An effect evaluation of the psychosocial work environment of a university unit after a successfully implemented employeeship program

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether a successful implementation of an intervention could result in an effect evaluated independently from a process evaluation. It was achieved by evaluating the effects of an intervention, the “employeeship program,” designed to strengthen the psychosocial work environment through raising employees’ awareness and competence in interpersonal relationships and increasing their responsibility for their everyday work and working environment. Design/methodology/approach An employeeship intervention program was developed to improve the psychosocial work environment through reducing conflict among employees and strengthening the social community, empowering leadership, and increasing trust in management. An earlier process evaluation of the program found that it had been implemented successfully. The present effect evaluation supplemented this by examining its effect on the psychosocial work environment using two waves of the organization’s internal survey and comparing changes in the intervention unit at two points and against the rest of the organization. Findings The intervention was effective in improving the psychosocial work environment through reducing conflicts among employees and strengthening the social community, empowering leadership, and increasing trust in management. Research limitations/implications More attention should be paid to developing and increasing positive psychosocial experiences while simultaneously reducing negative psychosocial experiences, as this employeeship intervention demonstrated. Practical implications An intervention focusing on employeeship is an effective way to achieve a healthier psychosocial work environment with demonstrable benefits for individuals and the working unit. Originality/value Although organizational-level interventions are complex processes, evaluations that focus on process and effect can offer insights into the workings of successful interventions.

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What happens to the physical and psychosocial work environment when activity-based offices are introduced into academia?

Journal of Corporate Real Estate ◽

10.1108/jcre-06-2017-0017 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 230-243 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Hanne Berthelsen ◽

Tuija Muhonen ◽

Susanna Toivanen

Keyword(s):

Work Environment ◽

Response Rate ◽

Well Being ◽

Psychosocial Work Environment ◽

Psychosocial Work ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Content Type ◽

Long Run ◽

Before And After ◽

Cross Sectional Design

PurposeThere is an increased interest for introducing activity-based offices at universities. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the knowledge about the importance of the built environment for the psychosocial work environment within academia by analyzing how staff at a large Swedish university experienced the physical and psychosocial work environment before and after moving to activity-based offices.Design/methodology/approachA Web-based survey was distributed to all employees at two faculties at a university three months before (2015,n= 217, response rate 51 per cent) and nine months after (2016,n= 200, response rate 47 per cent) relocation to a new activity-based university building.FindingsIn the new premises, a vast majority (86 per cent) always occupied the same place when possible, and worked also more often from home. The social community at work had declined and social support from colleagues and supervisors was perceived to have decreased. The participants reported a lower job satisfaction after the relocation and were more likely to seek new jobs. No aspects in the physical or psychosocial work environment were found to have improved after the relocation.Research/limitations implicationsThe study had a two-wave cross-sectional design, which does not allow establishing causal relations.Practical implicationsThere is reason to be cautious about relocation to activity-based offices at universities. The potential savings in costs for premises may lead to may be followed by an increase in other costs. The risk that staff cannot concentrate on their work in activity-based university workplaces and lose their sense of community with colleagues are factors, which in the long run may lead to decreased efficiency, more conflicts and poorer well-being.Originality/valueThis paper contributes with new knowledge concerning changes in the physical and psychosocial work environment when relocating from cell offices to activity-based offices in a university setting.

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Expanding the Domain of the Psychosocial Work Environment: Work Place Norms and Work-Family Conflict as Correlates of Stress and Subjective Health Symptoms

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e336032004-001 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Tove H. Hammer ◽

Per Oystein Saksvik ◽

Kjell Nytro ◽

Hans Torvatn ◽

Mahmut Bayazit

Keyword(s):

Work Environment ◽

Family Conflict ◽

Subjective Health ◽

Psychosocial Work Environment ◽

Work Place ◽

Psychosocial Work ◽

Work Family Conflict ◽

Health Symptoms ◽

Work Family

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Being bullied at work--Psychosocial work environment, organisation's economic situation, and individual situation of the target

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e577572014-018 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Maarit A.-L. Vartia ◽

Maria Hirvonen

Keyword(s):

Work Environment ◽

Psychosocial Work Environment ◽

Economic Situation ◽

Psychosocial Work ◽

Being Bullied

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The Psychosocial Work Environment and Perceived Stress among Seniors with Physically Demanding Jobs: The SeniorWorkingLife Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18147437 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (14) ◽

pp. 7437

Author(s):

Jonas Vinstrup ◽

Annette Meng ◽

Emil Sundstrup ◽

Lars L. Andersen

Keyword(s):

Work Environment ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

High Stress ◽

Organizational Factors ◽

Work Conditions ◽

Psychosocial Work Environment ◽

Psychosocial Work ◽

Decision Latitude ◽

Collegial Support ◽

Increased Risk

Background: Poor psychosocial work conditions are known to foster negative health consequences. While the existing literature on this topic focus mainly on white-collar workers, the influence of different aspects of the psychosocial work environment in physically demanding jobs remain understudied. Likewise, senior workers represent a population of the workforce at increased risk of adverse health outcomes and premature exit from the labour market. This study investigates the association between psychosocial work factors and perceived stress among the senior work force. Methods: Utilizing cross-sectional findings, this study reports associations between psychosocial factors (organizational justice, cooperation and collegial support, decision latitude, clarity of tasks, and quality of leadership) and the outcome of perceived stress quantified by Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS). Currently employed senior workers with physically demanding jobs were included in the analyses (n = 3386). Associations were modeled using general linear models with weights to make the estimates representative. Results: For all individually adjusted psychosocial variables, the category of “good” was consistently associated with lower stress scores compared to the categories of both “moderate” and “poor” (all p < 0.0001). Likewise, in the mutually adjusted analysis, the category of “good” was statistically different from “poor” for all included variables, while the category of “moderate” remained different from “poor” for “clarity of tasks”, “cooperation and collegial support”, and “decision latitude”. Conclusions: Among senior workers with physically demanding jobs, poor ratings of organizational factors related to the psychosocial work environment are consistently associated with high stress scores. Blue-collar occupations focusing primarily on physical risk factors are recommended to increase awareness on psychosocial aspects that may be relevant to the local work environment.

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