Health in Danish and Austrian Employee Magazines The textual balancing act of promoting healthy lifestyles without meddling in

Health in Danish and Austrian Employee Magazines

The textual balancing act of promoting healthy lifestyles without meddling in

Vienna 2nd WU Symposium on IBC Martin Nielsen 12 June 2009Dias 2

Structure

Introduction· Motivation· Research question

Methodological considerations

Data

Examples

Conclusion and discussion


Motivation

Unhealthy lifestyle

− Smoking

− Stress

− Back problems

− Obesity

· Eating habits· Exercise (Backer et al., 1992; Gostomzyk, 1996;

Herrick, 2007; Nielsen, 2008)


Motivation

Perceived influence of unhealthy lifestyle (obesity)

− Predicted lower performance levels

− Expected higher costs

− General social stigma· Lack of will power· Lazy· Unclean· Undisciplined· Incompetent (Puhl et al., 2007, 347)

(Roehling, 2002, 182ff.)


Research Question

Interest of corporations to change employees’ lifestyles

How do corporations try to change their employees’ lifestyle through organizational communication in employee magazines?

· Information?· Motivation?· Instruction?· Regulation?

Vienna 2nd WU Symposium on IBCDias 6


Cross-cultural communication vs. intercultural communication

Comparative/ parallel texts vs. adaptation

Descriptive vs. prescriptive

Understanding vs. strategy

(Gudykunst & Mody, 2002; Rogers & Hart, 2002; Nielsen 2004)

Martin Nielsen 12 June 2009



Articles that feature health issues

The way the articles present health issues

Medium Genre Speech act

(cf. Nielsen 2006)



Characteristics of the employee magazine

Print medium Published periodically Related to and reminding of mass medium

news paper Part of internal organizational communication Overall aim: strategic tool for management Target groups

− Employees− Their families− Pensioners− Other stakeholders

(Bentele, 2008)



Core characteristic of employee magazine

“A predominantly critical news coverage does not take place […] Communication flow goes from top management to employees; sometimes a conversion is aimed at in readers’ letters sections, but it does not work.”

[“Eine vornehmlich kritische Berichterstattung findet nicht statt […] Der Kommunikationsfluß vollzieht sich von der Unternehmensspitze zu den Mitarbeitern; eine Umkehrung wird bisweilen in Leserbriefrubriken angestrebt, klappt aber nicht.”]


(Bischl, 2000, 98)


Functions of employee magazine

Information Motivation Culture/identity building Entertainment Legitimization Creating coherence with other internal media Debate and dialogue Criticism

(Eg, 1996; Jensen, 1997; Balle, 1998; Erlien, 1999; 2003; Riis Kistrup & Mølgaard Toft, 2006; Josefsen & Smedegaard, 2006; Bischl, 2000; Frey &

Hermann, 2001; Schweizer, 2004; Mänken, 2004; Cauers, 2005; FEIEA, 2005)



Dichotomy of functions of employee magazine

Announcement organ of management, PR instrument

Positive news only Execution of power Hidden agenda One voice – agreement discourse Censorship One-way communication (pseudo-

two-way communication)

Forum for employee opinion

Criticism, negative news Participation Transparency Polyphony Freedom of speech (real) two-way

communication


(cf. Habscheid & Nielsen, in prep.; Habscheid & Hartz, 2006)


Continuum/ scale of employee magazine overall functions

• Faking a façade of harmony• Creating a scenario of unity• Staging agreement• Pretending consensus

Allowing criticism •Accepting expression of disagreement •

Engaging in real two-way communication •Encouraging debate and discussion •

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(cf. Habscheid & Nielsen, in prep.)


Material

Employee magazines from

ATX

20 most frequently traded Austrian shares at the Vienna stock exchange

2008-2009

Parallel corpus established subsequently

Employee magazines from

OMX C20

20 most frequently traded Danish shares at the Copenhagen Stock Exchange

2006-2008

Corpus from earlier research project



Themes

OMX C20 ATX

Smoking 12 0

Stress 4 8

Health check-up 3 3

Fitness, exercise, sports 10 4

Obesity 3 2

Back problems 1 3

Nutrition, eating habits 3 2

Coordination skills 0 6

Energy, fatigue 0 2

Fingers 0 1

Blood pressure 0 1

Blood sugar 0 1


Genres OMX C20 ATX

Articles (headline, lead, picture) 13 8

Short articles 11 1

Short articles with tips, good advice 0 10

Vox pop 6 4

Graphics 3 3

Insert: interviews 3 4

Insert: facts 2 2

Insert: good advice 1 0

Insert: links 1 0

Insert: request, invitation 1 0

Letter to the editor 1 0

Answer to letter to the editor 1 0

Test, quiz 0 1


Mentioning, agenda-setting

ATX

”The beer was cold, the buffet excellent and also the deserts contained enough carbohydrates for the sportsmen and fat for the taste.”

[“Das Bier war kalt, das Büffet ausgezeichnet und auch die Nachspeisen enthielten genügend Kohlehydrate für die Sportler und Fett für den Geschmack.”]

OMX C20

”[Company] wants the canteen to offer good, tasty food, which at the same time is healthy and low on fat.”

[”[Virksomhed] vil gerne have, at kantinen skal tilbyde god velsmagende mad, som samtidig er sund og fedtfattig.”]


Instruction framed as advice

ATX

”Tips how to get a move on […] Don’t jog late in the evening. Between exercise and a night’s rest there should be at least two hours.”

[“Tipps, wie Sie optimal auf Trab kommen […] Laufen Sie nicht zu spät am Abend. Zwischen Sport und Nachtruhe sollten mindestens zwei Stunden liegen.”]

OMX C20

”Good advice […] Never do two things at a time […] Don’t eat while you answer your e-mails.”

[”Gode råd […] Lav aldrig to ting på en gang […] Lad være med at besvare e-mails, mens du spiser”]


Health check-up: measuring and monitoring as a hidden request

ATX

”Health Days a huge success […] Particularly popular was the 5 risks check. No wonder, since cholesterol, blood sugar, uric acid, high blood pressure and increased body fat are among the most frequent causes of a decease.”

[“Gesundheits[…]tage waren ein voller Erfolg […] Besonders gut angekommen ist der 5-Risken-Check. Kein Wunder, gehören doch Cholesterin, Blutzucker, Harnsäure, Bluthochdruck und erhöhtes Körperfett zu den häufigsten Krankheitsursachen.”]

OMX C20

”Employees […] have got access to a new health service […] It is voluntary to participate […] The aim is to make the employees get more moving so that they come in better shape […] The result should hopefully be more energy and pleasure taken in their work.”

[”Medarbejderne […] har fået adgang til en ny sundhedsservice […] Det er frivilligt at deltage […] Målet er at få medarbejderne til at bevæge sig mere, så de kommer i god form […] Resultatet skulle gerne være mere energi og arbejdsglæde.”]


Information on health-improving behaviour: indirect speech act

ATX

”Step by step to your ideal weight […] supplementary programme which step by step shall support a successful weight loss […] active steps in the direction of a change in lifestyle.”

[“Schritt für Schritt zum Wunschgewicht […] Begleitprogramm, das Schritt für Schritt unterstützen soll, erfolgreich abzunehmen […] aktive Schritte in Richtung Lebensstiländerung.”]

OMC C20

”[…] the weekly latitude for empty calories […] One single piece of cake, very little chocolate and only a single or one and a half glass of wine – much more can a woman not eat if she wants to avoid gaining weight, and a man cannot allow himself very much more.”

[”[…] det ugentlige råderum for tomme kalorier […] Et enkelt stykke kage, meget lidt chokolade og kun et enkelt eller halvandet glas vin – meget mere kan en kvinde ikke spise hvis hun vil undgå at tage på, og en mand kan ikke tillade sig ret meget mere.”


Instruction

ATX

”Fit through the winter […] Avoid stress […] Be careful […] that you take lots of exercise in the fresh air.”

[“Fit durch den Winter […] Stress vermeiden […] Achten Sie […] auf reichlich körperliche Aktivitäten and der frischen Luft.”]

OMX C20

”Sign up for this year’s DHL relay race”

[”Meld dig til årets DHL-stafet”]


Eating habits, nutrition

ATX

”’Healthy & vitalized’ into 2009 […] designing new dishes according to the five elements cuisine, to the glycaemic index and particularly more for vegetarians and health-minded. We spend so much time at the office and mainly sitting down so that a balanced and especially a good-doing diet is very important for our performance and health.”

[“‘Gesund & Vital‘ ins Jahr 2009 […] neue Speisen nach der Fünf-Elemente-Küche, nach dem glykämischen Index und vor allem verstärkt für Vegetarier und Gesundheitsbewusste erarbeitet. Wir verbringen so viel Zeit im Büro und dabei hauptsächlich sitzend, so dass eine ausgewogene und vor allem bekömmliche Nahrung sehr wichtig für unsere Leitungsfähigkeit und Gesundheit ist.”]

OMX C20

”Why then are 55-60% of the Danes overweight and about 14% downright fat? It’s the amount of food that the Danes are eating, combined with much too little exercise, that makes them obese.”

[”Hvorfor er 55-60% af danskerne så overvægtige, og ca. 14% direkte fede? Det er den mænge af mad danskerne spiser, kombineret med alt for lidt motion, der gør dem overvægtige.”]


Instruction, regulation (Letter to the editor)

OMX C20

”It’s ok with me that [Company] stubs out cigs, but from my point of view the foundation is a bit thin. I understand that [Company] wants to keep up appearances and look like a good and healthy workplace, but than you should go all the way. Coffee is not healthy, the food in the canteen is good, but it’s not exactly healthy, unless when there’s diabetes day. And what about the consciously illness provoking work form that working in shifts is? That must be the next to deal with!

Only then you may call [Company] a good and healthy workplace, everything else is not serious.”


Instruction, regulation (Editor’s answer to letter to the editor)

OMX C20

”it is true that we do not have health initiatives everywhere. But that does not keep the company from starting somewhere. We started with smoking. There are also initiatives going on with the possibility for healthier food, just like we support fitness with a leisure centre, running and cycling campaigns.

We continue to let it be up to every individual to do as they want in the time where they are not at work at [Company].”


Concluding remarks

Cross-cultural differences hard to identify Differences, if any, do not seem to follow an

obvious pattern Health issues seem to be relevant across national

cultures and across business cultures Differences a rather at a corporate culture level

Documents

Health in Danish and Austrian Employee Magazines The textual balancing act of promoting healthy lifestyles without meddling in