Mental ill-health is the leading cause of sickness absence, creating a high economic burden. Workplace interventions aimed at supporting employers in the prevention of mental ill-health in the workforce are urgently required. Managing Minds at Work is a digital intervention aimed at supporting line managers in promoting better mental health at work through a preventative approach. This intervention was developed as part of the Mental Health and Productivity Pilot, a wider initiative aimed at supporting employers across the Midlands region of the United Kingdom to improve the future of workplace mental health and wellbeing. The aim of the study is to describe the design and development of the Managing Minds at Work digital training program, prior to feasibility testing. We adopted a collaborative participatory design involving co-design (users as partners) and principles of user-centred design (pilot and usability testing). An agile methodology was used to co-create intervention content with a stakeholder virtual community of practice. Development processes were mapped to core elements of the Medical Research Council (MRC) framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions. The program covers five broad areas: (i) promoting self-care techniques among line managers; (ii) designing work to prevent work-related stress; (iii) management competencies to prevent and reduce stress; (iv) having conversations with employees about mental health; (v) building a psychologically safe work environment. It was considered by stakeholders to be appropriate for any type of organization, irrespective of their size or resources. Pilot and usability testing (n = 37 surveys) aligned with the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) demonstrated that the program was perceived to be useful, relevant, and easy to use by managers across sectors, organization types, and sizes. We identified positive impacts on manager attitudes and behavioral intentions related to preventing mental ill-health and promoting good mental wellbeing at work. The next step is to explore the feasibility and acceptability of Managing Minds at Work with line managers in diverse employment settings.
Background Mental health problems affect 1 in 6 workers annually and are one of the leading causes of sickness absence, with stress, anxiety, and depression being responsible for half of all working days lost in the United Kingdom. Primary interventions with a preventative focus are widely acknowledged as the priority for workplace mental health interventions. Line managers hold a primary role in preventing poor mental health within the workplace and, therefore, need to be equipped with the skills and knowledge to effectively carry out this role. However, most previous intervention studies have directly focused on increasing line managers’ understanding and awareness of mental health rather than giving them the skills and competencies to take a proactive preventative approach in how they manage and design work. The Managing Minds at Work (MMW) digital training intervention was collaboratively designed to address this gap. The intervention aims to increase line managers’ knowledge and confidence in preventing work-related stress and promoting mental health at work. It consists of 5 modules providing evidence-based interactive content on looking after your mental health, designing and managing work to promote mental well-being, management competencies that prevent work-related stress, developing a psychologically safe workplace, and having conversations about mental health at work. Objective The primary aim of this study is to pilot and feasibility test MMW, a digital training intervention for line managers. Methods We use a cluster randomized controlled trial design consisting of 2 arms, the intervention arm and a 3-month waitlist control, in this multicenter feasibility pilot study. Line managers in the intervention arm will complete a baseline questionnaire at screening, immediately post intervention (approximately 6 weeks after baseline), and at 3- and 6-month follow-ups. Line managers in the control arm will complete an initial baseline questionnaire, repeated after 3 months on the waitlist. They will then be granted access to the MMW intervention, following which they will complete the questionnaire post intervention. The direct reports of the line managers in both arms of the trial will also be invited to take part by completing questionnaires at baseline and follow-up. As a feasibility pilot study, a formal sample size is not required. A minimum of 8 clusters (randomized into 2 groups of 4) will be sought to inform a future trial from work organizations of different types and sectors. Results Recruitment for the study closed in January 2022. Overall, 24 organizations and 224 line managers have been recruited. Data analysis was finished in August 2023. Conclusions The results from this feasibility study will provide insight into the usability and acceptability of the MMW intervention and its potential for improving line manager outcomes and those of their direct reports. These results will inform the development of subsequent trials. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05154019; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05154019 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/48758
Background Mental ill health is the leading cause of sickness absence with high economic burden. Workplace interventions aimed at supporting employers with prevention of mental ill-health in the workforce are urgently required. Managing Minds at Work (MMW) is a digital intervention targeting support for line managers in any work setting to promote better mental health at work through a preventative approach. Objectives To describe the design and development of the MMW digital training programme, prior to feasibility testing. We adopted a collaborative participatory design involving co-design (users as partners) and principles of user-centred design (pilot and usability testing). Agile methodology was used to co-create intervention content with a stakeholder community of practice. Development processes were mapped to core elements of the Medical Research Council (MRC) framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions. Results The program covers five broad areas: (i) promoting self-care techniques among line managers; (ii) designing work to prevent work-related stress; (iii) management competencies to prevent and reduce stress; (iv) having conversations with employees about mental health; (v) building a psychologically safe work environment. Pilot and usability testing (n = 37 surveys) aligned with the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) demonstrated that MMW was perceived to be useful, relevant, and easy to use by managers across sectors, organization types and sizes. We identified positive impacts on manager attitudes and behavioural intentions related to preventing mental ill-health and promoting good mental well-being at work. Conclusions MMW is a digital training programme for line managers that has been co-created using rigorous development processes and aims to support employers with primary prevention in mental health. The next step is to explore the feasibility and acceptability of this intervention with line managers in diverse employment settings. Key messages
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