Corporate social responsibility through healthy work practices: Implications for employees’ work-related attitudes, behavior and well-being

Objectives: Extensive changes are taking place in working life as organizations adjust to an increasingly competitive climate. The fact that work intensification and job stress may not only affect employee health and well-being but may also have detrimental consequences for the organization has attracted growing recognition in recent years. As a result, many organizations are actively implementing healthy work practices and engage in activities that may make them more socially responsible. Corporate social responsibility activities that are directed at employees often involve issues of personal fulfilment and work-related development. The aim of the present study was to evaluate how employees’ perceptions of such practices relate to their work-related attitudes, behaviour, and well-being. Methods: Data are being collected among all 600 employees of an accountant firm that has placed great emphasis on implementing healthy work practices. The data collection is currently being completed and postal questionnaires have been returned by approximately 70 percent of the employees. The survey includes measures on various factors reflecting employees’ evaluations of the organization’s work practices, in domains such as opportunities for participation, organizational justice evaluations, supportive leadership, employee recognition, and prospects of growth and development at work. The ambition is to supplement the range of self-reported outcome measures (work-related attitudes, behavior, and well-being) with performance and sickness absence data from company records. Results: Preliminary results of multiple regression analysis indicate that employee evaluations of healthy work practices may have important implications for their levels of job satisfaction and commitment to the organization. In addition, the preliminary analyses found healthy work practices to be positively related to work-related behaviour (self-reported performance and intention to remain in the organization) as well as well-being (mental and physical). Implications & Conclusion: Engagement in corporate social responsibility related activities can make an organization more attractive to both current and prospective employees. Employees would rather choose a company that, for example, has good personnel policies and protects employees’ health in comparison with a company that does not. These practices also have a positive impact on employee performance and well-being.