Exploring attitudes to corporate fitness in Jersey: employer and employee perspectives

Connell, Joanie B.; Grainger, Stephen

doi:10.1080/13606710210163382

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The changeability of travel mode was perceived to be low, especially for commuting travel mode, and the authors argued it is important to gauge the relative strength of obstacles at the individual, organizational and societal level to determine appropriate interventions [ 19 ]. Research examining attitudes to corporate fitness in six companies in Jersey found largely positive attitudes to promoting fitness, but perceived barriers included lack of awareness of what employers might actually put in place, employee disinterest, the need to justify the costs to the organisation, and uncertainty about whether encouraging change should be the responsibility of the employer or state policy, or both [ 20 ]. The Walking Works Pathfinder Employers Scheme more specifically aimed to promote walking for the journey to and from work, and during the working day, in five organisations in different regions of England [ 21 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Employers’ views of promoting walking to work: a qualitative study

Audrey

Procter

2015

Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act

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BackgroundPhysical inactivity increases the risk of many chronic diseases including coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and some cancers. It is currently recommended that adults should undertake at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity in bouts of 10 minutes or more throughout the week. One way for adults in employment to incorporate exercise into their daily routine is to walk during the commute to and from work. Schemes to promote active travel require the support of employers and managers but there is a lack of research focusing on their views and experiences of promoting walk to work schemes.MethodsThis study presents the findings from in-depth, digitally recorded interviews with 29 employers from a range of small, medium and large workplaces who participated in a feasibility study to develop and test an employer-led scheme to promote walking to work. All recordings were fully transcribed. The Framework approach for data management was used to aid qualitative analysis. Interview transcripts were read and reread, and textual data were placed in charts focusing on facilitators, barriers, and possibilities for employers to promote walking to work.ResultsA range of perspectives were identified, from active support through uncertainty and cynicism to resistance. The majority of employers who took part in the study were unclear about how to give practical support for employees who walk to work, but appeared more confident about ideas to promote cycling. Some employers were concerned about how their attempts to promote walking might be perceived by employees. Furthermore, the main business of their organisation took priority over other activities.ConclusionsIt is clear that employers need more evidence of the effectiveness of walk to work schemes, and the benefits to employers of committing resources to them. Furthermore, employers need support in creating an authentic, health promoting ethos within the workplace to enhance positive relationships and reduce tensions that may arise when promoting active travel initiatives.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Employers’ views of promoting walking to work: a qualitative study

Audrey

Procter

2015

Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act

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“…In the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was a noticeable increase in the number of academic articles concerned with workplace health promotion, worksite wellness or recreation at work (Atkinson, 2001;Connell and Grainger, 2002;Dishman, Oldenburg, O'Neal and Shephard, 1998;Foley, Maxwell, and McGillivray, 2000;Grant and Brisbin, 1992;Grundemann and van Vuuren, 1997;Springett and Dugdill, 1995). I've used the term organisational wellness in my own work to describe the healthy-lifestyle activities promoted by organisations including topics including smoking and alcohol cessation programmes and health eating policies.…”

Section: Historical Perspectives Of the Workplace As A Site For Physi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Routledge Handbook of Physical Activity Policy and Practice

Piggin¹,

Mansfield²,

Weed³

2017

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David's research interests focus on the socio-cultural analysis of a variety of sport, physical activity and event-related themes. His PhD focused on a Foucauldian analysis of organisational wellness and he has continued to consider the value of ideas of self-discipline, body politics and technologies of the self as they increase in importance within a neo-liberalised health and fitness narrative. He has taken this work into the fields of sport, health and fitness and the workplace.

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“…These chronic illnesses result in increased workplace absenteeism and healthcare costs (Bertera, 1990). Lost working time due to sicknesses costs on average 2.5 million dollars annually in larger hospitality organizations (Connell & Grainger, 2002). Connell and Grainger found that some companies are attempting to mitigate these costs by establishing wellness programs that aim to educate their employees about the importance of eating healthy diets and exercising regularly.…”

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confidence: 99%

Five-a-Day Keeps the Doctor Away: Employee and Managerial Impressions of Implementing a Healthy Dining Option

Kalargyrou

Woods

Bergman

2010

International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administrati

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Chronic illnesses account for three-quarters of healthcare costs in the United States and are generally statistically correlated with bad diet and lack of physical activity. The 5 A Day program can be adopted by hospitality organizations that want to offer their employees more healthy meal choices at work. The goal of the program is to provide the employees with the information and support to improve their eating habits and practice healthier lifestyles. A 5 A Day program has begun at a hotel-casino in the Southwestern U.S. On the first day of this program, a survey was administered to employees that intended to identify the amount of fruits and vegetables currently consumed by employees, their awareness of recommendations about how much of these products to consume, as well as if there are any differences between eating habits among the different groups based on their demographics. The company was also interested in knowing what motivates employees to eat healthier meals. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were run to test for statistically significant differences among the various demographic groups. The results of this study indicate that the majority of respondents eat at least five Five-a-Day Keeps the Doctor Away 243 servings of fruits and vegetables per day and that they are highly motivated to eat healthy. There were statistical differences between Spanish-speaking employees that were more comfortable with the healthy options offered by the employees' dining room (EDR) compared to their English-speaking counterparts. Implications for the industry are presented.

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Exploring attitudes to corporate fitness in Jersey: employer and employee perspectives

Cited by 6 publications

References 2 publications

Employers’ views of promoting walking to work: a qualitative study

Employers’ views of promoting walking to work: a qualitative study

Routledge Handbook of Physical Activity Policy and Practice

Five-a-Day Keeps the Doctor Away: Employee and Managerial Impressions of Implementing a Healthy Dining Option

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