The Paid Helper's Position in Power

As the incompetent, the ill, the aged, the dependent, the mendicant, the miscreant, the recalcitrant, and the unemployed “have always been with us,” so too have those charged by society to assist these “less fortunate.” Searching for a significant sinecure, we helpers are the sycophants and supernumeraries of civilization.     

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF JOB SELECTION METHODS ON SIZE, PRODUCTIVITY, AND PAYROLL COSTS OF THE FEDERAL WORK FORCE: AN EMPIRICALLY BASED DEMONSTRATION

In this study, job performance increases resulting from improved selection validity were measured empirically rather than estimated from the standard linear regression utility equations. Selection utility analyses based on these empirical measurements were carried out for most white-collar jobs in the federal government. Results indicate that selection of a one-year cohort based on valid measures of cognitive ability, rather than on non-test procedures (mostly evaluations of education and experience), produces increases in output worth up to $600 million for each year that the new employees remain employed by the government. Newly hired federal employees remain with the government an average of approximately 13 years, resulting in a total gain in output of almost $8 billion over this period. This gain represents a 9.7% increase in output among new hires. If total output is held constant rather than increased, new hiring can be reduced by up to 20,044 per year (a 9% decrease), resulting in payroll savings of $272 million for every year the new cohort of employees remains on the job. The percentage of new hires in the bottom decile of the non-test-selected job performance distribution     

Dimensions of verbal denial in myocardial infarction: Correlates to 3 denial scales

The concept of denial in medical patients was reviewed, and problems in the past research on denial was noted. A questionnaire developed to assess different aspects of denial in myocardial infarction was tested in a group of 367 patients. A factor analysis of the questionnaire gave 3 independent factors, termed Denial of Illness, Denial of Impact, and Suppression. This finding gave support to the model that guided the construction of the questionnaire, and also casted some doubt on the validity of using either single specific or global criteria in assessing denial. Multiple regression analyses, including a series of medical, psychological and social variables, showed that social desirablity and external health locus of control contributed to the prediction of high scores on all 3 scales. Denial of Illness was furthermore associatd with less previous cardiac disease and a less severe index MI, whereas Denial of Impact was related to indicators of more optimistic attitudes. Suppression was related to indicators of lower socio-economic status and less cardiac health knowledge. The 3 scales should be further examined in relation to outcome after a myocardial infarction.     

THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF WORKSITE WELLNESS PROGRAMS FOR HYPERTENSION CONTROL, WEIGHT LOSS, SMOKING CESSATION, AND EXERCISE

The cost-effectiveness of three types of worksite wellness programs for reducing the cardiovascular disease risk factors of employees was examined at three manufacturing plants in terms of their incremental costs and effectiveness over a comparison site that used a simpler and cheaper program design. The risks targeted were hypertension, obesity, cigarette smoking, and lack of regular physical exercise. The annual direct cost per employee for post-screening interventions was $17.68 for Site A (the comparison site that offered health education classes), $39.28 for Site B (physical fitness facility), $30.96 for Site C (health education plus follow-up counseling), and $38.57 for Site D (health education, follow-up counseling, plus plant organization for health promotion). The addition of a physical fitness facility (Site B) did not produce any incremental benefit in reducing risks, as compared with health education classes (Site A), and Site B showed the lowest percentage of employees exercising regularly at the end of the 3-year study period. In contrast, the sites that used systematic outreach and follow-up counseling (Sites C and D) were more effective than both     

Jobs You Won't Find in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles

This article, although written in a whimsical style, points out the value-laden nature of our premier source of occupational information, the Dictionary of Occupational Titles. Other than legal occupations, jobs that are remunerative can be placed into three categories: (a) illegal occupations, (b) underground or counterculture occupations, and (c) occupations “in limbo.”     

What You Should Know About Behavioral Assessment

The article provides the reader with an introduction to behavioral assessment. The assumptions and methods of behavioral assessment are described and are then compared and contrasted with those of traditional assessment. Recent developments in behavioral assessments are reviewed. Two case examples illustrate many of the principles and methods of behavioral assessment that are discussed.