Impact of Globalization on work practices: Culturally sensitive EAP services

Dr.S.Kalyanasundaram, MDConsultant PsychiatristClinical Director, PPC India

•The booming Indian IT and ITES have become symbolic of globalization in India

•Younger work force – flexible, open, quick, risk tolerant, hardy and adaptable

•More number of women joining the work force

•Highly trained – “techies”

•Goal oriented, focused, high achievement motivation

Indian work force

India – “Fastest growing free market democracy” - Davos 2006

Work Environment (1)

• The Indian software services and BPOs have introduced novel management systems and work culture

• “New work places” are characterized by flat and non-bureaucratic organizational structures

• Informal relationships, team work and flexible management policies.

• Seen across both Indian and Multinational Companies

Fast paced globalization – highly trained technical Professionals with less developed life skills

• Dynamic environments - fast paced and rapidly changing, westernization of work place

• Career prospects – more opportunities for vertical and lateral movements

• Nature of work – time – critical projects, high degree of precision

• Fluctuating work patterns and timings

Work force in transition from traditional practices to Western work styles – psychological pressure

Work Environment (2)

Issues at work place (1)

•Psychological distress is neither visible nor

tangible

•Difficult to recognize early signs of distress

•Highly competitive environment

•Concerns of being “benched”

•At times non-supportive environment

Added pressure and resultant stress not recognized early enough

Issues at workplace (2)

•Long and unrealistic working hours with

deadlines

•Less time or energy for any other type of

recreation

•Low energy levels and inadequate skills to

handle pressure long term

•Inability to see value-addition for themselves

when working for large projects – therefore

lack of motivation

Issues at workplace(3)

•Low priority on the part of the organization

to develop the person holistically

•Training programs are focused on skill and

competency development

•Focus on emotional or psychological issues

a relatively low priority

Inadequate skills, lack of support andexpectation to perform make them stressed

HR concerns

•HR moving from personnel management and industrial relations to human capital development

•A strong felt need by HR for EAP services but find it difficult to convince top management on return on investment

•Many levels of decision making

•Software and BPO companies struggle with high attrition rates

Paradigm shift - from support function to a strategic partner in growth and development

Impact on HR

•Employability and career growth depend on

improving one’s skill set to keep up with rapid

changes and technology

•To achieve it they often change jobs resulting in

the fluidity of the software labor market

•Return on the investment cannot be assessed in

monetary terms

HR Key Issues – recruitment, training,skills building, attrition

HR Issues (1)

•Companies recognize the need for counseling

and support services

• But are constrained by the lack of availability of

structured and comprehensive programs

•In-house counseling services have not proven to

be as effective due to confidentiality/reprisal

issues

HR understands the importance but the system is not conducive to achieving it

HR Issues (2)

•People find it difficult to approach ‘others’ for

psychological help – cultural issue

•Lack of orientation to seeking support for

psychological issues – stigma

•Lack of availability of professional

psychological services

A major concern is to get the right kind of Professional help within the system

Impact on Employees

•In a recent survey 90% of the employees interviewed admitted that

during times of worry their work was negatively impacted by an

average of 20%

•This means they are 20% less productive and, in some cases,

considerably more

•In a country like India, issues may even get compounded considering

the pressures they undergo to financially support members of their

family

Conflict between individual need and a sense of responsibility

A sample case

• 29 year old unmarried male – team leader

• Presenting with multiple somatic symptoms

• Stressed, anxious and unable to function

• Team consists of freshers

• Pressure from the Manager

• Project accepted and deadline set

A sample case …contd.

• Fear of being replaced

• Good salary, poor skill set

• Initially presented with chest pain

• Consulted Cardiologist

• Declared “Normal”

• Stress and anxiety worsens

A typical situation where an employee doesn’t know where to go for help

Issues at Individual level (1)

•Lack of knowledge and orientation

•Poor perception that only the severely affected need to seek help

•Poor help seeking behavior as a cultural concept

•Away from home, at times cultural shock, as food habits, language

customs and traditions are different

People come from different religious, ethnic and language backgrounds

Issues at Individual level (2)

•Adjustment issues forming new social support groups

•Intolerance and rigidity leads to non-acceptance

•Results in alienation and lack of social and family support

•Transition from academic to work life

•Peer pressure to conform

Psychological health depends on the ability to integrate into the new environment

Family structure

•Traditional joint family structure

•Giving way to Nuclear families

•Less time with one another with different job timings

•Overcome by exhaustion and trying to cope with both job and home

pressures

•Couples working and find it difficult to start a family of their own

Conflict between aspirations and desires – theirs and that of family elders

Some statistics

•Population over 1,000 Million

•Psychiatrists 3,500

•Psychologists 600

•Psy. Soc. Workers 400

•Psychiatric Nurses 600

•Obviously inadequate numbers to cater to the growing needs

•Solution? Increase numbers of affiliates

Availability of Professional services

•Training – facilities

•Paucity of counselors

•Bulk of the professionals are highly trained and experienced

•Counselors in practice – not professionally trained or experienced

Select and train them in Solution Focused Brief Therapy

Challenges EAP needs to address

•A psychological mind set about usefulness of EAP services has to be brought in

•The benefits will have to be demonstrated as case examples

•Organization need to be able to see return on investment for such services

•Providing quality service is better in the long run compared to short term gains

From the crisis intervention mode to a preventive and proactive mode

Paradigm

EAP

INDIVIDUAL

GLOBALIZATION

WORKPLACE FAMILY

RELEVANCECULTURAL

SENSITIVITY