Fay Giæver

Why hospital physicians attend work while ill? The spiralling effect of positive and negative factors.

BackgroundRecurrent reports from national and international studies show a persistent high prevalence of sickness presence among hospital physicians. Despite the negative consequences reported, we do not know a lot about the reasons why physicians choose to work when ill, and whether there may be some positive correlates of this behaviour that in turn may lead to the design of appropriate interventions. The aim of this study is to explore the perception and experience with sickness presenteeism among hospital physicians, and to explore possible positive and negative foundations and consequences associated with sickness presence.MethodsSemi-structured interviews of 21 Norwegian university hospital physicians.ResultsPositive and negative dimensions associated with 1) evaluation of illness, 2) organizational structure, 3) organizational culture, and 4) individual factors simultaneously contributed to presenteeism.ConclusionsThe study underlines the inherent complexity of the causal chain of events affecting sickness presenteeism, something that also inhibits intervention. It appears that sufficient staffing, predictability in employment, adequate communication of formal policies and senior physicians adopting the position of a positive role model are particularly important.

Building Healthy Organizations Through Music and Culture Interventions

Interventions at work are often directed towards solving specific problems in the work environment. They are typically located on one of three levels: primary, secondary and tertiary. However, little research has been done on countervailing interventions, that is, proactive and health promoting interventions that focus on facilitating the positive aspects of the work situation and through this counteract the effects of negative situations and events. The intervention project “The sound of well-being” was a culturally based intervention to stimulate well-being for employees in the public sector. It was utilized to spread joy, increase motivation and unity, and to encourage work engagement and well-being in general. The project involved the forming of local choirs, rehearsals with and without professional musicians, mini concerts, choir battles, musical arrangements, sing back and ultimately a grand finale. In this chapter we investigate the utilization of countervailing interventions that take on a pro-active approach, aimed at promoting health and well-being in the workplace without being introduced as a response to an existing problem in the organization. It is our aim that this chapter will highlight the need for new ways of thinking concerning interventions, and explore new ways of developing cost efficient, yet effective interventions to promote employee health and well-being.

Negative experiences of organizational change from an emotions perspective

This study aims to explore the negative experiences of employees following organizational change through adopting a contextual emotions perspective. Previous studies have tended to examine negative change experiences through the lens of general concepts such as resistance, where it is often assumed that negative experiences are due to internal and intra-psychic processes, ignoring the role played by external events, situations and social relationships; hence negative change experiences are seen as irrational and misconceived. We therefore have limited knowledge about what kinds of specific negative emotions are actually experienced by individuals undergoing organizational change, and the ways in which these experiences relate to the surrounding context in which they emerged. A qualitative study was conducted to explore the negative emotional experiences of a selected group of nursing staff following the introduction of a new electronic care planning system at their ward. A range of different and quite specific negative emotional experiences were identified, and these revolved around two themes in particular: managerial planning and actions; and the quality of professional work. None of the negative emotional experiences seemed to reflect a general unwillingness to change.

Evolving emotional experiences following organizational change: a longitudinal qualitative study

Purpose – There is a lack of qualitative longitudinal studies in the literature exploring the complexity and dynamism of affective experience during phases of organizational change. The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature and intensity of emotional reactions to change and the contextual triggers that made them vary. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 11 nurses in a Norwegian public hospital were interviewed at three points in time about a change in technology, one month prior to implementation, three months after implementation and one year after implementation. They were asked to reflect “forwards” and “backwards” about their emotional experiences to the technical change in particular and to other changes occurring at work. Findings – The informants reported mixed emotional experiences to change at all three interviews. Emotion terms such as “uncertainty”, “joy” and “resignation” were reported at all times, “anxiety and “excitement” were only reported at Times 1 and 2 whereas “frustration...

Psychologists authorizing sick leave – Potential opportunities and challenges

This study was intended to contribute to an evaluation of a Norwegian pilot project, in which psychologists have been given the right to authorize sick leave for their patients. We wanted to explore the opportunities and challenges involved in utilizing the potential of this new sick leave arrangement from the perspectives of practicing psychologists. In this way, we indirectly intended to provide insights into the potential of the new arrangement to reduce absenteeism and promote the adjustment of working conditions for patients with mental health problems. Ten psychologists were interviewed about their experiences, and asked to give their views of the ways in which the new arrangement affected their everyday working conditions and their methods of dealing with the working conditions of their patients. The interviews were transcribed and template analysis was adopted. The analysis showed that psychologists believed that the new arrangement would improve their focus and accountability with regard to work-related issues, something which could in turn improve the therapeutic process and increase the likelihood of positive treatment outcomes. However, they also reported some structural barriers in the general health care system which prevent them from achieving the full potential of the new arrangement. Furthermore, according to these psychologists, there are also some unfortunate side-effects to the new arrangements, such as role conflicts, which potentially divert attention from actual treatment.

Using Choral Singing to Improve Employee Well-Being and Social Cohesion in the Norwegian Public Sector

This chapter explores the ways in which choir singing can facilitate a deeper and more profound learning process through the stimulation of multiple sensory modalities, including emotional and bodily experiences. Subsequent to a choral singing intervention, that aimed to improve employee wellbeing and social cohesion in a Norwegian municipality, a group participants and non-participants were interviewed about their experiences. A wide range of perceived barriers to participation was reported, such as lack of vocal skills, introversion and family commitments. Participants who were initially reluctant, but who overcame these barriers, experienced a more profound impact on well-being and social cohesion whereby emotional experiences over time shifted from negative to positive and a threshold was overcome. Observing others who overcame this kind of threshold was just as powerful as overcoming it themselves. The study reported in this Chapter was conducted also in collaboration with Grete Wennes.

Facilitating a Meaningful Work Situation—A Double-Edged Sword?

For employees in today’s society, work fulfils a wide range of functions. Work is not only important in terms of invome, it is also a source of identity, of positive self-image and a sense of meaningfulness (Alvesson, 2001; Noon & Blyton, 2007; Wrzesniewski, LoBuglio, Dutton, & Berg, 2013). In this chapter, we explore how meaningful work can be facilitated. First, we explain what is meant by meaningful work. Second, we examine artistic interventions as an organizational strategy for facilitating and stimulating a meaningful working situation. Finally, we discuss the concept of meaning and if striving for meaning is actually desired, or should be desired, by all employees, and at all times.