Editorial

Citation

Makrides, L. (2010), "Editorial", International Journal of Workplace Health Management, Vol. 3 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijwhm.2010.35403baa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: International Journal of Workplace Health Management, Volume 3, Issue 2

This issue is representative of the multifaceted nature of workplace health management covering topics on return on investment of comprehensive worksite health programs, employee participation, smoking policies, supports for employees who are grieving, benefits of workplace health promotion to organizations and conditions at work or in private life that may be associated with long-term good health.

L.Yen, A.B. Schultz, C.Schaefer, S.Bloomberg and D.Edington report on a major study that examined return on investment (ROI) of a comprehensive worksite health program over a nine-year period. Two analytical techniques were used: a time-period analysis of ROI between 1999-2007 and historical trend analysis considering employee participation and levels of participation; continuous, sporadic, or non-participants. The ROI for health care cost and time away from work ranged from 1.29 to 2.07 with a cumulative ROI of 1.66 over the nine-year period. Results from the historical trend analyses indicated similar values with significant annual savings of $180 per participant. The average annual savings between continuous participants and non-participants were significant with no differences reported between sporadic and non-participants. This is one of few studies documenting not only ROI over a long-term basis, but also the importance of continuous participation in workplace wellness programs.

In “Determinants of employee participation in workplace health promotion”, E. Nohammer, C. Schusterschitz and H. Stummer interviewed employees and the individuals running these programs in three Austrian organizations, as well as health experts in the field to identify determinants of participation, acceptance and motivational factors in workplace health promotion. Aesthetically pleasing, personal information about workplace health promotion as well as programs that are supported by senior management and targeted to employee needs and wishes were found to be relevant factors.

J.R.B. Halbesleben and A.R. Wheeler conducted a comprehensive examination of smoke-free workplace policies (SFWP) in the USA. They reported that not only much more needs to be done to meet federal government goals, but also racial disparities in SFWP coverage have not diminished and in some cases have actually increased over the years. They concluded that while such policies may have a positive impact on employee health, there is a need to consider segments of the American population such as Hispanics that are not as adequately protected as others. They urged that further research be conducted on the role and effectiveness of health-related workplace policies in improving the health of workers.

M. O’Connor, J. Watts, M. Bloomer and K. Larkins examined the important yet relatively less reported workplace issues associated with grief, illness and death in Australian workplaces. Their comprehensive review provides a basis for assisting policy makers, employers and employees to deal with end-of-life issues and experiences. The need for research on the benefits of implementing such policies and support systems in the workplace was stressed.

In “Organizational benefits of investing in workplace health”, G. Zwetsloot, A. van Scheppingen, A. Dijkman, J. Heinrich and H. den Besten undertook a systematic examination of the health and business benefits stemming from the workplace health activities of four companies regarded as frontrunners in health management in the Netherlands. The authors made the important distinction of health as a resource, or a “production factor to be developed and promoted”. They proposed four clusters of benefits: cost reductions and added value related to health and business respectively. They concluded that while the four organizations had a lot of data that were potentially useful in evaluating the intended health and business benefits, these data were fragmented and lacked integration. As a result, the business impact of health interventions was neither properly evaluated nor consistently managed.

G. Aronsson and V.Blom in “Work conditions for workers with good long-term health” questioned what working conditions and private life factors contribute to good health. Data were gathered via questionnaire over a two-year period in over 2,200 full-time employees between 20 and 65 years of age. Being present at work, despite feeling sick (sickness presence) and being absent from work due to sickness (sickness absence) represented the dependent variable of “long-term health”. Support from a supervisor/manager, having clear goals, appropriate resources and job satisfaction were important work-related factors. Social support was also important in private life as well as workload in the home environment and socioeconomic factors. The authors concluded that gender differences and personality traits warrant further investigation.

The articles in this issue clearly demonstrate the complexity of workplace health and wellness and the interplay between many factors at the organizational and individual levels.

I am also pleased to announce that, beginning with this issue, major workplace health and wellness conferences will be listed and I encourage you to submit information on such conferences for publication consideration in future issues. Information on the Health Work and Wellness ™ conference offered September 2010 in Vancouver, Canada is included in this issue. Established over a decade ago, this is a major annual Canadian conference focusing on organization health. The conference challenges participants to new ways of thinking, hence its theme of “Thinking Organizations SUCCEED!”

Submissions to International Journal of Workplace Health Management can now be done online at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ijwhm

Lydia MakridesEditor-in-Chief