FLASH Research: Absenteeism and workplace health and wellness management practices
From October 2019 to January 2020, OSMET surveyed a sample of Canadian companies that agreed to complete an online questionnaire on management practices and workplace health and wellness. Among other things, OSMET assessed the level of development of 67 workplace health and wellness management practices. Each practice was classified according to a typology developed during the SALVEO1 study.
This typology is based on the major models of occupational stress encompassing the four major dimensions related to the conditions of the organization of work associated with the development of health and wellness problems at work: task design, work demands, social relations and rewards.
Workplace health and wellness management practices can be classified according to the macro, meso and micro levels of an organization. The macro level refers to practices aimed at risk regulation and communication strategies. The meso level refers to practices targeting the conditions of work organization present in an organization. At the micro level, the practices target the individual.
The following table presents the grouping of practices evaluated by OSMET according to this typology.
| Level | Dimension | Pratices |
| Macro | Communication Strategies | Communication Mechanisms, Company Newspaper, Website, Survey, Monthly Health Bulletin, Stress Prevention Information, Targeted Communication, Social Media |
| Risk management | Survey on sources of stress, Work environment risk corrections Stress source survey, Work environment risk corrections, Stressor identification program, Random drug and alcohol testing, Pre-employment physical health screening, Pre-employment psychological health screening, Screening for specific situations that raise doubts about ability to perform the job safely, Training for managers on mental health |
|
| Meso | Job design | Increasing autonomy in work, Direct employee participation |
| Work demands | Workload control, Reduced work week, Work time reduction, Overtime reduction, Job analysis and description | |
| Social relations | Teamwork, Problem solving group Self-help group, Code of conduct for conflict management, Psychological harassment policy, Committee against psychological harassment, Social club |
|
| Rewards | Rewards Performance appraisal practices, Unpaid health day benefit program, Leave banks, Opportunity for promotion to a higher level, Clear career paths | |
| Micro | Physical activity | Fitness center in the company, Corporate discount in a fitness center, Encouragement to exercise in the workplace, Outdoor cardio activities, Subscription to a bike sharing system (Bixi, Mobi, Bike Share, etc.), Monitoring device (Fitbit, Apple Watch, etc.) |
| Nutrition | Meeting with a dietician, Health promotion program (nutrition), Weight control program, Distribution of healthy snacks to employees, Nutrition conference | |
| Health (general) | Preventive medical exams, Health promotion program (tobacco), Flu shot clinic, Back health conference, Cancer participation, Health week, Employee assistance program (EAP), Medical clinic | |
| Stress management | Relaxation workshop, Yoga workshop, Meditation workshop, Time management training, Stress management training, Biofeedback session, Coping strategies training, Chair massage | |
| Work-family balance | Work-family balance program, Flexible work schedule, Childcare subscription, Tire change clinic, Telecommuting, On-site childcare |
A total of 61 organizations provided information on the number of employees who were absent and for 56 of these, the total number of work days lost due to these absences. Of this sample, 26.2% are small (less than 50 employees), 49.2% are medium (50-499 employees) and 24.5% are large (500+ employees). A proportion of 41% of the organizations operate in the service sector.
The following table presents the results of the analysis of the association between workplace absenteeism, average number of work days lost and workplace health and wellness management practices.
| Absenteeism and lost days |
Management practices |
| Lower absenteeism rate |
|
| Higher absenteeism rate |
|
| Average number of working days lost |
|
| Note : Analyses adjusted for firm size and sector of economic activity | |
Conclusion
Although the sample analyzed does not allow us to generalize the results and establish a causal link, certain management practices at the macro (communication strategies), meso (job design, social relations) and micro (work-family balance) levels that promote health and well-being at work seem to be associated with lower absenteeism. The results suggest that investing in these practices could possibly lead, on average, to a 4% to 13% reduction in absenteeism. In addition, a job design that values employee autonomy and direct participation would lead, on average, to a likely reduction in the duration of absences of about 10 days.
Management practices associated with higher absenteeism are not necessarily a sign that they are ineffective, but rather an indication that the organization is trying to control the situation and that improvement may be forthcoming in the long term
References
Marchand, A., Haines, V. Y., Harvey, S., Dextras‐Gauthier, J., and Durand, P. (2016) Health and Stress Management and Mental‐health Disability Claims. Stress & Health, 32: 569–577. doi: 1002/smi.2663.
Web site : www.osmet.umontreal.ca
About OSMET
The Observatoire sur la santé et le mieux-être au travail (OSMET) was born of a collaboration between the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Institut de recherche en santé publique (now the Centre de recherche en santé publique) and the School of Industrial Relations of the Université de Montréal. OSMET is financially supported by four founding partners: LifeWorks Wellness Solutions (formerly Morneau Shepell), McKesson Canada, Medavie Blue Cross and Pratt & Whitney Canada.
This content has been updated on 11 July 2023 at 0h04.