PhD N.V. Popova
Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin, Yekaterinburg

Keywords: mass sports, physical education and health promotion events, sport competitions, industry, staff members, youth program

Background. It is paramount for the economic security of national industries, regions and Russia on the whole to offer high quality produce and services of high demand by the population, and this mission may be fulfilled only when the industry is supplied with highly knowledgeable, skilful, healthy, duly motivated and professional human resource. Many of the necessary qualities may be cultivated via mass sports, physical education and health improvement services and sport competitions. Corporate sporting activity is now considered one of the priority elements of the modern corporate management and disease prevention policies [3, p.171-180]. It is recommended that the corporate physical education and health improvement process should be customised to different age groups under the relevant HR management policies. Physical education, health and sporting projects were ranked among the key priorities of the young human resource management policies pursued by the Sverdlovsk region industries and organizations in 2014-15 [5, p.240]. It should be noted that the local researchers found three of four regional residents ranking habitual sports ‘beyond their personal needs” [4, p.313]. In addition, the present study was motivated by the fact that no surveys of the corporate sports, physical education and health projects and services to rate their benefits for the personnel and companies are run today by most of the Sverdlovsk region industries and, hence, benefits of the projects if any are questionable [5, p.229]. The study analyses practical experience of a corporate sporting project implemented by one the large-scale Urals-based industries.

Objective of the study was to analyse the corporate mass sports, physical education and health improvement services offered by one of the leading Urals-based industrial companies and rate their benefits by the relevant criteria.

Methods and structure of the study. Theoretical basis for the study was provided by studies of N.A. Vakhnin, Y.G. Vakhnin, Y.R. Vishnevskiy, D.Y. Narkhov, L.I. Lubisheva, Y.S. Sadovnikov, N.B. Serova, A.B. Gutko, O.V. Suvorov, M.M. Kulikov and others. Of special importance for the study purposes were the studies providing sound theoretical grounds for the young people’s sociological surveys [2] and for the corporate sport performance and quality analyses [9].

The study was performed at that Sinarsk Tube Plant JSC (hereinafter referred to as the company, Plant or STP) based in Kamensk-Uralsky. The corporate management policies were found highly sensitive to the social needs, with the relevant specific social programs offered to different personnel categories. Subject to the questionnaire survey in 2015 were 300 staff members of different ages, qualifications and employment records, with the study data processed by Vortex software. The survey made a special emphasis on the respondents’ sporting preferences and applied the following objective criteria to rate the sporting project and service efficiency: (1) human resource engagement in the corporate mass sports, physical education and health improvement projects and events; (2) disease rates of the staff members engaged in the habitual sports and physical trainings; (3) costs of the Healthy Lifestyle program and the corporate mass sports, physical education and health improvement services to the personnel. We also applied the following subjective criteria and progress rates: (1) awareness of the staff members of the corporate mass sports, physical education and health improvement services; and (2) satisfaction of the staff members with the corporate mass sports, physical education and health improvement services.

Study results and discussion. Our analysis of the relevant regulatory documents and progress reports of the STP management showed that the corporate mass sports, physical education and health improvement services are provided under the corporate human resource development policies and financed as required by the collective employment contract. The relevant events are scheduled in advance for the year to come and detailed later on in the quarterly and monthly plans with account of the action plans and budgets approved by the Plant management. The management officers are supported in their efforts by the Trade Union Board, Youth Council, Physical Education and Sports Council and other local organizations. Sociological service of the company has analyzed and rated progress of the relevant human resource development programs including the corporate mass sports, physical education and health improvement services. The Plant is proud with its 80-years-long history of the corporate physical culture and sports including wins (10 times) in the All-round Sport Festivals of the Sverdlovsk Region Workers and multiple wins in the national Sport Festivals of the Sverdlovsk Region Workers. Our previous studies have analysed and reported the corporate progress in the healthy lifestyle promotion initiatives [1, p.10]; competitive sports events under the youth development programs [6, pp.224-229]; individual and team creative resource development programs [8, p. 52]; and the values-specific aspects of the corporate sport competitions [7, p.117].

Our analysis of the corporate mass sports, physical education and health improvement services with application of the above progress rating criteria showed good progress for the study period. In 2016, for instance, the company personnel was reported to join 131 sports/ physical culture/ health events; and 22,450 visits were reported by the corporate Olymp Sports Complex for the year; versus 131 events and 22,560 visits in 2014; and 134 events and 23,140 visits in 2015. The corporate and departmental sport events are normally timed to All-round Sport Festivals. In 2016, the Summer Sport Festival was joined by 3,450 company activists versus 3,133 in 2014 and 3,180 in 2015; and the Winter Sport Festival was joined by 3,800 company activists versus 3,690 in 2014 and 3,720 in 2015. Furthermore, the health statistics provided by the corporate health service station showed that the morbidity rates of the sporting company personnel (engaged in the habitual sports and physical trainings) are by far lower than those of the non-sporting company personnel. It should be noted that the yearly costs of the Healthy Lifestyle promotion program and the corporate mass sports, physical education and health improvement services reported for 2016 were virtually the same as for the prior two years.

The subjective service quality rating data generated by the questionnaire survey showed that the company personnel is well aware of the corporate mass sports, physical education and health improvement services, with the awareness rate estimated at 0.73 in 2016 versus 0.72 in 2014 and 0.73 in 2015 i.e. staying virtually the same. The rate of satisfaction with the corporate mass sports, physical education and health improvement services was estimated at 0.87 in 2016 making a great progress since 2014 when it was only 0.78.

It should be noted that the company management needs feedbacks from the served personnel to rank the corporate health services, events and competitions by the popularity levels in order to make adjustments to the relevant budgeting policies and practices. In our questionnaire survey we offered the following questions to reveal the respondents’ sporting preferences and healthy lifestyle related agendas: (1) How systemic are your physical trainings and sporting practices? (2) What are the barriers for your more active engagement in the physical training and sports process? (3) Are you going to join the free sports and health clubs run by your company? (4) If not please indicate why? (5) Please give your ideas and recommendations for the company management and trade union board on how the corporate mass sports, physical education and health services may be improved.

Half of the sample (52.6%) reported being engaged in physical trainings, with one of two reportedly going in for irregular trainings and one of three for the weekend trainings only. It is a concerning trend that the higher is the respondent’s age the lower is his/her engagement in the corporate physical trainings and sports. The respondents reported the following barriers for more active engagement in the corporate physical trainings: shortage of spare time; feeling drained after work; being unaccustomed to habitual physical practices; financial problems; and too distant location of the sport facilities from home. One of five respondents reported willingness to enjoy services of the free corporate sports and health clubs, with the tourist club services being ranked on top of the others. The sporting preferences were ranked as follows: 22% of the sample gave the top preference to swimming as an adult and family sport; 20.0% to tourism; 4.0% to skating; and 2% to the fire arms shooting, skiing, fitness, boxing, tennis and bowling practices. The survey data provide a good foothold for further service improvement initiatives, better service scheduling, design and management to improve the corporate mass sports, physical education and health improvement services provided to every department personnel and the company staff on the whole.

Conclusion. The study data and analyses give the grounds to believe that the corporate mass sports, physical education and health improvement services on the job location are necessary and beneficial for the companies, personnel and their families. The corporate benefits may include at least the following: better work time management; improved corporate culture; lower morbidity rates; higher stability of the human resource; positive corporate image in the city and region to lure young human resource to the company; and the increased staff motivations for healthy lifestyles. The staff benefits include the improved health and better physical form; better socializing and adaptation abilities; and improved personal resource and its mobilization opportunities. Our comments and recommendations based on the study findings are expected to help improve the human resource management policies and practices; promote healthy lifestyles and the personnel commitment for mass physical trainings and sports including the corporate sports clubbing activity; facilitate progress of the corporate culture and individual progress for every staff member with the relevant synergic cultural benefits.

References

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Corresponding author: n.v.popova@urfu.ru

Abstract

The study analyses the corporate mass sports, physical education and health improvement projects implemented by one of the leading industrial companies in the Urals and Russia and profiles sporting preferences of the company personnel by a questionnaire survey. Objective of the study was to analyse and summarize the practical experience of the mass sports, physical education and health projects implemented by the Sinarsk Tube Plant management. Subject to a questionnaire survey under the study were 300 staff members of different age, qualifications and employment records. The survey data were indicative of the staff being highly satisfied with the mass sports, physical education and health improvement services. The sport preferences of the staff were found dominated by swimming, tourism, skating and fire arms shooting practices. The study data and analyses made it possible to come up with the recommendations on how the company may improve the corporate sports management policies and practices on the whole and in its every division in particular. The practical corporate experience of mass sports, physical education and health improvement services (including services to the young human resource), and the project benefit analysis may be helpful for the relevant national and foreign companies.