Decreasing employees' work stress by a participatory, organizational level work stress prevention approach: a multiple-case study in primary education

BACKGROUND: Work stress is an important problem among employees in education in the Netherlands. The present study aims to investigate the effects of a participatory organizational level work stress prevention approach to reduce (quantitative) job demands, increase resources (i.e. autonomy, supervisor and coworker support) and to re

Preparing Residents Effectively in Emergency Skills Training with a Serious Game

Introduction Training emergency care skills is critical for patient safety but cost intensive. Serious games have been proposed as an engaging self-directed learning tool for complex skills. The objective of this study was to compare the cognitive skills and motivation of medical residents who only used a course manual as preparation for classroom training on emergency care with residents who used an additional serious game. Methods This was a quasi-experimental study with residents preparing for a rotation in the emergency department. The "reading" group received a course manual before classroom training; the "reading and game" group received this manual plus the game as preparation for the same training. Emergency skills were assessed before training (with residents who agreed to participate in an extra pretraining assessment), using validated competency scales and a global performance scale. We also measur

Examples of holistic good practices in promoting and protecting mental health in the workplace: current and future challenges

Background: While attention has been paid to physical risks in the work environment and the promotion of individual employee health, mental health protection and promotion have received much less focus. Psychosocial risk management has not yet been fully incorporated in such efforts. This paper presents good practices in promoting mental health in the workplace in line with World Health Organization (WHO) guidance by identifying barriers, opportunities, and the way forward in this area. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 17 experts who were selected on the basis of their knowledge and expertise in relation to good practice identified tools. Interviewees were asked to evaluate the approaches on the basis of the WHO model for healthy workplaces. Results: The examples of good practice for Workplace Mental Health Promotion (WMHP) are in line with the principles and the five keys of the WHO model. They support the third objective of the WHO comprehensive mental health action plan 2013e2020 for multisectoral implementation of WMHP strategies. Examples of good practice include the engagement of all stakeholders and representatives, science-driven practice, dissemination of good practice, continual improvement, and evaluation. Actions to inform policies/legislation, promote education on psychosocial risks, and provide better evidence were suggested for higher WMHP success. Conclusion: The study identified commonalities in good practice approaches in different countries and stressed the importance of a strong policy and enforcement framework as well as organizational responsibility for WMHP. For progress to be achieved in this area, a holistic and multidisciplinary approach was unanimously suggested as a way to successful implementation

Engagementgame

Gastcollege 17 april op de UvA over de engagementgam

Werkstress te lijf: hoe herken je de druppel?

‘Wie heeft er wel eens ’s avonds nog een werkmail verstuurd?’ De vraag van Lodewijk Asscher blijft even in de zaal hangen. Dan schieten alle handen in het publiek in één keer de lucht in. ‘Iedereen dus,’ concludeert de minister van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid met een lachje. ‘Dat dacht ik al. Daar is natuurlijk ook niets mis mee,’ zo stelt hij in de openingsspeech waarmee de Week van de Werkstress vandaag wordt afgetrapt. ‘Maar,’ vervolgt hij, ‘waar ligt de grens? Is er nog wel een moment dat die computer helemaal uitgaat? Hoe herken je bij jezelf de druppel die jouw emmer doet overlopen? En wanneer is ‘veel’ eigenlijk te veel?

Hoe gezondheidsbeleid de toewijding van werknemers beínvloedt

In een longitudinaal onderzoek onder 1.013 werknemers met drie jaarlijkse metingen is nagegaan of het gezondheidsbeleid van werkgevers invloed heeft op de toewijding van werknemers. Bovendien is nagegaan of gezondheidsbeleid bijdraagt aan autonomie, sociale steun (van leiding- gevende, van collega’s) en rechtvaardigheid in de organisatie (procedureel, distributief) en of het effect van gezondheidsbeleid op toewijding via deze hulpbronnen loopt. Uit het onderzoek blijkt dat gezondheidsbeleid op T1 bijdraagt aan hogere toewijding op T3, na correctie voor toewijding op T1. Bovendien blijkt dat gezondheidsbeleid geen invloed heeft op autonomie, maar wel leidt tot meer sociale steun van de leidinggevende en collega’s en tot hogere procedurele en distributieve rechtvaardigheid op T2 na cor- rectie voor deze hulpbronnen op T1. De effecten van gezondheidsbeleid op toewijding worden deels gemedieerd door meer sociale steun van de leidinggevende en hogere procedurele rechtvaardigheid. Dit betekent dat werkgevers zouden moeten investeren in gezondheidsbeleid om de hulp- bronnen van werknemers te verhogen en hun toewijding te bevorderen

Social climate at work important to workers

According to the findings of the Netherlands Working Conditions Survey 2009, social support by colleagues and supervisors, the number of conflicts and the prevalence of workplace violence strongly determine the social climate at work. All these factors appear to be important when people are applying for a job or considering staying in a job until or beyond retirement age. The survey also identified a number of sector differences in factors affecting social climate. The ageing workforce means it is becoming more important in the Netherlands, as it is everywhere, to be an active member of the workforce and to stay in a job until or even beyond retirement age. The social climate in the workplace therefore is an important factor in applying for a job and the willingness to stay in a job until (and beyond) retirement age (65 years at the moment in the Netherlands)

Work engagement: drivers and effects

The concept of work engagement fits into the tradition of positive psychology, a recent paradigm shift in psychology which focuses on mental health rather than mental illness. This article gives an introduction to the concept of work engagement. Different definitions and viewpoints of the work engagement concept are discussed. This article will discuss the drivers of work engagement, as well as the associated effects that work engagement has on the health and wellbeing of workers and organisations. Finally, directions for interventions, policy and practice to encourage work-engagement among employees are presented and discussed

Engagement game wint prijs voor preventie

De Engagementgame, die TNO in samenwerking met ArboNed, ING, en Ranj ontwikkelde, is de winnaar van 'Internationale Media Award for Prevention' in de categorie multimedia. Deze serious game waarmee managers getraind kunnen worden om werkdruk te verminderen en bevlogenheid te stimuleren, is volgens de internationale jury een krachtif leermiddel dat veel voordelen en mogelijkheden biedt ten opzichte van traditionele trainingsmethoden. De prijs is maandag 25 augustus uitgereikt tijdens het Internationale Media Festival for Prevention op het XX World Congres on Safety and Health in Frankfurt. www.humanfactors.n