Henrik Lambrecht Lund

Implementation of self-rostering (the PRIO-project): effects on working hours, recovery, and health.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to (i) investigate the consequences of self-rostering for working hours, recovery, and health, and (ii) elucidate the mechanisms through which recovery and health are affected. METHODS Twenty eight workplaces were allocated to either an intervention or reference group. Intervention A encompassed the possibility to specify preferences for starting time and length of shift down to 15 minutes intervals. Interventions B and C included the opportunity to choose between a number of predefined duties. Questionnaires (N=840) on recovery and health and objective workplace reports of working hours (N=718) were obtained at baseline and 12 months later. The interaction term between intervention and time was tested in mixed models and multinomial logistic regression models. RESULTS The odds ratio (OR) of having short [OR 4.8, 95 % confidence interval (95% CI) 1.9-12.3] and long (OR 4.8, 95% CI 2.9-8.0) shifts increased in intervention A. Somatic symptoms (β= -0.10, 95% CI -0.19- -0.02) and mental distress (β= -0.13, 95% CI -0.23- -0.03) decreased, and sleep (β= 1.7, 95% CI 0.04-0.30) improved in intervention B, and need for recovery was reduced in interventions A (β= -0.17, 95% CI -0.29- -0.04) and B (β= -0.17, 95% CI -0.27- -0.07). There were no effects on recovery and health in intervention C, and overall, there were no detrimental effects on recovery or health. The benefits of the intervention were not related to changes in working hours and did not differ by gender, age, family type, degree of employment, or working hour arrangements. CONCLUSIONS After implementation of self-rostering, employees changed shift length and timing but did not compromise most recommendations for acceptable shift work schedules. Positive consequences of self-rostering for recovery and health were observed, particularly in intervention B where worktime control increased but less extensively than intervention A. The effect could not be statistically explained by changes in actual working hours.

Strategies for Sustainable Business and the Handling of Workers’ Interests: Integrated Management Systems and Worker Participation

This article examines the challenges to trade unions related to workers’ participation in organizational renewal known as ‘sustainable business’. It analyses how integrated management systems involving occupational health and safety (OHS) and environmental issues affect employee participation. The analysis involves two case studies of enterprises that have recently been modernized in terms of employing integrated management systems. Under the general title of ‘Developing Workplaces’, the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions has increased its commitment to sustainability, which is used as the point of departure for conceptdriven organizational change. However, the article concludes that the so-called ‘prime mover’ and high-pro.le environmental and OHS enterprises do not suf.ciently take the interests of employees into consideration.

Work-life balance among shift workers: results from an intervention study about self-rostering

PurposeThe aims of the study were to explore the effects of the implementation of IT-based tools for planning of rosters among shift workers on work-family-related outcomes and to interpret the results in light of the different implementation processes.MethodsA quasi-experimental intervention study was conducted with 12-month follow-up at 14 intervention and 14 reference worksites in Denmark. Workplaces planning to introduce IT-supported self-rostering were recruited, and three different kinds of interventions were implemented. Intervention A and B aimed at increasing workers satisfaction and well-being, while intervention C was designed to optimize the personnel resources. Questionnaire data were collected from 840 employees at baseline and 784 at follow-up. Process evaluation encompassed interviews with about 25 employees and 15 managers at baseline and follow-up. Work-family-related outcomes were work-life conflicts, work-life facilitation, marital conflicts and time with children.ResultsAn overall decline in work-family conflicts and increase in work-family facilitation were found in the total intervention group. More specifically, in group B, work-family conflicts and marital conflicts decreased while work-family facilitation increased. In group C, work-family conflicts increased while work-family facilitation and time spend with children decreased, and no significant changes were observed in the reference group and in group A.ConclusionAn overall positive effect of the implementation of self-rostering was found on the balance between work and private life. However, results from the process evaluation suggested that the organizational aim with the intervention was crucial for the effect.

Control, Flexibility and Rhythms

OBJECTIVES Fixed-term employment is prevalent in the Finnish labor force. This form of employment contract is marked by fragmentary work periods, demands for flexibility in workhours, and concern for multiple insecurities. A nonpermanent employee may also incur adverse health consequences. Yet there exist no exact statistics on the duration of fixed-term employment. This paper estimated the future duration of the time that a Finn is expected to be engaged in irregular work. METHODS Multistate regression modeling and stochastic analysis were applied to aggregated data from surveys conducted among the labor force by Statistics Finland in 1997-2006. RESULTS In 2006, a Finnish male was expected to work a total of 3.8 years in fixed-term employment, combined over consecutive or separate time spans; this time amounts to 8% of his remaining work career from entry into the work force until final retirement. For a woman the expectancy was greater, 6.5 years or 13%. For the age interval 20-29 years, the total was 16% for men and 23% for women. CONCLUSIONS The type and duration of employment is influenced by security factors and economic cycles, both of which affect men and women differently. Over the past decade, fixed-term employment increased consistently in the female labor contingent, and it was more pronounced during economic slowdowns. This labor market development calls for standards for flexibility and guarantees for security in the fragmented future worklives of fixed-term employees.

How do employees prioritise when they schedule their own shifts

We investigated how employees prioritised when they scheduled their own shifts and whether priorities depended on age, gender, educational level, cohabitation and health status. We used cross-sectional questionnaire data from the follow-up survey of an intervention study investigating the effect of self-scheduling (n = 317). Intervention group participants were asked about their priorities when scheduling their own shifts succeeded by 17 items covering family/private life, economy, job content, health and sleep. At least half of the participants reported that they were giving high priority to their family life, having consecutive time off, leisure-time activities, rest between shifts, sleep, regularity of their everyday life, health and that the work schedule balanced. Thus, employees consider both their own and the workplaces needs when they have the opportunity to schedule their own shifts. Age, gender, cohabitation and health status were all significantly associated with at least one of these priorities. Practitioner Summary: Intervention studies report limited health effects of self-scheduling. Therefore, we investigated to what extent employees prioritise their health and recuperation when scheduling their own shifts. We found that employees not only consider both their health and family but also the workplaces needs when they schedule their own shifts.

The interactions between pain, pain-related fear of movement and productivity

BACKGROUND Employees with physically heavy work have an increased risk of musculoskeletal disorders leading to reduced work ability. AIMS To investigate if a high level of musculoskeletal pain or pain-related fear of movement was associated with low productivity among employees with physically heavy work and differing work ability levels. METHODS The study was conducted at a Danish production site and employees with physically heavy work in the production line were included in the study. Work ability was assessed with the Work Ability Index (WAI), pain-related fear of movement with the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia and productivity and musculoskeletal pain by self-reported measures. Sickness absence records for construction of WAI were obtained from the workplace. RESULTS There was a 77% response rate with 350 employees included in the final analysis. Among employees with only moderate work ability, there was neither an association between pain and productivity nor between pain-related fear of movement and productivity. For employees with good work ability, higher levels of pain and higher levels of pain-related fear of movement both raised the odds of low productivity significantly. CONCLUSIONS Despite the fact that musculoskeletal pain increases the risk of reduced work ability significantly, musculoskeletal pain and pain-related fear of movement were associated with low productivity only among employees with good work ability.

Associational control: Between self-management and standardization in the financial sector

Over the last 30 years, the concept of control has had a central position in research into the psychological working environment. Control has been understood as individual autonomy and individual opportunities for development. This article examines whether the concept of control has the same key significance in the modern workplace which is simultaneously characterized by self-management and standardization. It is concluded that the concept of control remains important, but needs to evolve from its focus on the work of individuals to a focus on the associational aspects of work if it is to retain its critical potential. This conclusion is supported by case studies of four Danish banks.

Time and Control in Teachers’ Work - The Erosion of Rhythms

This paper investigates how temporalities and rhythms in teaching are related to mental strain and wellbeing. The temporality of teachers’ work is currently changing in many countries due to public sector cutbacks and new ways of teaching. This article will examine psychosocial strain related to changes in the temporal order of work among teachers in Denmark. A 2014 change in Danish legislation forced teachers to conduct all their work at their school. This caused the largest labor marked conflict seen in Denmark for many years, and the largest ever seen in the public sector. Before this change in legislation, teachers were free to organize all their time outside the scheduled teaching, such as the time and place for preparation, meetings, contact with parents and other professionals in the school system. Preparation norms, which previously have been negotiated, was abolished and put under managerial control in terms of number of hours allocated to tasks. This fundamentally different organization of time is examined using qualitative data. The chapter draws on concepts from both psychosocial working environment research and the sociology of time. The aim is to study the changes in the rhythmic relationship between different types of tasks, division of labor, rhythms of time for socializing, communication practices, coordination, synchronization, etc.

The effect on work ability of a tailored ergonomic learning program.

BACKGROUND The physical working conditions and the musculoskeletal health of industrial workers have an effect on their work ability. OBJECTIVE The paper evaluates the effectiveness of an ergonomic learning program focused on the development of low strain working techniques. The project is evaluated in regard to its capacity to improve and sustain the work ability of industrial workers with high physical work demands. METHOD 249 employees at an industrial work site were followed over 2½ years. About one third of the employees were selected into differentiated courses according to the severity of musculoskeletal disorders. The reference group consisted of the departments that did not participate. The project was evaluated by using questionnaires and interviews. RESULTS The evaluation of the project only showed minor, non-significant increases in the work ability of the group of employees participating in the most intensive activities. Self- reported productivity increased in all departments, with the largest improvement found among the employees in the department, where everyone participated in a course (8.6% , p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS Work ability is composed of many different factors, physiological, physical as well as psycho-social and this may explain the only limited results even of the extensive project activities in the present study. However, the evaluation indicated that job rotation in combination with more healthy work methods could sustain the work ability of employees with more severe musculoskeletal disorders.