Browsing by Author "Landstad, B"

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Förändringar av frånvaromönster vid personalstödjande interventioner på arbetsplatser Utveckling av en analysmodell för utvärdering av åtgärder
(Arbetslivsinstitutet, 1999) Landstad, B; Vinberg, S; Ivergård, T; Gelin, G; J Ekholm
Change in pattern of absenteeism as a result of workplace intervention for personnel support This study is a part of a larger research project, which has the general aim of investigating the effects of different preventive measures in predominantly female workplaces where stress factors in the workplace appear to produce risks of recurrent sickness absenteeism and other forms of absenteeism. In the present study, the empirical material consists of background data, and also data on the changes in patterns of absenteeism in relation to different workplace- and personnel- oriented interventions in two of the workplaces (i.e. there is an intervention group and a reference group). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the preventive interventions applied had any effect on patterns of absenteeism. As a background, a model for analysing complex patterns of absenteeism, including sickness absentees, was also developed. A further aim of the project was to study the interactions between different forms of absenteeism. In the intervention group the total number of absentees was unchanged in relation to the interventions, but total absenteeism increased in the reference group. For individuals in the intervention group who were below 42 years of age, total absence due to sickness decreased. This change was particularly obvious in those who had a previous history of high absence due to sickness. No clear relationship was shown between short-term absenteeism and the interventions applied. For those who were older than 42, short-term absence decreased for those who had been in the same jobs for a long time. The combination of increased age and experience showed a tendency to enhance this decline in short-term absenteeism due to sickness. For those older than 42 years of age , and who at the same time have a previous history of high absenteeism, long term absenteeism due to sickness seemed to be increasing. In addition, an increase in age had a tendency to result in even higher absenteeism. Increased experience had a tendency to lower this increase in long term sickness absence. This combination of different effects possibly indicated the presence of a process of selection which determined who remained in the job as opposed to those who did not. Those who did not cope with the high workload had a tendency to drop out from their occupation, e.g. through long-term absenteeism. The proportion of employees who coped with the work load of the job even at an advanced age also showed lower short-term sickness absence. Before the interventions, there was a significant positive correlation between short-term absence due to sickness and short-term vacations. In other words, there was a form of inter-changeability between these two factors. After the interventions, there was no such relationship. An important conclusion of this study is that there is a necessity to look at different forms of absenteeism in parallel, and at the same time to carry out multi-variate statistical analysis in order to cater for different interactions between the factors. In order to explain the various causal relationships and to increase the possibility of explaining the mechanisms of the relationships, however, it will be necessary to carry out further and more comprehensive studies where, for example, several factors can be controlled. Keywords: pattern of absenteeism, personnel support, workplace interventions, hospital cleaners, models and analysis of absentees.