Mindfulness Goes to Work Aikens, Kimberly A.; Astin, John; Pelletier, Kenneth R. ...
Journal of occupational and environmental medicine,
2014-July, Letnik:
56, Številka:
7
Journal Article
Recenzirano
OBJECTIVE:The objective of this study was to determine whether a mindfulness program, created for the workplace, was both practical and efficacious in decreasing employee stress while enhancing ...resiliency and well-being.
METHODS:Participants (89) recruited from The Dow Chemical Company were selected and randomly assigned to an online mindfulness intervention (n = 44) or wait-list control (n = 45). Participants completed the Perceived Stress Scale, the Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire, the Connor-Davidson Resiliency Scale, and the Shirom Vigor Scale at pre- and postintervention and 6-month follow-up.
RESULTS:The results indicated that the mindfulness intervention group had significant decreases in perceived stress as well as increased mindfulness, resiliency, and vigor.
CONCLUSIONS:This online mindfulness intervention seems to be both practical and effective in decreasing employee stress, while improving resiliency, vigor, and work engagement, thereby enhancing overall employee well-being.
Do Workplace Health Promotion (Wellness) Programs Work? Goetzel, Ron Z.; Henke, Rachel Mosher; Tabrizi, Maryam ...
Journal of occupational and environmental medicine,
2014-September, Letnik:
56, Številka:
9
Journal Article
Recenzirano
OBJECTIVE:To respond to the question, “Do workplace health promotion programs work?”
METHODS:A compilation of the evidence on workplace programsʼ effectiveness coupled with recommendations for ...critical review of outcome studies. Also, reviewed are recent studies questioning the value of workplace programs.
RESULTS:Evidence accumulated over the past three decades shows that well-designed and well-executed programs that are founded on evidence-based principles can achieve positive health and financial outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS:Employers seeking a program that “works” are urged to consider their goals and whether they have an organizational culture that can facilitate success. Employers who choose to adopt a health promotion program should use best and promising practices to maximize the likelihood of achieving positive results.
Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and estimate total costs for chronic health conditions in the U.S. workforce for the Dow Chemica Company (Dow). Methods: Using ...the Stanford Presenteeism Scale, information was collected from workers at five locations on work impairment and absenteeism based on self-reported "primary" chronic health conditions. Survey data were merged with employee demographics, medical and pharmaceutical claims, smoking status, biometric health risk factors, payroll records, and job type. Results: Almost 65% of respondents reported having one or more of the surveyed chronic conditions. The most common were allergies, arthritis/joint pain or stiffness, and back or neck disorders. The associated absenteeism by chronic condition ranged from 0.9 to 5.9 hours in a 4-week period, and on-the-job work impairment ranged from a 17.8% to 36.4% decrement in ability to function at work. The presence of a chronic condition was the most important determinant of the reported levels of work impairment and absence after adjusting for other factors (P < 0.000). The total cost of chronic conditions was estimated to be 10.7% of the total labor costs for Dow in the United States; 6.8% was attributable to work impairment alone. Conclusion: For all chronic conditions studied, the cost associated with performance based work loss or "presenteeism" greatly exceeded the combined costs of absenteeism and medical treatment combined.
Traditionally, health protection and health promotion activities have operated independently of each other in the workplace. Health protection has usually been viewed as encompassing the activities ...that protect workers from occupational injury and illness ranging from basic safety training to the use of protective gear, work organization, and safety-enhancing modifications. Health promotion, by contrast, has usually been viewed as encompassing the activities that maintain or improve the personal health of a workforce--ranging from health risk assessments to wellness initiatives and immunizations.
Objective: This study reports the reliability and validity of the 13-item Stanford Presenteeism Scale (SPS). The SPS differs from similar scales by focusing on knowledge-based and production-based ...workers. Methods: Data were obtained from administrative and medical claims databases and from a survey that incorporated the SPS, SF-36, and the Work Limitations Questionnaire. Results: Sixty-three percent (7797) of employees responded. Cronbach's alpha (0.83) indicates adequate reliability. Factor analysis identified two underlying factors, "completing work" and "avoiding distraction." Knowledge-based workers load on "completing work" (α = 0.97), whereas production-based workers load on "avoiding distraction" (α = 0.98). There were significant and positive relationships between the SPS, SF-36, and Work Limitations Questionnaire. Conclusions: The SPS demonstrates a high degree of reliability and validity and may be ideal for employers who seek a single scale to measure health-related productivity in a diverse employee population.
Objective: Evaluate innovative, evidence-based approaches to organizational/supportive environmental interventions aimed at reducing the prevalence of obesity among Dow employees after 2 years of ...implementation. Methods: A quasi-experimental study design compared outcomes for two levels of intervention intensity with a control group. Propensity scores were used to weight baseline differences between intervention and control subjects. Difference-in-differences methods and multilevel modeling were used to control for individual and site-level confounders. Results: Intervention participants maintained their weight and body mass index, whereas control participants gained 1.3 pounds and increased their body mass index values by 0.2 over 2 years. Significant differences in blood pressure and cholesterol values were observed when comparing intervention employees with controls. At higher intensity sites, improvements were more pronounced. Conclusions: Environmental interventions at the workplace can support weight management and risk reduction after 2 years.
Objective: To examine first-year results from a workplace environmental obesity prevention program at The Dow Chemical Company. Methods: A quasi-expenmental cohort study was conducted among employees ...at nine treatment worksites (n = 8013) who received environmental weight management interventions and three control worksites (n = 2269). Changes in employees' weight, body mass index (BMI), and other health risks were examined using X² and t-tests. Results: After 1 year, a modest treatment effect was observed for weight and BMI largely because the control group subjects gained weight; however, no effect was observed for overweight and obesity prevalence. Other nsk factors (tobacco use, high blood pressure, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure values) decreased significantly, although blood glucose (high nsk prevalence and values) increased. Conclusions: Environmental changes to the workplace can achieve modest improvements in employees' health nsL·, including weight and BMI measures, in 1 year.
Objective: This paper presents the formative research phase of a large multi‐site intervention study conducted to inform the feasibility of introducing environmental and ecological interventions.
...Research Methods and Procedures: Using mixed methods that included an environmental assessment, climate survey, leadership focus groups and interviews, and archival data, information was collected on employee health and job factors, the physical environment, social‐organizational environment, and current health programs.
Results: Results show that 83% of employees at the study sites were overweight or obese. Leadership was very supportive of health initiatives and felt integrating the strategies into organizational operations would increase their likelihood of success. Environmental assessment scores ranged from 47 to 19 on a 100‐point scale. Health services personnel tended to view the organizational climate for health more positively than site leadership (mean of 3.6 vs. 3.0, respectively).
Discussion: Intervention strategies chosen included increasing healthy food choices in vending, cafeterias, and company meetings, providing a walking path, targeting messages, developing site goals, training leaders, and establishing leaders at the work group level.
An establishment of health-related productivity measurements and critical evaluation of health-related productivity tools is needed. An expert panel was created. A literature search conducted to ...identify health-related productivity measurement took. Each instrument was reviewed for: 1) supporting scientific evidence (eg, reliability and validity); 2) applicability to vanous types of occupations, diseases, and level of seventy of disease; 3) ability to translate data into a monetary unit; and 4) practicality. A modified Delphi technique was used to build consensus. The expert panel recommended absenteeism, presenteeism, and employee turnover/replacement costs as key elements of workplace health-related productivity measurement. The panel also recommended that productivity instruments should: 1) have supporting scientific evidence, 2) be applicable to the particular work setting, 3) be supportive of effective business decision-making, and 4) be practical. Six productivity measurement tools were reviewed. The panel recommended necessary elements of workplace health-related productivity measurement, key characteristics for evaluating instruments, and tools for measuring work loss. Continued research, validation, and on-going evaluation of health-related productivity instruments are needed.
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