Methods to persuade higher management to invest in health promotion programmes in the workplace

This study was conducted to find effective methods to persuade higher management to invest in workplace health promotion (WHP) programmes. The study included 639 occupational health professionals selected from the directory of the Japan Society for Occupational Health. A questionnaire survey was mailed to health professionals throughout Japan in 1992, and all respondents were asked to identify themselves. We received 242 replies, which constituted a response rate of 38%. Eighty-one per cent of the respondents had attempted to persuade higher management to implement a WHP programme. Health professionals frequently presented their case to higher management through a safety and health committee (SHC), and advice provided at the SHC was perceived to be the most effective method by occupational nurses (ONs) and safety and health supervisors (SHSs). This method was rated second by occupational physicians (OPs), who thought recommendations from OPs stipulated by the Industrial Safety and Health Law to be most effective. Statistics on medical examinations constituted the data most frequently used to persuade higher management, followed by reports on worksite inspections and health care plans. Nearly 90% of OPs and 80% of ONs and SHSs felt that the above methods were fairly successful.