Citation

Moore A, Parahoo K, Fleming P. Health Educ. (1992) 2010; 110(1): 61-76.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing)

DOI

10.1108/09654281011008753

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to explore managers' understanding of workplace health promotion (WHP) and experiences of WHP activity within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in a Health and Social Care Trust area of Northern Ireland. The paper aims to focus on engagement with activities within the context of prevention of ill-health and health protection, lifestyle issues and working culture and the environment as defined in the Luxembourg Declaration on WHP.

Design/methodology/approach - A Heideggerian interpretive phenomenological methodology is adopted, using in-depth telephone interviews with a purposive sample of 18 SME managers. Data are analysed using Benner's strategy for data analysis.

Findings - "Levels of awareness of WHP activity" are revealed as a central theme and interpreted as "high awareness activities", including the need to: preserve and protect employee health and safety, prevent ill-health and injury and promote employees' quality of daily living, and "low awareness activities", including the provision of training and development, human resource management and environmental considerations.

Originality/value - An "Iceberg" model, grounded in the data, draws attention to the limited awareness of what constitutes WHP activities and the untapped meaningfulness of organisational and environmental activities.