Introducing health promotion principles in the workplace

This chapter has taken a broad look at the principles that underpin workplace health promotion. We began with an examination of the concept of health and health promotion while also considering the determinants of health. We saw how our understanding of health has developed from the simple absence of disease through the classic WHO definition of 1948 to an appreciation that people are to be found on a health spectrum and that it is more important to consider the person as a whole and the very determinant of its own level of health, and what can be done to improve it, rather than the level of illness that they may be experiencing. In Chapter 1 we also examined the principles of the Ottawa Charter and explored the term ‘health promotion’ and how this has evolved to recognize the influence of broader social policies, the living and working environments in which people find themselves and that the promotion of health requires action to be taken not just with the individual but also in the settings in which people live out their lives. The workplace is therefore a very important setting for health promotion action – it enables a large group of people to be reached in a setting where change can be encouraged (both corporate change and individual change) and in which factors that influence health can be modified for the better. Chapter 2 involved a closer look at the determinants of health. The range of factors explored indicates just how many factors influence health ranging from genetic traits, through the physical and social environments to socio-economic status, educational achievement, and access to health care as well as individual lifestyle factors. A wide variety of factors influence health – some within the control of the individual, some less so. This leads us to the conclusion that the workplace offers an opportunity to health promoters to minimize the impact of risks to health and well-being be they psychosocial, behavioural or physiological while also having the potential to bring about significant benefits in terms of employee health and well being and potentially the health and well being of their families and the social groups to which they belong. In Chapter 3 we explored work as a determinant of health noting that work is good for people – so long as the balance between positive aspects of work are not cancelled out, or overwhelmed by the negative aspects. Work is therefore a pivotal point in terms of the levels of health enjoyed / lost by employees. Work related risk factors to health were identified and explored and it was clearly observed that just as it can influence health for good, the world of work can also cause harm – in order to be seen as a ‘healthy workplace’ an organisation needs to have addressed the risk to health issues in a way that results in the negative consequences being reduced to as near zero as possible. Demographic change and population ageing and their impacts on employment were considered as were changes in the pace of work, time spent at work, the flexibilisation of work and the impact of these in terms of increased risk to the safety of employees. The relationship between training and employability was seen as being vital. Our attention turned to the meaning of the term workplace health promotion in Chapter 4. Different approaches to WHP were considered with the conclusion being drawn that the placing of WHP as a core element within any organisation's ethos and culture being advantageous when compared with the risk factor and lifestyle focused approaches. One of the main reasons for this position of advantage being that the corporate approach leads to a greater level of sustainability. The relationship between workplace health promotion and the WHO Ottawa Charter was described as was the clear link between WHP and wider society. The practical implications of adopting a WHP programme at company level were explained with the conclusion being drawn that WHP can and possibly should affect every part of an organisation in terms of the way that it operates and the way in which it treats its staff. These issues were further developed in our exploration of the relationship between health and safety, occupational health and workplace health promotion in Chapter 5 The special role of occupational health in promoting the health and well being of workers was recognised with reference being made to several landmark documents which highlight this fact. The major conclusion to be drawn from this chapter however is that the three disciplines (health and safety, occupational health and workplace health promotion) all have an important role to play in promoting the health and well being of workers, and this role is best fulfilled when the three disciplines are working in partnership. Chapter 6 began with a description of the criteria used to classify workplace health promotion initiatives. Criteria applicable to individual and corporate approaches were discussed and the point was made that it can be argued that the most effective interventions are those which impact on the individual through organisational change. Five categories of WHP were identified including the medical model together with the role of occupational health professionals, occupational / industrial hygienists and health and safety experts, and the social change model which relies on the engagement and participation of employees in organisational life. An important feature to note is that the most comprehensive forms of WHP will build on several of the models rather than just one in isolation. The implications for policy practice and research were discussed in Chapter 7, and it was noted that the health sector, in addition to having a direct role in promoting the health of its own employees also has an indirect role in advocating and supporting workplace health activities in non-health service settings. The role of the health sector in promoting broad social policy reform was noted as were a number of research priorities connected with the promotion of health and well being at work. After pointing out some issues that confirm the necessity, for who has a main role in promoting and/or protecting the health of the population, have been indicated ten “recommendations”, key issues necessary to cosider/implement in order to create a positive environment for the development of healthy enterprises. It is vitally important to win over key decision makers who may hesitate when it comes to the promotion of employee health and well being. Many people who are in this group count WHP as a cost rather than an investment and fail to recognise the benefits that can be accrued by the organisation as well as its workers. Chapter 8 presented data on return on investment with the measurements overwhelmingly demonstrating that the benefits of WHP outweigh any costs that might be incurred. The final chapter of this module presented the need for a developmental approach to workplace health promotion, an approach that is based on the project management cycle. Such an approach provides an organisation with a clear pathway to follow, and demonstrates commitment to the workforce, and once again leads to the development of a more sustainable set of activities. In contrast, it can be strongly argued that adopting an ad hoc, unplanned and piecemeal approach may well lead to a poorer set of outcomes, disenchantment with WHP on the part of some or all of the key stakeholders, disengagement of the workforce and a lack of sustainability.