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Effectiveness of Workplace Interventions for Improving Absenteeism, Productivity, and Work Ability of Employees: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

ABSTRACT: To determine the effectiveness of workplace interventions and the most effective methodological design for the improvement of employee productivity, work ability, and absenteeism. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of workplace interventions was conducted (PROSPERO, CRD42018094083). The PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Cochrane databases were searched. RCTs from 2000 to 2017 and with employees (18-65 years) were selected. Then, intervention characteristics and work-related outcomes data were extracted. A total of 47 RCTs were included in the systematic review, and 19 RCTs (11 absenteeism, 7 productivity, and 5 work ability) were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed that the effectiveness of workplace interventions for absenteeism was -1.56 (95% CI, -2.67 to -0.44) and -2.65 (95% CI, -4.49 to -0.81) considering only moderate quality RCTs. In contrast, only a few studies of workplace interventions for productivity and work ability were included, which was insufficient for determining the effectiveness and best design for improving these work outcomes. The workplace is an interesting environment to reduce absenteeism, and individualized and counseling interventions with <10 sessions/total were the most effective workplace intervention methodological design for reducing the absenteeism of employees. Future high-quality RCTs that also consider health risks should be implemented to strengthen the results.

SUBMITTER: Tarro L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7142489 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Effectiveness of Workplace Interventions for Improving Absenteeism, Productivity, and Work Ability of Employees: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Tarro Lucia L Llauradó Elisabet E Ulldemolins Gemma G Hermoso Pedro P Solà Rosa R

International journal of environmental research and public health 20200314 6

To determine the effectiveness of workplace interventions and the most effective methodological design for the improvement of employee productivity, work ability, and absenteeism. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of workplace interventions was conducted (PROSPERO, CRD42018094083). The PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Cochrane databases were searched. RCTs from 2000 to 2017 and with employees (18-65 years) were selected. Then, intervention characteristics and work-related outco ...[more]

PMID: 32183392

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Healthy lifestyles play an important role in the prevention of premature death, chronic diseases, productivity loss and other social and economic concerns. However, workplace interventions to address issues of fitness and nutrition which include work-related outcomes are complex and thus challenging to implement and appropriately measure the effectiveness of. This systematic review investigated the impact of workplace nutrition and physical activity interventions, which include components aimed at workplace's physical environment and organizational structure, on employees' productivity, work performance and workability. METHODS:A systematic review that included randomized controlled trials and or non-randomized controlled studies was conducted. Medline, EMBASE.com, Cochrane Library and Scopus were searched until September 2016. Productivity, absenteeism, presenteeism, work performance and workability were the primary outcomes of our interest, while sedentary behavior and changes in other health-related behaviors were considered as secondary outcomes. Two reviewers independently screened abstracts and full-texts for study eligibility, extracted the data and performed a quality assessment using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk-of-Bias Tool for randomized trials and the Risk-of-Bias in non-randomized studies of interventions. Findings were narratively synthesized. RESULTS:Thirty-nine randomized control trials and non-randomized controlled studies were included. Nearly 28% of the included studies were of high quality, while 56% were of medium quality. The studies covered a broad range of multi-level and environmental-level interventions. Fourteen workplace nutrition and physical activity intervention studies yielded statistically significant changes on absenteeism (n = 7), work performance (n = 2), workability (n = 3), productivity (n = 1) and on both workability and productivity (n = 1). Two studies showed effects on absenteeism only between subgroups. CONCLUSIONS:The scientific evidence shows that it is possible to influence work-related outcomes, especially absenteeism, positively through health promotion efforts that include components aimed at the workplace's physical work environment and organizational structure. In order to draw further conclusions regarding work-related outcomes in controlled high-quality studies, long-term follow-up using objective outcomes and/or quality assured questionnaires are required. TRIAL REGISTRATION:Registration number: PROSPERO CRD42017081837.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Shift work can be demanding owing to disturbances in the biological and social rhythms. This can cause short-term negative effects in employees, such as increased fatigue and reduced alertness. A potential way to counteract these negative effects is to enhance employees' recovery from work during working hours. OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study is to develop and implement an intervention that focuses on promoting "on-job" recovery of shift workers. METHODS:This study is performed in 2 department units with shift workers at a multinational company in the steel industry. For each department, an intervention will be developed and implemented through an iterative process of user-centered design and evaluation. This approach consists of various sessions in which employees and a project group (ie, researchers, line managers, human resource managers, and occupational health experts) provide input on the intervention content and implementation. Intervention effects will be evaluated using pretest and posttest web-based surveys. Digital ecological momentary assessment will be performed to gain insight into the link between the intervention and daily within-person processes. The intervention process and participants' perception of the interventions will be assessed through a process evaluation. Intervention results will be analyzed by performing mixed model repeated measures analyses and multilevel analyses. RESULTS:This study is supported by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research Work and Health Research Program, which is funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and supported by the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, program number 19.204.1-3. This study was approved by the institutional review board on February 7, 2019. From June to August 2019, baseline data were collected, and from November to December 2019, the first follow-up data were collected. The second follow-up data collection and data analysis are planned for the first two quarters of 2020. Dissemination of the results is planned for the last two quarters of 2020. CONCLUSIONS:A strength of this study design is the participatory action approach to enhance the stakeholder commitments, intervention adherence, and compliance. Moreover, since the target group will be participating in the development and implementation of the intervention, the proposed impact will be high. In addition, the short-term as well as the long-term effects will be evaluated. Finally, this study uses a unique combination of quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods. A limitation of this study is that it is impossible to randomly assign participants to an intervention or control group. Furthermore, the follow-up period (6 months) might be too short to establish health-related effects. Lastly, the results of this study might be specific to the department, organization, or sector, which limits the generalizability of the findings. However, as workplace intervention research for shift workers is scarce, this study might serve as a starting point for future research on shift work interventions.

Project description:BackgroundWomen are representing an increasing share of the labor force, thus, raising the need to accommodate breastfeeding working mothers at the workplace. While there is an emerging body of evidence supporting the positive influence of workplace lactation programs on breastfeeding outcomes, there is a lack of literature on the mechanisms underlying those interventions. Aims of this realist review were three-fold: to uncover underlying mechanisms, determine who benefits the most from such interventions and important contextual factors influencing uptake.MethodsPurposive bibliographic searches on Medline, Web of Science Core Collection, CINAHL, Global Health, LILACS, Global Index Medicus, Business Source Complete, Proquest Dissertations and Theses and Open Access Theses and Dissertations were conducted to identify relevant publications. Included publications (qualitative and quantitative) described interventions aiming to improve the breastfeeding behavior of working mothers, that were initiated by the employer, reported on breastfeeding outcomes and had a clearly defined workplace. Publications only focusing on maternity leave or that were not published in English, Spanish, Portuguese or German were excluded. A realist approach was followed to identify how workplace interventions work, who benefits the most and the important contextual factors.ResultsThe bibliographic search yielded a total of 4985 possible publications of which 37 publications were included in the realist analysis. Effective workplace breastfeeding interventions activate three mechanisms: 1) awareness of the intervention, 2) changes in workplace culture, manager/supervisor support, co-worker support and physical environments, and 3) provision of time. Contextual factors such as the distance between the workplace and the infant and the type of workplace may influence the degree of activation of the underlying mechanisms for programs to positively impact breastfeeding outcomes.ConclusionsIn order to be effective, workplace breastfeeding interventions need to: raise awareness of the intervention(s) available among working mothers as well as their work environment, change the workplace culture, foster manager/supervisor support and co-workers support, provide enough time and adequate space and facilities for women to breastfeed or express breastmilk during the workday.

Project description:BackgroundA growing body of evidence clearly documents the benefits of integrated systems approaches to protecting and promoting the safety, health and well-being of workers. The purpose of this study is to provide a holistic view of the work ability of employees of an Italian University Hospital measuring their resources in relation to job demands. In particular, it examines socio-demographics, family and organizational antecedents of health professionals' work ability.MethodsA survey was conducted to assess the work ability of healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses and administrative staff, working at the University Hospital of Modena (Italy). The data collection allows us to get a sample of 443 workers, who correspond to 11% of the target population. The data were analyzed using preliminary statistics on the main characteristics of the sample in terms of work ability, socio-demographic variables, family and organizational characteristics. In addition, logit models of the likelihood of having high work ability were estimated using SPSS version 25.ResultsWork ability decreases with increasing age, comorbidity, high body mass index, having at least one child under 5 and/or a dependent adult, having a poor work-life balance, and doing more than 20 h of housework. Specific job resources can significantly promote work ability, including relationship-oriented leadership, autonomy in decision making and individuals' skill match. The nursing profession is associated with a low work ability. Finally, a significant gender gap has been documented. Women find it more difficult to reconcile life and work, especially when they have children of preschool age and work in professions with greater responsibilities, as in the case of women doctors, who experience lower work capacity.ConclusionsOur results suggest that it is necessary to consider other factors, in addition to age, that are equally relevant in influencing work ability. Consequently, organisational interventions could be implemented to improve the work ability of all workers. In addition, we propose targeted interventions for groups at risk of reduced work capacity, in particular older workers (45 years and over), nurses, women with children of preschool age and in the position of physician.

Project description:BACKGROUND: Among laboratory technicians, the prevalence of neck and shoulder pain is widespread possibly due to typical daily work tasks such as pipetting, preparing vial samples for analysis, and data processing on a computer including mouse work - all tasks that require precision in motor control and may result in extended periods of time spent in static positions.In populations characterized by intense chronic musculoskeletal pain and diagnosed conditions in conjunction with psycho-physiological symptoms such as stress-related pain and soreness and other disabling conditions, multifactorial approaches applying a combination of individually tailored physical and cognitive strategies targeting the areas most needed, may be an effective solution to the physical and mental health challenges.The aim of this study is therefore to investigate the effect of an individually tailored biopsychosocial intervention strategy on musculoskeletal pain, stress and work disability in lab technicians with a history of musculoskeletal pain at a single worksite in Denmark. METHODS/DESIGN: In this single-blind two-armed parallel-group randomized controlled trial with allocation concealment, participants receive either an individualized multifactorial intervention or "usual care" for 10 weeks at the worksite. INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1) female laboratory technician (18-67 years of age) and 2) Pain intensity???3 (0-10 Visual Analogue Scale) lasting ?3 months with a frequency of???3 days per week in one or more of the following regions: i) upper back i) low back iii) neck, iv) shoulder, v) elbow and/or vi) hand. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: 1) life-threatening disease and 2) pregnancy. Stress, as measured by Cohen´s perceived stress questionnaire is not an inclusion criteria, thus participants can participate regardless of their stress level.We will implement an individualized intervention addressing biopsychosocial elements of musculoskeletal pain with the following components; i) increasing physical capacity through strength- and motor control training; ii) lowering or preventing development of stress through mindfulness practice and learning de-catastrophizing pain management strategies through cognitive training.The primary outcome at 10-week follow-up is the between-group difference in intensity of perceived musculoskeletal pain during the last week (average value of back, neck, shoulder, elbow and hand) assessed by questionnaire (modified visual analogue scale 0-10). DISCUSSION: This study will provide experimental evidence to guide workplace initiatives designed towards reducing chronic musculoskeletal pain and stress. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02047669.

Dataset Information

Effectiveness of Workplace Interventions for Improving Absenteeism, Productivity, and Work Ability of Employees: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Publications

Effectiveness of Workplace Interventions for Improving Absenteeism, Productivity, and Work Ability of Employees: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

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