in negotiating their pay and conditions of employment. On the one hand, clerical work has developed as a feminised occupation with a history of being low in status and low paid. On the other hand, it is an ideal occupation for women wanting to combine work and family across their life cycle. How these two phenomena impact upon women clerical workers ability to negotiate enterprise agreements is the subject of this thesis.
From a theoretical perspective this thesis builds upon Catherine Hakim�s preference theory which explores the choices women clerical workers� make in relation to their work and family lives. Where Hakim�s preference theory focuses on the way in which women use their agency to determine their work and life style choices, this thesis gives equal weighting to the impact of agency and the constraints imposed by external structures such as the availability of part-time work and childcare, as well as the impact of organisational culture.
The research data presented was based on face-to-face interviews with forty female clerical workers. The clerical workers ranged in age from 21 to 59 years of age. The respondents were made up of single or partnered women without family responsibilities, women juggling work and family, and women who no longer had dependent children and were approaching retirement. This thesis contends that these clerical workers are ill placed to optimise their conditions of employment under the new industrial regime of enterprise bargaining and individual contracts. Very few of the women were union members and generally they were uninformed about their rights and entitlements.
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Price, Robin Anne, and n/a. "Checking Out Supermarket Labour Usage: The Nature of Labour Usage and Employment Relations Consequences in a Food Retail Firm in Australia." Griffith University. Department of Industrial Relations, 2004. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20040809.154443.
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This thesis examines the nature of labour usage within a market-leading Australian food retail firm and the employment relations consequences of the labour usage strategies employed by the firm. Retail employment is well established as a research subject in the UK, but has received comparatively little research attention in Australia. Given that retail industry employment accounts for 15 per cent of the Australian workforce, this represents a significant oversight. Within the retail industry, the supermarket and grocery sector employs 6 per cent of the Australian workforce. The sector is dominated by two major chains and is highly competitive, with a reputation for low profit margins, mundane jobs and low pay. The sector is recognised for an employment structure that is segmented with one segment holding full-time jobs with core employment conditions and the other segment, part-time jobs with poor working conditions. The dominant theory used by scholars to explain this employment structure is the dual labour market model and later iterations such as Atkinson's flexible firm model. This research assesses the value of these models, in particular Atkinson's flexible firm model, as a representation of the labour usage strategies of a market-leading Australian food retail firm. This analysis demonstrates that, in a general sense, Atkinson's model has applicability to the labour usage strategies exhibited in food retailing. The research found that, contrary to the theories of dual labour markets, a strong internal labour market operated within the firm with short hours casual employment as the port of entry. The benefits of this practice for the organisation were flexibility in labour usage and substantial wage savings, while the negative consequences were recruitment difficulties, exacerbated by high levels of staff turnover. For the employees, the consequences depended on their position in the organisational hierarchy and their individual circumstances, but involved initially accepting limited working hours and low pay in order to gain entry into the organisation. The research undertaken for this thesis leads to the development of a revised model, the casual internal labour market model, which more accurately depicts the labour usage strategies within the case study organisation. Retail researchers argue that it is necessary to understand the dynamics of the industry in order to understand the structure of labour usage. Additionally, employment relations and retail researchers both stress the need to contextualise labour usage patterns within broader environmental constraints and supply side factors. In seeking to achieve this, this research examines business strategies, retail specific employment relations literature and the Australian employment relations context. Furthermore, this study addresses the issue of retail employment strategies at several levels within one of Australia's market-leading food retailers: corporate level, store level and at the level of individual departments within the store. In doing so, this thesis highlights the differences in labour usage between stores and between departments within the stores and thereby provides a more detailed picture of the labour use practices within food retailers.
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Vujcich, Daniel Ljubomir. "Where there is no evidence, and where evidence is not enough : an analysis of policy-making to reduce the prevalence of Australian indigenous smoking." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2014. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:f2d8fbe9-b506-4747-993a-0657cb1df7bf.
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Background: Evidence-based policy making (EBPM) has become an article of faith. While critiques have begun to emerge, they are predominately based on theory or opinion. This thesis uses the 2008 case study of tobacco control policy making for Indigenous Australians to analyse empirically the concept of EBPM. Research questions: (1) How, if at all, did the Government use evidence in Indigenous tobacco control policy making? (2) What were the facilitators of and barriers to the use of evidence? (3) Does the case study augment or challenge the apparent inviolability of EBPM? Methods: Data were collected through: (1) a review of primary documents largely obtained under the Freedom of Information Act 1982; and (2) interviews with senior politicians, senior bureaucrats, government advisors, Indigenous health advocates and academics. Results: Historically, Indigenous smoking was not problematised because Indigenous people faced other urgent health/social problems and smoking was considered a coping mechanism. High prevalence data acquired salience in 2007/08 in the context of a campaign to reduce disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous health outcomes. Ensuing policy proposals were based on recommendations from literature reviews, but evidence contained in those reviews was weak; notwithstanding this, the proposals were adopted. Historical experiences led policy makers to give special weight to proposals supported by Indigenous stakeholders. Moreover, the perceived urgency of the problem was cited to justify a trial-and-evaluate approach. Conclusion: While the policies were not based on quality evidence, their formulation/adoption was neither irrational nor reckless. Rather, the process was a justifiable response to a pressing problem affecting a population for which barriers existed to data collection, and historical experiences meant that evidence was not the only determinant of policy success. The thesis proposes a more nuanced appraoch to conceptualising EBPM wherein evidence is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for policy. The approach recognises that rigorous evidence is always desirable but that, where circumstances affect the ability of such research being conducted, consideration must be given to acting on the basis of other knowledge (e.g. expert opinion, small-scale studies). Such an approach is justifiable where: (1) inaction is likely to lead to new/continued harm; and (2) there is little/no prospect of the intervention causing additional harm. Under this approach, non-evidentiary considerations (e.g. community acceptability) must be taken into account.
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Fisher, Susan. "A portfolio of academic study, clinical practice and research incorporating 'Workplace smoking bans in the health service: what are the psychological effects on staff who smoke, and does glucose alleviate abstinence related discomfort?'." Thesis, University of Surrey, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.298217.
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Valli, Craig. "Non-business use of the World Wide Web : A study of selected Western Australian organisations." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2003. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1311.
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Employees undertake a wide range of activities when they use the World Wide Web in the work place. Some of these activities may leave the modem Internet connected organisation vulnerable to undue or unknown risk, potential productivity losses and expense us a result of misuse or abuse or the Internet provision. Much of the existing literature on this subject points to a purported epidemic of misuse in the workplace. If this practice is so prevalent and widespread, what can modem Internet connected organisations do to identify the abuse and reduce the risks and losses that these abuses represent? To what extent is the World Wide Web used by employees for non-business related activities in organisations and can filtering or organisational policies impact on this activity? This research specifically examines contextually, the level of misuse with respect to the use of the World Wide Web in three selected Western Australian organisations using multiple interpretive case study as the vehicle for the study. The research is significant internationally to all organisations that use Internet in their everyday work. The research has discovered anomalous behaviour on the part of non-business users who have employed a variety of techniques and tactics to mask their activities. Also, organisational management in the cases examined had demonstrated shortfalls in their perception of misuse within their organisations and, the implementation of effective policy.
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Oliver, Kim. "An assessment of nurses’ experiences of work related stress through self-reporting and hair cortisol analysis, in a metropolitan hospital in Western Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2017. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2002.
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The aim of this study was to assess how years of experience and practice area influence work related stress amongst 1,200 nurses employed in a metropolitan hospital environment in Western Australia. A combination of self-administered questionnaires and hair cortisol, an objective stress biomarker, was utilised to measure stress levels and to relate these to practice area, age and experience. Questionnaire results indicated that there was a higher level of perceived stress for 40% of this cohort of nurses; the study methodology was able to unearth noteworthy factors within a local WA nursing population that impacted on their perceived stress. These being; inexperienced nurses suffer more work-related stress than the more experienced nurse. Leadership demands are a source of stress for nurse managers; and age and generational differences’ were also noted. Contrary to hypothesis two, this study could not determine a statistically significant effect relating to the practice area in which the nurses’ worked. Despite a weak correlation found between the hair cortisol level and results of the written questionnaires it is considered when used in conjunction with a stress questionnaire, that hair cortisol testing provides an effective diagnostic tool with adequate sensitivity to detect stress. The ‘curvilinear effect’ as reported by Wells’ (2014) postulated to be due to the physiology of the individuals coping mechanisms was replicated in this study, and therefore determined to be real. It is therefore considered that hair cortisol is a valid screening tool for stress in the occupational environment
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Barbier, Lance. "The impact of the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Act, 1999 (Act no. 12 of 1999) on the performance of librarians employed by the City of Cape Town :Tygerberg Administration." Thesis, Peninsula Technikon, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/1671.
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Thesis (MTech (Public Management))--Peninsula Technikon, 2004The World Health Organisation (WHO) presented evidence illustrating that tobacco smoking kills three million people yearly. These statistics are increasing, and unless current trends are reversed by the decade 2020-2030, tobacco will kill 10 million people a year, with 70% of deaths occurring in developing countries (WHO, 1998:1). The WHO then issued a mandate to 191 countries, which included South Africa, requesting them to write, advocate, pass and enforce laws on tobacco control taking into account work and public places, as people tend to spend much time there (WHO,20031-2). According to the literature review, since the promulgation of the Tobacco Act. 1999 (12 of 1999) public officials have been leaving the office much more regularly to congregate with other smokers for a smoke break. This is because legislation stipulates that they may not smoke in the office. It has also been found that the public service delivery process is slow, not only as a result of the phenomenon of smokerism, but also due to staff shortages. Hence, the main purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the Tobacco Act. 1999 (Act No.12 of 1999) on the performance of librarians employed by the City of Cape Town's Library and Information Services: Tygerberg Administration, by focusing on answering two assumptions stating that service delivery is slow and inefficient because of smoke breaks; and that the performance of staff is poor as a result of regular smoke breaks. The research population for this study consisted of 23 out of the 26 librarians-in charge employed in the City of Cape Town's Library and Information Services: Tygerberg Administration, who is the entire target population. The respondents were interviewed using a self-administered questionnaire. The data collected was analysed using software called StatPac for Windows. The results derived indicated that the librarians-in-charge (82.6%) are satisfied with the service delivery offered by their employees. This is regardless of the regular smoke breaks employees take and the grievances of non-smoking employees with regard to the regular smoke breaks taken. However, the Iibrarians-in-charge (91.3%) added that there was room for improvement in terms of dealing with the staff shortages and not the regular smoke breaks. Therefore, based on the findings, the assumptions that relate to this study are discovered to be invalid and untrue. Thus, the Tobacco Act. 1999 (12 of 1999) does not impact on the performance of librarians employed by the City of Cape Town's Library Services, Tygerberg Administration. The following recommendations were formulated: Management should consider taking on volunteers to address the staff shortage situation. Management should motivate employees with any kind of special rewards, remuneration and credentials for work well done. The Director of Social Development and Community Services of the City of Cape Town, Tygerberg Administration, should review the salary structure of librarians and consider increasing it. Both the librarians-in-charge and employees should be educated about the Tobacco Act, 1999 (12 of 1999). This education should also consist of the importance smoking restrictions have in terms of promoting a healthy environment, smoking cessation and job satisfaction. The librarians-in-charge should understand the negative ramifications the lack of rewards, credentials and salary have on job satisfaction. Team-building exercises should be done on a regular basis to strengthen the relationship between employees.
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Su, Wen-Ting, and 蘇汶亭. "The relationship between smoking myths, workplace anti-smoking policy and smoking behavior among workers." Thesis, 2016. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/k52kqn.
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碩士輔仁大學
公共衛生學系碩士班
104
Voluminous studies attest that cigarette smoking is one of the main risk factors for a number of diseases, including cancer, lung diseases, and cardiovascular disease,depressions, diabetes and more. Besides, secondhand smoke exposure can cause similar effect on nonsmokers. Economic costs associated with smoking impose a high financial burden on country, leading to general productivity reduction. Several studies indicated that the implementation of workplace smoking policy can reduce smoking prevalence. Taiwan workplace smoking prevalence reduced 6% from 2004 to 2009. After Taiwan government amended and implemented Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act in 2009,Taiwan workplace smoking prevalence dropped 1.3 % from 2009 to 2011. Workplace smoking prevalence did not decline as expected after the implementation of Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, which implied that Taiwan workplace smoking policy needed to be reviewed. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the relationship between workers’ smoking myths, workplace anti-smoking policy and smoking behavior of workers. This was a cross-sectional study. The amount of 463 workers were recruited from 11 companies in new Taipei city between May 2011 and November 2011. Data were collected by a structured questionnaire which consisted of demographic variables,smoking myths, workplace anti-smoking policy and smoking behavior assessment.Mean and standard deviation were used to describe continuous variables. Frequency distribution and percentage were used to describe categorical variables. T test and Chi-square were used to testify the significance between groups. Logistic regression and multiple hierarchical regression were used to describe the relationship between smoking myths, workplace anti-smoking policy and smoking behavior. The result shows that smoking workers had significantly higher smoking myth scores (OR=2.455 ， 95%CI= 1.965-3.069). The relationship between workplace smoking policy and workers’ smoking prevalence is not significant (OR=1.001， 95%CI= 0.709-1.413).The eight questions of smoking myth were testified the difference between smokers and non-smokers. Only one question for health risk perception shows no difference between two groups. The other questions regarding perceived smoking-induced health benefit and social benefit show that smokers have significantly higher myth scores than non-smokers have. In conclusion, the workers believe that smoking helps them relax, relieve stress, increase their work efficiency and play an important role in their social life. Hence, we suggest that Taiwan government might need to modify the current workplace smoking policy in order to reduce workplace smoking prevalence more in the future.
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Hung, Su-Chen, and 洪素真. "The effectiveness of smoking-free policy in workplace." Thesis, 2007. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/55734044492554943367.
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碩士國立臺灣大學
職業醫學與工業衛生研究所
95
Objective: Exhaled carbon monoxide (CO) concentration is an effective indicator of smoking cessation program in clinics and hospitals. Its application in the community and workplace, however, remains limited. The first section, this study was established that exhaled CO concentration can be used as an objective indicator of the amount of daily cigarette consumption among smokers in the workplace. The second section, for the reason to verify the effectiveness smoking-free policy in workplace. Methods:This research is divided into 2 sections, which had been completed during April 2002 to December 2006. The first section, samples were taken from plant A, a chemical production site, for 150 workers, which included 123 non-smokers and 27 smokers.The conduct of the research are included the analysis of population data, personal information fill out on height, weight, sex, age, cigarette consumption, smoking behavior and the exhaled carbon monoxide level were measured using Micro CO meter (Micro Medical Limited; UK). Microsoft office excel 2003, Minitab software were applied to data analysis by descriptive statistics, pearson correlation, simple linear regression, two-by-two table。The second section, we selected 3 different smoking policy of chemical factories as policies study. Smoker participants included A plant 118, B plant 47 and C plant 11, At that time plant A and plant B implemented prohibitive smoking policy, plant C implemented smoking-free policy. The study were collect the numbers of daily cigarette consumption and smoking behaviors report and the exhaled carbon monoxide level were measured, comparison difference between smoking policy implemented before and after. Results: First section presents as Table.1& Fig.3. The mean exhaled carbon monoxide level of nonsmokers is 4.2 ppm (95% CI: 3.3~5.1).The exhaled CO levels and the numbers of daily cigarette consumption are closely related with the correlation coefficient being +0.73(p<0.01), Adjusted R-square 0.44(simple linear regression model) . A reading > 6 ppm suggests that the worker might be a smoker (Sensitivity: 0.84, Specificity: 0.85). The second section research is the result on the evaluation of non-smoking policy. According to different policies in different plant site did come out with distinct results. Smoking rate and cigarette consumption decrease displayed different effect on each plant. On plant A, (1)14.9% of smoking rate reduction, 34.7% of quit smoking rate. (2)54.4% of cigarette consumed reduction ., 4.3sticks(person/day) of current smoker’s cigarette consumed decreased.(3)34.7% of smoking-free program participants succeeded.(4)achieved smoking-free policy workplace on 2004/01/01 , company registered smoking-free policy to local government.(5)Employees totally complied with legal and plant regulation, non violation case so far. On plant B, (1) 2.8% of smoking rate reduction, 8.5% of quit smoking rate. (2)11% of cigarette consumed reduction, 0.4 sticks (person/day) of current smoker’s cigarette consumed decreased. (3)Plant B achieved smoking-free policy workplace on 2005/07/01 as legal safety regulation.(4)Employees totally complied with legal and plant regulation, non violation case so far. On Plant C (1) Plant C had not been detected difference of smoking status between policies before and after. (2) Plant C keep smoking-free policy as legal safety regulation as past years. Conclusions: We suggest that a cut-point 6ppm of exhaled CO level can be a useful and objective indictor to distinguish smokers from non- smokers in the workplace in Taiwan. The study found that comprehensive achieved tobacco control program in workplace plays a critical or role setting up regulations, even for smokers. Our study proves that the smoking free policy can efficiently affect the worker’s smoking behavior. Plant A and Plant B implement the smoking-free policy with different programs so there are significant difference in the reduction of smoking rate and cigarette consumption between the two plants. The reduction of smoking rate and cigarette consumption for plant A are14.9% and 54.4% while they are 2.8% and 11% for plant B. Based on this study, only complying with government regulations does not help the reduction of smoking rate and cigarette consumption. Although there are smoking-free program and related quit-smoking course in place, it is hard to achieve the goals and probably will waste resource and time if the execution plan is not well performed. In order to maintain a smoking harm-free work place and provide employees with healthy working environment, the following steps should be taken place. Set up smoking-free policy to help the develop smoking-free program and detailed implementation plan. Well execute the plan to keep monitoring the sustainability of tobacco control. Overall, the reduced smoking rate and smoking amount in A plant are both of 5 times higher than those in B plant. It is found not only the long-term effort in manpower and time but also strong commitment the program so that we can establish and sustain the smoking free policy in the workplace.
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Gabor, Carmen L. "analysis of the effects of a workplace smoking ban on smoking behavior of employees." 2006. http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/theses/available/etd-11082006-193931.
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Thesis (M.S.)--Florida State University, 2006.Advisor: Laurie Grubbs, Florida State University, College of Nursing. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Jan. 24, 2007). Document formatted into pages; contains x, 58 pages. Includes bibliographical references.