Industrial social work

This is aimed to explain application of social work in Industrial Setting

1. Industrial Social Work Dr. Anand K. Rai IWP, Bareilly [email protected]

2. Meaning of Industrial Social Work This was started in 1960’s in Europe. The advancement of behavioural sciences, growth of democratic values and the increasing emphasis on the concept of justice have contributed to the philosophy of professional social work (Sharma,1985). The milestone step of European Seminar on Personnel Social Work held in Brussels in Sep. 1960. as started personnel social work. PSW is a systematic way of helping individuals and groups towards a better adaptation to the working situation. SocialProblems is an enterprise arise whenever an individual employee or a group and the work situation cannot adapt to each other.

3. Industrial social work has come to be defined as a systematic way of helping individuals and group towards better adaptation to work situation. Dortmund Report says- i) to help any individual or group to adapt to the work situation and to meet the work requirements; it may here be pointed out that the problems arising for these individuals or group may- a) be caused by, or occur in the work environment; b) have unfavourable effects on the work situation, although not arising the reform.

4. b) to stimulate management to adapt the work situation to the social needs of the employees. c) to assist the work “community” as a whole to function in a better way. Scope of Social Work in Industries: According to M.M.Desai, the two types of levels ~ preventive and development; and curative. Preventive and Development: 1) Informal educational programmes aimed at enlightenment the workers on issues pertaining to work life like industrial safety, functional literacy, saving habits, social security, etc. 2) Promoting the use health and medical programmes for workers and their families - health check-ups, inoculation campaigns, family planning, informative sessions on nutrition, low cost diets, childcare, etc.

5. 3) Personal and environmental hygiene, etc. 4) Developing recreational programmes like library services, prime sports gatherings, various skills competitions, exhibitions, film shows, etc. celebration of cultural festivals, supplementary Income programme, hobby classes, vocational guidance programmes, etc. Curative: i) Securing medical help within or outside industry. ii) Planning and family budgets. iii) Helping employee family members in obtaining funds. iv) Seeking employment for worker’s dependents. v) Referring the worker/his dependents to welfare agencies in the community like child guidance clinic, marriage counselling bureaus, alcoholic anonymous groups and the like, wherever there is a need.

6. Applicability of Social Work: Social Case Work Social Group Work Community Organisation Social Action Social Work Research

7. Requirements of social workers: As per a study group of Netherlands Govt.~ 1) their specialised training in the understanding of human Problems , ability to consider the human personality as a whole; 2) their knowledge of the conditions of work; 3) their knowledge of the worker’s life; 4) their knowledge of the resources of the comunity; 5) their professional secrecy; and 6) their capacity for co-operation.