Approaches to holistic health promotion at the workplace

Abstract

Based on a socio-ecological and holistic approach to health, the paper reviews recent strategies of health promotion at the workplace. Health promotion programmes in major North American companies, which are mainly centred around individual behaviour changes and communication skills are discussed critically from a European perspective. Specific attention is given to stress management, movement education, and the detection of toxic substances. The possible cumulative effects of structural and organizational stressors, psychosocial factors and individual vulnerability on the health of employees are emphasized. The author argues for a comprehensive, holistic approach to health promotion, which may enable employees to initiate timely changes in behaviour and workplace environment. The enhancement of perception and awareness, as core elements of self-esteem, are seen as possible contributions of holistic health promotion programmes. Overcoming helplessness and hopelessness, which constitute major threats to the health of employees, should be major goals of these approaches. Thus they may contribute to the liberation of the individual and collective potential of changing working conditions to become more congruent with the needs of workers' health. Changing only individual behaviour without questioning problem-posing and decision-making processes at the workplace, is seen as another reductionistic, managerial approach and cannot be understood as a new holistic quality for improving the health of employees.