Introduction
Poor working conditions generate an environment that negatively impacts worker productivity. When employees are unproductive, they become sluggish and demotivated, slowing down the organization’s performance. However, ensuring a positive work atmosphere has been demonstrated to be beneficial in the long run for both the organization and its employees. This paper outlines the influence of an unhealthy work environment on worker morale at the US Postal Service.
Discussion
The poor working conditions at the US Postal Service, such as exposure to extreme temperatures, can lower employee morale. Employee morale is likely to be affected negatively when they have to cover long distances under very high temperatures to deliver mail, especially when the company does nothing to improve the situation (Pattnaik & Jena, 2020). Besides, exposure to such conditions may force employees to use their money which the company will not compensate. This demoralizes workers to continue working with the company and leads to reduced productivity, which can negatively affect the performance of the US Postal Service. Unsafe working conditions can lead to job dissatisfaction and ultimately high employee turnover.
Since employees’ well-being at the US Postal Service in some states is not valued, their morale can plummet. In some states, US Postal Service employees are not provided with adequate water for hydration when the temperatures are unfavorable. Exposure to heat exhaustion may endanger the lives of employees. If the company fails to provide social support to such employees, they will not be motivated to go to work again (Harsini et al., 2020). In addition, such extreme working conditions can lead to multiple complaints by the employees to the leaders in charge of the organization itself. When employees have low motivation to do their work, they may be prone to mistakes that can prove costly to the employer.
Another unsafe working condition at US Postal Service is the exposure to attacks by aggressive dogs. Suppose an employee was on duty to deliver a mailbox to town Z from A. Then, after covering a very long distance to the destination of the mailbox, they are bitten by a dog. In response to this incident, the supervisor and top company officials fail to take action; it is true that the employee will possibly lose interest in serving at the company again and may decide to quit the job altogether. In other words, exposure to poor environments at the US Postal Service will cause negative impacts on workers’ morale (Pattnaik & Jena, 2020). They will not have the same drive they had to work at the company before they encountered such an incident, and the incident can lead to high rates of absenteeism.
Still, lack of rest after a delivery route, especially after traveling long distances to deliver mail, can affect the health of the employee. The cumulative impacts of such unhealthy working conditions can be discouraging. As a result, the employee may develop a bad attitude, and serving consumers with a negative attitude may lead to dissatisfied consumers. Additionally, working at US Postal Service exposes employees to slippery ice surfaces during the winter, which may lead to severe accidents and injuries. When an employee undergoes such an experience, their motivation to work at the company will decrease, and they may choose to leave the company (Harsini et al., 2020). But even if they do not leave the company, they will lack the self-drive they once had to serve at the company.
Conclusion
In conclusion, unsafe working conditions at the US Postal Service such as exposure to attacks by aggressive dogs may cause severe injuries or emotional trauma to the employee, denting their morale to continue working at the organization.
References
Harsini, A. Z., Ghofranipour, F., Sanaeinasab, H., Shokravi, F. A., Bohle, P., & Matthews, L. R. (2020). Factors associated with unsafe work behaviours in an Iranian petrochemical company: perspectives of workers, supervisors, and safety managers.BMC Public Health, 20(1), 1-13.
Pattnaik, L., & Jena, L. K. (2020). Mindfulness, remote engagement and employee morale: conceptual analysis to address the “new normal”. International Journal of Organizational Analysis.