An exploration of salutogenic factors promoting workforce health and well-being in small and medium-sized businesses in East-Westphalia Lippe/Germany

Abstract

This thesis explores the research gap in salutogenic factors promoting workforce \nhealth and well-being generated by top management of small and medium-sized \nenterprises (SMEs) in East-Westphalia Lippe (EWL), in Germany. \nThe workplace health promotion (WHP) is, and will be, a relevant area of research \nbecause the growing absenteeism, the reduced work performance and the \nincreased turnover rates in businesses are believed to be some of the major \nchallenges of the 21st-century. It is well documented that WHP has many \nadvantages for SMEs but only a few recognise the necessity of WHP. \nThe thesis chooses a new way in WHP in SMEs while using salutogenesis as a \ntheoretical framework in order to give the thesis a special focus on employees’ \nwell-being. In addition, salutogenesis is successfully used in various professional \nfields for example medicine and nursing. But there is a research gap in \nimplementing salutogenesis in SMEs. \nThe originality consists of connecting the salutogenesis (SoC model) with a current \nstudy about health promoting factors by Bruch et al. (2013) which were used as \nsalutogenic factors and tested for usability in SMEs. Consequently, the thesis \nimplements the theoretical premise of salutogenesis to SMEs and explores how, or \nto what extent, applicable the concept of salutogenesis is in SMEs in EWL. \nThe primary question is: What salutogenic factors can be generated by top \nmanagement to support the promotion of health and well-being of the workforce? \nThe second research question meets the important role of the top manager as the \ndecision maker of WHP: How can SMEs develop top management awareness to \nkeep their staff healthy? The third key research question is: How can SMEs in \nEWL/Germany integrate health promoting and well-being factors? \nThe research methodology is based on the literature review and the empirical \nresearch based on focus- group discussions of top managers and employees of \nSMEs in EWL. A critical realist prejudice was developed as a foundation for an \nApplied Thematic Analysis (ATA). A reflection group was used to compare the \nauthors’ interpretation. \nThe core findings are: \nThe findings from the small-scale research suggest: The salutogenic factors can be \nmainly found in the quality of the relationship of top managers with their \nemployees. \nThe thesis delivers the new findings to WHP research: ‘the importance of the \nquality of the relationship’, and the ‘importance of the capacity of older top \nmanagers to reflect’. The latter is at the same time the surprising finding of this \nthesis. Whether the higher age of top managers has significant influences on WHP \nhas to be explored in future research. \nFor salutogenic WHP in SMEs, it seems to be optimal for the top managers to act in \na relationship-oriented sense with the capacity to reflect themselves. \nSMEs that implement salutogenic factors are headed in the right direction to be fit \nfor the future, by taking into account the needs of employees in the sense of \nsalutogenesis and thus keeping their most important resource, the workforce, \nhealthy. \nFurther additional research is needed about experiences of implementation of the SoC in SMEs.