Social and health care top managers' perceptions and aims of strategic work ability management in the midst of change.
Julia Anttilainen, Irmeli Pehkonen, Minna Savinainen and 1 others
PMID 37742684WHAT IT FOUND
Top managers in social and health care saw work ability management as important but often reactive, triggered by sickness absence.
They aimed to anticipate decline, support competence, keep staff, and build trust, yet rarely had it in strategy.
Key findings
01Top managers described work ability management as important and multidimensional, but said their organizations were not yet at a strategic level.
02Managers said work ability supports were often started too late, with action triggered by increases in sickness absence rather than by early warning signs.
03At the organizational level, managers linked work ability management to labor availability and retention, and to creating shared values and trust during constant changes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The interviews were originally part of a development project, so the questions may have partly guided the answers. Project actors provided the lists of top managers, which could have biased the sample toward people already interested in work ability. The study captured only managers’ perceptions and aims, not the organizations’ written goals or patient outcomes. Two interviews were conducted remotely, and the researchers could not review non-verbal communication afterward. The sample came from five Finnish organizations during a specific reform, so it may not transfer to other settings.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that strategic work ability management improves patient care or reduces sickness absence. It reports managers’ perceptions and aims, not measured outcomes.