Thesis (Ph. D.)--Indiana University, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-74).

Over the past three decades, globalisation and rapid technological advances have fundamentally changed socio-economic structure and have widespread impacts on the nature of work and workplace health (U. Beck, 2000; Bertucci & Alberti, 2004; Bhalla, 1996; Chu & Dwyer, 2002). They have led to fierce global competition, altered the nature of work and exposed employees to new health risks (Chu & Dwyer, 2002; Stitzel & Jarvisalo, 1997). Fierce market competition demands enterprises and industries to build new competencies, restructure and improve productivity and efficiency. Associated with these changes are increased work pressures, weakening commitment to occupational health and safety, and many negative impacts on workers’ health (G. Breucker, 2006; Missler & Theuringer, 2003; WHO, 2003). Evidence shows that the world is facing growing burden of work related fatalities, injuries and diseases, particularly a dramatic increase of work stress. As part of the global community, Taiwan has also encountered similar workplace challenges in the rapidly changing environment. It also has to confront with increasing costs from the burden of work-related injuries and diseases and to find appropriate ways to deal with the serious problems (Council of Labour Affairs Taiwan, 2003, 3005; IOSH, 2002). As the success of organisations relies on having well-qualified, motivated and healthy employees, it is essential to seek effective means to protect and promote the health of the working population (ENWHP, 2005). The integrative workplace health promotion (IWHM) model emerging in the 1990s, is regarded as a comprehensive means to address multiple determinants of health and promote employee health (G. Breucker, 2006; Chu, 2003b; WHO-WPRO, 1999). There have been a great number of international successful examples demonstrating the benefits from implementing the IWHM programs (ENWHP, 2002; Chu, Breucker, Harris, & et al., 2000). In response to these workplace challenges and new occupational health risks, Taiwan has followed the international trend to initiate a series of workplace health promotion (WHP) programs since 2001 (Bureau of Health Promotion Taiwan, 2006). However, a preliminary study revealed that many WHP projects in Taiwan have met with difficulties in encouraging employee participation and sustainable development of the programs. These results were not surprising as the majority of the WHP programs in Taiwan tended to narrowly focused on physical activities, weight control and smoking cessation, while ignoring employee needs and problems relevant to specific workplace concerns (Bureau of Health Promotion, 2003; Hsu, Chang, Peng, & Chen, 2002; Hsu, Chen, & Wu, 2004). In this regard, the comprehensive IWHM which aims to meet employee health needs and improve organisational environment may present an effective means for Taiwan to address complex workplace health issues and to create healthy and sustainable workplaces. This research aims to investigate the applicability of the IWHM model in Taiwan to deal with workplace health problems. Apart from reviewing literature and relevant case studies from international communities and in Taiwan, this study conducted a small scale pilot study and a comprehensive needs assessment at selected workplaces in Taiwan as an experiment to test the applicability of the IWHM model. In practice, this research project targeted the civil servants working at the Liming governmental community in Taichung, Taiwan as the research subject. It involves a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection and analysis. A variety of data collection techniques including in-depth interviews, focus groups, participant observations, secondary data analysis and questionnaire surveys are used to investigate the workplace health and safety problems and the staff’s health needs. A triangulation technique is used to compare and contrast the different sources of information. The findings indicated that the IWHM model is applicable in the Liming community in terms of feasible methodological approaches using a needs-based program development and implementation process, and positive program outcomes such as stair improvement to prevent falls and the establishment of long-term health management, meaningful participation, practical program activities and holistic evaluation. For potential program sustainability, this project has involved employee representatives in program implementation and taking in charge of the ongoing program activities, and has managed to establish interdepartmental partnership to address common workplace health issues. Even though this research project has not made great progress, it has been moving toward meeting the project objectives and the organisations’ needs. From the Liming experience, this research provided recommendations for future development of WHP in Taiwan including: 1) develop national policies to define clear responsibilities in WHP development at different levels; 2) establish appropriate capacity building and training programs; 3) develop practical guidelines and tools tailored to suit Taiwan’s local conditions and needs; 4) set up effective evaluation and quality management system; 5) provide a professional or technical support team to assist workplaces or industries with the development and implementation of WHP programs.

The Canadian healthcare system has become increasingly decentralised as a result of neoliberal policy leanings. Many responsibilities have shifted from federal to provincial to regional health authorities. As a result of their heavy workloads and strained budgets, these regional health authorities have begun striking up new community partnerships. This thesis examines the role that lay institutions play within the Canadian healthcare system via a case study of Dalhousie University’s handling of the 2009/2010 H1N1 pandemic. Document analysis and participant interviews reveal how the institution worked to protect the health of its population, why it was inclined to take on this responsibility, and how doing so impacted the everyday work of Dalhousie University employees. Based on this case study, the thesis argues that the capacity of lay institutions and their employees to respond to health crises is likely to depend on a number of factors, which has important public health implications.

Studiens syfte var att granska organisationers hälsosatsningar och skapa en fördjupad förståelse för vilka motiv som ligger bakom implementeringen av specifika hälsosatsningar samt att beskriva hälsoprojektansvariges upplevelse av hälsosatsningens verkan. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och har baserats på empiri från sex semistrukturerade telefonintervjuer. Studiens resultat visar att motiven till de olika hälsosatsningarna i stor utsträckning överensstämmer med varandra. De motiv som framkommit är att organisationerna har infört hälsosatsningar i syfte att minska sjuktalen, främja fysisk och psykisk hälsa, skapa balans mellan fritid och arbetstid, förändra beteenden och skapa trivsel på arbetsplatsen samt att bli en attraktivare arbetsgivare och minska personalomsättningen. Hälsosatsningarna har även visat sig i större utsträckning mer handla om individinriktade insatser än organisationsinriktade satsningar trots att forskning rekommenderar en kombination av dessa. Resultatet av studien har även visat att samtliga informanter delar upplevelsen av att hälsosatsningen väckt positiva känslor hos dem anställda samt att hälsosatsningarna i stor utsträckning har motsvarat deras förväntningar. Samtliga informanter uttrycker dock svårigheter med att mäta insatsernas verkan. Studien har genererat kunskap om vilka motiv som har legat bakom hälsosatsningarna, hur organisationerna arbetat med hälsosatsningarna samt hur de upplevt hälsosatsningens verkan. Denna kunskap hoppas vi kan bidra med en djupare förståelse för ämnet.

Studiens syfte var att granska organisationers hälsosatsningar och skapa en fördjupad förståelse för vilka motiv som ligger bakom implementeringen av specifika hälsosatsningar samt att beskriva hälsoprojektansvariges upplevelse av hälsosatsningens verkan. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och har baserats på empiri från sex semistrukturerade telefonintervjuer. Studiens resultat visar att motiven till de olika hälsosatsningarna i stor utsträckning överensstämmer med varandra. De motiv som framkommit är att organisationerna har infört hälsosatsningar i syfte att minska sjuktalen, främja fysisk och psykisk hälsa, skapa balans mellan fritid och arbetstid, förändra beteenden och skapa trivsel på arbetsplatsen samt att bli en attraktivare arbetsgivare och minska personalomsättningen. Hälsosatsningarna har även visat sig i större utsträckning mer handla om individinriktade insatser än organisationsinriktade satsningar trots att forskning rekommenderar en kombination av dessa. Resultatet av studien har även visat att samtliga informanter delar upplevelsen av att hälsosatsningen väckt positiva känslor hos dem anställda samt att hälsosatsningarna i stor utsträckning har motsvarat deras förväntningar. Samtliga informanter uttrycker dock svårigheter med att mäta insatsernas verkan. Studien har genererat kunskap om vilka motiv som har legat bakom hälsosatsningarna, hur organisationerna arbetat med hälsosatsningarna samt hur de upplevt hälsosatsningens verkan. Denna kunskap hoppas vi kan bidra med en djupare förståelse för ämnet.

Bakgrund: För företag är alla ekonomiska aspekter viktiga, dit hör medarbetarnas hälsa som kan bli en stor kostnadspost. I dagens samhälle ökar stress och depression från arbetsplatsen trots gedigna kunskaper inom ämnet. Syfte: Studiens syfte är belysa kopplingen mellan medarbetarskap och arbetshälsa. Teori: Studien har sin utgångspunkt ur medarbetarskap och arbetshälsa. Tidigare forskning inom arbetshälsa har kopplats till medarbetarskapshjulet för att studera om något av medarbetarskapets fyra begreppspar kan förklara arbetshälsa i högre grad än något annat begreppspar. Metod: Det empiriska materialet har samlats in genom en kvantitativ undersökning i form av en enkät där antalet respondenter uppgick till 83 individer. Tidigare forskning har gjort det möjligt att koppla svaren från enkäten till möjliga påverkande faktorer för arbetshälsa inom medarbetarskap. Analys: I resultatet framkommer att det finns många faktorer som har samband med arbetsglädje. Det visade sig att kommunikation, samhörighet, relationer, uppskattning och utveckling har starka samband med den arbetsglädje som medarbetarna upplever. För faktorn stress visades samband med förtroende för chefen och kontroll. Slutsats: Medarbetarskap är ett bra redskap för att förhindra arbetsohälsa. Då arbetshälsa är komplext och många faktorer för arbetshälsa påverkar varandra bör inga av medarbetarskapets begreppspar bortses ifrån. / Background: For companies are every economic aspect essential. One aspect is the workplace health that employees feel whom can be a big cost. In our society is stress and depression increasing despite extensive knowledge in the topic for workplace health. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to illustrate the connection between followship and workplace health. Theory: The study has it starting point from followship and workplace health. Previous research in the topic for workplace health have been related to the wheel of followship to study if one of the four factors in followship can explain workplace health more than the other factors. Method: The empirical material have been collected from a quantitative research in form of a survey, is was 83 participants who responded. Previous research and literature have made it possible to relate the answers from the survey to factors affecting workplace health in the strategy of followship. Result: The result show that there are many factors that influence workplace happiness. It showed that communication, affinity, relations, appreciation and personal development have connections with workplace happiness. Factors that influence in stress is trust in the manager and control of the workday. Conclusion: Followship is a good tool to prevent workplace related illnesses. Workplace health is a complex topic and many factors for workplace health affect each other, therefore should none aspect of followship be ignored.

Current UK public health policy and research identifies potential health risks of physical inactivity and high levels of sitting. This is a particularly pertinent issue for office workers, who spend, on average, over two-thirds of the work day sitting. This thesis reports on the design and evaluation of a multicomponent sit-stand desk intervention, delivered within two not-for-profit office-based organisations in London, England. A mixed method study design was employed. A pilot randomised controlled trial examined the efficacy of the intervention on reducing sitting and increasing standing and physical activity, using wearable monitors to measure outcome variables at baseline, and at four additional timepoints up to 12-months following the onset of the intervention. A process evaluation, including in-depth qualitative interviews and participant observation, investigated the processes that influenced the feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of the intervention. Mixed-model ANOVA indicated that the intervention reduced workplace sitting, on average, by 38 minutes, however there was no significant influence on workplace physical activity, or any of the outcome variables across the whole day. The process evaluation revealed that discourses surrounding employee health and organisational effectiveness, and employees' health-focused occupational identities increased the acceptability of sit-stand desk provision, whereas monetary concerns, a centralised organisational structure and incompatibility of the sit-stand desks with the workplace environment negatively influenced implementation feasibility. The sit-stand desk design, expectations and outcomes related to health and productivity, and the organisational culture and interpersonal relationships positively and negatively influenced sit-stand desk experience to differing degrees between participants. Mixed method analyses of outcome and process data illustrated the potential for integrating findings to enhance understanding of 'what works' within behavioural intervention research. Sit-stand desks are not a one-size-fits-all solution to reducing sitting and increasing physical activity, however, they should be available to office-based employees as part of a wider workplace health strategy.

Introduction The interest in relations between arts and workplace related health has increased. The focus has mostly been on the work of arts and health from a disease perspective and to the best of our knowledge the research focusing on relation between the artists and workplace related health from a salutogenic perspective is rare. In 2007 a project called the Contemporary Artists in Contemporary Society (CACS) Scania project was implemented and evaluated. The project consisted of twelve visual artists being positioned at eight workplaces on half time for a period of six months. The idea of the project was that unprejudiced meetings between the artists and the staff could result in workplace related health promoting processes. This study will try to unravel some of the mystery of how artists’ presence can result in workplace related promotion of health.    Aim The aim was to identify success factors for visual artists functioning as health promoters at a workplace.   Procedure The search for success criterion started with going through the project descriptions and the evaluation reports from the CACS Scania project. This exposition led to the selection of one project that was considered a particularly successful case. Two artists had been placed at the office for management of regional development in Scania. The employees consisted mainly of civil servants and administrators. The evaluation material belonging to this particular project was studied, searching for possible explanations to the success of the project. The material consisted of digital recordings from a focus group interview with five of the participating staff, an interview with the manager, an interview with the two artists as well as stories written by the two artists throughout the project and finally the project description as well as the folder that the two artists produced as a summary of the project. The analysis of the material was influenced by qualitative content analysis and three categories of success factors were found.   Results The experience of the participating staff The result showed that the staff mainly had had positive project related experiences. The staffs’ experiences could be linked to the salutogenic factors comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness. The various project related activities were found to be meaningful and the different activities were considered a pleasant reflective break from an everyday routine based and hectic practice. Some of the staff reported having problems managing the openness and indistinctiveness of the project, but the frequent communication with the artists, as well as support from the manager made the indistinctiveness manageable. The presence of the artists and the different project related activities were often found to be amusing, with adherent facilitation of wellbeing among the staff. At other occasions the presence of the artists could be considered disturbing. The artists brought new perspectives into the workplace that sometimes challenged the staffs’ customary way of thinking and acting, opening up possibilities for creativity and reflective processes of work related learning. It seemed as if the positive health related experiences of the staff relied on communication and mutual construction of intellectual fellowship and project related meaning (intersubjectivity).   A framework for the work of the artists Four criteria were considered a useful framework for a description of the artists successful work at the workplace. 1. Presence - The artists were often present at the workplace. 2. Inspiration – The artists were inspired by the workplace. 3. Activity - The artists were constantly presenting things and activated the staff through out the project 4. Communication – The artists communicated with the staff during the development, implementation and completion process of the project.   Organisational climate It seemed as if the organisational climate was suitable for using artists as health promoters. The staff and the manager were for instance describing them as willing to try new and innovative strategies for the development of their work in general and their work related health in particular.   Conclusion To conclude there is a health promoting potential when involving artists as health promoters at a workplace. For this potential to be realised we found three categories of success factors. The experience of the participating staff were considered important since positive experiences, with adherent positive feelings, form the base for psychological and biological processes that generally have a positive impact on health. These experiences are on the other hand dependent on other facilitating factors, that here can be linked to for instance the artists as well as the organisational climate.

This dissertation consists of three papers relating to the field of Law and Economics. The first two papers examine the impact of increased judicial discretion on both racial disparities and inter-judge disparities in the federal criminal justice system. The third paper analyzes the effects of OSHA programs on workplace safety, wages, and employment. The common thread throughout this work is a focus on how legal actors and institutions affect substantive outcomes of individuals. / Economics

The study is about understanding how workplaces can implement health promotion to promote, preserve and improve employees' health and well-being at work. The aim: The aim of this study was that from a health promotion perspective and with some prior understanding of what contributes to job satisfaction, study what job satisfaction is perceived to be and  if there is a relation between job satisfaction and to learn and develop in working life. Method: Through a qualitative interview-study, 8 interviews were conducted with employees from a private company and a local administration. Based on some certain preconceptions about what it is that contributes to job satisfaction in the workplace and with a hermeneutic approach, the employee’s experiences through statements of job satisfaction and learning and development in the workplace were interpreted in order to understand if there was a relationship between them. Results: The study's results suggest that employees experience job satisfaction in the form of pride, satisfaction and security and that employees feel that they learn and develop through challenges and by the exchange of experience. The results also suggest that internal forces are something that can explain a relationship between job satisfaction and learning and developing for employees´ in the workplace. Theoretical framework: The theoretical framework used in this essay was inspired by and focused on educational and the health subject area with a aim on happiness and learning. The essays theoretical framework and previous research was inspired by theories and studies related to health promotion, Workplace Health Promotion, job as a health factor, health promotion work, social support, involved leadership, desire and joy of learning processes as well as lifelong learning and positive learning environment. Conclusion: This study illustrates how job satisfaction activates internal forces which are considered more important than external assessment to promote learning and development in the workplace, both in the sense of challenge and the feeling of a good community. / Studien handlar om att förstå hur arbetsplatser kan arbeta hälsopromotivt för att främja, bevara samt öka medarbetares hälsa och välmående i arbetslivet. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att utifrån ett hälsopromotivt perspektiv och med viss förförståelse för vad som bidrar till arbetsglädje studera vad arbetsglädje upplevs vara och om det kan finnas någon relation mellan arbetsglädje samt att lära och utvecklas i arbetslivet. Metod: Genom en kvalitativ intervjustudie genomfördes totalt 8 intervjuer med medarbetare ifrån ett privat företag och en kommunal förvaltning. Utifrån en viss förförståelse för vad som bidrar till arbetsglädje i arbetslivet och med en hermeneutisk utgångspunkt tolkades medarbetares upplevelser kring arbetsglädje samt lärande och utveckling i arbetslivet för att förstå om det däremellan fanns en relation. Resultat: Studiens resultat tyder på att medarbetare upplever arbetsglädje i form av stolthet, nöjdhet och trygghet samt att medarbetare upplever att de lär och utvecklas vid utmaningar och genom erfarenhetsutbyten. Resultatet tyder även på att inre drivkrafter är något som kan förklara en relation mellan arbetsglädje samt att läras och utvecklas inom arbetslivet. Teoretisk referensram: Studiens litteratur fokuserade på pedagogiska och hälsofrämjande ämnesområden med tyngd på glädje och lärande. Litteraturen var inspirerad av teorier och studier rörande hälsopromotion, Workplace Health Promotion, arbetsglädje som en friskfaktor, hälsofrämjande arbeten, socialt stöd, delaktigt ledarskap, lust och glädje för lärande processer samt livslångt lärande och positiv lärande miljö. Slutsats: Studien belyser hur arbetsglädje aktiverar inre drivkrafter vilka anses vara viktigare än yttre uppskattning för att främja lärande och utveckling inom arbetslivet, både genom känslan av utmaning samt känslan av en god gemenskap.