Exploring Environment-Intervention Fit: A Study of a Work Environment Intervention Program for the Care Sector.

Louise Hardman Smith,Mari-Ann Flyvholm,Birgit Aust

doi:10.1155/2015/272347

Louise Hardman Smith, Mari-Ann Flyvholm + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/272347

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Abstract

Targeting occupational health and safety interventions to different groups of employees and sectors is important. The aim of this study was to explore the environment-intervention fit of a Danish psychosocial work environment intervention program for the residential and home care sector. Focus group interviews with employees and interviews with mangers were conducted at 12 selected workplaces and a questionnaire survey was conducted with managers at all 115 workplaces. The interventions enhanced the probability of employees experiencing more “good” work days, where they could make a difference to the lives of clients. The interventions may therefore be characterized as culturally compelling and having a good fit with the immediate work environment of employees. The interventions furthermore seemed to fit well with the wider organizational environment and with recent changes in the societal and economic context of workplaces. However, some workplaces had difficulties with involving all employees and adapting the interventions to the organization of work. The findings suggest that flexibility and a variety of strategies to involve all employees are important aspects, if interventions are to fit well with the care sector. The focus on employees' conceptualization of a “good” work day may be useful for intervention research in other sectors.

Highlights

In occupational health and safety research, the importance of developing intervention programs to target different groups of employees and sectors has been emphasized in recent years [1, 2]
We investigated how the prevention package interventions for the care sector fitted with level one, the employees’ and their teams’ immediate working environment, by relating employees’ perceptions of the impact of the interventions to their conceptualizations of a “good” work day
In the analysis of the focus group interviews we identified five distinct themes regarding the employees’ descriptions of a “good” work day

Summary

Introduction

In occupational health and safety research, the importance of developing intervention programs to target different groups of employees and sectors has been emphasized in recent years [1, 2]. The WHO Healthy Workplace Framework and Model suggests that to be successful “the specific needs and requirements of the local culture and conditions should be incorporated into the health and safety activities in the workplace” [3]. As a consequence of the recognition of the need for design of tailored interventions, a search for pathways to target interventions to specific groups of employees and workplaces such as for instance small enterprises has been intensified [6, 7]. Among the factors identified as being of special interest for managing healthy organizational change are: role clarification, manager availability, attention to diversity in perceptions and reactions, the use of constructive conflicts and attention to the local norms among employees [9, 10]

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