Supervisors' health-promoting behaviors and employee health in corporate health and productivity management: A cross-sectional study of large Japanese companies.

Abstract

Objective: This study examined associations between two types of supervisors' health-promoting behaviors- informing employees about the corporate health and productivity management initiatives and actively practicing them-and employee health outcomes in large Japanese companies.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 11,484 employees. Supervisor behaviors were grouped by combinations of informing and practicing. Associations with psychological distress, work engagement, and self-rated health were analyzed using multivariable regression.

Results: Practicing alone was consistently associated with better outcomes, while informing alone showed limited effects. The combination of both yielded the most favorable outcomes (psychological distress: β = -0.78, work engagement: β = 1.70, self-rated health: β = 0.49) and demonstrated a significant interaction effect.

Conclusions: Supervisors who both inform and practice are associated with better employee health. These findings suggest the importance of consistent communication and practices in health leadership.