Beyond workplace health promotion: Introducing the 'health-active collaboration'

Beyond workplace health promotion: Introducing the 'health-active collaboration'

Beyond workplace health promotion: Introducing the 'health-active collaboration' (#882)

Gordon B Spence ¹

Coaching Psychology Unit, School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Workplace health and wellbeing programs have been chronically under-utilised for decades, with the reasons for low participation including employee change readiness, perceived locus of responsibility and organisational trust (Spence, 2015). Whilst many of these issues were unresolved prior to the pandemic, the realities of post-COVID organisational life offer real possibilities to enhance the design of wellbeing programs and their implementation. With an unprecedented number of employees working remotely, physical workplaces are no longer the convenient channel for health promotion they once were. As such, organisations with a genuine interest in employee health and wellbeing need to rethink their approach.

According to Spence (2022), when wellbeing advocacy is driven by health promotion principles - as it often is in organisations - inherent limitations exist. Most obviously, such approaches are innately prescriptive, with organisations engaging in a packaging up of various directives from health experts. From a self-determination theory perspective, unless employees are provided with the support to internalise and integrate such directives, opportunities are lost to assist people become more autonomously regulated in respect of their health (Ryan & Deci, 2017).

This presentation will argue for a more autonomy supportive approach to workplace health and wellbeing. Using the example of physical activity, it will present the rationale for a more person-centred approach – the Health Activation Process (HAP; Spence, 2022) – and outline its foundations in reminiscence therapy (Hawkins et al, 2020), pragmatic prospection Baumeister et al, 2016), motivational interviewing (Rollnick et al, 2010), and systems theory. It will argue that each component contributes to the establishment of a more sustainable form of self-motivation, with enjoyment elevated as a central determinant of health change decision-making.

The presentation will also outline practical steps for facilitating such change, along with a progress report on empirical testing of key hypotheses emanating from the HAP, using both community and workplace samples.

Baumeister, R. F., Vohs, K. D., & Oettingen, G. (2016). Pragmatic prospection: How and why people think about the future. Review of General Psychology, 20(1), 3-16.
Hawkins, B. L., Ramshaw, G., Hooker, T., & Walker, K. (2020). Creating football memory teams: Development and evaluation of a football-themed reminiscence therapy program. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 54(1), 32-47.
Rollnick, S., Butler, C. C., Kinnersley, P., Gregory, J., & Mash, B. (2010). Motivational interviewing. BMJ, 340.
Person, A. L., Colby, S. E., Bulova, J. A., & Eubanks, J. W. (2010). Barriers to participation in a worksite wellness program. Nutrition research and practice, 4(2), 149-154.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Publications.
Spence, G.B. (2022). Get moving keep moving: Healthy ageing and how physical activity loves you back. Longueville Media: Sydney
Spence, G. B. (2015). Workplace wellbeing programs: If you build it they may NOT come... because it's not what they really need! International Journal of Wellbeing, 5(2)

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Authors contributing to this presentation.

Spence, G.B

Gordon is a registered psychologist, accredited exercise scientist, experienced educator, and private practitioner. In a 20-year academic career, he has worked for both the University of Sydney and University of Wollongong, including appointments as Head of Students, Academic Program Director, and Post-Doctoral Fellow. He is currently teaching part-time within the Coaching Psychology Unit at the University of Sydney. Throughout his time in academia, Gordon steadfastly maintained a coaching and consulting practice and provided organisations with a range of services related to leadership development, employee engagement, team performance, and workplace wellbeing. On these topics, Gordon has published one monograph, 2 edited books, and over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. More recently, Gordon’s wellbeing interests have been expanded by the completion of an exercise science degree. Recognising the ongoing global challenges of physical inactivity and ageing populations, his work has focused on addressing the ‘paradox of exercise’ via an integration of psychology and exercise science. This has led to the development of the innovative Health Activation Process, which is a person-centred, collaborative approach to motivating physical-activity-induced sustainable performance and healthy ageing. In two recent publications – Get Moving Keep Moving and 26 Ways to Keep Moving – Gordon has argued that ‘taking enjoyment seriously’ is a key consideration for interventions that wish to enhance physical health as a way of stimulating improvements in wellbeing and performance. Relevant qualifications • PhD, University of Sydney • Master of Applied Science (Coaching Psychology), University of Sydney • Bachelor of Psychology (Hons.), University of Wollongong • Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science, University of Newcastle Books on sustainable performance and heathy ageing • Spence, G.B. (2022). Get moving keep moving: Healthy ageing and how physical activity loves you back. Longueville Media: Sydney • Spence, G.B. & Spence, R.J. (2022). 26 ways to keep moving: The joyful connections people make with their physical selves. Longueville Media: Sydney

Beyond workplace health promotion: Introducing the 'health-active collaboration' (#882)

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