How Managers Perceive and (Do Not) Participate in Health Promotion Measures—Results from a Cross-Sectional Mixed-Methods Survey in a Large ICT Company

Abstract

Managers often face stress and high work demands. Yet they have received limited attention as targets of workplace health promotion measures (HPMs). This study’s primary objective (1) is to examine managers’ self-reported participation in HPMs and factors associated with HPM participation. The secondary objective (2) is to examine managers’ perceptions of their working conditions. A cross-sectional mixed-methods online survey was conducted with a nonrandom sample of 179 managers in a large German ICT company. Stepwise logistic regression and qualitative content analysis were used for data analysis. Quantitative findings revealed that 57.9% of managers had not participated in HPMs yet. “Workload relief through digital tools” resulted as a significant predictor of managers’ previous HPM participation (OR: 2.84, 95% CI: 1.42–5.66). In qualitative findings, workload, time, lack of knowledge, and lack of demand were reported as participation barriers (1). Managers reported that work facility traits, workload, social support, and corporate culture should be improved to make their working conditions more health-promoting (2). These findings suggest that providing adequate organizational working conditions may help improve managers’ HPM participation rates and their perception of health-promoting work.