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| Negativity
in the Workplace
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Nowadays, it is obvious that workplace plays an extremely
important role in the normal functioning of the company as
well as in the life of each employee working at the company.
In this respect, it is noteworthy that mutual understanding
from the part of employees and employers is vitally important
for the higher efficiency and productivity of work of employees
and for the success of the company at large that is one of
the main goals of employers.
At the same time, it is necessary to underline that the coal
mining company, I am currently working at, seems to ignore
this rule since conflicts within our company have become a
norm of the organizational life and, naturally, they prevent
company from the further development and deteriorates the
conditions of work of employees. In fact, the conditions of
work in our company are especially significant since often
the life of employees depends on them. Nonetheless, the administration
of our company does not seem to be interested in such problems.
In fact, it seems to be quite natural that quite a risky work
of our miners should be accompanied by attempts from the part
of employers to increase the safety of work, but, instead,
quite the contrary trend to minimize costs of safety of workplace
is currently observed. Practically it means that the work
of coal miners in our company, regardless recent technological
innovations, is quite dangerous. In actuality, there is still
a great danger of getting injured and consequences of hazards
in our company may be fatal. This is why the problem of safety
of work is one of the key issues that leads to numerous conflicts
between our employers and employees since the latter are dissatisfied
with the level of safety of their job while the former argue
that they cannot afford further investments in the safety
of work.
On the other hand, attempting to minimize the potential danger
coal mining represents for human life and health, our employers
stimulate the implementation of new technologies, which gradually
replace manual labor of our miners. Naturally, this measure
undertaken by the administration of the company seems to be
quite effective. However, even though at first glance, it
seems to be paradoxical, our employees oppose to such a reduction
of the role of human labor in coal mining even though it increases
safety of their work.
The explanation is quite simple – new technologies and
machines gradually replace coal miners and reduce the need
in labor force. Consequently, miners turn to be useless for
they are substituted by machines. As a result, the implementation
of innovations being quite effective does not seem to be the
best solution of the problem of the workplace safety at the
present moment because it threatens to the future of many
employees working at the company.
Obviously, on facing such a problems the company’ management
has to solve an efficient strategy of the solution of this
problem and the prevention of its further development. This
is why I want to address to the head of our trade union and
underline that in such a situation, the main goal of the company’s
management should the prevention of the development of the
conflict beforehand. In this respect, it should be said that
the solution of any possible conflicts is not a one-sided
process, and the present problem is not an exception. Practically,
this means that it is not only managers that should deal with
the solution of the problem of safety of work the company
faces. In the case of this conflict between employees and
employers the trade union should play an important role. In
fact, its role is to protect interests of employees and convey
their needs and demands to the company administration.
At the same time, it should be also said that it is necessary
to draw the attention of the company’s administration
to the necessity to take care about psychological ambiance
within the company. Moreover, the company’s administration
should particularly concerned about the psychological stability
of the employees, especially if they suffered from some accident
within the coal mine and it is our trade union and its head
that should convey this message to the company’s executives.
In this respect, psychological rehabilitation of employees
turns to be particularly efficient that minimizes the possible
negative consequences of accidents and prevents conflicts
within the company. This is why, I would insist on the necessity
to develop a special program of rehabilitation of those miners
who have already suffered from accidents and provide other
miners with an opportunity to have special training in order
to prevent any sort of accidents.
I think these steps are essential since the efficient functioning
of the company and the prevention of the accidents may be
provided only on the condition of the realization of the recommendations
given above. It should be pointed out that the company should
organize regularly trainings not only for miners but for managers
as well in order to increase their professional level. At
the same time, the company’s administration should also
focus on the professional growth and education of employees,
i.e. coal miners, since they have to constantly progress because
of the permanent innovations implemented in the technological
processes in our company.
As a result, high professionalism, training and educating
should be the main strategic goals of the company and our
trade union should clearly deliver the position of employees
to the company’s administration. It is also worthy of
mention that the organization of work is also very important.
It should be pointed out that the company should also take
care of employees preventing them from excessive work that
may result in physical and mental exhaustion. For this purpose,
schedule should be thoroughly planned and working hours should
be optimal for efficient work and it is trade union’s
task to control the fulfillment of this plan.
Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is possible
to conclude that our company, operating in the coal mining
industry, face a serious problem of safety of work and the
correlated problem of efficiency of work because of potential
danger of coal mining for employees’ health and life.
At the same time, the problem may be successfully prevented
due to high professionalism of both employees and employers
and to efficient organizational policies of the company controlled
by the trade union, which should control that the company’s
administration take care of employees’ safety and positive
psychological ambiance within the organization.
Bibliography:
1. Bailes, G.M. Modern Mining Practice. Sheffield: The Bennett
College, 2004.
2. Peters, T. J. In search of excellence: Lessons from America’s
best-run companies. New York: Harper & Row, 2002.
3. Schmitt, B. and Simonson, A. In Marketing Aesthetics: The
strategic management of brands, identity, and image, New York:
The Free Press, 1997.
4. Statham, I.C.F. Coal Mining Practice. London: Caxton Publishing,
1998.
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