Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T12:04:39.437Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Importance of Organizational Climate in Healthy Workplaces: Considerations for Disability Management

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 October 2020

Gabrielle McHugh
Gabrielle McHugh*
Affiliation:
Webster University Thailand Campus
*
Address for correspondence: Dr Gabrielle McHugh, Webster University, Thailand Campus, 143 Moo. 5, Tambon Sampraya Cha-am, Phetchaburi76120, Thailand. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background:

In 2013, the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) released national, comprehensive guidelines for psychological health in the workplace. Nevertheless, follow-up surveys report poor uptake of the guidelines, particularly within the manufacturing sector, despite recent Workplace Safety and Insurance Tribunal (WSAIT) decisions that place greater responsibilities on employers to protect employees from psychological injury. Hence, this program of research has focused on the context of the work environment with a goal to better understand and inform current application of healthy workplace practices and policies. The overarching premise is that the full potential of a healthy workplace is optimised when set within a specific climate that values the health of workers. Therefore, Phase 1 reported the development of a workplace scale measuring a domain-specific climate for healthy practices in the workplace. Phase 2, reported here, tests the differential influence of culture, leadership and social climate on workers’ perceptions of healthy workplace practices and occupational bond.

Method:

Self-reported measures of culture, leadership social climate, healthy workplace practices and occupational bond from 162 participants were analysed to test the organisation’s culture, climate, leadership and practices as internal processes that influence the development of a healthy workplace

Results:

Adequately powered (N = 162), the mediational analyses demonstrated the significance of the proximal work environment of climate over the distal influence of culture and leadership. The key results demonstrate that the proximal environment has a significant influence on how workers perceive their workplaces. This has implications for the implementation of the guidelines for healthy workplaces.

Keywords

healthy workplacesWSAIT decisionspsychological healthmental healthworkplace climateorganisational cultureprimarysecondaryand tertiary interventions
Type
Article
Information
International Journal of Disability Management , Volume 15 , 2020 , e5
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agervold, M. (2009). The significance of organizational factors for the incidence of bullying. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 50, 267–276 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Agervold, M., & Andersen, L.P. (2006). Incidence and impact of violence against staff on their perceptions of the psychosocial work environment. Nordic Psychology, 58(3), 232–247 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Andreassen, CS., Bakker, A.B., Bjorvatn, B., Moen, B.E., Mageroy, N., Shimazu, A., Hetland, J., & Pallesen, S. (2017). Working conditions and individual differences are weakly associated with workaholism, A 2-3 year prospective study of shift-working nurses. Frontiers in Psychology, 8(2045). doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02045 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Argyris, C. (1957). The individual and organization, Some problems of mutual adjustment. Administrative Science Quarterly, 2, 1–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aust, B., & Ducki, A. (2004). Comprehensive health promotion interventions at the workplace, Experiences with health circles in Germany. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 9(3), 258–270.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baron, R.M., & Kenny, D.A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research, Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173–1182.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baumeister, R.F., Bratslavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., & Vohs, K.D. (2001). Bad is stronger than good. Review of General Psychology, 5(4), 323–370.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bolman, L.G., & Deal, T.E. (1991). Leadership and management effectiveness, A multi-frame, multi-sector analysis. Human Resource Management, 30(4), 509–534.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Canadian Standards Association (2013). A National Standard for Canada, Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace — Prevention, promotion, and guidance to staged implementation. Toronto, Canada: Author. Retrieved from http://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/national_standard Google Scholar
Catano, V., & Hines, H. (2016). The influence of corporate social responsibility, psychologically healthy workplaces, and individual values in attracting millennial job applicants. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 48(2), 142–154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cialdini, R. & Trost, M. (1998). Social influence, Norms, conformity, and compliance. In D. Gilbert, S. Fiske, & G. Lindzey, The handbook of social psychology (4th ed., pp. 151–192). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.Google Scholar
Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 155–159.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Colquitt, J.A., Conlon, D.E., Wesson, M.J., Porter, C.O.L.H., & Ng, K.Y. (2001). Justice at the milleninium: a meta-analytic review of 25 years of organizational justice research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 425–445.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cooke, R.A., & Lafferty, J.C. (1989) Organizational culture inventory. Plymouth, MI: Human Synergistics.Google Scholar
Cooper, C.L. (1998). Theories of organizational stress. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Cooper, C.L., & Cartwright, S. (1994). Healthy mind, healthy organization, A proactive approach to stress management. Human Relations, 47(4), 455–471.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cooper, CL., & Bevan, S. (2014). Business benefits of a healthy workplace, (pp. 27–49). In Day, K.E. Kelloway, & J.J. Hurrell (Eds). Workplace well being, How to build psychologically healthy workplaces. Wiley-Blackwell.Google Scholar
Cooper, C.L., Dewe, P., & O’Driscoll, M (2001). Organizational stress, A review and critique of theory, research and applications. Hampshire, UK: Ashgate Google Scholar
Coughlan, M., Cronin, P., & Ryan, F. (2009) Survey research, Process and limitations. International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 16(1), 9–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cox, T., & Griffiths, A. (2005). The nature and measurement of work-related stress: theory and practice. In J.R. Wilson & N. Corlett (Eds), Evaluation of Human Work, 3rd Edition. Abingdon, UK: Routledge. ISBN 9780415267571.Google Scholar
Cree, T., & Kelloway, E.K. (1997). Responses to occupational hazards, Exit and participation. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 2(4), 304–311.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crowley, M., Tope, D., Chamberlain, L., & Hodson, R. (2010). Neo-Taylorism at work: Occupational change in the Post-Fordist Era. Social Problems - SOC PROBL, 57, 421–447. doi: 10.1525/sp.2010.57.3.421 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Decision 2157/09 (2014). Retrieved from www.wsiat.on.ca/Decisions/2014/2157%2009.pdf Google Scholar
Dewe, P., & Trenberth, L. (2004). Work stress and coping, Drawing together research and practice. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 32(2), 143–156 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Doty, D.H, & Glick, W.H. (1998). Common methods bias, Does common methods variance really bias results? Organizational Research Methods, 1(4), 374–406 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). (2011). Mental health promotion in the workplace — a good place to practice report. Retreived from, https:/osha.europa.eu/en/publications/reports/mental-health-promotion-workplace_TEWE11004ENN Google Scholar
Francis, L.J., Laycock, P., & Crea, G. (2017) Assessing clergy work-related psychological health, reliability and validity of the Francis Burnout Inventory. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 20 ( 9 ), 911–921. doi: 10.1080/13674676.2017.1373333 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glew, D.J, O’Leary-Kelly, A.M, Griffin, R.W., & Van Fleet, D.D. (1995). Participation in organizations: A preview of the issues and proposed framework for future analysis. Journal of Management, 21(3), 395–421.Google Scholar
Guldenmund, F.W. (2000). The nature of safety culture, A review of theory and research. Safety Science, 34, 215–257.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guastello, S.J. (1993). Do we really know how well our occupational accident prevention programs work? Safety Science, 16(3/4), 445–463.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hansen, A.M., Hogh, A., Persson, R., Karlson, B., Garde, A.H. & Orbaek, P. (2006). Bullying at wok, health outcomes, and physiological stress response. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 60, 63–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hellriegel, D., & Slocum, J. (1974). Organizational climate: Measures, research and contingencies. Academy of Management Journal, 17(2), 255–280.Google Scholar
Jaffe, D.T. (1995). The healthy company, Research paradigms for personal and organizational health. In Sauter, S.L. & Murphy, L.R. (Eds), Organizational risk factors for job stress (pp. 13–40). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kalef, L., Rubin, C., Malachowski, C., & Kirsh, B. (2016). Employers’ perspectives on the Canadian National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 28, 101–112. doi: 10.1007/s10672-015-9270-9 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kallgren, C., Reno, R., & Cialdini, R. (2000). A focus theory of normative conduct, When norms do and do not affect behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26(8), 1002–1012.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kelloway, K.E., & Barling, J. (2010). Leadership development as an intervention in occupational health psychology. Work & Stress, 24 (3), 260–279.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kelloway, K.E., & Day, A. (2005). Building healthy workplaces, Where we need to be. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 37(4), 309–312.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kenny, D., & McIntyre, D. (2005). Constructions of occupational stress, Nuisances, nuances or novelties? In Antoniou, A.G. & Cooper, C.L. (Eds.), Research companion to organizational health psychology. Cheltenham, England: Edward Elgar.Google Scholar
LaMontagne, A., Martin, A., Page, K., Reavley, N., Noblet, A., Milner, A., & Smith, P. (2014) Workplace mental health, developing an integrated intervention approach. BMC Psychiatry, 14(1), 131. 10.1186/1471-244X-14-131 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LaMontagne, A., Milner, A., Allisey, A., Page, K., Reavley, N., Martin, Smith, P., (2016). An integrated workplace mental health intervention in a policing context, Protocol for a cluster randomized control trial. BioMedCentral, Psychiatry, 16, 49. doi 10.1186/s12888-016-0741-9 Google Scholar
McHugh, G. (2007). The Workplace Wellness Scales (WWS) examines the workplace health of healthcare. WorkLife2007, Protecting and Promoting Worker Health, A national symposium (p. 152).Google Scholar
McHugh, G. (2016). Measuring dimensions of a healthy workplace climate, A user friendly assessment tool. International Journal of Disability Management, 11, 1–11. doi: 10.1017/idm.2016.1 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McHugh, G. (2018, May) Parity in approach to mental health and physical health in the workplace — is all equal in the development of healthy workplaces? Paper presented at Occupational Health Congress 2018, London.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McHugh, G. (2019, March). A healthy workplace values and respects its workforce. Conference Proceedings, The Asian Conference on Psychology & the Behavioral Sciences (ACP2019), The International Academic Forum, Tokyo, Japan.Google Scholar
Memish, K., Martin, A., Bartlett, L., Dawkins, S., & Sanderson, K. (2017) Workplace mental health, An international review of guidelines. Preventive Medicine, 101, 213–222. 10.1016/j.ypmed.2017.03.017 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mental Health Commission of Canada (2015). Case study research project, Early findings interim report. Ottawa, ON: Author.Google Scholar
Mental Health Commission of Canada (2017). Sustaining implementation of the workplace Standard. Ottawa, ON: Author.Google Scholar
Moos, R. (1981). Work environment scale manual. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.Google Scholar
Munsterberg, H. (1913). Psychology and Industrial Efficiency. Boston, MA: Houghton, Mifflin.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neal, A., & Griffin, M.A. (2006). A study of the lagged relationships among safety climate, safety motivation, safety behavior, and accidents at the individual and group levels. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(4), 946–953.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nyberg, A., Alfredsson, L., Theorell, T., Westerlund, H., Vahtera, J., & Kivimäki, M. (2009). Managerial leadership and ischaemic heart disease among employees: The Swedish WOLF study. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 66, 51–55.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Page, K., LaMontagne, A., Louie, A., Ostry, A., Shaw, A., & Shoveller, J. (2013). Stake-holder perceptions of job stress in an industrialized country, implications for policy and practice. Journal of Public Health Policy, 34, 447–461. 10.1057/jphp.2013.24 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plesner v. British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, 2009 BCCA 188. https://www.bccourts.ca/jdb-txt/CA/09/01/2009BCCA0188.htm Google Scholar
Quick, J.C. (1999). Occupational Health Psychology, The convergence of health and clinical psychology with public health and preventive medicine in an organizational context. Professional Psychology, Research and Practice, 30(2), 123–128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reichers, A.E., & Schneider, B. (1990). Climate and culture, An evolution of constructs. (pp. 5–39). In Schneider, B., (Ed). Organizational climate and culture. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Rosen, R.H. (1995). Foreword. In Sauter, S.L. & Murphy, L.R. (Eds), Organizational risk factors for job stress (pp. ix–x). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
SafeWork Australia. (2014). http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au Google Scholar
Sauter, S.L., & Hurrell, J.J. (1999). Occupational health psychology: Origins, content and direction. Professional Psychology, Research and Practice, 30, 117–122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schein, E.H. (2004). Organizational culture and leadership (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Shoemaker, R.J., Robin, S.S., Robin, H.S. (1992, July/August/September). Reaction to disability through organization policy, Early return to work policy. Journal of Rehabilitation, 18–24.Google Scholar
Tabachnick, B.G., & Fidell, L.S., (2001). Using Multivariate Statistics (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.Google Scholar
Taylor, F.W. (1911). Scientific Management. London, England: Routledge.Google Scholar
Thompson, C.A, & Prottas, D.J. (2005). Relationships among organizational family support, job autonomy, perceived conrol, and employee well being. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 10(4), 100–118.Google Scholar
Turner, N., Chmiel, N., Hershcovis, M.S., & Walls, M. (2010). Life on the line, Job demands, perceived co-worker support for safety, and hazardous work events. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 15(4), 482–493.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wood, S., Ghezzi, V., Barbaranelli, C., Di Tecco, C., Fida, R., Farnese, ML., Ronchetti, M., & Iavicoli, S. (2019). Assessing the risk of stress in organizations, getting the measure of organizational-level stressors. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02776 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). 2017 Annual report. Available at https://www.wsib.ca/en/2017-annual-report-highlights Google Scholar
World Health Organization (2010). Healthy workplaces: A WHO global model for action. Retrieved March 9, 2018 from https://www.who.int/occupational_health/healthy_workplaces/en/ Google Scholar
Yukl, G. (2006). Leadership in organizations (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.Google Scholar
Zohar, D. (1980). Safety climate in industrial organizations, Theoretical and applied implications. Journal of Applied Psychology, 65, 96–102.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zohar, D. (2002). Modifying supervisory practices to improve subunit safety: A leadership-based intervention model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 587–596.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zohar, D. (2003). Safety climate, Conceptual and measurement issues. In Quick, J.C. & Tetrick, L.E. (Eds.), Handbook of occupational health psychology (pp. 123–142). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zohar, D. (2010). Thirty years of safety climate research: Reflections and future directions. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 42(5), 1517–1522. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2009.12.019 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zohar, D., & Luria, G. (2004). Climate as a social-cognitive construction of supervisory safety practices, Scripts as proxy of behaviour patterns. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89, 332–333.CrossRefGoogle Scholar