Improving employee well-being through worksite health promotion? The employees' perspective

Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential of worksite health promotion to improve individual well-being from the employees' perspective, analyze benefit categories and develop suggestions for future worksite health promotion program designs. Subjects and methods: A questionnaire based on a qualitative study was distributed in four Austrian organizations to cover state-owned, private, and non-profit organizations. A total of 237 white-collar employees participated in the survey. Results: Workplace health promotion does improve individual well-being from the employees' perspective. A factor analysis of the changes in well-being reported yields a three-factor solution with a physical/ cognitive element, a social component, and an emotional factor. In the sample tested, the physical-cognitive and emotional elements of perceived benefits were felt the most. Conclusion: The current theoretical grouping of potential WHP effects requires further testing and might profit from being differentiated into more categories. Research on WHP could gain from a consideration of the employee's perspective by showing which program elements to focus on. Strengthening the emotional components of WHP information and program elements is proposed for increasing participation rates and the subsequent individual benefits derived

Studies on the impact of achievement motivation on childrens\u27 performance in the FEW-2

Wenn Kinder in der ergotherapeutischen Diagnostik Aufgaben mit mangelhafter Testmotivation bearbeiten, können die Testergebnisse verfälscht werden. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, zu untersuchen, ob ein Zusammenhang zwischen der Testmotivation und den Testergebnissen des FEW-2 besteht und ob sich die Testmotivation durch die Ankündigung einer Belohnung verbessert. Im Rahmen einer experimentellen Feldstudie wurden bei gesunden, deutschsprachigen Kindern (N = 80) im Alter von 4 bis 6 Jahren die Testmotivation mit dem NV-MSVT vor (t1) und nach der (t2) Durchführung des FEW-2 evaluiert. Die Korrelationsanalysen ergaben, dass die Testmotivation die Testergebnisse im FEW-2 bei erhöhtem Anspruch an die kognitiven Leistungen (z. B. Konzentrationsleistung) beeinflusst. Die Ergebnisse der t-Tests belegten, dass eine angekündigte Belohnung keinen positiven Einfluss auf die Testmotivation ausübte. Der nachgewiesene Effekt der Testmotivation auf die Ergebnisse im FEW-2 unterstreicht die Notwendigkeit zur Überprüfung der Testmotivation für eine zuverlässige und valide neuropsychologische Diagnostik. (DIPF/Orig.)If children in occupational diagnostics solve tasks with suboptimal test motivation, the results of such tests can be falsified. Against that background, the present research aims were to examine, whether there is an influence of children\u27s test motivation on their performance in the FEW-2, and if their test motivation can be improved by promising a reward. In an experimental field study of 80 healthy and German-speaking children, at the age of 4 to 6 years, data on test motivation were collected and the FEW-2 was performed. To answer the research questions correlation analysis and t-tests for unpaired samples were carried out. The correlation analyses showed an influence of the motivation of the test on the outcomes of the FEW-2, if the claim of other cognitive services, such as, for example, the concentration of power was increased. According to the findings of the t-tests, the reward did not lead to a heightened test motivation amongst the participants of the experimental group. The revealed influence of test motivation on the outcomes of the FEW-2 underlines the necessity to test for test motivation in view of a reliable and valid neuropsychological diagnostic

Quality management and safety culture in medicine – Do standard quality reports provide insights into the human factor of patient safety?

In 1999 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published the landmark report “To err is human: building a safer healthcare system” highlighting critical deficiencies within the area of patient safety. As a consequence, safety culture evolved as a core component of quality management in medicine. Purpose of the investigation at hand was to find out to what extent this is reflected in standard quality reports issued by German hospitals providing maximum medical care. Reports issued for the year 2006 were analysed with respect to the appearance of indicators for the presence of a safety culture. Results suggest that despite the huge awareness for patient safety caused by the IOM report, the topic of safety culture does not get the anticipated attention within the quality reports. This may indicate that the current requirements for the quality reports do not facilitate transparency when it comes to the human factor of patient safety

A Discussion Paper on Appreciation and Double-bind: Operative Managers as Moderators of Pathogenetic Firm Policy or Paradox as Patterns of Internal Communication?

Anerkennung der MitarbeiterInnen, Wertschätzung und verwandte Schlagwörter zieren die Leitbilder vieler Unternehmen im deutschsprachigen Raum. Fast jede Führungskraft stimmt – zumindest bei offiziellen Anlässen – Carl Rogers (1983) Ziel der unbedingten Wertschätzung der Person formell zu. Informell jedoch sprechen die Befunde für Wirtschaftsorganisationen eine andere Sprache und weisen auf eine Abnahme innerbetrieblicher Wertschätzung und unterstützenden Verhaltens hin (Stummer 2007). Doch welche Auswirkung hat fehlende Wertschätzung? Oder eine Nicht-Wertschätzung durch die Unternehmensleitung?Ausgehend von einer multi-methodischen Fallstudie in einem Industriebetrieb mit etwa 3000 MitarbeiterInnen im Metall- und Maschinenbaubetrieb diskutiert folgender Beitrag (1) den Zusammenhang zwischen der wahrgenommenen Wertschätzung durch die Unternehmensleitung, (2) dem subjektiven Wohlbefinden, (3) dem individuellen Krankenstandsverhalten und (4) der puffernde Wirkung wie auch (5) den Direkteffekt der Unterstützung durch unmittelbare Vorgesetzte.Im vorliegenden Fall herrscht eine offene Nicht-Wertschätzung durch die Unternehmensleitung, die auch von annähernd allen MitarbeiterInnen so wahrgenommen wird. Die Intensität des Kontaktes mit der unmittelbaren Führungskraft (Werksmeister) beeinflusst dabei die subjektiven Gesundheits- und Krankheitsdefinitionen der einzelnen ArbeiterInnen und führt zu einem stark unterschiedlichen Krankenstandverhalten. Wie dieser Sachverhalt zu bewerten ist, ist allerdings fraglich. MitarbeiterInnen mit sehr viel Kontakt zum unmittelbaren Vorgesetzten tendieren zu Präsenteismus, während solche mit wenig Kontakt tendenziell früher und bereits bei leichteren Symptomen in einen Krankenstand gehen. Puffert der »signifikant Andere«, sprich die unmittelbare Führungskraft, die fehlende Wertschätzung, oder wird eine »Double-bind« Situation im Sinne von Bateson erzeugt (Bateson, Jackson, Haley,Weakland 1962)? Handelt es sich daher kommunikationstheoretisch betrachtet nicht nur um eine Trivialisierung des Menschen (von Förster 2005), sondern sogar um eine Paradoxie, die in den Verhaltensmustern schizophrene Symptome aufweist?Employee-appreciation and related expressions are often used in the discourse and mission statements of companies and nearly every manager at least officially agrees to their importance. Frequently, however, the »theory in use« is different to such a degree that researchers and practitioners talk and publish about phenomena characterized by the term ›desolidarization‹.The present paper reports the results of a multi-method case study. The investigation was designed to explore the relationships between (1) perceived degree of employee-appreciation by the workforce, (2) subjective well-being, (3) individual absenteeism and presenteeism and, most importantly, (4) the potential moderating effects caused by direct supervisors plus their (5) immediate impact on the health status of their subordinates.In the company studied, the employees experienced an absolute non-appreciation by company policy and top management while the operative managers tried to be caring. This combination may lead to a Double-bind effect for the workforce which tends to be detrimental for their health

Who benefits from peer support in psychiatric institutions?

This study examines the influence of recovery-oriented peer events on participants' recovery attitudes and explores who benefits most from such events. Changes in participants' recovery attitudes were evaluated (pre, post, follow-up), and compared with changes of control groups. Distributions of recovery-related values in subgroups were analyzed descriptively. The results of non-parametric tests (Friedman) showed participants with significantly higher values in the dimension Recovery is possible directly after the interventions (P = 0.006), but not 6 months later, and not in comparison with members of control groups. On a descriptive level, women, participants with schizophrenia and with two or more episodes of the disorder showed higher recovery-related values compared to men, participants with an affective disorder and only one episode. Within their feedback, organizations and peers express a positive view of peer support, but evidence for a positive impact of the evaluated peer events on recovery attitude is limited

Influence of single peer interventions on the recovery attitude of persons with a psychiatric disability

This study examined the influence of single peer to peer interventions on participants' recovery attitudes