Workplace Matters

This episode of Workplace Matters looks at the research of the Healthier Workforce Center's Dr. Jon Davis. Jon utilized the National Violent Death Reporting System to look specifically at work-related suicides. The findings provide insight into why work-related suicides happen and how the workplace can make a positive impact. Host: Michael Guhin Guest: Dr. Jon Davis Links: 1) https://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug04/survey 2) https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/index.html#:~:text=In%202020%2C%20an%20estimated%2012.2,and%201.2%20million%20attempted%20suicide.&text=Suicide%20affects%20all%20ages

This episode of Workplace Matters focuses on Parker Hannifin, a hydraulic and industrial hose manufacturer in Alliance, Nebraska. They implemented changes through policies and practices to improve their workplace health and safety culture and to protect worker well-being. Their success earned an award from Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest, the Nebraska State Chamber, and the Nebraska Safety Council. We talked to Angie Kaiser, the safety lead at Parker Hannifin, about their approach. Full transcript available here: https://hwc.public-health.uiowa.edu/workplace-matters-successful-safety-culture-at-parker-hannifin/ Guest: Angie Kaiser Host: Michael Guhin

This episode of Workplace Matters is the second focusing on Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs); this episode being focused on EAP Utilization. We again spoke with an EAP vendor and a multi-national company about how to view utilization rates, how workplace culture affects them, and 4 strategies to improve a workplace culture for EAP utilization. Full transcript available here: https://hwc.public-health.uiowa.edu/workplace-matters-increasing-workplace-eap-utilization/ Guests: Alyssa Divjak and Gail Sutter Host: Michael Guhin

This episode of Workplace Matters looks at the specific behaviors that effective leaders need to have to enable success in their workplace. Colonel John Bolduc is the Superintendent of Law Enforcement and Public Safety for the Nebraska State Patrol. He leads a massive group of officers and shared six behaviors he has found effective for leading employees. Full transcript available here: https://hwc.public-health.uiowa.edu/workplace-matters-leadership-behaviors/ Host: Michael Guhin Guest: Colonel John Bolduc

This episode of Workplace Matters looks at how employers can help keep their drivers safe. What causes driver distraction? What are the important aspects of a driver safety program? How does workplace culture affect driver safety? We asked Dr. Dan McGehee from the National Advanced Driving Simulator at the University of Iowa and Karen Rehm from the Nebraska Safety Council about how employers can keep their drivers safe. Full transcript available here: https://hwc.public-health.uiowa.edu/driving-safety/ Host: Michael Guhin Guests: Karen Rehm, Dr. Dan McGehee

This episode of Workplace Matters is a companion to our earlier episode “Marijuana and the Workplace: Introduction”. In this episode we look at what factors should be taken into account when revising or creating marijuana policies for a business. How should policies reflect or not reflect the changing litigation around marijuana, and what factors should be taken into account when making those decisions. Full transcript is available here: https://hwc.public-health.uiowa.edu/marijuana-and-the-workplace-policies/ Host: Michael Guhin Guests: Jeffery Meyers, Allison Wright, and Matthew Pappas Note: These interviews were recorded before December 4th, 2019 when the Illinois Recreational Marijuana Law was amended clarifying that employers may conduct pre-employment tests for marijuana use and may impose disciplinary action against employees for failing.

This episode looks at how fatigue affects workplace safety and health. Sleep is a necessary part of safety in the workplace and can be affected by many factors including workplace policies like shift work. Dr. Amany Farag discusses how fatigue and shift work effects nurses and the importance of emphasizing that all employees get their recommended amount of sleep each week as well as the cost employers face when their workforce is fatigued. Full transcript is available here: https://hwc.public-health.uiowa.edu/new-podcast-available-fatigue/ Host: Michael Guhin Guest: Dr. Amany Farag; Dr. Elizabeth Ablah