Abstract
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.
Highlights
Work-related illness and increasing rates of sickness absence are a growing concern, especially in the public sector [1,2]
The cost per employee was higher for the facilitator support approach (FSA) compared to that for the monetary support approach (MSA)
An overall decrease in sickness absence was seen due to the program
Summary
Work-related illness and increasing rates of sickness absence are a growing concern, especially in the public sector [1,2]. Mental health disorders are the most common reason for sickness absence in Sweden [3], and in many cases, a dysfunctional work environment with unsatisfactory working conditions contributes to work-related illnesses [4]. Alongside the increased sickness absence, adverse working conditions increase presenteeism (i.e., working with reduced productivity because of illness), employee turnover, and productivity loss, which creates a vast economic burden, both to the employer and to society [5,6]. In Sweden in 2018, the societal cost for total sickness absence was estimated to be SEK 64 billion EUR 6.4 billion), the value of production loss due to sickness absence being the largest cost component [7]. The workplace is an important arena for reducing work-related illness, and workplace interventions are often implemented to prevent accidents, improve the work environment, improve employee health, and reduce sickness absence [4,8]. Individual, group, and/or organizational-level interventions can be used [10,11]
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