impact of globalization on work practices: culturally sensitive eap services dr.s.kalyanasundaram,...
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Impact of Globalization on work practices: Culturally sensitive EAP services
Dr.S.Kalyanasundaram, MDConsultant PsychiatristClinical Director, PPC India
•The booming Indian IT and ITES have become symbolic of globalization in India
•Younger work force – flexible, open, quick, risk tolerant, hardy and adaptable
•More number of women joining the work force
•Highly trained – “techies”
•Goal oriented, focused, high achievement motivation
Indian work force
India – “Fastest growing free market democracy” - Davos 2006
Work Environment (1)
• The Indian software services and BPOs have introduced novel management systems and work culture
• “New work places” are characterized by flat and non-bureaucratic organizational structures
• Informal relationships, team work and flexible management policies.
• Seen across both Indian and Multinational Companies
Fast paced globalization – highly trained technical Professionals with less developed life skills
• Dynamic environments - fast paced and rapidly changing, westernization of work place
• Career prospects – more opportunities for vertical and lateral movements
• Nature of work – time – critical projects, high degree of precision
• Fluctuating work patterns and timings
Work force in transition from traditional practices to Western work styles – psychological pressure
Work Environment (2)
Issues at work place (1)
•Psychological distress is neither visible nor
tangible
•Difficult to recognize early signs of distress
•Highly competitive environment
•Concerns of being “benched”
•At times non-supportive environment
Added pressure and resultant stress not recognized early enough
Issues at workplace (2)
•Long and unrealistic working hours with
deadlines
•Less time or energy for any other type of
recreation
•Low energy levels and inadequate skills to
handle pressure long term
•Inability to see value-addition for themselves
when working for large projects – therefore
lack of motivation
Issues at workplace(3)
•Low priority on the part of the organization
to develop the person holistically
•Training programs are focused on skill and
competency development
•Focus on emotional or psychological issues
a relatively low priority
Inadequate skills, lack of support andexpectation to perform make them stressed
HR concerns
•HR moving from personnel management and industrial relations to human capital development
•A strong felt need by HR for EAP services but find it difficult to convince top management on return on investment
•Many levels of decision making
•Software and BPO companies struggle with high attrition rates
Paradigm shift - from support function to a strategic partner in growth and development
Impact on HR
•Employability and career growth depend on
improving one’s skill set to keep up with rapid
changes and technology
•To achieve it they often change jobs resulting in
the fluidity of the software labor market
•Return on the investment cannot be assessed in
monetary terms
HR Key Issues – recruitment, training,skills building, attrition
HR Issues (1)
•Companies recognize the need for counseling
and support services
• But are constrained by the lack of availability of
structured and comprehensive programs
•In-house counseling services have not proven to
be as effective due to confidentiality/reprisal
issues
HR understands the importance but the system is not conducive to achieving it
HR Issues (2)
•People find it difficult to approach ‘others’ for
psychological help – cultural issue
•Lack of orientation to seeking support for
psychological issues – stigma
•Lack of availability of professional
psychological services
A major concern is to get the right kind of Professional help within the system
Impact on Employees
•In a recent survey 90% of the employees interviewed admitted that
during times of worry their work was negatively impacted by an
average of 20%
•This means they are 20% less productive and, in some cases,
considerably more
•In a country like India, issues may even get compounded considering
the pressures they undergo to financially support members of their
family
Conflict between individual need and a sense of responsibility
A sample case
• 29 year old unmarried male – team leader
• Presenting with multiple somatic symptoms
• Stressed, anxious and unable to function
• Team consists of freshers
• Pressure from the Manager
• Project accepted and deadline set
A sample case …contd.
• Fear of being replaced
• Good salary, poor skill set
• Initially presented with chest pain
• Consulted Cardiologist
• Declared “Normal”
• Stress and anxiety worsens
A typical situation where an employee doesn’t know where to go for help
Issues at Individual level (1)
•Lack of knowledge and orientation
•Poor perception that only the severely affected need to seek help
•Poor help seeking behavior as a cultural concept
•Away from home, at times cultural shock, as food habits, language
customs and traditions are different
People come from different religious, ethnic and language backgrounds
Issues at Individual level (2)
•Adjustment issues forming new social support groups
•Intolerance and rigidity leads to non-acceptance
•Results in alienation and lack of social and family support
•Transition from academic to work life
•Peer pressure to conform
Psychological health depends on the ability to integrate into the new environment
Family structure
•Traditional joint family structure
•Giving way to Nuclear families
•Less time with one another with different job timings
•Overcome by exhaustion and trying to cope with both job and home
pressures
•Couples working and find it difficult to start a family of their own
Conflict between aspirations and desires – theirs and that of family elders
Some statistics
•Population over 1,000 Million
•Psychiatrists 3,500
•Psychologists 600
•Psy. Soc. Workers 400
•Psychiatric Nurses 600
•Obviously inadequate numbers to cater to the growing needs
•Solution? Increase numbers of affiliates
Availability of Professional services
•Training – facilities
•Paucity of counselors
•Bulk of the professionals are highly trained and experienced
•Counselors in practice – not professionally trained or experienced
Select and train them in Solution Focused Brief Therapy
Challenges EAP needs to address
•A psychological mind set about usefulness of EAP services has to be brought in
•The benefits will have to be demonstrated as case examples
•Organization need to be able to see return on investment for such services
•Providing quality service is better in the long run compared to short term gains
From the crisis intervention mode to a preventive and proactive mode
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