This study evaluated a participatory intervention aiming to improve the work ability and need for recovery of industrial workers. The intervention was not effective and rather showed tendencies for adverse effects. Companies should consider intervention-related potential adverse effects on workers with already high work demands, and we recommend development of better effect evaluation designs specifically for participatory interventions.

Participatory organizational interventions are a recommended approach to improve the psychosocial work environment. As interventions of this type are shaped by employees and managers, their implementation can vary considerably, making evaluation challenging. This study contributes to our understanding of interventions by focusing on how the intervention mechanisms and the organizational context interact. In a mixed-methods design, we use multi-group structural equation modelling of pre-and post-intervention survey data ( N = 204) to test multiple mediational mechanisms in three different contexts. We then analyse interviews ( N = 67) and field observations of workshops to identify the role of contextual factors. The findings suggest that participatory organizational interventions do not produce one-size-fits-all results; on the contrary, intervention results are better understood as products of multiple intervention mechanisms interacting with the specific organizational contexts.

BackgroundNeed for recovery and work ability are strongly associated with high employee turnover, well-being and sickness absence. However, scientific knowledge on effective interventions to improve work ability and decrease need for recovery is scarce. Thus, the present study aims to describe the background, design and protocol of a cluster randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention to reduce need for recovery and improve work ability among industrial workers.Methods/DesignA two-year cluster randomized controlled design will be utilized, in which controls will also receive the intervention in year two. More than 400 workers from three companies in Denmark will be aimed to be cluster randomized into intervention and control groups with at least 200 workers (at least 9 work teams) in each group. An organizational resources audit and subsequent action planning workshop will be carried out to map the existing resources and act upon initiatives not functioning as intended. Workshops will be conducted to train leaders and health and safety representatives in supporting and facilitating the intervention activities. Group and individual level participatory visual mapping sessions will be carried out allowing team members to discuss current physical and psychosocial work demands and resources, and develop action plans to minimize strain and if possible, optimize the resources. At all levels, the intervention will be integrated into the existing organization of work schedules. An extensive process and effect evaluation on need for recovery and work ability will be carried out via questionnaires, observations, interviews and organizational data assessed at several time points throughout the intervention period.DiscussionThis study primarily aims to develop, implement and evaluate an intervention based on the abovementioned features which may improve the work environment, available resources and health of industrial workers, and hence their need for recovery and work ability.

Few studies have explored how line managers respond to employees’ use of voice in interaction and the challenges facing the line managers in relation to voice. While some scholars have argued that managers’ reactions to voice are generally shaped by personal dispositions, such as the managers’ degree of “openness,” this study draws on the approach of discursive psychology to demonstrate that line managers’ responses are closely fitted to the organizational context and the unfolding interactional context. Through detailed analysis of a single episode from a voice activity in an industrial setting, the study exemplifies various rhetorical strategies used by the line managers and how these strategies may change as discussions proceed. The study also shows that psychological concepts such as openness should not be seen only as stable features of managers, but also as actively enacted in interaction. Various practical steps are suggested for improving both line managers’ and employees’ experiences with participating in formal voice activities.