The relationship between healthy workplace practices and the maturity of continuous improvement initiatives at a South African food manufacturer

Abstract

Many companies fail to deliver adequate value from their continuous improvement (CI) initiatives. Both CI initiatives and organisational health and wellness programs aim to deliver significant organisational benefits. This research investigates whether there is a relationship between higher levels of healthy workplace practices (HWP), an outcome of successful organisational health and wellness programs, and the success and maturity of CI initiatives. Through quantitative research the levels of four HWP (healthy lifestyle habits, employee health, employee involvement and work-life balance) were investigated at the three manufacturing facilities of Heinz Foods South Africa (HFSA). The levels of these practices were then compared to the level of maturity for CI initiatives at these facilities, measured by means of a structured self-assessment. The empirical research showed that there was no clear evidence of a relationship between the HWP at HFSA and the maturity of CI initiatives. The research also showed that none of the four individual HWP displayed a significant relationship to any of the ten CI elements measured in the research. The research further showed that as the level of education increased, healthy lifestyle habits deteriorated but employee health improved. Employee involvement was higher for permanent and male employees and work-life balance was negatively correlated to job grade. This study provided insight in terms of where focus should be given when developing health and wellness programs at HFSA. Programs should focus on specific target groups and address specific needs, rather than being broad-based. Although employees are a critical element in the implementation of any CI initiatives, this research seems to suggest that the health and wellness of these employees are probably not the major contributing factor to the success of these initiatives. One limitation of this study was the low levels of CI maturity observed. Further research could consider whether improvements in healthy workplace practices over time will result in improvements in CI maturity.