Individual Project 5 for PSYC337

Benjamin Bogan

PSYC337-1401A-03: Abnormal Psychology in the Workplace

Instructor Vaughn

Due Date: 2/3/14

Introduction

The best performing companies obtain their success due to the importance that is placed on the health of the employees. This is based on the strong correlation between the ability to achieve the company’s or organization’s goals and a staff force that is healthy and energized. It is, therefore, a necessity in companies and corporations that the well-being of employees is addressed. There are several benefits associated with a healthy employee workforce. These include reduction of employee absence and health related costs, improvement of employee motivation and engagement, improvement of the performance of the staff, and attraction and retention of the top talent in the industry. In the current workforce dynamics, globalization has brought a lot of changes. This is based on the fact that employees from various parts of the world work in different other parts of the world, which may not be their places of origin or home countries.

This thus implies that employee diversity is one of the aspects that the current workforce has embraced. Workforce diversity is contributed by differences in employee cultural aspects, religious backgrounds, sexual and religious affiliations, and the presence of special populations, such as employees with mental disorders such as anxiety disorders. An Employee Assistance program benefits are thus very vital in addressing the relational, mental, and emotional need of the diverse employee workforce in an organization (Cornelius, 2002).

Policy: Celebrating Human Diversity

Purpose

In the current global world, the workforces of different corporations and companies are composed of employees with varied cultures and backgrounds. The diversity of an organization’s employee base has been embraced in the current global business world because of the belief that a diverse staff is better equipped to address the diverse needs of the diverse clientele while ensuring different perspectives. The celebration of the diversity of an organization’s employees enables the encouragement of all members to feel that their beliefs, experiences, and cultures are recognized and appreciated, thus enhancing the confidence of the employees in the organization, which is thus the main purpose of this policy.

Application

In an organization with a diverse employee workforce, there is the integration of several cultures and ways of life based on the variety of the employee cultural affiliations furthermore, not all members in an organization are equally the same with reference to the health of the employees. There is the part of the employees who need special needs. These include employees with health issues such as mental disorders. The policy is thus applicable to employees of the various backgrounds and cultures and also the employees with special needs such as mental problems.

Methods of celebrating diversity

There are several methods that the policy will employ in the celebration of the workforce diversity. These programs include cultural diversity programs, cultural diversity training, annual block parties, and the use of workplace establishing interior decors in addressing cultural diversity (Blustein, 2013).

I. Cultural Diversity Programs

Cultural diversity programs should be included in the policy. This will be done through the establishment of weeks or diversity months, the establishment of a diversity council that will deal with the organization of diversity activities, and the creation of training programs that are centered in employee diversity. Employee orientations should embrace aspects of employee diversity in the organization.

II. Cultural Diversity Training

Cultural diversity training involves the establishment of training programs that equips the company’s employees with the opportunities that enables employees to be exposed to the various cultures and backgrounds that belongs to the organization’s employees and clienteles.

III. Annual Diversity Block Parties

There should be the establishment of annual or semi-annual diversity block parties that are aimed at the appreciation of the diversities that are evident in the organization. This involves gatherings in the company parking lots or parks that are in the organization’s neighborhoods, which creates chances through which employees, neighbors and vendors share their diverse cultural traditions. The mainly employed aspects of the gatherings include food, music, dances, stories, and art work.

IV. Use of interior decors

The cultural diversity of the employees should also be incorporated in the organization’s interior décor in the workplace. This will be enhanced through the establishment of rotating art gallery, whereby the décor will be altered in consecutive months, based on the diversity of the employees in the organization. This could also be done through the use of furnishings and plants that reflect the various geographical regions that reflect employee diversity in the workplace.

V. Celebration of cultural diversity

The workplace cultural diversity should aim in the celebration of cultural diversity through the support of minority owned businesses and supporting of minority vendors thus, embracing the celebration of cultural diversity within and without the organization.

Addressing unusual populations

The policy should also address unusual situations. The most common unusual situation is the employee situations that distract the ability of the employees to engage productively in the dissipation of their duties in heir workplaces. These unusual situations include health and family related issues regarding employees. The policy should aid in the formulation of employee therapy programs that are aimed at addressing the family problem needs and also the health needs of employees, which may include mood disorders and anxiety disorders that might be facing some of the employees.

Employee Benefits

Several benefits should be provided to the company’s employees. These include employee wellness programs, medical insurance, and EAP.

I. Employee wellness programs

Wellness programs should be established to will ensure that well-being of the employees is enhanced. This will enhance high employee productivity through reduction of cases such as employee absenteeism and also reduces the money being spent in the treatment of employees in cases of illnesses. These wellness programs focus on healthy employee lifestyles (Gantner, 2012).

II. Medical insurance

The employees should be provided with medical insurance plans that address the employee needs such as special need together with the medical needs of the family members of the employees. This is a very important motivation aspect because the employees are assured of medical covers for themselves and their families.

III. EAP

The EAP will be equipped with a number of programs that are centered on assisting employees in various ways. These will include crisis and referral center, counseling services, quality assurance services, psychological management and advisory services.

Position in week one debate

The word “normal” is applicable to a situation involving humans. This is because an individual who do not live as per the norms and also who do not display the state of mind that is not displayed by the majority of the members of the given society, gives the implication that the individual is different from the larger percentage of individuals in the given society, this implying abnormality.

Reference

Blustein, D. L. (2013). The Oxford handbook of the psychology of working.

Cornelius, N. (2002). Building workplace equality: Ethics, diversity and inclusion. London: Thomson Learning.

Gantner, R. K. (2012). Workplace wellness: Performance with a purpose, achieving health dividends for employers and employees. Moon Township, P.A: Well Works Pub.