Implementation of the Participatory Approach for Supervisors to Increase Self-Efficacy in Addressing Risk of Sick Leave of Employees: Results of a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial.
S M Ketelaar, F G Schaafsma, M F Geldof and 5 others
PMID 27402346WHAT IT FOUND
The supervisor support package did not increase supervisors' confidence in joint problem-solving compared with written information alone.
It did increase discussions with employees about work problems or sick-leave risk, but sick-leave outcomes did not differ between groups.
Key findings
01The multifaceted implementation strategy did not show a statistically significant increase in supervisors' confidence in joint problem-solving compared with written information.
02The number of employees with whom supervisors discussed work functioning problems or risk of sick leave increased in the intervention group and decreased in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant.
03For supervisors who had discussed work problems or sick-leave risk with 0 to 2 employees at baseline, the difference in confidence in joint problem-solving between groups was statistically significant.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
Only 116 of about 1050 approached supervisors participated, so the sample may not represent all supervisors. Supervisors were selected by department managers and HR advisors, which may have created a group already interested in the training. Baseline scores for attitude, social influence, intention, and self-efficacy were high, so there may have been little room for improvement. The self-efficacy scale was modified for this study and was not validated for responsiveness to change over time. Sick-leave percentage and duration were based on supervisor recall rather than objective records. The number of discussions was also based on supervisor recall and may not reflect actual need. The intervention and control groups were not blinded. The intervention group had a higher drop-out rate, and lower follow-up scores among drop-outs cannot be ruled out. The subgroup finding was post hoc and needs replication.
Declared interests
The supplied metadata lists research support from non-U.S. government sources. The article text does not provide an author conflict of interest declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the strategy prevents sick leave. The primary self-efficacy outcome was null, and the percentage of sick-listed employees and average sick-leave duration did not differ significantly between groups.