Work accommodations for employees with common mental disorders and associated manager-related determinants: a cross-sectional study among Swedish managers

Abstract

Purpose To investigate frequencies of managers’ reported use of work accommodations (WAs) for employees with common mental disorders (CMD), and to examine associations between manager-related characteristics and the use of diverse WAs. Material and methods 3358 managers took part in a web-survey, of these, 1779 were included in this study. The survey listed 15 WAs grouped into seven types using principal component analysis. The relationships between managers’ person-related, knowledge-related, and work-related characteristics with the seven WAs were tested with multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results Reported use of WAs was high. Compared to work-related characteristics, person-related and knowledge-related characteristics were stronger associated with WAs. The two characteristics associated with most WAs types were (1) confidence in supporting employees with CMD (5 WA types) and (2) managerial training on CMD (4 WA types). Conclusion Managers report an extensive use of different types of WAs. WAs were related to a variety of determinants, depending on the WA type, but using WAs depends on the manager as an individual rather than on their work environment. To increase equal access to WAs, organizations should encourage managers to use WAs in order to support and improve the work capacity for employees with CMD.