No Smoke Without Fire? The Tension Between Employee Autonomy and Employer Authority

Anna, the HR manager and owner of Takomo, a manufacturing company in Finland, was facing a severe challenge. Sickness absences, job dissatisfaction, and open conflicts with employees had increased, even though she had tried her best to improve employee wellbeing, while at the same time trying to keep up with the turbulent business environment. When an essential step in her wellbeing agenda, smoking restrictions, were introduced, the situation caused an uproar among some employees. How was it possible that she had failed in promoting wellbeing, and the situation had only become worse than before? How could she make sense of the situation and explain the employees’ reactions? What should she do next in order to fix the situation? This case leads learners to examine the holistic view on wellbeing in companies. Moreover, it leads them to explore a sensitive HR practice, which diminishes employees’ autonomy. Further, this case addresses Sustainable Development Goal 8 (“Decent work and economic growth, targets 8.2, 8.3, 8.5, and 8.8) by emphasizing employee wellbeing, sustainable people management, and creating an inclusive organizational culture.