Standards for Healthy Workplaces Based on the “Four Avenues” of the World Health Organization – A Challenge for Maintaining Enterprise Innova-tion in South East Asia, a Pilot Programme in Vietnam

DOI: 10.5176/2251-2039_IE16.16

Authors: Dr. Marc Aeschbacher and Prof. Dr Volker Schulte,

Abstract: The employers have nowadays to cope with global changes that in many cases are very challenging for the workers and for the existence of many small and medium enterprises. The development of healthy workplaces requires leadership commitment and engagement, involving workers and their representatives, business ethics, regulatory compliance, as well as a systematic and comprehensive process to ensure sustainability. Based on the network of World Health Organization's Collaborating Centres (WHO) we coach and introduce in internationally recognized standards and methods for guideline development. This task involves collecting, reviewing and systematizing existing international standards for health promotion at the workplace. The World Health Organization defined four so called "avenues" for the implementation of healthy workplaces: Physical work environment, personal health resources, enterprise community involvement and physical work environment.

Keywords: Workplace Health Promotion WHO Health Standards Healthy Entrepreneurship