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A recent study by Linda Waite, PhD with the University of Chicago Department of Sociology, asserts that divorce has a profound negative impact on the health of those whose marriage ends – just as the death of a spouse has on the surviving spouse.
Although this study raises an interesting point, it is likely not a clear argument that those who choose to divorce are (more…)
One of the findings in The Longevity Project is that for this group of individuals, parental divorce during childhood indicated in a higher risk of early death – averaging out to five (5) years earlier than those whose parents did not split-up. Since the study was published more a handful of professionals, writers, and allied persons have referenced this finding as a cautionary tale to those who are contemplating divorce. (more…)
We seem to love rules and directions. Self-help is a billion dollar industry. It seems that everyone is looking for an expert to tell them how to live “right”. We trust others to be the experts in knowing what is best for us and our children, even when they have no direct knowledge of us.
This is true in regards to divorce, marital relationships, and parenting as well. There is a new book, The Longevity Project, that reports “parental divorce during childhood was the single strongest social predictor of early death, many years into the future”. In many ways this provocative statement is being used as newest rule to live and parent by. (more…)
Employers and human resource personnel often find themselves trying to reasonably accommodate the needs of disabled employees under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Unfortunately, for many employers, the concept of ADA accommodation can be a controversial topic. (more…)
Conflict is expensive. Regardless of the nature of the dispute, conflict is expensive.
Divorce is no exception. Couples choosing the traditional route of a litigated divorce can spend thousands of dollars in divorce court. Choosing mediation versus litigation – even choosing mediation versus just living with the conflict – greatly lessens the costs. Even high-conflict (more…)
Stress is a threat to health – few would find that surprising. However many employers do not have a clear sense of how workplace stress negatively and specifically impacts the health of their employees.
A recent study reported at the 2010 American Heart Association conference in Chicago, found that a woman’s incidence of heart disease, including heart attack and congestive heart failure, is notably increased for those who experience high levels of workplace stress.
17,415 women participated in the 10-year study, by Dr. Michelle Albert at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. The women averaged 57 years of age, were healthy, and employed full or part-time at the onset of the study. Most women in the study were health professionals and included working women of various professional levels.
The findings indicate that those women whose jobs, regardless of skill level, who’s self-report in 1999 indicated higher levels of workplace stress experienced more health problems when revisited 10 years later. The highest-stress group had a 40% greater overall risk of heart problems including heart attacks, strokes, and heart-related conditions resulting in necessary surgery.
Another important aspect to this study is that the identified workplace stress came not just from jobs that are inherently stressful or demanding, but from jobs where the employee experiences little control over her duties.
The findings demonstrate the value of employers actively working to reduce the experience of workplace stress on its employees – not just to impact the workplace today, but also to decrease health related costs in the future.
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The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is 20 years old. In addition, recently employer focused ADA compliance issues and requirements were in the news as a result of some political campaign, included national coverage of Rand Paul’s senate run in Kentucky.
It is hard to argue the impact of ADA in our everyday lives, many accessibility improvements have become commonplace when they used to be rare. Technology has also increased accessibility options – such as voice simulation on computers, virtual offices, web-based communications – allowing widespread access to information, communication, and functionality that was not an option 30 years ago.
Despite the options currently available, at issue for employers is complying with ADA accessibility requests of its employees and potential hires. Unfortunately it is the perception of many that employer ADA compliance results in a costly and often unreasonable burden on the employer.
This is a clear misunderstanding.
ADA compliance guidelines charge employers with making “Reasonable Accommodation” to comply with ADA guidelines. Unfortunately, this seems to be often misunderstood. It is not the intent of ADA that employers are at the mercy of their employees (or potential employees), instead it is the intent that reasonable accommodations will be made to facilitate an individual employee’s ability to be a successful and valuable employee. In other words, ADA compliance guidelines benefit both the employee and the employer.
Perhaps a job function requires that an employee stand for an extended period of time. However, someone – who can fulfill all other requirements of the job – is not able to comply with the expectation of standing due to temporary or permanent injury or disability. A reasonable accommodation may be the use of a stool or chair during this individual’s shift.
Perhaps an office is located above ground level with no wheelchair access. As opposed to relocating the entire office to accommodate a single employee, creating a virtual work environment for the employee may be an option.
An employee who has back or other issues requiring a modified work station may initially request a particular ergonomic chair that costs thousands of dollars – which can be cost prohibitive for many employers. Perhaps there are other options that meet the physical and medical needs of the employee, but are far more realistic for employers to provide.
These options may seem overly simplistic – how can it be that easy if everyone is so at odds about the cost of ADA compliance?
It seems that, like so many conflicts (an issue that is trying to be resolved from two divergent views), the employers and employees involved in this issue have found themselves fully ensconced in their emotional-based positions: each side focusing on protecting and supporting their idea, instead of working towards a resolution. They have lost sight of the shared interest in the resolution of the conflict.
Mediation is an excellent means of the resolving conflicts related to ADA compliance – included worksite ADA compliance issues.
A neutral mediator can bring both sides together to create a resolution to the ADA compliance issue that promotes the shared interests and meets both the needs of the employer and the employee.
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Stress is on one the most commonly experienced and disregarded health issues facing us today.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, individuals experiencing stress are at risk for the following health concerns: sleep issues, headaches, disruptions in appetite, emotional symptoms including anxiety and depression, gastro-intestinal issues, aggravation of existing asthma and arthritis symptoms, heart problems, high blood pressure, fertility issues, diabetes, sexual issues, and neck or back pain.
Conflicts addressed through mediation or litigation are typically extremely stressful events to start with; choosing how to resolve them can greatly impact the stress levels experienced.
Mediation provides a much less stressful alternative to litigation. Traditional legal intervention is most often costly, protracted, and very stressful for those in dispute. So often the conflict seems to grow, despite the intentions of the parties involved. For many, especially those not familiar with the court system, this adversarial process aggravates the difficulties experienced by those in conflict. The increase in stress is problematic, as it can negatively impact an individual’s health and quality of life.
Those already at risk due to existing medical issues – such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, lupus, and even cancer may find that the stress experienced as a result of a litigated conflict, may have far more consequences than simply how the courts resolve the issues.
Mediation focuses on cooperation, building from even the slightest points of agreement. Those participating are in control of the process and the agreements reached – lessening the overall experience of stress. The mediation process does not aggravate the experience of stress; instead it is mitigated. Ongoing stress from agreements reached through mediation are also less, as the parties have created their own decisions and created a resolution that is far more satisfying in the long run.
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