Story Ideas for Media 11-7-05

News

OSU Medical Center embarks on $500 million campaign. The Ohio State University Medical Center has unveiled an ambitious campaign to raise $500 million to advance the research, patient care and medical education mission. Having been a part of university-wide fund drives in the past, this campaign marks the first time the Medical Center has initiated its own fund-raising program seeking philanthropic involvement from the community.
The campaign, "The Power to Change Lives," will run through 2010 and make possible across-the-board initiatives at the Medical Center and enable the institution to maintain its position as a strong community asset and respected international health care leader, according to Dr. Fred Sanfilippo, senior vice president and executive dean for health sciences, dean of Ohio State's College of Medicine and CEO of OSU Medical Center. CONTACT: David Crawford, Medical Center Communications, (614) 293-3737.

Research

Supervisors can add to the stress of jobs dealing with the public. Dealing with customer complaints and issues can be exhausting for workers who deal with the public, but new research reveals how supervisors can make the job even more difficult.
A study found that telephone call center workers were more likely to feel "emotionally exhausted" by their jobs when supervisors strictly regulated how they responded emotionally toward customers.
Employees suffered symptoms of job burnout when their supervisors emphasized rules such as always reacting warmly and friendly toward customers on the phone, even if the customers are being rude and derogatory.
When supervisors demand that workers act in a certain way toward customers, that can create emotional exhaustion, which actually undermines performance," said Steffanie Wilk, associate professor of management and human resources at Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business. CONTACT: Steffanie Wilk, Fisher College of Business,