Background:

75% of working-age Australians report one or more chronic disease risk factor, 11 million people are regularly engaged in workplace settings and there is a strong business case that supports maintaining a healthy and engaged workforce. The community sector faces challenges, including limited funding, high workloads, low remuneration and an ageing workforce.

Methods:

Workplaces are encouraged and supported to make organisational changes that create healthy work environments and support workers to address chronic disease risk factors of smoking, nutrition, alcohol and physical activity.

Results/Discussions:

With many competing priorities workplace health promotion can easily slip off the priority list even with in-principle support. Workplace engagement has proved an ongoing challenge. A number of strategies have been trialled and have led to a multi-pronged engagement strategy being developed.

A strong business case and a series of resources including audit and needs analysis tools have been developed to support workplaces. Strategies have been tailored to target various levels within workplaces from executive leaders to workers. While some strategies focus on workplace health others focus on specific risk factors. Examples include competitions with incentives, peer-peer support networks, dissemination of case studies, best practice workshops and leadership events.

Conclusions/implications:

Despite the challenges, workplaces have successfully implemented policies and practices that support and protect worker health. A multi-pronged engagement strategy targeting various organisational levels across the sector is necessary. This presentation will share key learnings from the community sector, which can be used as a guide for others managing organisational change programs in the workplace.