Addressing ill-health in municipal workplaces through participatory organizational interventions. A study visit at the Danish National Research Centre for the Working Environment

Work-related stress and associated health issues have reached alarming levels, affecting both employees and organizations. Unfavorable psychosocial work conditions lead to reduced performance, increased absenteeism, and high turnover.

This is particularly pronounced in the public sector, which often grapples with resource constraints and bureaucratic complexities.

Organizational interventions aimed at enhancing workers’ well-being by changing the way work is organized, designed, and managed, are a recommended solution; among these—participatory interventions, where distinct stakeholders collaboratively design and implement changes.

Nordic countries have been at the forefront of such approach.This project involves a study visit to the Danish National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NFA) where the applicant has a unique chance to co-create a participatory intervention targeting sickness absence among municipal employees in elderly care.

The intervention focuses on improving job control, reducing bureaucracy, and sustaining the workforce. We will investigate under which conditions such an intervention succeeds, using an innovative analytical technique.

The primary goal of the visit is to enable knowledge exchange between Medical Management Center (applicant’s home institution) and NFA.

The project provides opportunities to cooperate with decision-makers and learn how to translate the findings into actionable recommendations.

Apart from applicant’s active role in intervention design, implementation, and evaluation, the visit offers networking opportunities with NFA researchers to foster future collaborations.

The expected outcomes include:gaining skills in managing a research-practice collaboration,expertise in developing interventions in resource-constrained public sector,establishing international collaborations,disseminating knowledge to strengthen home institution´s research,joint publication and practical recommendations.