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

Abstract

PurposeThe 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/approachAn 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.FindingsThe 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/implicationsMore attention should be paid to developing and increasing positive psychosocial experiences while simultaneously reducing negative psychosocial experiences, as this employeeship intervention demonstrated.Practical implicationsAn 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/valueAlthough organizational-level interventions are complex processes, evaluations that focus on process and effect can offer insights into the workings of successful interventions.