Addressing organisationally induced stress in a police jurisdiction: an Australian case study

Over 3,500 employees in a police jurisdiction have participated in a health promotion initiative designed to encourage staff to take responsibility for their health. This project was part of a range of initiatives to address workplace stress and involved physical and medical testing and advice. This paper presents the results of interviews with 83 participants about the impact of the programme on their health behaviours and the extent to which they feel it has helped them manage workplace stress better. Although health promotion in the workplace is often criticised as a common response by organisations seeking to reduce stress for their workforce by placing the responsibility for that back on to the individual, this study demonstrates that there can be several positive outcomes. Not least of these is a reported International Journal of Police Science & Management Volume 8 Number 3 International Journal of Police Science and Management, Vol. 8 No. 3, 2006, pp. 198–204. © Vathek Publishing, 1461–3557