Considering the Differential Impact of Three Facets of Organizational Health Climate on Employees' Well-Being

Job Burnout, Work Health Management Interference, and Organizational Health Climate Among Employees with Varied Levels of Work Ability

PURPOSE

The presence of chronic health conditions (CHCs), without sufficient personal and job resources, can impede one's ability to effectively perform work tasks and manage job demands. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of job burnout and perceptions of work health management interference (WHMI) and organizational health climate (OHC) among employees with varied levels of work ability (WA). We also examined relationships among these variables and with sociodemographic and job-related variables (e.g., age, number of physician-diagnosed conditions).

METHODS

A convenience sample of 878 adults living and working in the United States who responded to a recruitment message via professional listservs/email lists and social media participated in a non-experimental, cross-sectional online survey. Participants reported sociodemographic and job-related items, as well as measures to evaluate WA, burnout, WHMI, and OHC.

RESULTS

Statistically significant differences in burnout, WHMI, and OHC were observed across WA groups. Workers with poor WA reported the highest levels of overall burnout, WMHI, and the least supportive OHC. A more supportive OHC was associated with lower burnout. A strong inverse relationship between WA and the number of physician-diagnosed conditions was observed; weak relationships between WA and age, as well as WA and managerial status, were found.

CONCLUSION

Employees with lower levels of WA tended to report higher levels of burnout and WHMI and lower levels of OHC. Findings provide a foundation for future research to examine causal relationships among these variables and to inform actions to both preserve WA and support worker well-being.

Organizational health climate as a precondition for health-oriented leadership: expanding the link between leadership and employee well-being

The link between leadership and employee well-being is long established. In particular, health-oriented leadership is discussed as a leadership style specifically promoting employee well-being. However, the preconditions of health-oriented leadership remain largely unexplored. From the perspective of conservation of resources theory, leaders can only provide resources when receiving some themselves. We propose that organizational health climate (OHC) is an important organization-based resource for a health-oriented leadership style. More specifically, we hypothesize that the relationship between OHC and employee job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion is mediated by health-oriented leadership. We thereby differentiate two levels of analysis: a within-team level and a between-team level. We examined 74 teams with 423 employees of childcare centers at three time points, each 6 months apart. By means of multilevel structural equation modeling, we found OHC to be a significant antecedent of health-oriented leadership at the between-team level. The relationship between OHC and employee job satisfaction was mediated by health-oriented leadership at the between-team level, but not at the within-team level. The relationship between OHC and employee exhaustion showed another pattern of relationships at the different levels of analysis, while it was not significantly mediated by health-oriented leadership. This indicates the value of differentiating between levels of analysis. We discuss the implications for theory and practice that can be drawn from our findings.

The Workplace Support for Health Scale: Reliability and Validity of a Brief Scale to Measure Employee Perceptions of Wellness

PURPOSE

To examine the reliability and validity of a brief measure (the Workplace Support for Health [WSH] scale) to assess employees' perceived support for a healthy lifestyle.

DESIGN

Repeated cross-sectional surveys.

SETTING

We collected employer- and employee-level survey data from small, low-wage workplaces in King County, WA enrolled in a randomized controlled trial.

SAMPLE

We analyzed data from 68 workplaces that had 2,820 and 2,640 employees complete surveys at baseline and 15 months, respectively.

MEASURES

The WSH scale consisted of five items. To assess validity, we examined associations between the WSH scale and employer implementation of evidence-based interventions for health promotion, employee self-rated health, and job satisfaction.

ANALYSIS

We performed an exploratory factor analysis to assess the unidimensionality of the WSH scale items, and produced Cronbach's alpha coefficients to examine scale reliability. We ran regression models using generalized estimating equations to examine validity.

RESULTS

The factor analysis indicated one factor, which accounted for 59% of the total variance in the workplace support for health items. The scale had good reliability at baseline (α = 0.82) and 15 months (α = 0.83). Employer evidence-based intervention implementation was positively associated with WSH. WSH was also associated with higher self-rated health and job satisfaction. These associations indicate good concurrent validity.

CONCLUSION

The WSH scale is a reliable and valid measure of perceived workplace support for health. Employers can use the scale to identify gaps in support and create a plan for improvement.

The Supervisor's Perceived Role in Employee Well-Being: Results From Mayo Clinic

PURPOSE

Novel approaches are needed to enhance employee well-being and perhaps supervisors can be an effective agent for worksite health promotion. The aim of this study was to examine the supervisor's perceived needs, barriers, and role for influencing employee well-being for incorporation into program development.

DESIGN

Semistructured, qualitative interviews of supervisors.

SETTING

Large, integrated academic health-care organization with over 30 000 employees and 2600 supervisors having access to comprehensive well-being programs and a successful well-being champion network comprised of 600 champions.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty supervisors representing clinical, research, and administrative units.

METHODS

Semistructured, one-on-one interviews were conducted and audio recorded. Analysis included content log development and open coding by a trained analyst to reveal key themes. More formalized content coding using specialized software for qualitative analyses was also conducted.

RESULTS

Supervisor responses were wide ranging regarding their perceived and desired role in promoting workplace well-being. Barriers from the supervisor perspective included high current workload, ambivalence about promoting wellness, lack of support from leadership, lack of flexibility and control at work, and difficulty accessing on-site resources. They perceived their potential role in well-being as remaining a positive role model and encouraging their staff in wellness activities.

CONCLUSION

Although findings are generated from a small sample size, these qualitative data provide compelling and early insights into building a workplace well-being strategy leveraging an underutilized key stakeholder, the workplace supervisor.

Small business Total Worker Health: A conceptual and methodological approach to facilitating organizational change

Nearly half of Americans are employed by small businesses, and future projections suggest that the number of those employed by small businesses will rise. Despite this, there is relatively little small business intervention research on the integration of health protection and health promotion, known as Total Worker Health® (TWH). We first discuss the importance of studying small businesses in TWH research and practice. Second, we describe an example of a small business TWH intervention, Health Links™ plus TWH owner/senior manager leadership training, that we are evaluating via the Small+Safe+Well (SSWell) study. Key features of the intervention and the SSWell study include attention to multi-level influences on worker health, safety and well-being; organizational change; and dissemination and implementation science strategies via the RE-AIM model. We offer several considerations for future small business TWH research and practice both in terms of the small business context as well as intervention development and evaluation. Our goal is to provide TWH researchers and practitioners with a framework and an example of how to approach small business TWH interventions. Ultimately, through the SSWell study, we aim to provide small businesses with strong evidence to support the use of TWH strategies that are practical, effective and sustainable.

Associations Among Work and Family Health Climate, Health Behaviors, Work Schedule, and Body Weight

OBJECTIVES

Correctional employees exhibit elevated obesity rates. This study examines interrelations among health behaviors, health climate, body mass index (BMI), and work schedule.

METHODS

Using survey results from correctional supervisors (n = 157), mediation and moderated-mediation analyses were performed to examine how health behaviors explain relationships between obesity, work health climate (WHC) and family health climate (FHC), and work schedule.

RESULTS

Over 85% of the sample was overweight/obese (mean BMI = 30.20). Higher WHC and FHC were associated with lower BMI, mediated by nutrition, and physical activity. The interaction effect between health behavior and work schedule revealed a protective effect on BMI. Overtime shift work may share a relationship with BMI.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings may have implications for reexamining organizational policies on maximum weekly overtime in corrections. They provide direction for targeted obesity interventions that encourage a supportive FHC and promote healthy behaviors among supervisors working overtime.