Does acknowledgement matter? An exploratory study of the value of a Healthy Workplace Recognition Scheme

Strategies motivating employers and high-level management to provide workplace-based health and well-being programs are needed. Recognition Schemes, acknowledging organisations for providing a healthy workplace, may help to motivate them.

Semi-structured telephone interviews with representatives of 35 workplaces that had achieved Awards in the Recognition Scheme of a state government Healthy Workplace program.

Interviewees were mainly interested in having the work they were already doing recognised by staff and management internally. For some, external recognition was also important. Many were disappointed with the form the recognition took, feeling it did not have the gravitas it needed to be useful. Despite this, most Bronze and Silver Award winners indicated they would reapply in future, though some Gold recipients were not convinced the rigorous process was worthwhile.

Recognition schemes may encourage organisations to offer or improve Healthy Workplace programs. This project demonstrated that the form the recognition takes and the way it is awarded is important to recipients, and that the scheme must be well promoted externally if it is to achieve its potential benefits. SO WHAT?: Effective workplace health and well-being programs require commitment from high-level management including providing adequate time and resources. Recognition schemes may lead to greater effort and investment by workplaces, but the Schemes must be well promoted and highly visible for participating workplaces to feel the effort that goes into applying for recognition is worthwhile. If recognition is not valued within and outside organisations, the potential benefits will not be realised.