The Ethics of Workplace Health Promotion

Kühn, Eva; Müller, Sebastian; Heidbrink, Ludger; Buyx, Alena

doi:10.1093/phe/phaa007

Cited by 11 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…First and foremost was the attribution of responsibility for health in the company context [ 40 ], that provide strong incentives for better integration between the two managerial branches. Moreover, the study also revealed and confirmed other ethical values that could overlap, including voluntariness and autonomy, privacy, distributive justice and issues around stigmatisation and discrimination (for the theoretical underpinning of ethical issues in WHP and OHM see: [ 41 ]). Overall, therefore, there is the potential for an improved joint, systematic consideration of ethical values within an enterprise.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

Interfaces of occupational health management and corporate social responsibility: a multi-centre qualitative study from Germany

Kühn

Müller

Teusch³

et al. 2021

BMC Public Health

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Background The workplace has been identified as a priority setting for health promotion. There are potential advantages of systematically integrating Occupational Health Management (OHM) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). However, OHM and CSR are usually overseen by different management branches with different sets of values, and there is a lack of empirical research regarding interfaces between OHM and CSR. Germany offers a particularly useful setting due to legislation requiring health to be promoted in the workplace. This study aims to examine key stakeholders’ views and experiences regarding interfaces between OHM and CSR in German companies. Methods Individual semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with a sample of 77 German stakeholders from three different groups: experts in occupational health and corporate social responsibility from various companies (n = 35), business partners (n = 19), and various non-business partners (n = 23). Transcripts were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results Participants identified several areas in which OHM and CSR are already interacting at strategic, structural and cultural levels, but also highlighted several barriers that undermine a more meaningful interaction. Participants reported difficulties in articulating the underlying ethical values relevant to both OHM and CSR at the strategic level. Several structural barriers were also highlighted, including a lack of resources (both financial and knowledge), and OHM and CSR departments not being fully developed or undertaken at entirely different operational levels. Finally, the missing practical implementation of corporate philosophy was identified as a critical cultural barrier to interfaces between OHM and CSR, with existing guidelines and companies’ philosophies that already connect OHM and CSR not being embraced by employees and managers. Conclusions There is already significant overlap in the focus of OHM and CSR, at the structural, strategic and cultural levels in many German companies. The potential is there, both in theory and practice, for the systematic combination of OHM and CSR. The insights from this study will be useful to ensure that closer integration between both management branches is set up in a socially sustainable and ethical manner.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

Interfaces of occupational health management and corporate social responsibility: a multi-centre qualitative study from Germany

Kühn

Müller

Teusch³

et al. 2021

BMC Public Health

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…First and foremost was the attribution of responsibility for health in the company context [36], that provide strong incentives for better integration between the two managerial branches. Moreover, the study also revealed and con rmed other ethical values that could potentially overlap, including voluntariness and autonomy, privacy, distributive justice as well as issues around stigmatisation and discrimination (for the theoretical underpinning of ethical issues in WHP and OHM see: [37]). Overall, therefore, there is the potential for an improved joint, systematic consideration of ethical values within an enterprise.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Interfaces of Occupational Health Management and Corporate Social Responsibility: A multi-Centre Qualitative Study from Germany

Kühn

Müller

Teusch

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: The workplace has been identified as a priority setting for health promotion. There are potential advantages of systematically integrating Occupational Health Management (OHM) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). However, OHM and CSR are usually overseen by different management branches with different sets of values, and there is a lack of empirical research regarding interfaces between OHM and CSR. Germany offers a particularly useful setting due to legislation requiring health to be promoted in the workplace. This study aims to examine key stakeholders’ views and experiences regarding interfaces between OHM and CSR in German companies. Methods: Individual semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with a sample of 77 German stakeholders from three different groups: experts in occupational health and corporate social responsibility from various companies (n=35), business partners (n=19) and various non-business partners (n=23). Transcripts were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Participants identified several areas in which OHM and CSR are already interacting at strategic, structural and cultural levels, but has also highlighted several barriers that undermine a more meaningful interaction. Participants reported difficulties in articulating the underlying ethical values that are relevant to both OHM and CSR at the strategic level. Several structural barriers were also highlighted, including a lack of resources (both financial and knowledge), and OHM and CSR departments not being fully developed or being undertaken at entirely different operational levels. Finally, the missing practical implementation of corporate philosophy was identified as a key cultural barrier to interfaces between OHM and CSR, with existing guidelines and companies’ philosophies that already connect OHM and CSR not being embraced by employees and managers.Conclusions: There is already significant overlap in the focus of OHM and CSR, at the structural, strategic and cultural levels in many German companies. The potential is there, both in theory and practice, for the systematic combination of OHM and CSR. The insights from this study will be useful to ensure that closer integration between both management branches are set up in a socially sustainable and ethical manner.

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“…46, 51, 52-55), ethics of workplace health interventions (e.g. 23,24,25,26), and o cial guidance on asymptomatic testing that was available at the time our study began in Autumn 2020 (e.g. 12,35,36).…”

Section: Provisional Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Open-ended survey responses and interviews gave insight into participants' concerns, including those relating to goal drift, These issues arise in a context where workplace health interventions more generally have been a growing focus of tension and debate (23), for example regarding impacts on privacy, risks of discrimination, compromise of employee autonomy and unwarranted employer paternalism (23-26). A key ethical debate concerns the extent to which the health of an employee is a private matter over which the individual has full autonomy, or whether there are overriding principles -such as an employer's legal or ethical duty of care to the entire body of employees, clients, and wider society (23,24,26). These debates have, for example, been prominent in relation to programmes that test employees for substances that might impair performance in safety-critical industries (27-29), or programmes that involve testing or vaccination for speci c infectious diseases (e.g.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Guiding Organisational Decision-Making About COVID-19 Asymptomatic Testing in Workplaces: Mixed-Method Study to Inform an Ethical Framework

Scheer

Ansari

McLaughlin

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background: Workplace programmes to test staff for asymptomatic COVID-19 infection have become common, but raise a number of ethical challenges. In this article, we report the findings of a consultation that informed the development of an ethical framework for organisational decision-making about such programmes.Methods: We conducted a mixed-method consultation – a survey and semi-structured interviews – in a case study organisation that had introduced asymptomatic testing for all staff working on-site in its buildings. Analysis of closed-end survey data was conducted descriptively. An analysis approach based on the Framework Method was used for the open-end survey responses and interview data. The analyses were then integrated to facilitate systematic analysis across themes. Inferences were based on the integrated findings and other inputs (literature review, ethical analysis, legal and public health guidance, expert discussions) to develop an ethical framework. Results: The consultation involved 61 staff members from the case study organisation (50 survey respondents and 11 interview participants). There was strong support for the asymptomatic testing programme: 90% of the survey respondents viewed it as helpful or very helpful. Open-ended survey responses and interviews gave insight into participants’ concerns, including those relating to goal drift, risk of false negatives, and potential negative impacts for household members and people whose roles lacked contractual and financial stability. Integration of the consultation findings and the other inputs identified the importance of a whole-system approach with appropriate support for the key control measure of isolation following positive tests. The need to build trust in the testing programme, for example through effective communication from leaders, was also emphasised.Conclusions: This consultation, together with other inputs, informed an ethical framework intended to support employers. The framework may support organisational decision-making in areas ranging from design and operation of the programme through to choices about participation. The framework is likely to benefit from further consultation and refinement in new settings.

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The Ethics of Workplace Health Promotion

Cited by 11 publications

References 53 publications

Interfaces of occupational health management and corporate social responsibility: a multi-centre qualitative study from Germany

Interfaces of occupational health management and corporate social responsibility: a multi-centre qualitative study from Germany

Interfaces of Occupational Health Management and Corporate Social Responsibility: A multi-Centre Qualitative Study from Germany

Guiding Organisational Decision-Making About COVID-19 Asymptomatic Testing in Workplaces: Mixed-Method Study to Inform an Ethical Framework

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