Company Restructuring Is Bad For BT Workers Health

Major report evaluates BT's Workfit and Stream initiatives.

BT workers have sadly known for years that working for a company undergoing restructuring is bad for your health. BT has seems to be permanently restructuring and job insecurity has become a daily hazard.

Now a study by researchers from the University of Bremen, Germany, confirms that stress is a major factor in the inevitable fall-out from company restructuring - with BT being one of the companies the researchers looked at.

One hospital and four major private companies - British Telecom, St Gobain, Ericsson and TeliaSonera - were surveyed as part of the research, which also involved workshops and interviews.

The authors found workers in firms undergoing restructuring suffered physical and psychological health problems as a result of job insecurity.

In Chapter 1 Innovation, Health and Restructuring, the report states: "Frequent restructurings increasingly force organisations to acknowledge new causes for stress: uncertainty, employability, an increasingly individualised assumption of responsibility on part of the employee in maintaining and getting new work.

Taking this in account, all these stressors are more likely to be reproduced in new combinations and to impact negatively on the workforce where the job descriptions, working groups and entire departments change or
disappear in the wake of a restructuring.

It has become apparent that the consequences of an organisational restructuring are often twofold for the workforce: for one, there are those who are being dismissed. Secondly, there are those remaining in a changed working environment (survivor-of-layoffs).

Both groups experience different stressors as the result of the restructuring, with an emphasis on personal well-being and behaviour."

The report further notes: "Companies restructure in order to become more competitive, productive and efficient. However, survivor-of-layoffs will react with withdrawal, absenteeism and lower productivity if these aforementioned goals ignore the effects on survivors-of-layoffs, if the process of restructuring is considered as unfair and unbalanced - particularly if not all alternatives to dismissals having been sufficiently reviewed. The companies must therefore focus on acceptable forms of restructuring and include employee representation from the beginning."

The report also refers to Safety Reps stating they are crucial to this process: " considerations to change work organisation, team composition, and job roles should always involve the health and safety representatives as this leads to a smoother transition and to prevent a potential increase in terms of work accidents and health problems - most likely achieved by putting in place specific programmes to increase health awareness in times of organisational turmoil and stress.'

Referring specifically to BT on page 25 of the report, both the CWU and the Health & Safety Committees within the company are commented on:

"The results of these restructuring and the development of expertise in the area of restructuring and health has led to a number of health monitoring and health promotion measures within BT which is being supported by an assertive as well highly recognized health and safety committee, whose health and safety representative members have ‘extensive rights’ to perform their duties and are integral to all procedures under a ‘partnership’ agreement with the management. It is hoped that these initiatives will enable the company to monitor health during reorganisations and to assist their employees in a more insecure, competitive and volatile working environment."

It further adds, when referring to health monitoring, the part played by the CWU:

"Employee health has repeatedly been taken up by the Communication Workers Union. This resulted in the appointment of a new Chief Medical Officer and senior manager responsible for health and safety. In addition, two initiatives have been implemented: STREAM – an online stress tool, and Work Fit – a programme to increase the physical health of employees.

STREAM was launched in 2004 and aims at identifying and subsequently addressing stress throughout the workforce. The launch also related to the UK’s statutory body, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and its initiative to improve mental health issues in the workplace.

BT has continually monitored its sickness absence rates and was aware that around 20 per cent were due to mental health issues."

The report further highlights BT's Workfit initiative:

"The second programme, Work Fit, addresses the physical aspects of health which are related to the modern lifestyle, in particularly obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. This voluntary, sixteen-week programme has been developed in conjunction with a number of public and private organisations interested in health and focuses on promoting a healthy diet and exercise.

The problems of the increasingly ageing workforce are also considered as these employees are likely to be less physically active and thus more susceptible to cardio-vascular disease. The programme is delivered almost entirely over the BT intranet and by e-mail.

Work Fit sets participants weekly tasks to help them to eat healthier and become more physically active,
often resulting in some weight loss as well. Participants also collaborate and join teams. This enables groups to compete with one another. This further increases their motivation to participate and, for example, enables them to raise money for charity in the process. Work Fit is also free and confidential."

The part played by the CWU and the the health and safety committees within the company is recognised in the report:

"The commitment of the health and safety committee as well as the union was essential in promoting these two tools at the beginning. This included a number of workplace shows where union representatives informed the general workforce throughout the United Kingdom about these offers. The managers were part of the process, they were encouraged to give workers time to attend these meetings."

The section concludes by saying: "This means, rather than relying on problem-solving approaches alone, these new initiatives help to address the repercussions of heightened job insecurity and recurring company restructuring for the workforce, which, in turn, have led to more preventive and proactive health initiatives being employed."

Download full report by clicking on the pic above.

Source: TUC Risks / European Trade Union Institute

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