Editorial

Citation

Makrides, L. (2009), "Editorial", International Journal of Workplace Health Management, Vol. 2 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijwhm.2009.35402baa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: International Journal of Workplace Health Management, Volume 2, Issue 2

This is the first general issue of the International Journal of Workplace Health Management (IJWHM), after a series of special issues on the topics of health and safety (Dr Dee Edington, Associate Editor), physical activity in the workplace (Dr Lindsey Dugdill, Associate Editor) and the psychosocial work environment (Dr Kevin Kelloway, Associate Editor).

In “Designing a stress management intervention in social services,” Margaret Coffey, Lindsey Dugdill, and Andy Tattersall discuss the design of a stress management intervention; specifically, what worked well, what did not and in what context and difficulties associated with managing change and unanticipated successes. The conditions which need to be created to achieve successful outcomes and improve intervention effectiveness are also discussed. The authors point out that key barriers that need to be considered relate to the timing of the stress management interventions, staff skepticism, and lack of resources and difficulties in translating findings into actions. Key factors necessary for potential successful interventions include senior management commitment, staff participation, setting realistic expectations, and a realistic timeframe for implementation of the various interventions.

Issues related to shift work and burnout are discussed by Jonathon R.B. Halbesleben in “The influence of shift work on emotional exhaustion in firefighters: the role of work-family conflict and social support.” Fire service personnel working on different shifts completed surveys providing information on emotional exhaustion and work-family conflict and support. More demanding shifts with less time off are associated with the higher work-family conflict which is in turn associated with greater emotional exhaustion. In “Does the ‘happy-productive worker’ thesis apply to managers?” Peter J. Hosie and Peter Sevastos, question the link between happiness and performance. A primary goal was to establish which indicators of self-rated affective wellbeing and intrinsic job satisfaction, two important aspects of job happiness, are reliable indicators of managers’ performance. Their work provided qualified support for the “happy-performing managers” proposition within the broader context of positive organizational scholarship; defined as a health model based on the premise that understanding and enabling human potential creates a positive path to human and organizational well being, or as the authors state “putting the head back on the body.”

The case for the nutritious food intake across organizations is strongly made by Jeffery Houghton, Christopher Neck, and Kenneth Cooper in “Nutitious food intake: a new competitive advantage for organizations?” They argue that the issue of nutritious food intake is somewhat overlooked in corporate wellness programs and review the literature on the application of the transtheoretical stages of change in the context of tailored nutritional intervention programs. Use of technologies such as the internet, CD-ROM, and email are suggested as a means to deliver effective individual behaviour focused interventions tailored on the basis of readiness to change. Environmental interventions on the other hand, focus primarily on creating a supportive work environment by reducing barriers to healthy food choices including nutrition policies and incentives and by offering healthy food items at discounted prices in cafeteria and vending machines. Successful nutrition intervention programs in the USA and in Europe are also reviewed.

In “Interpersonal trust at work, intrinsic motivation, work-related tension and satisfaction in Egypt” Mike Leat and Ghada El-Kot examine the relationship between job satisfaction, interpersonal trust, intrinsic motivation, and job related context. Questionnaires were administered to organizations in the service and manufacturing sectors in Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt. Positive findings are reported in terms of employee job satisfaction, interpersonal trust and intrinsic motivation with relatively low levels of job tension. The authors conclude that these findings support continuing cultural influences in terms of emphasis on the importance of social relationships and the virtue of hard work. Significant predictors of job satisfaction were found to be intrinsic motivation, confidence in the competence of management and lack of work related tension.

As we progress into the second year of publication of the IJWHM, we continue to seek reviewers and manuscripts in all fields related to workplace health. And, I personally invite your comments on past issues and look forward to receiving your contributions for future issues.

Lydia MakridesEditor-in-Chief