Employers need training, want it, and are willing to pay for it providing it is relevant to their requirements, results in improved product quality, and fosters increased productivity. Firm characteristics make a difference not only with regard to the kinds of skills wanted by employers but also with regard to how training can best be delivered.…

Increasing numbers of small businesses are providing wellness activities for their employees. By instituting wellness programs, small businesses can improve employee morale, engender a commitment from employees, enhance the feeling of "family" among employees, improve worker productivity, and contain health care costs. Wellness programs are…

One of a series of guides on implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), this guide focuses on cultural diversity and the ADA. First, the major components of the ADA are summarized. This is followed by discussion of employer considerations in addressing cultural diversity issues and implications of the ADA, such as diversity…

This literature review observes that (1) there is an increasing need for enhancing job literacy skills among workers; (2) workplace literacy programs cover both basic literacy and job-related technical training; (3) successful curricula use job-related tasks and materials; and (4) management needs to be heavily involved and committed if a program…

One of a series of guides on implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), this guide focuses on the relevance of total quality management (TQM) principles to the ADA. First, the guide briefly explains both the ADA and TQM. Next, "reasonable accommodation" under the ADA is discussed and suggestions for using TQM to help…

Health educators can encourage educational institutions and other organizations to develop programs that teach people to deal with sexual harassment. Such programs should: (1) build awareness of the problem; (2) help define suitable workplace behavior; and (3) develop skills, such as self-assertiveness, to ward off offensive behavior. (PP)

Businesses are increasingly frustrated by the lack of workers with the basic skills needed to fill their entry-level jobs. Workers in existing jobs make many errors because of lack of skills, errors that cost businesses--and consumers--many dollars. Many solutions have been advanced to improve education. Twenty-two educational practices that work…

Cited as the largest single cause of lost work time and on-the-job fatalities for U.S. workers, motor vehicle crashes cause major nonrecoverable losses for U.S. businesses. Workplace programs to encourage employees to wear safety belts can thus help employers reduce traffic accident-related losses of work time and can substantially reduce the…

This manual is designed mainly to assist persons or groups interested in starting or expanding school age child care programs (SACCP). The seven sections explore (1) survey findings on the status of school age child care in Minnesota; (2) types of SACCPs in the state; (3) the need for school age child care in Minnesota; (4) public policy issues…

As is the case with other worksite wellness programs, company-sponsored nutrition programs have been expanding both in numbers and in depth. Besides offering a convenient health-enhancing benefit to employees, worksite nutrition programs benefit business by preventing several costly nutrition-related health problems, enhancing employees' overall…

Company-sponsored wellness programs are particularly important for older employees inasmuch as they are at greater risk of disease and disability than are their younger counterparts and their health care and health insurance costs are generally higher. As the cost of retirement benefits rises, wellness programs for retirees are becoming…

The movement to train and counsel displaced homemakers began in 1975. State legislation for funding was followed by vocational educational and Comprehensive Employment Training Act funding. The Department of Labor has estimated that there are at least 4.13 million displaced homemakers. A total of 354 displaced homemaker programs have been located.…

Cooperative education programs aid students in making the transition from school to work. Other benefits include enhanced employability and earning power. Employers benefit through the ability of cooperative education programs to adapt to labor market needs, through reduced recruitment and training problems, and through the satisfaction gained…

Beginning an an informal, unstructured information interchange among 100 union, worker, and management representatives from seventeen public and private sector organizations operationally involved in quality of work life activities, a 1977 conference evolved into the first annual meeting of the American Quality of Work Life Association.…

Contending that the nation's community colleges should improve the training of future workers by building a national job training program based on successful components already in existence, this paper reviews seven monographs published by the National Council for Occupational Education (NCOE) since 1985 which identify, highlight, or address…