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The purpose of this paper is to examine associations between workplace learning and the health of the employees. In addition, connections to flow, sense of coherence, sexual harassment and workplace bullying are investigated. A questionnaire was constructed including previously tested constructs of workplace learning, workplace health and flow as well as new constructs concerning Sense of Coherence, sexual harassment and workplace bullying. The survey was delivered to a sample of Swedish secondary school teachers. 311 questionnaires were returned. They were analysed with correlation analyses and cluster analysis. The findings indicate significant associations between workplace learning and workplace health as well as Sense of Coherence, flow and workplace bullying. However, there was no significant correlation between sexual harassment and any of the other factors except workplace health. On the other hand, workplace health was found to be significantly related to flow and sense of coherence. The research implications of the findings are that workplace learning can be a means of improving the health of the employees as well as decreasing the risk of workplace bullying. Moreover, workplace learning may contribute to flow which in turn is also connected to workplace health. The findings are related to a theoretical framework with contributions from workplace learning, positive psychology and workplace health promotion. The implications for practitioners are that there is an additional reason to focus on workplace learning in organisations, namely the prospect of a healthier workplace. No previous research has addressed the associations between workplace learning, flow, bullying and health and in general, research into connections between learning and health at workplaces is very limited. Thus, the study has certain originality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a study carried out in the Swedish wellness sector. This is an industry that is expanding in most parts of the world. Nevertheless, only limited amounts of research has been carried out in this industry in contrast to the health sector and the wider hospitality sector which both have attracted substantial amounts of research. Since one of the missions of the wellness industry is to improve the health of the customers, it should be vital that the work environment of the employees is conducive for health. In a separate development, quality management practices have been found to be related to better health among the employees. Dimensions of health promoting quality leadership have been defined in previous research. The purpose of the present study was to identify dimensions of workplace health in the wellness industry and relate them to the dimensions of health promoting quality leadership. An empirical study involving seven leading spa-hotels in southern and western Sweden has been carried out. The first part of the study was qualitative and consisted of quality cafés carried out at each of the hotels. The quality café is a novel method which has the world café-method as its basis, combined with quality management techniques. Between 11 and 16 participants participated in the cafés. Based on the findings from the quality cafés, a questionnaire was developed. The questionnaire was returned by 92 employees of the hotels. The findings from the study include a definition of five major health dimensions for the employees. Happiness Kinship Respect Physical health conditions Control In the quantitative phase, the dimensions were found to be statistically consistent and correlated with the self-reported health of the respondents. The findings are related to health promotion theory and the health promoting quality leadership dimensions which previous research has defined as: Empathy Presence and communication Integrity Continuity Based on the comparative analysis of the two sets of dimensions and the theory within health promotion, a framework for health leadership in the wellness industry is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preventative health initiatives have gained prominence in Australia as chronic diseases and mental illness are on the rise. Commonwealth and State governments in Australia are investing heavily in programs to protect and promote health, acknowledging the role of the workplace as an important setting for health promotion. This study was commissioned by the Victorian State Department of Health and carried out by researchers from La Trobe University Bendigo, Australia. A range of data was collected using a mixed method approach combining interviews and surveys. A range of barriers and facilitators for health promotion in the workplace were identified and recommendations for policy makers and employers are made that provide examples of ways to prioritize worker health and to incorporate workplace health promotion into the core business of organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]