Attitudes of managers towards health and safety at work

Managers in Slovenian organisations are, on average, well aware of the importance of employees’ health for the functioning of the organisation, and of the mutual impact of work and health on each other. Female managers are more sensitive to health at work issues than their male counterparts. However, in practice, the majority of managers deal with health and safety issues at work only when required to rather than on a regular basis.

Since 2005, the Clinical Institute of Occupational, Traffic and Sports Medicine at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana (Klinični center Ljubljana, KC) has been carrying out a programme entitled ‘Fit for work’ (Čili za delo). The main aim of the programme is to promote health and safety at the workplace, by raising awareness among employees and employers on having a healthy lifestyle at work and on creating a healthy working environment. The programme consists of different activities, including the following:

• a survey among Slovenia’s top managers, and the collection and promotion of cases of good practice in Slovenian organisations;

• the creation of a website with a wide variety of information on health issues affecting the active population, highlighting different issues relating to health and safety at work;

• a pilot education programme on health and safety at work in 10 organisations in the Prekmurje region in northeastern Slovenia;

• defining a plan for the national roll-out of this education programme in all organisations, supported by a media campaign targeting managers.

The survey among general managers in Slovenian organisations was carried out in the spring of 2005. Managers were asked several questions about their perception of health and safety at work issues and preventive measures in their organisations. The survey results served as the basis for the preparation of the health and safety at work promotional campaign.

Perceptions of employees’ health

Nearly three quarters of the managers surveyed perceived the health of their employees to be good. Statistically significant differences emerged between male and female managers: female managers assessed the health of employees more critically and less often considered it to be excellent or good. Almost 70% of managers agreed that the work carried out by employees could have consequences for their health, while slightly more than 10% of managers were of the opinion that there was no connection between the work performed and health of employees; about 20% of managers were undecided on this issue. Female managers were more often of the opinion that work practices could have health consequences for employees.

Most managers were well aware of the fact that employees’ health could influence the economic success of the company, the quality of services and/or products and satisfaction levels among customers, as well as the organisation’s public image (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Managers’ views on the influence of employees’ health on different aspects of organisational performance (%)

Source: Stergar, E. and Urdih Lazar, T., 2005, p. 155

Nearly all managers also highlighted the correlation between job satisfaction and employees’ health, as well as the link between motivation and work results (Figure 2). However, there was less agreement with the statement that some sickness absenteeism could be attributed to poor working conditions – nearly 19% of managers were undecided about this statement and nearly 8% disagreed with it (Figure 2). Female managers more often their male counterparts agreed with statements on mutual impacts of work and health, and work satisfaction and motivation.

Figure 2: Agreement of managers with statements on workers’ health (%)

Source: Stergar, E. and Urdih Lazar, T., 2005, p. 156

Preventive measures and promotion of health at work

Some 65.7% of managers claimed that their organisation followed the legislative demands on the frequency of seminars and information events for workers on health and safety at work issues. About 27% of organisations provided more seminars and information to workers than required by legislation, while 7.3% of managers stated that their organisations did not organise any seminars or other awareness-raising events on the issue. Only 10% of managers admitted that their organisation did not encourage employees to have regular health checks.

Despite relatively high awareness of the importance of employees’ health and the mutual impacts of work and health on each other, most of the managers (72%) dealt with health and safety at work issues only when obliged to and not on a regular basis of at least once a year. Dealing with health and safety at work issues only when required is more characteristic of managers of small organisations and of organisations with less physically demanding jobs.

About 25% of managers stated that their organisation had already carried out health promotion programmes. The types of programmes most frequently used included the following:

• raising awareness on maintaining a healthy lifestyle – evident in 20% of organisations;

• promoting measures for a healthy working environment – evident in 20% of organisations;

• programmes for better interpersonal relations at the workplace – evident in 19% of organisations;

• measures to reduce stress levels among workers – evident in 17% of organisations;

• preventive measures against accidents and injury – evident in 17% of organisations;

• encouraging workers to take up physical exercise – evident in 15% of organisations.

About the survey

The survey questionnaires were sent by post to general managers of all large and medium-sized enterprises and public institutions in Slovenia and to managers of a sample of 2,500 small companies, which created an overall survey sample of about 5,500 managers. In total, 1,637 managers responded to the survey, representing a response rate of around 30%. More than half of all managers who answered the survey were managing small organisations, 40% were from medium-sized enterprises and 7% worked in large establishments.

The survey results are summarised in Slovenian on the Fit for work website and were published in Slovenian in the following article:

Stergar, E. and Urdih Lazar, T., ‘Willingness of managers to implement health promotion programmes and their attitude towards health’, in Sanitas et labor, Vol. 4, No. 1, 2005, pp. 135–167.

Martina Trbanc, Organisational and Human Resources Research Centre (OHRC), University of Ljubljana