Procurement and implementation processes for Occupational Health Services in Sweden

Can the Human Resources Index (HRI) Be Used as a Process Feedback Measurement in a Structured Support Model for Systematic Work Environment Management?

The aim of the study was to estimate the level of the human resources index (HRI) measure among Swedish municipal employees, and to investigate the association between human resources index (HRI) and relational justice, short-term recovery, work environment-related production loss, and health-related production loss. A cross-sectional design was used with one sample of municipal employees (n = 6402). The results showed a positive association (r = 0.31) between human resources index (HRI) and relational justice; a positive (r = 0.27) association between HRI and short-term recovery; a negative association between HRI and work environment-related production loss (r = −0.37); and a negative association between HRI and health-related production loss (r = −0.23). The findings implicate that HRI captures important aspects of the work environment such as productivity, relational justice, and short-term recovery. The HRI measure is part of a support model used in workplaces to systematically address work environment-related issues. Monitoring changes in the HRI measure, it is possible to determine whether the measures taken effect production loss, perceived leadership, and short-term recovery in a work group. The support model using HRI may thus be used to complement traditional work environment surveys conducted in Swedish organizations as obliged by legal provisions.

Supporting employees with chronic conditions to stay at work: perspectives of occupational health professionals and organizational representatives

Background

Supporting employees with chronic conditions can prevent work-related problems and facilitate sustainable employment. Various stakeholders are involved in providing support to these employees. Understanding their current practices and experienced barriers is useful for the development of an organizational-level intervention to improve this support. The aim of this study was to explore the current practices of occupational physicians and organizational representatives, identifying both barriers to providing support and opportunities for improvement.

Methods

Two focus groups with sixteen occupational physicians and seven semi-structured interviews with organizational representatives were held between January and June 2018. Data was analyzed using thematic content analysis.

Results

Several barriers to offer support were identified, including barriers at the organizational level (negative organizational attitudes towards employees with chronic conditions), the employee level (employees’ reluctance to collaborate with employers in dealing with work-related problems), and in the collaboration between occupational physicians and organizational representatives. In addition, barriers in occupational health care were described, e.g. occupational physicians’ lack of visibility and a lack of utilization of occupational physicians’ support. Opportunities to optimize support included a shared responsibility of all stakeholders involved, actively anchoring prevention of work-related problems in policy and practice and a more pronounced role of the health care sector in preventing work-related problems.

Conclusions

Preventing work-related problems for employees with chronic conditions can be achieved by addressing the identified barriers to provide support. In addition, both occupational physicians and organizational representatives should initiate and secure preventive support at the organizational level and in occupational health care. These insights are helpful in developing an intervention aimed at supporting employees with chronic conditions to stay at work.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-10633-y.