RESPONSE TO WEEK 1 DISCUSSION FORUM 1 MODULE 2 1
Response to Week 1 Discussion Forum 1 Module 2
Michael Cullars
School of Business, Liberty University
Author Note
Michael Cullars
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Michael Cullars
Email: michaelcullars1@liberty.edu
RESPONSE TO WEEK 1 DISCUSSION FORUM 1 MODULE 2 2
Thanks, Devin. Concerning employers firing employees with dependents with health
problems, they do so because they may find such employees unreliable. When employees have
dependents that have serious health issues, their work production may decrease and their
efficiency. According to Johnson et al. (2019), an individual's workplace environment influences
their psychological well-being and external factors outside of their work environment.
Particularly, when an employee has a sick child or experienced a severe traffic incident, those
emotions tend to follow them in their workplace (Johnson et al., 2019). Individual health and
those of their dependents would likely impact their work product because they are concerned
about their dependent’s health or their health dilemmas.
When employees with healthy family members suspect that their family members may be
sick under the same circumstances, they become demotivated to work. Some people may even
choose to leave their organization because of the adverse effects of their sick family members'
care on their work. Increased absence or shoddy job efficiently triggered by a worker's emphasis
on their sick dependent does require leadership intervention from employees dealing with such
problems before deciding to terminate them. Terminating them can further add to their life
stressors, such as the inability to pay for their dependent medical bills because of their job loss.
Servant leadership in a workplace can bring inspiration to a workplace environment and help
address issues impacting an employee's work performance.
According to Laub (2019), the concept of servant leadership revolves around
subordinates' well-being instead of the leader's self-interests. Moreover, Laub (2018) found a
distinctive correlation between absenteeism rates in an organization and servant leadership.
Organizations in locations that scored at least 4.0 on their leadership assessment had a lower rate
of workplace absenteeism than those that score below that value (Laub, 2018).
RESPONSE TO WEEK 1 DISCUSSION FORUM 1 MODULE 2 3
A company may have no choice but to terminate an employee after given several chances
to improve their productivity, or the employee becomes too embedded with personal problems
that it impacts their work performance. However, with servant leadership, managers can instill
hope and motivation for their employees to help them through difficult moments. Such caring
qualities can open communication lines between the employer and employee, which produces
loyalty, trust, and commitment to all involved. Luke 22:26 states, "But not so with you, let the
greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves" (English
Standard Version, 2016).
In conclusion, employees with health issues or have dependents that require more
attentive care due to their health challenges can impact their work performance and a company's
growth and productivity. Furthermore, employees with healthy dependents may detrimentally
react when faced with the same challenges as their co-workers that have family members that
require additional care due to health concerns. Those with healthy dependents may either decide
to depart their business organization or become so demotivated that it impacts their performance,
which could lead to their termination. However, servant leadership can inspire those employees
bottled through life tribulations and provide them the means to move forward when faced with
adversity.
RESPONSE TO WEEK 1 DISCUSSION FORUM 1 MODULE 2 4
References
English Standard Version (2016). BibleGateway.com; Crossway Bibles.
www.biblegateway.com/versions/English-Standard-Version-ESV-Bible/#booklist
Johnson, S., Robertson, I., & Cooper, C. L. (2018). Well-Being. Springer International
Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62548-5
Laub, J. (2018). Leveraging the Power of Servant Leadership. Springer International
Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77143-4
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