Work Environment Impact Scale Research Articles

Using the Work Behaviour Inventory and Work Environment Impact Scale to measure employment sustainability for people with severe mental illness in a vocational rehabilitation program.

People with severe mental illness often have difficulty sustaining employment. Work Behaviour Inventory and Work Environment Impact Scale are vocational assessments used by occupational therapists to evaluate the facilitators and barriers of work performance and work environment respectively. These factors may have an impact on job tenure and can inform occupational therapy practice. This study analysed retrospective data of 85 clients who attended a 3-month Employment Internship Program from August 2016 to August 2017. Scores from Work Behaviour Inventory and Work Environment Impact Scale were analysed for associations with job tenure. Repeated measures were used to determine significant changes in Work Behaviour Inventory composite scores across the 3months. One-month Work Behaviour Inventory composite scores, three Work Behaviour Inventory domains (cooperativeness, work habits, work quality), and three Work Environment Impact Scale domains (time demands, supervisor interaction, architecture) were significantly associated with job tenure. Significant differences in mean job tenure were also found between participants of different internship status. However, these factors did not predict job tenure in regression analysis. There were significant improvements in Work behaviour Inventory composite scores from the first to third month. Work behaviours such as cooperativeness, work habits, and work quality as well as work characteristics such as time demands, supervisor interaction, and workplace architecture may play a role in influencing job tenure. Occupational therapists may consider such factors and provide more targeted interventions to effectively sustain employment.

Mothers’ experiences of their work as healthcare assistants for their chronic disabled child

Background: To the best of our knowledge, no research of the work situation of full-time, paid, parental HC assistants has been done.Aim: To examine how parents experienced their work as HC assistants for their chronic disabled child.Methods: Semi-structured interviews based on the Work Environment Impact Scale (WEIS-S) were done with nine mothers who had a child aged 8-17 years old with a cognitive or/and physical chronic disability. Content analysis was used with the Model Of Human Occupation as a framework.Results: The studied mothers always needed to be stand-by for their child, and they highlighted physical and psychological health problems caused by their work situation. There were several difficulties working in different environments because of the child’s need of technical devices. Further they described the support from their employers as important and in general the participants perceived a lack of understanding about their work situation in the society. Conclusion: The mothers in the present study had unclear job descriptions, they often worked more than full-time, and had low occupational balance.Significance: Occupational therapists could improve the HC assistants’ work place focusing on the physical and psycho-social work environment as well as on their occupational balance.

Work ability in patients with polymyositis and dermatomyositis: An explorative and descriptive study.

Polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) are rare, chronic inflammatory diseases leading to muscle weakness and low muscle endurance. The muscle weakness may lead to restrictions in daily activities and low health-related quality of life. This study aimed to investigate the work situation, work ability, work-related risk factors, and influence of the physical and psycho-social work environment in patients with PM and DM. Patients with PM/DM were assessed using the Work Ability Index (WAI), and the Work Environment Impact Scale (WEIS). Forty-eight patients (PM n = 25 and DM n = 23) participated (women/men: 29/19) with a mean age of 54 years (range 28-67 years, SD.10) and mean disease duration of nine years (SD.9). Forty-four percent worked full-time, 31% part-time and 25% were on full-time sick leave. More than 50% self-rated work ability as "poor" or "less good". Physically strenuous work components were present "quite to very often" in 23-79% and more in patients on sick leave ≥ 2 years. For those working, the interfering factors in the work environment concerned task and time demands. Supporting factors concerned meaning of work, interactions with co-workers and others. Self-rated work ability correlated moderately-highly positive with percentage of full-time employment, work-related risk factors and opportunities and constraints in the work environment. Poor self-rated work ability is common in patients with PM/DM indicating a need to identify interfering risk factors and support patients to enhance work performance.

P15.09 * THE EXPERIENCE OF WORK ENVIRONMENT OF PEOPLE WITH MENTAL FATIGUE AFTER BRAIN TUMOUR

INTRODUCTION: Mental fatigue may occur after brain tumor and may involve a feeling of constant fatigue. The persistence of visual and motor activities can provide a focal fatigue. Mental fatigue makes it hard to have full work capacity. There are not many studies about mental fatigue that are related to work environment and brain tumour. PURPOSE: The aim was to describe how people with brain tumors and who are affected by mental fatigue experience the work environment and how it affects their ability to work, and what the participants perceive as barriers and support in the work environment. METHOD: The six participants were interviewed with the Work Environment Impact Scale (WEIS). The interview data were processed using a qualitative thematic analysis. RESULTS: The study showed that flexibility in being able to control their working hours, breaks and tasks perceived as a support for the participants. The mental fatigue that participants felt had affected their ability to cope with stress such as difficulty to perform the tasks as quickly and as long as they handle before. Working tasks that put high demands on concentration was a barrier for the participants that led to increase of mental fatigue. Workplace design and noise experienced most of the participants had an impact on how they managed to carry out their duties. Noise perceived as a typically distractions and led to the participants' mental fatigue increased. The majority of participants felt that they did not have much energy left after working out, which affected their leisure and privacy. CONCLUSIONS: The aspect of time is an aid if there is a flexibility regarding breaks, arrangement of working hours and tasks. Stressful work environment is a barrier and it is found necessary to reduce the stress of dealing with the impact of mental fatigue. Noise is a barrier and the participants felt that an aid was to reduce noise and also staying in place without many activities. The participants felt that work increased mental fatigue and affected their privacy and leisure.

Work environment impact scale: Testing the psychometric properties of the Swedish version

The Work Environment Impact Scale (WEIS) is an assessment that focuses on the fit between a person and his or her work environment. It is based on Kielhofner's Model of Human Occupation and designed to gather information on how clients experience their work environment. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the WEIS assessment instrument. In total, 95 ratings on the 17-item WEIS were obtained from a sample of clients with experience of sick leave due to different medical conditions. Rasch analysis was used to analyze the data. Overall, the WEIS items together cohered to form a single construct of increasingly challenging work environmental factors. The hierarchical ordering of the items along the continuum followed a logical and expected pattern, and the participants were validly measured by the scale. The three occupational therapists serving as raters validly used the scale, but demonstrated a relatively high rater separation index, indicating differences in rater severity. The findings provide evidence that the Swedish version of the WEIS is a psychometrically sound assessment across diagnoses and occupations, which can provide valuable information about experiences of work environment challenges.

SAT0579-HPR The Work Ability in Patients with Polymy- and Dermatomyositis is Affected: a Cross-Sectional Study

BackgroundPolymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) are characterized by muscle weakness which affects activity and participation. Work and leisure are the activities patients with PM/DM perceive as most limited. Previous studies...

Reclaiming the worker role: Perceptions of people with mental illness participating in IPS

Objective: People with severe mental illness are often successful in gaining work when participating in the evidence-based Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach. Little evidence exists on how starting work is perceived by IPS participants. This qualitative study aimed to explore how IPS participants perceived working and the work environment to impact on their work performance. Methods: Nineteen participants starting work in mainstream work settings were interviewed. Questions from the Work Environment Impact Scale were used and data was analysed by content analysis. The participants strove to fit in by coping with environmental demands and adapting to their worker role. Results: Work was perceived as having a positive impact on their daily life, although starting work was perceived as a challenge and the mental illness affected work performance. Personal strategies were needed in order to cope. They perceived both supportive and demanding factors in their work environments, such as the employer's support and the social atmosphere among colleagues. Conclusion: The study showed that it is vital to focus on the individual's own strategies for adapting to the worker role when designing the support, as well as to develop collaborative relationships with employers and to optimize the match between the individual and the demands of the work environment.

The work environment impact scale – self-rating (WEIS-SR) evaluated in primary health care in Sweden

To develop a self-report alternative to the Work Environment Impact Scale (WEIS). First the novel instrument was used and evaluated by ten occupational therapists and 45~clients in primary health care. Then the instrument was used by 26~clients who participated in a rehabilitation programme in another primary health care district. The instrument was investigated in two steps. First content validity and utility were investigated through a questionnaire addressed to occupational therapists and their clients respectively. The response distribution was calculated by frequencies. Internal consistency was investigated. In the second step, a revised version of the instrument was investigated for test-retest reliability and internal consistency. The test-retest reliability was calculated by weighted kappa. The internal consistency of the WEIS-SR was calculated by means of Cronbach's alpha. In step one the content validity was good to moderately good, the utility was good, and the internal consistency was satisfactory (0.72). In step two the internal consistency was good (0.88/0.89) and the test-retest reliability was mostly good to moderate (0.35-0.78, median 0.61). The instrument will be further investigated in other populations and take into consideration additional psychometric properties such as sensitivity to change, predictive validity, and concurrent validity.

Social firms: Sustainable employment for people with mental illness

Social firms or enterprises aim to offer sustainable employment in supportive workplaces for people who are disadvantaged in the labour market. Therefore, this study sought to explore employees' views in one social firm about the features of their workplace that they found supportive. Seven employees were recruited, all of whom experienced persistent mental illness, and had worked in this social firm for between eleven months and six years. A semi-structured interview, the Work Environment Impact Scale (version 2.0), was used to explore participants' views of their workplace and to rate how its physical and social characteristics impacted them. Participants also rated their job satisfaction with a modified Indiana Job Satisfaction Scale. Features of the social firm workplace identified by these employees as contributing to their sustained employment and satisfaction were the rewards, task demands, work schedule, and workplace interactions with supervisors and other co-workers. From their views, guiding principles for the development of supportive workplaces and evaluation of their capacity to afford sustainable employment were derived. This study adds to current knowledge about workplace supports from an employee perspective, and is of relevance for informing future social firm development, workplace design and evaluation.

The Therapeutic Benefits of Horticulture in a Mental Health Service

Introduction:The use of horticulture in mental health settings is widespread. Moreover, its effectiveness is supported by a body of qualitative evidence.Aims:The investigators in this research study sought to determine those aspects of their horticultural projects that conferred the greatest therapeutic benefit to their clients. They used outcome measures to rate the responses of participants, paying particular attention to the participants' expressed motivation.Method:Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to evaluate six horticultural projects. Ten participants were interviewed, using an adapted version of the Work Environment Impact Scale (WEIS) to rate factors that supported their motivation. Fifty participants were assessed, using the Volitional Questionnaire (VQ) to observe and rate the extent of their motivation.Findings:The therapeutic value of horticulture arose from a complex interplay of personal factors, including gender-based preferences, individual interests and social needs.Conclusion:The benefits of engaging in horticultural activity are not automatic. The external environment provides challenges, which can be graded by the facilitators to maximise the therapeutic benefit.

Sustaining Employment in a Social Firm: Use of the Work Environment Impact Scale V2.0 to Explore Views of Employees with Psychiatric Disabilities

Evidence suggests that people with psychiatric disabilities find it difficult to get and keep jobs, with workplace characteristics contributing to difficulties staying in employment. This qualitative study aimed to understand the views of employees with a psychiatric disability about working in an Australian social firm designed to provide an inclusive and supportive work environment. Method: Seven participants who had sustained jobs for 6 months or longer in the social firm, a contract cleaning business, were interviewed using the Work Environment Impact Scale (Version 2.0). Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and analysed inductively using thematic and narrative analysis. Findings: Participants' views of the work environment included that the regular structure and achievable tasks, the supportive and cooperative team and the benefits of the job made working in the social firm enjoyable and the right job for now. The findings suggest that participants' decisions to stay in their jobs were influenced by the social firm environment, which supported their wellbeing, and by their individual illness and occupational narratives. Conclusion: The WEISv2.0 was effective in gaining participants' views on wide-ranging features of their workplaces. Further research is recommended to expand the evidence base concerning workplace features that support employees with psychiatric disabilities to sustain their jobs.

Perceptions of the work environment among people with experience of long term sick leave

The aims were to describe and analyze how people with experience of long term sick leave perceive that factors in their work environment support or interfere with work performance, satisfaction, and well-being. The 53 participants were interviewed with the Work Environment Impact Scale (WEIS). The WEIS ratings and belonging notes were analyzed by descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis respectively. Differences in WEIS ratings between; women and men; participants with somatic and mental diseases; and participants working and on full-time sick leave were tested. The most supportive factors concerned social interactions at work, and the value and meaning of work. The factors perceived as most interfering concerned work demands and rewards. The social relations at work were perceived as more supportive by the working group than by those on full-time sick leave. The participants with somatic diseases perceived physical work factors as more interfering than did participants with mental diseases, who in turn perceived the value and meaning of work as more interfering. Knowledge about the interaction between the worker and the work environment could reveal useful information about the complex phenomenon of reducing sick leave. The WEIS seems useful in providing information about how alterations and accommodations in the work environment could support individual workers.

Construct validity of a work environment impact scale

This study examined the construct validity and the internal consistency of a newly developed assessment, the Work Environment Impact Scale (WEIS). After administration to 20 individuals with psychiatric disabilities, Rasch analysis was utilized to scrutinize the data. For this study, criteria for determining unexpected person/item responses were based on the following criteria: MNSQ > 1.3 and <formula>$\underline{t}>2.0$</formula>. Persons/items with MNSQ < 0.7 and <formula>$\underline{t}<-2.0$</formula> were examined to enhance instrument precision but were not considered misfit. Results suggest that the WEIS is an appropriate and valid instrument to utilize with workers who have psychiatric disabilities. Overall, the items appeared to match the worker's need for performance, satisfaction, and well-being as the mean of persons measure is 0.30 ± 0.49 logits more than the mean of items measured. In addition the hierarchical order of items is consistent with literature identifying environmental press and affordance for workers with psychiatric disabilities. WEIS items constitute a uni-dimensional construct given that the summary statistics for both item and person had a MNSQ of 1.00 and 1.02 respectively and both <formula>$\underline{t}$</formula> values were -0.2. However, three items exceeded the established criterion for being too informative given the MNSQ < 0.7 and a <formula>$\underline{t}<-2.0$</formula>., suggesting these needed to be revised to enhance the quality measurement of the instrument. One hundred percent of the workers fit the expected response pattern of the Rasch model suggesting that workers with greater satisfaction, performance and health had a higher degree of match with his/her occupational environment. In summary, anecdotal data suggested that the WEIS provided clinically relevant information useful for planning of work-related interventions or reasonable accommodations.