Status quo of workplace health promotion in social firms. Potentials and challenges for the future

Background. Social firms employ 30-50% people with disabilities on the general labour market according to 215-218 SGB IX and are obliged to offer workplace health promotion (WHP) since 01 January 2018. Objectives. This article aims to provide an overview of the current state of research on WHP in social firms and to derive potentials for practice. Materials and methods. In an exploratory literature overview, previously available findings on the work and health situation of people with disabilities and supervisors from social firms as well as the implementation,challenges and needs for WHP are researched and summarized. Research gaps are identified and practical implications derived from the research findings. Results. This overview highlights that social firms provide a variety of resources for employees with disabilities to manage job demands on the primary labour market. Supervisors, on the other hand, perceive coping with social and economic demands in social firms as a job demand. Previous research indicates that the development of networks of small and medium-sized enterprises has the potential to promote inclusive WHP. Conclusion. This article elaborates the work and health situation of employees and leaders in social firms as well as the status quo of WHP measures in social firms. The empirical state of research illustrates the need for more research on the implementation and evaluation of WHP measures in social firms. In practice, there is also potential for improvement in addressing existing challenges to WHP in social firms.