Using intervention mapping to develop ‘Healthy HR’ aimed at improving sustainable employability of low-educated employees

Abstract

Background The perspectives of low-educated employees are often neglected when designing sustainable employability (SE) interventions. As a result, the interventions offered by the employer do often not align with the needs of low-educated employees. This particular group should therefore be actively involved in the process of developing and implementing SE interventions in their work organizations. The current paper describes the development process of a web-based intervention for HR managers and direct supervisors aimed at improving the SE of low-educated employees. This intervention is specifically designed to involve low-educated employees. Methods The first four steps of the Intervention Mapping (IM) approach were used to systematically develop the intervention with the active involvement of stakeholders. Step 1 comprised a needs assessment including a literature review, empirical evidence, scoping search and several focus group interviews with employees and with representatives of employers. Step 2 formulated the intervention objective. During step 3, suitable theoretical methods were selected and translated to practical applications. Step 4 involved the development of a web-based intervention by integrating all information from the preceding steps. Results The needs assessment indicated that the employees’ active involvement and employees-employer genuine dialogue should be essential characteristics of an SE intervention for low-educated employees. The online toolkit ‘Healthy HR’ (HHR) was developed, which contains eight steps. Each step consists of one or more tasks helping the employer and employees with developing and implementing SE interventions themselves. One or more dialogue-based tools support each task. The leading principle providing structure within HHR was Adapted Intervention Mapping. Conclusion Principles of IM appeared to be useful to develop the intervention HHR systematically. This development process resulted in a practical online toolkit that supports employers in the development and implementation of local SE interventions tailored to the needs of low-educated employees. These employees should be actively involved in the process through a dialogue-based approach. By using IM principles, HHR is expected to increase the effectiveness in bettering the health and well-being of low-educated employees.

“I noticed that when I have a good supervisor, it can make a Lot of difference.” A Qualitative Study on Guidance of Employees with a Work Disability to Improve Sustainable Employability

“…The challenge for supervisors is to set clear expectations and give concrete instructions about work tasks. This is in line with previous research showing that good and open communication between the supervisor and the employee is important to discuss adjustments of work tasks or in the work environment [21,25], as this may increase job satisfaction and thereby sustainable employability of employees with a work disability [27].…”

Promoting Physical Activity among Workers: A Review of Literature and Future Directions on Developing Theory-Based Interventions

“…A systematic review has demonstrated that significant increases were observed in the uptake of disease prevention interventions [ 33 ]. In addition, IM has been used in a wide range of health promotion programs, targeting different populations (e.g., employees, older adults), in different contexts (e.g., workplaces, schools), and using different delivery modes (e.g., mHealth, web-based) [ 14 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ]. Therefore, the IM approach is a promising tool to develop an intervention to improve PA and health in working adults, which may boost the effectiveness of the intervention and increase reliability of conclusions in this area.…”

Systematic Review of Intervention Studies to Foster Sustainable Employability Core Components: Implications for Workplace Promotion

“…This implication is supported by the recent promising scientific literature that overall underlines the importance of enabling valuable work practices for SE. These practices mainly take shapes in a dialogue-based toolkit [62,63]; health and safety monitoring routines [64]; tailormade development programs [65]; the promotion of opportunities and employee development fitted with personal wishes and needs [66]; negotiation and discussion about Ideals and systematic training as well as structured conversation processes and coaches [67]; the improvement of the employee psychological capital [68]; job crafting and continuous sustainable changes [69]; continuous routines of conditions' assessments and shared action plans [70]; career development discussions as well as regular dialogue and organizational culture [71]; and counseling, coaching, mentoring and motivational interviewing [60]. Therefore, developing capabilities in the form of competencies and health resources should be considered a key action in SE promotion and requires further practical advancement.…”