Friday, May 2, 2014

Glue Safety Messages Not Sticking

                Ian Urbina’s article, As OSHA Emphasizes Safety, Long-Term Health Risks Fester, points out the poor working conditions in Royale Comfort Seating factories, and the politics that allow this to continue.

                Starting with the case of Sheri Farley, the article quickly dives into the problems caused companies putting profits above working conditions. Sheri Farley is one of many adults who can no longer support themselves because of permanent nerve damage. The cause has been linked to the nPB glue frequently used in furniture production for its fast drying qualities, high rate production, and low cost. While the article brings up multiple times how Royale Comfort Seating and others are trying to keep business local, this message and the resulting morale debate of unsafe work vs. no work are undermined by the continued apathy of the company towards recommendations to improve safety. Requests by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) to improve air quality have resulted in ventilation that goes unmaintained, and demands for $18 respirators have been met with $0.90 dust masks previously noted as useless against the vapors by inspectors.

                Work related injury has historically been one of the big reasons behind unions in America. Poor conditions and hazardous jobs could lead to permanent debilitation and leave adults and parents with no future job opportunity on top of medical bills. The effort to get companies to support these unfortunate employees, and prevent future occurrences was an important step in improving the safety of citizens, and the American standard of living. While I can understand the conflict on spending money to swap to a safer and far less profitable glue, the reluctance to put in some money and effort to improving worker safety indicates to me the company and its managers lack concern for their workers, both from a morale and monetary perspective. Even if managers feel detached from responsibility to look for ways to affordably improve safety, the fact that American policies don’t provide a fiscal incentive for the company to get on top of problems its branches are causing stands as a problem in society.


                The article brings up an important issue in our society and makes an effort to bring the reasons behind both sides to the table; which I applaud it for. But I find several facts from the article about our country concerning or downright frustrating to know are true (like how small funding for protecting employees is compared to other government budgets.)

What We Want When Working

                The article, The #1 Feature of a Meaningless Job, by Adam Grant explores what most employees want from a job. It focuses on what jobs give employees a sense of purpose, the benefits of this, and possible ways for other fields to utilize these benefits.

                After supporting that most employees seek purpose from their work, Grant listed jobs, varying from teachers to firemen, which have been noted for a high degree of meaningfulness to workers. He notes how these jobs see more interaction between the worker and those who benefit than other jobs which, despite some having more opportunity for creativity and independence at work, are statistically found less meaningful to the workers. Of particular interest are the studies referenced, with one linking a employees sense of job meaningfulness to positive impacts on others, another pointing out how, in countries around the globe, most citizens describe activities that contribute to society as work.

                While it is hard to know how big a role an employee’s sense of purpose plays in their work, the examples cited definitely support the claim that work which benefits others is inspiring. Improved performance from radiologists simply from having a patient’s face linked to an x-ray and how meeting a single person who’s directly benefited from their work resulted in significant improvements in revenue (>150%) from university fundraisers. These examples demonstrate both the degree to which motivation improves work, and simple ways to foster this motivation.

                Grant furthermore noted his own experiment on motivation. He and his colleagues worked with salespeople on crafting their job and approach to work to be more motivating to them. He noted how coworkers and employers of these salespeople reported them as happier and more effective for at least six months after developing motivational skills. However, as positive as the author is towards his experiment, without a control group it’s hard to judge how much of this improvement is due to the actual benefits of this job crafting, and how much is due to the placebo effects of attending an hour and a half session on improving your work.


                Overall the article was informative and filled with supportive studies from other sources. With so many studies indicating the link between benefiting others and finding fulfillment in your work, I can definitely view increased interaction as a way to improve worker happiness, and with it a better society.