Can Working Conditions and Employees’ Mental Health Be Improved via Job Stress Interventions Designed and Implemented by Line Managers and Human Resources on an Operational Level?

Åkerström, Magnus; Corin, Linda; Severin, Jonathan; Jonsdottir, Ingibjörg H.; Björk, Lisa

doi:10.3390/ijerph18041916

Cited by 18 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…In the first step, mixed-effects models (Proc Mixed in SAS version 9.4; SAS Institute, North Carolina, USA) were used to assess the overall impact of the pandemic with time (2019 or 2020, nested within departments) as a fixed effect and information on departments as random effects. Hypothesis testing for fixed effects was performed using Wald tests, and tests of random effects were performed using likelihood ratio tests ( 25 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Survey of Psychiatric Healthcare Workers' Perception of Working Environment and Possibility to Recover Before and After the First Wave of COVID-19 in Sweden

et al. 2021

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Objective: This study aimed to investigate the impact of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on perceived working environment, including the possibility to recover, among psychiatric healthcare workers (PHCWs) in comparison with pre-pandemic measures.Method: A link to an anonymous, web-based COVID-19 related survey was sent via email to all PHCWs at a university hospital in Sweden (n = 1,618) in September 2020. The response rate was 38% (566 of 1,507 eligible participants). Working environment survey responses collected in 2019 were used as pre-pandemic comparators. Statistical analyses were performed to assess overall impact over time on work demands, support, motivation, and recovery, stratified by professional role, and considering variables such as access to personal protective equipment.Results: The percentage of individuals responding negatively to statements about working environment increased significantly for most items after the first wave. Similarly, the increase of five of the investigated factors indicated a more negative perception of recovery during the pandemic. Registered nurses reported a greater negative impact of the pandemic on perceived working conditions and ability to recover than other professional groups. PHCWs working with patients with COVID-19 (35%) who reported being worried about becoming infected (12%) or infecting others (17%), or lacking adequate personal protective equipment (22%) were more negatively impacted regarding work environment-related items than those who did not.Conclusions: PHCWs' working environment and possibility for recovery were impacted by the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses being most affected. Although psychiatric services do not directly care for patients with severe COVID-19 infection, the results from this study suggests that mental health services should also prepare for future pandemics.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Survey of Psychiatric Healthcare Workers' Perception of Working Environment and Possibility to Recover Before and After the First Wave of COVID-19 in Sweden

et al. 2021

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“…This difference in economic benefits between the approaches could be explained by the higher intervention effect in the FSA compared to that in the MSA, where the process evaluation of the two approaches showed that line managers and HR using the MSA needed support with designing interventions that corresponded to the workplace challenges they were facing. Only half of the interventions in the MSA were considered to fit the workplace challenges [ 22 ]; by contrast, there was a high correspondence between implemented interventions and the workplace challenges for the FSA [ 21 ]. The importance of fitting interventions to the context and workplace challenges has been addressed in previous literature [ 26 , 27 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The region consists roughly of three hierarchical levels: departments, operational areas, and units; the reference groups were constructed from the aggregated means of the operational area (e.g., clinic) of which the intervention group (e.g., surgery unit) was a part (intervention group excluded). The intervention effect on total and short-term sickness absence per month has previously been evaluated for the two approaches [ 21 , 23 ]. In this study, the combined effect of the MSA + FSA was evaluated ( Table 1 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…† As the intervention started at different times for different groups, the number of included months ranged from 12 to 44 months. ‡ Previously published data [ 21 , 23 ].…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 2017, an organizational-level workplace program with the purpose to decrease sickness absence was implemented in a public sector organization in Sweden, using two different approaches. The implementation process and the effects of this program have previously been evaluated, showing differences in effects on sickness absence for the two approaches [ 21 , 22 , 23 ]. The aim of the current study is to conduct an economic evaluation comparing the costs and benefits of this program.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cost–Benefit Evaluation of an Organizational-Level Intervention Program for Decreasing Sickness Absence among Public Sector Employees in Sweden

Severin

Svensson

Åkerström

2022

IJERPH

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Work-related illnesses create a vast economic burden for employers and society. Organizational-level workplace interventions are recommended to prevent these illnesses, but the knowledge about the economic benefits of such interventions is scarce. The study aimed to evaluate the economic benefit of an organizational-level workplace program for decreasing sickness absence. The program contained a monetary support approach (MSA) and an approach combining monetary and facilitator support (FSA). Cost–benefit analyses were used, where the results were compared to those of business as usual. Economic benefits of reduced sickness absence were based on the value of reduced production loss and direct sick pay costs, respectively. Sensitivity analyses were used to assess the robustness of the results. The program had a positive net benefit when measuring productivity loss, where the FSA had a net benefit and the MSA had a net loss. A negative net benefit was derived when measuring direct sick pay costs. The intervention effect on sickness absence affected the net benefit the most. This program was economically beneficial in terms of reducing the productivity loss, but not of reducing direct sick pay costs connected to short-term sickness absence. Using evidence-based methods is essential for increasing the long-term net benefit of organizational-level workplace interventions.

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Multilevel, risk group-oriented strategies to decrease sickness absence in the public sector: evaluation of interventions in two regions in Sweden

Ståhl

Gustavsson

Jonsdottir

et al. 2022

Int Arch Occup Environ Health

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Purpose Sickness absence has been identified as needing to be addressed through multilevel interventions, but knowledge regarding optimal design and implementation of such interventions is scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the implementation and effects of a large-scale multilevel intervention in the public sector in Sweden. Methods The overall effect of the intervention was assessed using mixed-effect models. Sickness absence data (before, and 6 or 12 months after the intervention) for 90 intervention groups and 378 reference groups was retrieved from administrative personnel systems from the two participating regional councils. The implementation processes were evaluated using qualitative content analysis of qualitative interviews conducted at two timepoints. Results The results show that the vast majority of implemented measures were on an individual level and the integration of the intervention differed between the two regions. The reception and perception of the intervention activities seem to have been influenced by the implementation process, and how well the interventions were communicated and integrated, both regarding the integration of the different interventions and their integration into the discrete context and existing routines. No short-term overall effects on sickness absence were found. Conclusions The results point to the many challenges in implementing complex interventions, especially where organizational measures are involved—including adequate participation by, and communication between, the involved actors, as well as sufficient resources. The results indicate potential learning effects regarding the awareness of organizational factors in sick leave, after implementing and integrating multilevel strategies.

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Can Working Conditions and Employees’ Mental Health Be Improved via Job Stress Interventions Designed and Implemented by Line Managers and Human Resources on an Operational Level?

Cited by 18 publications

References 63 publications

A Survey of Psychiatric Healthcare Workers' Perception of Working Environment and Possibility to Recover Before and After the First Wave of COVID-19 in Sweden

A Survey of Psychiatric Healthcare Workers' Perception of Working Environment and Possibility to Recover Before and After the First Wave of COVID-19 in Sweden

Cost–Benefit Evaluation of an Organizational-Level Intervention Program for Decreasing Sickness Absence among Public Sector Employees in Sweden

Multilevel, risk group-oriented strategies to decrease sickness absence in the public sector: evaluation of interventions in two regions in Sweden

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