Future Directions in Occupational Health Psychology 585Cost Savings
The TLA program has been credited with signi“cant cost
avoidance. The Kelly Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
Of“ce indicated that overall approximately 40% of initial
complaints move to formal status. The minimum administra-
tive and investigative costs associated with a formal com-
plaint is $80,000 regardless of whether it is validated. Based
on the highest risk and highest/severe risk complaints dealt
with by the TLAs, EEO projections attribute an administra-
tive saving of between $23.9 million and $33.7 million.
These are processing costs and do not include an undeter-
mined amount of potential outcome costs that may have been
awarded to complainants.
The TLA team also presented a visible symbol of concern
on management•s part, which assisted workers in overcom-
ing a sense of isolation and fostered group cohesiveness.
There was a minimized loss of production time associated
with incident intervention, resolution, and disposition as
workers took greater responsibility for their actions and out-
comes. Aside from the humanitarian concerns, there were
also practical results. The Air Force did not incur violence or
suicide liability exposure. Financial liability resulting from
litigation with a victim, traumatized coworker, family mem-
ber, or class action coalition was eliminated.
To Kelly employees, the TLA program provided compre-
hensive, readily accessible services to needy families as well
as a con“dential alternative to on-base services. To work su-
pervisors, the program helped minimize worksite employee
stress and lost production time. It allowed supervisors to
focus on production priorities and provided an outlet for su-
pervisor needs. To Kelly management, TLAs represented a
visible sign of commitment to the workforce during height-
ened periods of turmoil, provided a preventive approach to
minimizing suicide as well as interpersonal and family vio-
lence, and minimized administrative time and costs associ-
ated with incident intervention, resolution, and disposition.
FUTURE DIRECTIONS IN OCCUPATIONAL
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
As a relatively young specialty in psychology, a key question
to be answered is how will OHP continue to grow and
evolve? We see four directions for OHP. First, we see more
bridge building with other disciplines, especially engineer-
ing. However, we can see the need for bridges into disciplines
such as “nance, economics, information systems, and pro-
duction operations as well. Second, we see a greater empha-
sis on an organizational balance between task mastery and
interpersonal support in the workplace. Third, we see an inte-
gration of the professions addressing the human side of the
enterprise. Finally, we see the need for systems to address
the toxins and emotional pain all too endemic to organiza-
tional life.
Luczek•s (1992) ideas of anthropocentric work design,
which place the individual at the center of the design process,
exemplify the bridge building between psychology and engi-
neering. When it comes to the design of a wide variety of
workplaces and tasks, those in OHP must make more exten-
sive and concerted efforts to develop partnerships with the
engineering disciplines. The design of bricks, mortar, work-
stations, and a wide variety of machines and mechanisms for
technological leverage in organizations require the combined
input of experts in materials and products as well as people
and behavior. Frederick Taylor was the “rst engineer to delve
into psychology and human behavior. We must follow his ex-
ample by linking psychology with engineering as well as
with other disciplines.
OHP needs to help managers and organizations better un-
derstand the need for balance between task mastery and in-
terpersonal support in the workplace (Joplin, Nelson, &
Quick, 1999). Humans have two instinctual drives that are
somewhat intractable. One is the drive to explore and master
the world, and the other is to feel safe and secure. The inten-
sity and degree to which these drives operate across individ-
uals and across life stages varies. In the adulthood years,
these drives are often manifest in the language of love and
work. While task mastery leads to productive activity and
achievement, secure interpersonal attachments and support
provide the platform for emotional, psychological, and phys-
ical health. Both needs must be addressed and balanced if or-
ganizations and the individuals in them are to maintain their
health in the midst of effortful striving (Frese, 1997).
We brie”y discussed the concept of a chief psychological
of“cer in an or ganization earlier in the chapter. A key role for
a chief psychological of“cer, or even chief people of“cer, in
an organization is to provide an integrating function for the
specialties on the human side of the enterprise. These spe-
cialties include human resource professionals, physicians and
medical personnel, psychologists, safety professionals, secu-
rity forces, and chaplains and spiritual advisors. Each expert
offers a different type of expertise aimed at caring for people
at work, as well as for the health of the organization. These
experts need to be integrated and organized in functional
role interrelatedness such that they are complimenting and
supplementing each other as they provide the support and re-
sponses individuals at work need. In a complex work setting,
it may not be clear whether a worker should call the security
forces, a psychologist, or a personnelist.