SAINT PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 2003--The St. Paul
Companies (NYSE:SPC) announced today a new CD-ROM and online training
series - Striving for Excellence: Elements of Effective Supervision -
for workplace managers and supervisors. The four-part series helps
promote safe and healthy behaviors in the workplace. It is designed to
aid supervisors in achieving excellence by:
-- promoting employee safety;
-- building productive, healthy teams;
-- valuing differences among employees; and
-- treating employees fairly and respectfully.
The training suite was developed in cooperation with PureSafety, a
leading provider of online employee training and risk management
solutions, and is available to St. Paul insurance customers, agents
and brokers free of charge.
"As an insurance company, we're always looking for ways to promote
safety and minimize risk in the workplace by fostering healthy working
environments," said Dan Murphy, senior vice president of Risk Control.
"Managers and line supervisors play a critical role in creating safe
and healthy workplaces. In this economy, many supervisors are being
asked to take on additional responsibilities but are not given the
resources or training they need to do their jobs well. Elements of
Effective Supervision gives businesses a cost-effective and
time-saving way to create cultures of safety and achieve high-quality
work from their teams and employees."
Teaching managers to be effective supervisors can have an impact
on a company's bottom line. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, employers saw a 20.3 percent increase from the year 2000
in the number of days employees were absent from work due to anxiety,
stress and neurotic disorders. In another study, CCH, Inc. found that
employers pay an average of $789 per employee annually for unscheduled
absenteeism. That study suggested that stress accounts for 12 percent
of all unscheduled absenteeism, while another in 2000 by the American
Psychological Association said that as many as 25 percent of employees
have called in sick or taken a "mental health day" as a result of work
stress.
The St. Paul's research agrees. "We've found through our internal
research that bad managers are the No. 1 reason why employees report
workplace stress and decide to leave their jobs," Murphy said. "To
create a workplace culture of respect and safety, managers have to
know how to be effective supervisors and how to communicate openly and
fairly with their employees. These types of skills don't come
automatically, and businesses have a responsibility to provide their
managers with proper training and resources. Elements of Effective
Supervision is a valuable tool for any business committed to providing
a healthy working environment."
Elements of Effective Supervision is divided into four training
modules: Healthy Teams; Safety & You; Supervisors: Make Your MARC
(Motivation, Accountability, Recognition, and Communication); and
Valuing Differences. Each training module runs 30-40 minutes and can
be completed by supervisors individually at their desktops.
Organizations can also choose to present these modules in group
settings to allow for facilitated discussion among participants. The
courses are available on CD-ROM or online for St. Paul policyholders
from the secured customer Web site at www.stpaul.com/riskcontrol.
The St. Paul Companies provides commercial property-liability
insurance and asset management services. The St. Paul reported 2002
revenue from continuing operations of $8.9 billion and total assets of
$39.9 billion. It celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2003. For more
information about The St. Paul and its products and services, visit
the company's Web site, www.stpaul.com.
CONTACT: The St. Paul Companies, Saint Paul
Media contact:
Andrea Wood, 651-310-6440
E-mail: andrea.wood@stpaul.com
SOURCE: The St. Paul Companies