Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.
EMPR 240 – Weblog 2: Concussions in the Playground – a Teacher’s Safety Concern
Toronto educational assistant, Robin Teal, suffered a severe concussion while monitoring school recess, and suddenly became very aware of the variety of dangers facing teachers. The article provided by CTV News highlights the dangers teachers face in school, how these dangers go unnoticed and the lack of remedies that are offered in support of victims. Please visit the article (based on studies) for further information: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/how-concussions-became-a-significant-risk-for-workplace-injury-among-teachers-1.4794602
Teachers have started coming forward, declaring that there is danger in recess, and not only in organized sport activities. To try and prevent further injury, teachers have begun pushing for there to be specific places designated to sports so that teachers (and others) can keep a safe distance from the activities. Teal was hit in the head with a football while monitoring recess and has since had very severe symptoms, and is having an increasingly difficult time recovering due to her working conditions.
The policy problem at hand is that the safety concerns aren’t being properly addressed and workplace conditions can be improved to promote an easier recovery. Prominent symptoms of concussions include nausea, headaches, and dizziness, which are often enhanced by the symptom of sensitivity to light and sound. Being a teacher requires a lot of active work – students are dependent on the teachers’ ability to perform – so recovering from a concussion as a teacher proves extra difficult. Teachers often work in rooms with fluorescent lighting, and need to teach around 25 high-energy kids. This high stress and active environment does not promote a healthy recovery, and can create further problems for the teacher by not allowing a proper recovery.
Since the risk for injury is so high for teachers, the option to fix working conditions is one that should be explored. Fluorescent lighting is known to create headaches, and should not be encouraged in any workplace. Since the probability of injury is high, fluorescent lighting should absolutely not be an option in classrooms. As a remedy, perhaps more yellow lighting would be beneficial and should be replaced in all classrooms. More strict areas should be placed in recess time to try and prevent further injuries. Management should encourage these changes, as it would demonstrate that they care about their employees’ safety and comfort. Additionally, promoting healthy recovery would allow the teacher to recover faster, and thus management would not have to pay for a replacement (in addition to the salary of the teacher on leave) for a prolonged period of time. A minimum specific amount of time off (sick leave) should be enforced on teachers who sustained a head injury, even minor ones, to ensure that they are taking the proper methods to fully recover, those who sustained more severe head injuries would take more time off. It is my thinking that teachers would be in favour of this policy change as it shows that they’re valued, would also decrease the risk of further injury, and would all around improve the conditions of the workplace. Management and government, however, might have a hard time with accepting the decision of changing lighting in the schools due to cost, but the shift from fluorescent lighting will be a beneficial change in the long-run given that so much time is spent in the classroom and since it is known that they encourage headaches, measures should be taken to remedy that. Since the dangers of being a teacher are known, they should try and have proposed remedies in case they occur.
EMPR 240 Weblog 1 – An Increase in Minimum Wage Decreases Suicide Rate?
A study has found that implementing an increase in minimum wage correlates to a decrease in suicide rates. This finding prompts the immediate desire to increase the minimum wage as much as possible, in hopes that suicide rates will continue to decrease. A seemingly easy fix to the high suicide rates, is not an easy fix at all, as the resources (money available) to pay wages is not limitless, and is thus at its agreed-upon wage due to the available resources in the provincial government. The issue at hand relates to the “Minimum Wage Legislation” , and the study brings into question, “Living Wages” and “Wage Restraint Regulations”. Please visit the study to read more: https://globalnews.ca/news/6377954/minimum-wage-suicide-rate/
The conducted study all but demands an increase in the minimum wage, practically stating that the higher the minimum wage, the lower suicide rates will be. Although the relationship studied between minimum wage and suicide rates is interesting and jarring, it must be considered that correlation does not mean causation. From the employees’ point of view, of course, they would like to see an increase in the minimum wage, they would have more money in their pocket, and thus more financial security. As we learned in Module 2, the Managerialist Perspective of the Employment Relationship, states the managers’ willingness to spend more on employee wages as this will result in highly motivated and happy workers. If approaching the issue presented in the study from the Managerialist Perspective with the labour market in mind, then it seems obvious to increase the minimum wage to increase employee morale and financial security, whilst securing the manager in a place of power in the employer-employee relationship. Consequently, increasing the minimum wage does not have the same positive effect on the provincial government. As previously stated, the ability of the provincial government to increase the minimum wage is dependent on its available resources. The provincial government, perhaps considering to increase the minimum wage, in hopes of decreasing suicide rates, simply might not be able to due to their lack of resources – inflation is a large contributor to the difficulty in increasing minimum wage. Although an irregular occurrence, the government sometimes decides to implement “Wage Restraint Regulations”, which creates a cap for the minimum wage and only happens in cases of emergency – this is done out of hopes of reducing spending to curb inflation.
An interesting point mentioned in the study is that the results of the study conducted in the US differ from the results found in Canada, and how this could be due to Canadian healthcare. This issue brings another very large issue, to light, an issue that would extend far past the scope of this class – the lack of healthcare in the US.
Low minimum wages in the US means that the employee must save their money for commitments and expenses, and that they have less money to allocate to “fun” spending. Unfortunately, due to the lack of healthcare in the US, a simple doctor’s visit, or a major health procedure, can bleed the bank account dry. This is an incredible amount of pressure to place on the shoulders of the average citizen, as it essentially states “get a high paying job to afford to live”, explaining why this is not found in Canada since regardless of financial status, healthcare is guaranteed.
Unfortunately, the case of low minimum wages is not one that can easily be resolved, and it most certainly cannot be resolved through communication between the employer and employee since the matter reaches past them and rests in the hands of the provincial government. In the case of the US, the root of the issue rests in the hands of the federal government and their desire to discuss terms of a proper healthcare plan with the States. Upon reading the study, I would not go as far as to say that increasing minimum wages would decrease the suicide rates, rather, accounting for the variety of factors that directly relate to a citizens financial security – such as healthcare, wages, and other expenses – and trying to alleviate the pressure from the employees shoulder, could result in a minimal decrease in suicide rates.
EMPR 240 Introduction Post
Hi! I’m Jess and I am currently taking EMPR 240!
My first real job was last year when I was a Publications Staff for a media company. In this position, I was responsible for creating publications content such as yearbook pages, handbooks, custom CVs and many more. Graphic design was a large part of this role and I loved every second of this job so much that I applied to be the Publications Manager for the following school year (which I got) and so now I am about halfway through my contract as Publications Manager. This has been an absolute incredible experience as it has provided me with the ability to work for a team as well as manage my own team of staff. My position has allowed me to learn how to manage a team, keep up with deadlines, deal with Human Resource issues, and well as issues pertaining to Public Relations. I look forward to continuing my position until my contract is over, and hopefully continue to work my way up within the company for the following school year (as the company I work for function on a yearly “up or out” turnover).
I am particularly looking forward to Module 3 of this course (Combatting Inequality & Unfairness: Wage Regulation in Canada) as I would like to develop a greater understanding of how employees and their work are assessed for proper compensation.
*I added the course past the January 10 deadline which is why I am only posting my Introductory post now
Introduce Yourself (Example Post)
This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.
You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.
Why do this?
- Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
- Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.
The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.
To help you get started, here are a few questions:
- Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
- What topics do you think you’ll write about?
- Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
- If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?
You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.
Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.
When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.
Jessica Brender's Blog 