CSR and the role of employee health

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs are an integrated part of running a business today, and most companies are engaged in activities that are designed to minimize environmental impact, secure employee benefits, etc. Initiatives that have previously been regarded as workplace health promotion activities (such as fruit schemes and a workplace gym) are now presented as part of CSR programs and apparently received positively and uncritically. However, a new type of health-related CSR initiative has appeared that is not confined to the workplace, but crosses over into employees’ private lives. This study maps the extent and nature of such initiatives among Danish companies that are considered frontrunners in CSR with a view to discussing the potential dark side of communicating such “employee benefits”.