Healthy Workplace

Olayinka O AribaG20626133

PG4114Setting Theory, Policy & Practice

To the senior management, employees, human resources , line managers and occupational health staff.

“We spend most of our waking days at work and as a setting for promoting health, it is very much

underutilised”.

Why a health workplace?

What is it?

Rationale• Two million cases of death yearly due to work-

related illnesses and accident.• 268 million non-fatal accidents results on an

average 3 lost workdays.• £12.2 billion is spent on sickness absences

yearly in UK.• 2.2 million people in UK suffer from work

related illness.• 10% of lung cancer and 16% of hearing loss is

caused by work related illness.

Policy Context• 1986 – WHO/Ottawa charter• 1997 – Jakarta declaration on

Health promotion • 1996 – Workplace health

promotion network• 2005 – Bangkok Charter for

Health Promotion • 2006 – Stresa Declaration on

Workers’ Health • 2007 – Global Plan of Action

on Workers• 2010 – Fair society, healthy lives-

healthy lives healthy people

Workplace initiative• Health at work in the NHS

1992• Promoting healthier

nutrition• Reduction of smoking• Management of stress• Reduction of work hazards• Increased physical activities• Alcohol & drug policies

Healthy Workplace Model

(WHO, 2010)

Health Settings Process: Workplace

Source: Work Well Healthy Workplace Guide, HPA, Northern Ireland

Facilitators and Partnerships• Senior managements• Line managers• Employees• Union members• Human resource managers• Occupational health & safety officers• Other interested partners• Voluntary organisations

Determinants of Health

(Hugh Barton and Marcus Grant,2006)

Interventions Initiatives• Weight management activities• Employee assistant programmes• Healthy options in canteen• Staff lifestyle club• Safety risk assessment• Health check schemes• Stress awareness course• Lunchtime walk Education• Communication briefs • Newsletters• Health related trainings• Posters• One to ones

Friendly environment• Access to ATM machines• Flexible shift pattern• Secured bikes racks • Sidewalks • Transport subsidy• Return to work

Policies• Smoking cessation• Gender equality• Alcohol & drug policies• Friendly family policies• Breastfeeding

Interventions (A Question of Balance)

Source: © Dooris 2013, adapted from Dooris, 2004

What’s in it for us? Benefit of becoming a Healthy Workplace

For Employers• Reduced absenteeism• Increased productivity• Reduced turnover of staff• Reduce health car cost• Improve staff morale• Positive company image• Efficient health and safety

programme

For Employees• Improved self-esteem• Safe and secured work

environment• Improvement in health• Reduced stress• Increased job satisfaction• Increased sense of well-

being

WHO, 2014

Sustainable health development initiatives improving the wellbeing of employees.

Success Story Royal mail, UK• Developed a strategic approach to improve

the health of workforce .They initiated an employee assistant programme named HELP designed to be accessible, which easily tackled inequality in health of its employees.

Requirements for healthy workplace

• Good leadership• Needs assessment• Adequate resources allocation• Effective collaboration• Delegation practice• Performance management (measuring KPIs)• Clear policy• Effective communication channel• Evaluation

Conclusion• A workplace serves as a means to reach out to a substantial number

of working population from diverse background.

• A healthy workplace addresses the main risk factors for work related illness which are stress, alcohol related illness, smoking, obesity and hazard in order to protect the health and well-being of all workforce.

• It contributes toward the improvement of performance and productivity, improving well-being of workforce and their families.

• HWP aims at achieving a safe and secured work environment, improvement in health, reduced stress level, increased job satisfaction and Increased sense of well-being of employees.

ReferenceDooris, M. (2004). Joining up settings for health: a valuable investment for strategic

partnerships?. Critical Public Health, 14(1), 37-49. Retrieved from: http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=97f53f55-e72e-4f1c-a550-d9ab91fe0651%40sessionmgr110&vid=1&hid=113

Forastieri, V. (2012). SOLVE: Integrating Health Promotion into Workplace OSH Policies. Geneva: ILO.International Labour Organization., (2009), Facts on safety at work. Retrieved from: http

://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Media_and_public_information/Factsheets/lang--en/docName--WCMS_067574/index.htm

ILO, (2005), Introductory report: decent work-safe work , GenevaScriven, A., & Hodgins, M. (2012). Health promotion settings. Los Angeles: Sage. Bevan, S., & Hayday, S. (2001). Costing sickness AbsencesS in the UK. London : Institute for

Employment Studies.WHO (2008)Preventing noncommunicable diseases in the workplace through diet and physical

activity;World Economic Forum report of a joint event. : (1st ed.). Geneva.World Health Organisation (2010). Healthy workplaces: a model for action. for employers,workers,

policy makers and practitioners. WHO, 2010.WHO (1998).Health promotion in the 21st century: An Era of Partnership to achieve Health for all

(WHO/47), Geneva: WHO