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GOALS:• Introduce Problem• Introduce

Metacognition• Propose Exploitation• Review Ethical

Dimensions• Address Ethical

Solutions

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SIMPLE GRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE

David Posen, Is Work Killing You? A Doctor’s Prescription for Treating Workplace Stress (Toronto: House of Anansi Press Inc., 2013), 65.

MICHELBACH’S RESEARCH FINDINGS, 2013

Andrea N. Michelbach, “Are Museum Professionals Happy? Exploring Well-Being Across Domains and in the Workplace.” A thesis . . .for the degree of Master of Arts (Seattle: University of Washington, 2013), 45.

Figure 20.

DUXBURY & HIGGINS, 2012

Linda Duxbury & Christopher Higgins, Key Findings. Revisiting Work-Life Issues in Canada: The 2012 National Study on Balancing Work and Caregiving in Canada (Ottawa: Carleton University & the University of Western Ontario, 2012), 12.

ONN HUMAN CAPITAL RENEWAL STRATEGY, 2013

Elizabeth McIsaac et al. Shaping the Future: Leadership in Ontario’s Nonprofit Labour Force. Final Report. ONN Human Capital Renewal Strategy: Phase One (Toronto: Ontario Nonprofit Network & The Mowat Centre, 2013), 23.

[Top 4 among 9]

PAST REFERENCES TO THE PROBLEM IN MUSEUMS

• Newlands (1983) Muse “role overload”

• Lord & Lord (1986) Yukon System Plan “dysfunctional” “burnout”

• Hartlan & Zeilig (1989) Muse “Dear Mr. Museum” myriad challenges

• Kahn and Garden (1994) continue to grow apace

• Human Resources Planning Cmtee (1995) risk of “constant stress”

• Dubé (2001) Muse “general state of fatigue” & “burnout”

• Mercadex International (2002) “excessively heavy workloads,” “high performance expectations,” & “multitasking requirements”

• Best, Museum Roundup (2007) admit to being “workaholics,” volunteering many hours over and above paid hours (12 hr. days common)

• Janes. (2009) Museums in a Troubled World EDs “hopelessly overburdened”

THE PROBLEM IN MANITOBA MUSEUMS

Posen, Is Work Killing You? A Doctor’s Prescription for Treating Workplace Stress (Toronto: House of Anansi Press Inc., 2013 ).

THE CONTEXT OF ‘BURNOUT’ IN MANITOBA, 1990• Canada recent publication of new policy

• Absolutely no recognition of the problem & indeed made it worse

• Cf. new Saskatchewan policy

• Association of Manitoba Museums developing its first set of Museums Standards

• Some concerned about the unrealistic expectations• Expectations for Ole Johnson folks undifferentiated

METACOGNIT

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Metacognition:• Higher order

thinking:oAnalysisoUnderstanding/

self awarenessoControl over

processeso Evaluation of

proper ethical/moral rules

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GURIAN’S PERSPECTIVE, 1995

• “If our work in museums is evidence of our collective commitment to enhancing the quality of life for society, then we must be attentive to maintaining a high quality of life for our work community.”

Elaine Heuman Gurian, Institutional Trauma: Major Change in Museums and its Effect on Staff (Washington: American Association of Museums, 1995), 20-1.

HUMAN RIGHTS PERSPECTIVE

• The Universal Declaration on Human Rights recognises the need for just and favourable conditions of work

• International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights propounds the right to healthy working conditions

Emily A. Spieler, “Risks and Rights: The Case for Occupational Safety and Health as a Core Worker Right,” in Workers’ Rights as Human Rights, ed. James A. Gross (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2003), 87.

LEGAL PERSPECTIVE• In Canada and elsewhere around the

world, both legislative and collective agreement rights that aim to protect workers from unreasonable expectations and overwork.

• Arthurs (2006) in Fairness at Work recommended the 8 hour work day be maintained and that no worker should “be subject to coercion, or . . . be required to work so many hours that he or she is effectively denied a personal or civic life.”

Harry W. Arthurs, Fairness at Work: Federal Labour Standards for the 21st Century (Ottawa: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada 2006), x. xiii.

LONG WORK HOURS ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE

• Barry Lord UofT 40th 2010: As information workers, “museum staff should expect 15 hr. days.”

• Campbell Cultural HR Study 2010:“The evident risk of burnout to talented cultural workers is a real concern.”

• Dembe Journal of Business Ethics 2009: in the broader field of corporate behaviour, businesses have an ethical obligation to protect workers from the effect of long work hours (cf. Posen 2013: 97).

Campbell, Allison & Hughes, P. Derek et al., Cultural HR Study 2010: HR Trends and Issues Report. (Toronto: Cultural Human Resources Council & The Conference Board of Canada, 2010), 33.

Allard E. Dembe, “Ethical Issues Relating to the Health Effect of Long Work Hours,” Journal of Business Ethics 84, no. 2 (2009), 195-208.

EXPLOITA

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MUSEUM WORKERS?

WHO BENEFITS?

WHO IS HARMED?

“EXPLOIT” DEFINED

• exploit >verb 1 make good use of (a resource). 2 make use of unfairly; benefit unjustly from the work of.

MUSEUM WORKER EXPLOITATION

CAREER ADVICE PROMOTES EXPLOITATION?

Elizabeth S. Peña, “Leadership at All Levels,” Museum 91 No. 3 (2012), 44-9.

DANGER IN DOING YOUR JOB & “THEN SOME”• OMA Session Participant,

Hamilton 2009:•“Remember that you set a dangerous precedent when you do something heroic.”

•[More broadly, this impacts expectations not only of your own performance, but others' as well.]Solutions! from Museum Workers as Fully Loaded Camels:

Improving the Quality of Working Lives session at the Annual Conference of the Ontario Museum Association, Hamilton, ON, 22 October 2009 found on Solving Task Saturation for Museum Workers Blog [first Google hit].

EXPLOITATION OF WOMEN MUSEUM WORKERS

Mind the Gap!

EXPLOITATION OF WOMEN MUSEUM WORKERS• “Museums often rely on the staff

working late hours beyond the usual working day, with frequent evening and weekend work. The high work ethic causes a substantial problem for women and their families.”

Victoria Turner, The factors affecting women's success in their careers: A discussion of the reasons more women do not reach the top and of strategies to promote their future success, Journal of Conservation and Museum Studies 8 (2002.), 8.

EXPLOITATION OF WOMEN & OTHER WORKERS• Duxbury & Higgins, 2012

•Often 4 - 6 roles outside work & caregiving that demand high energy levels

•Authors therefore maintain that employers have a responsibility to consider the additional non-work and home burdens that many employees carry.Linda Duxbury & Christopher Higgins, Revisiting Work-Life

Issues in Canada: The 2012 National Study on Balancing Work and Caregiving in Canada (Ottawa: Carleton University & the University of Western Ontario, 2012), 4-6.

MUSEUM ORGANISATION EXPLOITATION DEFAULT

Julie Hart et al. (2009), AAM Dir. Excellence re: museum worker task saturation:

• “Certainly, we hear this concern repeatedly from our own members. However, there are still more people clamoring to work in museums than there are positions to accommodate them.”Julie Hart et al. [AAM's Sr. Director, Museum Standards

and Excellence with contributions from other AMM staff], Personal communication via e-mail to Paul Thistle (28 October 2009).

EXPLOITATION BY LEADERSHIP DISCONNECTONN Human Capital Renewal Strategy (2013: 5):• “…the sector is facing a “… a

disconnect between the visions of leadership and the reality of leading organizations in this sector…”

Posen Is Work Killing You? (2013: 10, 45, passim):• Poor, misdirected leadership

abusing workers: “too much work. . .pace too fast. . .expectations too high. . .resources too few.”

Elizabeth McIsaac et al. Shaping the Future: Leadership in Ontario’s Nonprofit Labour Force. Final Report. ONN Human Capital Renewal Strategy: Phase One (Toronto: Ontario Nonprofit Network & The Mowat Centre, 2013), 5.David Posen, Is Work Killing You? A Doctor’s Prescription for Treating Workplace Stress (Toronto: House of Anansi Press Inc., 2013), 289, 321, passim.

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ETHICS DEFINED• CMA Ethics Guidelines 2006

•Ethics are based upon the underlying values of honesty, fairness, respect, excellence and accountability which the larger community applies to the rational evaluation of moral issues. . .

• . . . they are the framework of personal and institutional obligations and standards which govern the conduct of all members of the museum community at all times.

Sonja Tanner-Kaplash et al., Ethics Guidelines (Ottawa: Canadian Museums Association, 2006 [original 1999]), 3.

ETHICS STATEMENTS• International Council of Museums, ICOM Code of

Ethics for Museums (Paris: International Council of Museums, 2006), 1.• Governing bodies . . . concerned with the strategic

direction and oversight of museums have a primary responsibility to protect and promote this heritage as well as the human, physical and financial resources made available for that purpose.

• American Association of Museums, Code of Ethics for Museums (Washington, DC: American Association of Museums, 2000), 2.• Thus, the governing authority ensures that:...the

museum's collections and programs and its physical, human, and financial resources are protected, maintained, and developed in support of the museum's mission.

ETHICS STATEMENTS

• Museums Association (UK), Code of Ethics for Museums: Ethical Principles for All Who Work for or Govern Museums in the UK (London: Museums Association. 2008), 4.• In order to be helpful a code of ethics must be both aspirational and pragmatic. It must set high standards for professional behaviour, but ensure that its guidance is realistic and capable of being implemented by a wide range of museums. There is no point in occupying the ethical high ground if that results in museums becoming unsustainable.

CMA VS. UK MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION CODES• CMA Ethics Guidelines, s. J.

Employee/Employer Relations (2006: 13)•museum administrators are responsible for ensuring that working relationships among all museum workers are clearly defined, that shared roles and separate responsibilities are recognized for trustees, paid staff, volunteers, and contract consultants and that there is respect for the professional expertise and experience of museum workers.

No reference to employer responsibility for the ethical treatment of its paid staff or volunteers. Cf. UK Museums Association (2008: 21) “treat all staff fairly.”

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SOLVE THE PROBLEM• ONN Ontario Labour Force Strategy (2013:

2)• “A human capital strategy is the development of plans and actions to align the human capital within an organization, or in this case a sector, so that it can effectively achieve its strategic goals.”

Manage human & financial resources so as not to exploit workers by saturating them with under-resourced expectations! Uncompensated long hours are illegal!

We need a “humane human capital strategy.” Ethics requires: fairness & institutional obligations to protect its human resources from unjust exploitation.

• AAM Minneapolis (2012) session participant:• “Human Resources departments need to become resources for humans!”

CMA ETHICAL GOVERNANCE• CMA Ethics Guidelines (2006: 6):

Elected or appointed trustees should have a genuine interest in the museum, and a proper understanding of their public trust responsibilities, which include:

obtaining the support and financial resources necessary to achieve the museums aims and mandate;

Under-resourced operations unfairly exploit workers—by default. Why not ethically match goals to resources actually available?

acting in a corporate manner in the best interests of the museum, rather than seeking individual benefits;

What about the “best interests” of task saturated staff? (cf. Gurian)

being aware of social or economic factors which affect the communities served by the museum;

E.g. beyond caregiving, 4-6 other roles with high energy demands (Duxbury & Higgins). Ethical work/life balance?

CMA ETHICAL DIRECTION Chief Executive Officer

The director’s role is to provide professional competency and effective strategic leadership for the museum;

Is it “strategic,” or sustainable, or ethical to “hopelessly overburden” your employees?

Are people our most important resource, or not?

Most often management leaves it up to individuals to address the problem (cf. Hart et al.). “Self care is not sufficient” (Posen 2013: 49, 321).

NEGOTIATED ETHICAL SOLUTIONSB E S T B O O K F O R F U L LY L O A D E D C A M E L S

• “Say no; we have to take a stand.”

Participant in Ideas Café Fully Loaded Camels: Strategies for Survival brainstorming session, 2006 BCMA Annual Conference, Prince George, BC.

William Ury, The Power of a Positive No: How to Say No and Still Get to Yes (New York: Bantam Dell, 2007).

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• Solving Task Saturation for Museum Workers Blog [Google’s first hit]

• Museum Worker Task Saturation Wiki [Google’s first hit]