A Manager’s ‘duty
of care’ responsibilities
By John Kyriazoglou
Plato: ‘The most important of all goods is health, the second is beauty of the
soul and the third is to be able to become rich without doing anything bad’.
This short article describes a plan for improving the
responsibilities you have as a business owner, board director or manager
towards the wellbeing of your employees.
Introduction
Our
workplaces are full of problems, to put it lightly. According to the World
Health Organization ‘Mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety,
substance abuse and stress, are common, affecting individuals, their families
and co-workers, and the broader community. In addition, they have a direct
impact on workplaces through increased absenteeism, reduced productivity, and
increased costs1.’
As 60-70% of people with common mental disorders were
in work, according to various experts and governmental studies, it is up to
each company and its individual owners and managers to do something about these
crucial and debilitating problems at work.
The principle that investing in support for employees
who may be struggling is not just morally correct but a financial imperative is
well established, according to experts2.
Also you must remember that your staff, quite
rightly so, are the single most valuable asset your organization has. This
definitely means that when they work and travel for your company, you need to
be assured of their safety at all times, to the best of your abilities.
In general terms, a manager’s or
professional’s duty of care responsibility
is a legal, and many times, professional obligation, which is imposed on
an individual manager or professional, requiring them to adhere to a standard
of reasonable care while
performing their duties and avoid any acts that could foreseeably harm others
(organizations, societies, people, environment, et).
In practical terms, duty of care means that every party to
a contract must comply well according to the rules included in it as well as
other relevant industry and state laws and regulations on ethics, health and
safety. The same goes for an accountant in correctly maintaining financial
transactions and preparing company accounts; Auditors, in confirming the
financial statements of a company; Board and managers in managing well their
corporate resources, etc.
More details at:
