scholarly journals Be well: A systems-based wellness intervention using mindfulness in the workplace – A case study

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 613-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate M Levett ◽  
Sharyn Coughlan ◽  
Sharon Longridge ◽  
Violet Roumeliotis ◽  
Jon Adams
Keyword(s):  
Sick Leave ◽  
Workplace Health Promotion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Workplace Stress ◽  
Workplace Wellness ◽  
Workplace Health ◽  
Healthy Work ◽  
Wellness Intervention ◽  
Healthy Work Environments

AbstractIntroduction: Healthy work environments are essential in determining improved well-being of Australians. Job stress has been identified as a significant factor in psychological distress. This study evaluated the effect of introducing a systems-based workplace wellness programme using mindfulness in the workplace. Methods: The programme ‘Be Well’ was introduced as part of a systems-based approach to workplace health promotion, and evaluated using sick leave as a proxy for workplace stress, and the stress satisfaction offset score to determine the degree of change in stress and satisfaction. Results: There was significant reduction in sick leave (2014 vs. 2012) (p<.001), and significant improvement in stress satisfaction offset score (p<.05). Logistic regression analysis identified the programme components most predictive of reduced stress and higher job satisfaction. Conclusion: The impacts of a systems-based mindfulness workplace wellness intervention, show significant improvements in workers’ sick leave and changes to stress and satisfaction scores. This study has implications for sector-wide policy change in the workplace.

Organizational Health Promotion: Broadening the Horizon of Workplace Health Promotion

2003 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 337-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. DeJoy ◽  
Mark G. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Workplace Health Promotion ◽  
Work Organization ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Organizational Health ◽  
Workplace Health ◽  
The Status ◽  
Worksite Health ◽  
Healthy Work ◽  
Health And Well Being

This article argues that efforts to improve the health and well-being of the workforce should begin with the organization itself. The term organizational health promotion is introduced to expand the scope of worksite health promotion. Organizational health promotion delves into the basic structural and organizational fabric of the enterprise—to how work is organized. The core themes of healthy work organization are introduced, and the status of our ability to identify organizational risk factors is discussed. A conceptual model of healthy work organization is presented, along with a process for expanding the health promotive capacity of the organization. The final section addresses challenges related to adopting an organizational health promotion perspective.

scholarly journals Examining the Theme: A Healthy Work Place and its Role in Promoting Work Place Health

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (32) ◽  
pp. 58
Author(s):  
Flourish Itulua Abumere
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Workplace Health Promotion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Place ◽  
Workplace Health ◽  
Illness Prevention ◽  
Healthy Work ◽  
Health And Well Being

Workplace health promotion initiatives that aim to improve employees' health and fitness have steadily increased throughout time. Previous studies have looked at the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and barriers to participating in workplace health promotion. The number of studies supporting the effectiveness of workplace health promotion in improving employees' health and well-being through changing their health behaviors is rising. This paper focuses on the importance of workplace health promotion in assuring employees' general well-being and the relevance of these perspectives in dealing with workplace illness prevention.

scholarly journals The Effects of Open Space on Reducing Workplace Stress: Case Study of Business Park in the Post-Socialist Urban Setting

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 336
Author(s):  
Jelena Maric ◽  
Djukic Aleksandra ◽  
Branislav Antonic ◽  
Danilo Furundzic ◽  
Vladimir Parezanin
Keyword(s):  
Business Performance ◽  
Open Space ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Workplace Stress ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Stress Levels

Working people spend around 54% of their waking hours at a workplace, according to recent statistics. Work-related stress is unavoidable, and it can damage the health of employees and affect business performance. In this paper, we argue that open space inside the workplace environment can have a positive influence on reducing overall stress levels in all the categories of users. To our knowledge, there is a significant lack of research considering specific business districts and the gated complexes called business parks, especially in post-socialist Eastern European cities, where there they are still a novelty. Empirical research in this study is on the single case study of Business Park “Airport city” in Belgrade, Serbia. Its main focus is on the survey conducted with 235 participants based on a questionnaire, which examines the relation between workplace stress and workplace environments. The findings from the questionnaire show that the frequency, duration, and activity of open space usage influence the stress levels of employees in this specific workplace, while it is not visible relating to their age and gender. Additionally, final implications suggest that improved open space, such as well-expected greenery, but also the urban design non-associative to workspace and the socialization and exercise amenities customized for frequent and short work breaks, can facilitate the overall well-being of employees. They are innovative elements in relatively underdeveloped research on stress measures with open space usage characteristics in the specific (gated) workplace setting.

scholarly journals Implementing Organizational WHP Into Practice: Obstructing Paradoxes in the Alignment and Distribution of Empowerment

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrin Skagert ◽  
Lotta Dellve
Keyword(s):  
Workplace Health Promotion ◽  
Health Care Organization ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
Care Organization ◽  
Workplace Health ◽  
Project Approach ◽  
Strategic Model ◽  
Development Processes ◽  
Continuous Field

Background: According to policy and theory, there is need for organizational workplace health promotion (WHP) to strengthen working conditions for all employees. However, earlier studies show it is hard to implement in practice. The aim was to critically analyze and identify interacting mechanisms and obstacles behind failures of organizational WHP projects from system perspectives.Methods: A holistic case study was performed, to critically analyze data from an organizational WHP project approach at a public health care organization. The qualitative data was collected over 5 years and included interviews with key actors (n = 80), focus groups (n = 59 managers), structured observations (n = 250 hours), continuous field observations and documents (n = 180). Questionnaires to employees (n = 2,974) and managers (n = 140) was complementing the qualitative-driven mixed method approach.Results: The analysis shows obstructing paradoxes of alignment and distribution of empowerment during the process of implementation into practice. The obstacles were interacting over system levels and were identified as: Governance by logics of distancing and detaching, No binding regulation of WHP, Separated responsibility of results, Narrow focus on delegated responsibilities, Store-fronting a strategic model, Keeping poor organizational preconditions and support for developments and Isolate WHP from other organizational developments.Conclusions: The following premises can be formulated regarding successful organizational WHP programs. Consider (1) the uncertainty a distributed empowerment to all system levels may create; (2) the distributed impact to define the target and allow broader areas to be included in WHP; and (3) the integration into other development processes and not reducing the organizational WHP to the form of a project.

scholarly journals Do workplace health-promotion interventions targeting employees with poor health reduce sick-leave probability and disability rates?

2020 ◽  
pp. 140349482094654
Author(s):  
Roy A. Nielsen ◽  
Tove I. Midtsundstad
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Sick Leave ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Sickness Absence ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Disability Pension ◽  
Workplace Health Promotion ◽  
Workplace Health ◽  
Health Promotion Interventions

Aims: This study aimed to investigate whether introducing workplace health-promotion interventions targeting employees with health problems or reduced work ability affected overall sick leave and disability risk. Methods: The study population comprised data from an establishment survey from 2010 identifying who had introduced workplace health promotion (the intervention) linked to register data on all employees and their sickness absence and disability pension uptake from 2000 through 2010. Results: Interventions had moderate effects due to varying efficacy in different parts of the labour market. Intervention success was more likely among white-collar workers (e.g. in public administration) compared to blue-collar workers (e.g. in manufacturing), probably due to variations in both organisational and technological constraints. Effects were small among men and moderate among older workers, particularly among women. Overall, disability risk reduction was accompanied by an increase in sickness absence. Sometimes, sickness absence increased in groups with no change in disability risk, suggesting that presenteeism in one group may increase absenteeism in other groups. Conclusions: Introducing workplace health-promotion interventions may prolong work careers in some labour-market segments. Financial incentives for Norwegian establishments to continue offering workplace health-promotion interventions may be improved, given the current financial model for disability pension and sickness benefits.

Commentary on the Study: “What Do Workplace Wellness Programs Do? Evidence From the Illinois Workplace Wellness Study”

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 440-444
Author(s):  
Ron Z. Goetzel
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Clinical Trials ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Wellness Programs ◽  
Workplace Wellness ◽  
Workplace Health ◽  
Wellness Program ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Workplace Wellness Programs ◽  
The University ◽  
Health And Well Being

Recently, several high-profile randomized clinical trials conducted with employees at the University of Illinois and BJ’s Wholesale Club have questioned the value of workplace health and well-being programs. This commentary focuses on the latest research published in The Quarterly Journal of Economics by authors Jones, Molitor, and Reif who evaluated the iThrive wellness program. The commentary challenges the study’s main finding that wellness programs (in general) do not work. Several perspectives are explored including whether the evaluated programs are well-designed, sufficiently potent, and appropriate candidates for randomized trials. The article also asks what role employers can or should play in improving the health and well-being of Americans given recent troubling statistics showing a decline in life expectancy and an increase in health risks.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document