[Ethical limits to the promotion of health in the workplace within the framework of the ″healthy organization″ concept]. / Límites éticos a la promoción de la salud en el lugar de trabajo en el marco del concepto de empresa saludable.

In the context of general changes in our societies in relation to health, the healthy organization is proclaimed and accepted as something necessary and legitimate. This phenomenon is expanding globally without being really questioned and promoted by international organizations and large companies. With a global and growing presence in organizational and professional policies and practices, it appears to be gaining even more strength in the aftermath of the pandemic. Faced with the expansion of the phenomenon and because it directly affects people's health, an analysis of it beyond its general positive image is unavoidable. This article identifies some relevant dangers of promoting a culture of health at work, from an ethical perspective, and among them, not only the non-beneficial nature of some practices not scientifically proven, but also their own malignant condition. In this paper, therefore, the ethical limits for this expansive phenomenon are proposed and the fundamental principle to operate in this area of asymmetric relations between employee and employer is not autonomy but non-maleficence.

Límites éticos a la promoción de la salud en el lugar de trabajo en el marco del concepto de empresa saludable / Thical limits to the promotion of health in the workplace within the framework of the “healthy organization” concept

En el contexto de cambios generales en la sociedad en relación con la salud, la empresa saludable se proclama y acepta como algo necesario y legítimo. Este fenómeno se expande globalmente sin apenas cuestionamiento, promocionado por organismos internacionales y grandes empresas. Con presencia global y creciente en políticas y prácticas organizacionales y profesionales, parece ganar aún más fuerza tras la pandemia. Frente a la expansión del fenómeno y por incidir directamente sobre la salud de las personas, es ineludible un análisis del mismo más allá de su imagen positiva generalizada. En este artículo se identifican algunos peligros relevantes del fomento de la cultura de salud en el trabajo, desde una perspectiva ética, y entre ellos, no solo el carácter no beneficiente de algunas prácticas no contrastadas científicamente, sino, también, su propia condición maleficiente. En este trabajo se plantean, pues, los límites éticos para este fenómeno expansivo y se defiende que el principio fundamental para operar en este ámbito de relaciones asimétricas entre empleado y empleador es de no maleficencia y no tanto el de autonomía

In the context of general changes in our societies in relation to health, the healthy organization is proclaimed and accepted as something necessary and legitimate. This phenomenon is expanding globally without being really questioned and promoted by international organizations and large companies. With a global and growing presence in organizational and professional policies and practices, it appears to be gaining even more strength in the aftermath of the pandemic. Faced with the expansion of the pheno- menon and because it directly affects people’s health, an analysis of it beyond its general positive image is unavoidable. This article identifies some relevant dangers of promoting a culture of health at work, from an ethical perspective, and among them, not only the non-beneficial nature of some practices not scien-tifically proven, but also their own malignant condition. In this paper, therefore, the ethical limits for this expansive phenomenon are proposed and the fundamental principle to operate in this area of asymmetric relations between mployee and employer is not autonomy but non-maleficence.