THE NEW CORPORATE HEALTH ETHIC: LIFESTYLE AND THE SOCIAL CONTROL OF WORK

A corporate health ethic, forged in U.S. industry in the 20th century, clearly demarcated boundaries between private and workplace health concerns. This article advances evidence that the boundary is blurring, and argues that trends in workplace initiatives, including employee assistance, Wellness p...

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Veröffentlicht in:International journal of health services 1992-01, Vol.22 (1), p.89-111
Hauptverfasser: Conrad, Peter, Walsh, Diana Chapman
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:A corporate health ethic, forged in U.S. industry in the 20th century, clearly demarcated boundaries between private and workplace health concerns. This article advances evidence that the boundary is blurring, and argues that trends in workplace initiatives, including employee assistance, Wellness programs, and drug screening, are giving shape to a new corporate health ethic. The new ethic emphasizes workers' lifestyles on and off the job, engendering a shift in corporate jurisdiction over employee health and behavior. Economic arguments such as "health care cost containment" are commonly offered as explanations for these new health initiatives. But the authors see the new ethic as a deeper response to a changing corporate environment and, more fundamentally, as emblematic of changes in the social control of work and productivity. They argue that the new health ethic may be a harbinger of new forms of social control in the workplace.
ISSN:0020-7314
1541-4469
DOI:10.2190/FGYX-6EBJ-70QT-0T4E