The workplace practice I chose to evaluate is, workplace culture described by employees as stressful, competitive, or alienating. For the reason why this ends up being the case I feel it starts with the highest level of management. It stems from a lack of understanding/knowledge of each stage of the process within the company. The upper level of management could also see employees as expendable, and I feel industries that have large pools of potential employees tend to experience this the most. The negative effect of this practice results in poor employee mental health and a negative view on the company as a whole. If a business was to change this aspect and make the work environment more friendly, we could see more work actually being done as employees would want to be at work. Products could be at a higher quality due to the boost in morale. Word of mouth pertaining to the work environment would also draw in top talent, that would then want to work for the company.

An example of this that I am familiar with is within the video game industry. Activision Blizzard inc. has had many claims of mistreatment by employees covering crunch (excessive overtime), sexual harassment and bullying. This has been going on for a few years now and many employees choose not to leave because working for a major company would look good on their resumes. The company has been under investigation multiple times and has had to pay fines because of these practices. People familiar with these issues despise these practices and some have even led boycotts of their products to attempt bringing about change.

Question:

• What specific initiative, practice, or change to your peer's evaluated practice could improve community or employee support? What are the benefits and risks of implementing your suggested initiative, practice, or change? If you were the primary decision-maker, would you implement your suggested initiative, practice, or change? In other words, do you feel the benefits outweigh the risks? Why or why not?