News

Danger: modern management may damage your health

Modern management methods used in the US and the UK are harmingthe health of employees, claims a report published by De Montfort University in Leicester together with researchers froma US university.

The report reviews the health effects of current management theory and practice. It says that although modern management uses the language of participation and empowerment, too often the reality is old-fashioned bullying and denying workers any say in the design, content, pace or volume of their work.

The researchers claim that workers have the essential knowledge and expertise necessary to make their jobs safer, but that employers rarely make use of employee knowledge in determining their health and safety policies.

In addition, there is evidence that workplaces in which trades unions participate fully in health and safety issues tend to be safer than those where they do not.

New safety management programmes may seem effective simply because they encourage a reduction in the reporting of accidents and illness, rather than because they make the workplace safer.