Inside this issue…

- Trapped mineworkers rescued!
- 7 steps to combating burnout

Dear reader,

It’s almost February and the next consumer-geared event is just around the corner. I’m speaking, of course, of Valentine’s Day. This day has always been a bit anticlimactic for me. It’s my brother’s birthday so I’ve always felt slightly guilty about organising romantic dinners for two which don’t include celebrating with him. My fiancé and I have agreed not to make any reference to it this year, which also gives us a reprieve when it comes to scouring shops for yet more gifts (we’ve just had Christmas after all!).

But I digress...

Trapped mineworkers rescued!

Last week was a good week for the mining industry. Although there was the unfortunate incident of mineworkers trapped underground in the Blyvooruitzicht Gold mine, all 167 mine workers were safely brought to the surface. 

7 steps to combating burnout

I promised in your last bulletin that I would bring you the seven steps to combating burnout in your workers. The Health Care Health and Safety Association of Ontario suggests you do the following:

1. Identify the sources of stress by holding discussions with employees, surveying workers, and collecting and analysing data on absenteeism, illness, turnover, performance problems etc.
2. Propose and prioritise intervention strategies on the basis of the data you collect. In a large organisation, you could create a team or committee for this purpose.
3. Communicate the intervention plan to employees and get their input.
4. Develop the intervention and implement it.
5. Gather feedback on the progress of your plan and make changes accordingly.
6. At six months to a year after implementation, evaluate what you’ve done. Repeat the worker survey and compare data to what you originally collected.
7. Refine the intervention on the basis of what you’ve learned. 

See you in a fortnight,

Nadia Pisanti