The purpose of this study was to examine in what way a strong employer branding of health promotion can have an effect on the ways individuals can experience isolation and stress. In this survey we have used the theories of health promotion, organizational culture, isolation and stress in an analysis of the possible situation caused by strong employer branding of health promotion. We have used these theories in analysis with the purpose to answer the following questions: How does a strong employer branding of health promotion influence those employees who, for some reasons, don’t take advantage of organizations’ health promotion programs and activities? Could those, who don’t take advantage of health activities, become isolated in a company? The method of research that was used in this study is a qualitative analysis; we used semi structured interviews and open e-mail correspondences. The material was collected from nine different organizations as the response from ten interviews. The result of the analysis show that is possible for an individual to experience isolation and stress as a result of an organization’s employer branding on health promotion. At the same time these individuals can experience that they are indirectly obligated to consider their everyday actions from the health promotion perspective, which we have assumed to be a result of the possible punishments and rewards from their leaders. The conclusion is consequently that a strong employer branding can affect an individual’s social situation within an organization, but it is problematic to see in which scale. The result has revealed that employer branding of health promotion is a possible cause for isolation and stress.

This study deals with the complex phenomenon of occupational health. There is knowledge of how a good work environment should look like, but despite this, many employees experiences ill health in the workplace mainly in the form of neck and back pain. This study is a case study conducted in a high-risk workplace. The overall purpose was to describe and analyze the health situation of a specific company with neck and back problems. Mainly, eight interviews had been used as the data collection method, but additional observations had also been implemented. The sources used in this study are mainly reports of health, work environment, health promotion activities and neck and back pain. The results of this study showed that there are shortcomings in the work environment and they often experiences high levels of stress, but despite this, the employees thrived at work. The employees had a relatively good health despite the fact that all the interviewees indicated that they had some form of neck and back pain. The results also showed that the most important conditions to promote health were motivation, time, and healthcare in the workplace.

Syftet med studien är att via intervjuer undersöka hur hälsofrämjande insatser på en större byggfirma upplevs påverka tjänstemäns hälsa genom att minska stress och öka motivation. Studien undersöker kunskapsluckor som existerar i tidigare forskning gällande hälsofrämjande insatser i en mansdominerad bransch och hälsofrämjande insatser förenat med motivation. Materialet grundas i sju kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med arbetsledare, platschefer och administrativ personal på en byggfirma med ungefär 200 anställda. En informations-intervju genomförs för att få förståelse för organisationens bakgrund och strategi. Studien är genomförd enligt hermeneutiska principer och med en abduktiv analysmetod. För att analysera resultatet används teorier och begrepp kring stress och motivation som består av det allostatiska systemet, den inverterade U-funktionen, krav-kontroll-stödmodellen, Self-Determination Theory och interaktiv motivation. Det huvudsakliga resultatet visar att faktorer som erfarenhet, fysisk aktivitet, socialt stöd, arbetet i sig, trivsel, kommunikation och kompetensutveckling är viktiga för att de anställda ska främja hälsa genom att minska stress och öka motivation. Det framgår även att de här faktorerna påverkar respondenterna olika och är därmed individuella. / The aim of this study is to investigate through interviews how health promotion activities in a larger construction company can affect white collar workers health by reducing stress and increasing motivation. The study investigates gaps in knowledge that exists in current research on health promotion activities in a male-dominated industry and health promotion activities combined with motivation. The research material originates from seven semi structured interviews with supervisors, site managers and administrative staff that works at a construction company with approximately 200 employees. An information-interview is also conducted to get knowledge about the company’s history and strategy. The study is conducted according to hermeneutical principles and with an abductive analysis strategy. To be able to analyse the results theories about stress and motivation are used such as the allostatic system, the inverted U-function, the demand and control model, Self-Determination Theory and interactive motivation. The main results show that aspects such as experience, exercise, social support, work itself, wellbeing, communication and skill development are important for employees to promote health through reducing stress and increasing motivation. The results also indicate that all these aspects affect employees differently and are individual.