scholarly journals Working conditions and sickness absence: a complex relation

2001 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 368-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. G BENAVIDES
Keyword(s):  
Sickness Absence ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Complex Relation

scholarly journals 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?

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magnus Akerstrom ◽  
Linda Corin ◽  
Jonathan Severin ◽  
Ingibjörg H. Jonsdottir ◽  
Lisa Björk
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Sickness Absence ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Employee Turnover ◽  
Reference Groups ◽  
Intervention Effect ◽  
Intervention Effects ◽  
Line Managers ◽  
Operational Level ◽  
Organisational Level

Organisational-level interventions are recommended for decreasing sickness absence, but knowledge of the optimal design and implementation of such interventions is scarce. We collected data on working conditions, motivation, health, employee turnover, and sickness absence among participants in a large-scale organisational-level intervention comprising measures designed and implemented by line managers and their human resources partners (i.e., operational-level). Information regarding the process, including the implementation of measures, was retrieved from a separate process evaluation, and the intervention effects were investigated using mixed-effects models. Data from reference groups were used to separate the intervention effect from the effects of other concurrent changes at the workplace. Overall, working conditions and motivation improved during the study for both the intervention and reference groups, but an intervention effect was only seen for two of 13 evaluated survey items: clearness of objectives (p = 0.02) and motivation (p = 0.06). No changes were seen in employees’ perceived health, and there were no overall intervention effects on employee turnover or sickness absence. When using operational-level workplace interventions to improve working conditions and employees’ health, efforts must be made to achieve a high measure-to-challenge correspondence; that is, the implemented measures must be a good match to the problems that they are intended to address.

scholarly journals Joint association of sleep problems and psychosocial working conditions with registered long-term sickness absence. A Danish cohort study

2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 299-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ida EH Madsen ◽  
Ann D Larsen ◽  
Sannie V Thorsen ◽  
Jan H Pejtersen ◽  
Reiner Rugulies ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Sickness Absence ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Psychosocial Working Conditions ◽  
Danish Cohort

scholarly journals Work Stress in NHS Employees: A Mixed-Methods Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (18) ◽  
pp. 6464
Author(s):  
Jermaine M. Ravalier ◽  
Andrew McVicar ◽  
Charlotte Boichat
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Sickness Absence ◽  
Work Stress ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Workplace Stress ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Staff Wellbeing

The United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) has a higher-than-average level of stress-related sickness absence of all job sectors in the country. It is important that this is addressed as work stress is damaging to employees and the organisation, and subsequently impacts patient care. The aim of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of working conditions and wellbeing in NHS employees from three employing NHS Trusts through a mixed-methods investigation. First, a cross-sectional organisational survey was completed by 1644 respondents. Questions examined working conditions, stress, psychological wellbeing, job satisfaction, and presenteeism. This was followed by 33 individual semistructured interviews with NHS staff from a variety of clinical and nonclinical roles. Quantitative findings revealed that working conditions were generally positive, although most staff groups had high levels of workload. Regression outcomes demonstrated that a number of working conditions influenced mental wellbeing and stress. Three themes were generated from thematic analysis of the interview data: wellbeing at work, relationships, and communication. These highlight areas which may be contributing to workplace stress. Suggestions are made for practical changes which could improve areas of difficulty. Such changes could improve staff wellbeing and job satisfaction and reduce sickness absence.

scholarly journals Working conditions and compensated sickness absence among nurses and care assistants in Sweden during two decades: a cross-sectional biennial survey study

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. e030096 ◽  
Author(s):  
Staffan Marklund ◽  
Klas Gustafsson ◽  
Gunnar Aronsson ◽  
Constanze Leineweber ◽  
Magnus Helgesson
Keyword(s):  
Work Environment ◽  
Sickness Absence ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Rate Ratio ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Work Factors ◽  
Work Environment Factors ◽  
Ratio Range

ObjectivesThe aims of the study were to trace the patterns of work environment factors and compensated sickness absence (SA) among nurses and care assistants compared with other occupations and to compare SA among exposed and non-exposed nurses and care assistants.DesignA cross-sectional survey on work environment factors based on the biennial Swedish Work Environment Surveys 1991–2013, linked to longitudinal register data on SA 1993–2014.ParticipantsThe study included 98 249 individuals, stratified into nurses and care assistants (n=16 179) and a reference population including all other occupations (n=82 070).Outcome measureAnnual days of compensated SA (>14 days) 3 years after exposure years.ResultsNurses and care assistants had higher SA in 1993–2014 compared with all other occupations, and differences in background factors only partly explained this relationship. For both groups, exposure to physical work factors remained steady, but the number of exposed were 10%–30% higher among nurses and care assistants. Those exposed to heavy physical work and strenuous working postures had in most years significantly higher SA when compared with non-exposed (rate ratio range: 1.4–1.9). Exposure to high job demands increased 10%–25% in 1991–1999 among nurses and care assistants but became more stable in 2001–2013 and high proportions of high job demands coincided with the increase in SA in 1995–1999. Nurses and care assistants exposed to high job demands had for most years significantly higher SA than non-exposed (rate ratio range: 1.5–2.1). Low job control and low support from supervisors elevated SA significantly only for a few years.ConclusionsExposure to negative work factors among nurses and care assistants was weakly associated with variations in SA, but may be related to their higher level of SA when compared with other occupations. Improved physical and psychosocial working conditions may reduce the elevated SA level in these occupations.

Joint association of physical and psychosocial working conditions with risk of long-term sickness absence: Prospective cohort study with register follow-up

2020 ◽  
pp. 140349482093642
Author(s):  
Emil Sundstrup ◽  
Lars Louis Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Sickness Absence ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Trend Test ◽  
Psychosocial Working Conditions ◽  
Influence At Work ◽  
Emotional Demands

Aims: The interplay between physical and psychosocial working conditions for the risk of developing poor health is not well understood. This study aimed to determine the joint association of physical and psychosocial working conditions with risk of long-term sickness absence (LTSA) in the general working population. Methods: Based on questionnaire responses about physical working conditions and psychosocial working conditions (influence at work, emotional demands, support from colleagues and support from managers) and two-year prospective follow-up in a national register on social transfer payments, we estimated the risk of incident LTSA of >30 days among 9544 employees without previous LTSA from the Danish Work Environment Cohort Study. The analyses were censored for all events of permanent labour market drop-out (retirement, disability pension, immigration or death) and controlled for potential confounders. Results: In the total cohort, more demanding physical working conditions were associated with risk of LTSA in a dose–response fashion (trend test, p<0.0001). The combination of poor overall psychosocial working conditions (index measure of influence at work, emotional demands, support from managers and support from colleagues) and hard physical working conditions showed the highest risk of LTSA. However, poor overall psychosocial working conditions did not interact with physical working conditions in the risk of LTSA ( p=0.9677). Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that workplaces should strive to improve both psychosocial and physical work factors in order to ensure the health of workers.

Do psychosocial working conditions modify the effect of depressive symptoms on long-term sickness absence?

2013 ◽  
pp. n/a-n/a ◽  
Author(s):  
Pernille U. Hjarsbech ◽  
Karl Bang Christensen ◽  
Rikke Voss Andersen ◽  
Vilhelm Borg ◽  
Birgit Aust ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Sickness Absence ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Psychosocial Working Conditions

scholarly journals Favorable Working Conditions Related to Health Behavior Among Nurses and Care Assistants in Sweden—A Population-Based Cohort Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magnus Helgesson ◽  
Staffan Marklund ◽  
Klas Gustafsson ◽  
Gunnar Aronsson ◽  
Constanze Leineweber
Keyword(s):  
Health Behavior ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Risk Behavior ◽  
Sickness Absence ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Health Complaints ◽  
Psychosocial Working Conditions ◽  
Sickness Presence ◽  
Recovery Behavior

Objective: To analyze the associations between favorable physical and psychosocial work factors and health behavior among healthcare employees (nurses and care assistants) with health complaints.Methods: The study was based on seven iterations (2001–2013) of a biennial Swedish work environment survey linked with data from public registers. In all, 7,180 healthcare employees, aged 16–64 years, who had reported health complaints, were included. Health behavior was operationalized through four combinations of sickness absence (SA) and sickness presence (SP): ‘good health behavior' (Low SP/Low SA), ‘recovery behavior' (Low SP/High SA), ‘risk behavior' (High SP/Low SA), and ‘poor health behavior' (High SP/High SA). Odds ratios (OR) were calculated by multinomial logistic regression with 95% confidence intervals (CI).Results: After adjusting for socio-demographic factors, those who rarely worked in strenuous postures had an increased probability of having ‘good health behavior' (OR range: nurses 1.72–2.02; care assistants 1.46–1.75). Those who rarely experienced high job demands had increased odds for having ‘good health behavior' (OR: nurses 1.81; OR range: care assistants 1.67–2.13), while having good job control was found to be related to ‘good health behavior' only among care assistants (OR range 1.30–1.68). In the full model, after also considering differences in health, none of the work environment indicators affected ‘good health behavior' among nursing professionals. Among care assistants, rarely having heavy physical work and having low psychosocial demands remained significantly associated with ‘good health behavior' (OR range: 1.24–1.58) and ‘recovery behavior' (OR range: 1.33–1.70). No associations were found between favorable work environment factors and ‘risk behavior' among the two groups of employees. However, positive assessments of the work situation were associated with ‘good health behavior,' even after controlling for all confounders for both groups (OR range: 1.43–2.69).Conclusions: ‘Good health behavior' and ‘recovery behavior' among care assistants were associated with favorable physical and psychosocial working conditions even when health was considered. This implies that reduced sickness presence and sickness absence among care assistants can be achieved through improved physical and psychosocial working conditions.

scholarly journals Gender, occupational gender segregation and sickness absence

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne May Melsom ◽  
Arne Mastekaasa
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Sickness Absence ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Gender Segregation ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Fixed Effect ◽  
Health Differences ◽  
Occupational Gender ◽  
Occupational Gender Segregation ◽  
New Evidence

Women have much higher sickness absence rates than men. One prominent hypothesis is that this is a result of gender segregation in the labour market and the differences in employment or working conditions that follow from this. Previous studies assessing this idea give mixed results, but they do not take into account the possibility of selection effects. Long-term health differences between individuals may, for instance, influence both what jobs people end up in and their levels of sickness absence. In this paper, we provide new evidence on employment and working conditions as a cause of gender differences in sickness absence. We use individual fixed-effect models to account for selection based on stable individual characteristics. Like several previous studies, we find a U-shaped relationship with high absence in both male- and female-dominated occupations. However, the fixed-effect models show that this relationship is primarily caused by overrepresentation of absence-prone individuals in female-dominated occupations. Accounting for selection, the association between the proportion of women in the occupation and sickness absence is negative. As far as sickness absence is concerned, the gender segregation in the labour market thus seems to work to the advantage of women.

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