Healthy workplace promotes healthy habits and creates a healthy work environment for staffs. A workplace has an effect on the health of workers and individuals; with great impact on his/her productivity and job satisfaction, which affects both physical and psychological health. The burden of work related illness at local and national level is such that health promoting workplace strategies are essential to improve health and wellbeing of workforce (WHO, 2008). According to WHO workplace is an element for improving both individual and public health, thus, contributing to the economic growth (WHO, 2008).
1. Healthy Workplace
Olayinka O Ariba
G20626133
PG4114
Setting Theory, Policy & Practice
To the senior management, employees, human resources , line managers and
occupational health staff.
2. “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?
3. 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.
4. 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
6. Health Settings Process: Workplace
Source: Work Well
Healthy Workplace Guide,
HPA, Northern Ireland
7. Facilitators and Partnerships
• Senior managements
• Line managers
• Employees
• Union members
• Human resource managers
• Occupational health & safety officers
• Other interested partners
• Voluntary organisations
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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
14. 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.
15. Reference
Dooris, 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 , Geneva
Scriven, 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