This study reports the findings of a 2.5 year intervention project to reduce psychosocial risks and increase employee well-being in 15 emergency departments in the Netherlands. The project uses the... Show moreThis study reports the findings of a 2.5 year intervention project to reduce psychosocial risks and increase employee well-being in 15 emergency departments in the Netherlands. The project uses the psychosocial risk management approach “PRIMA” which includes cycles of risk assessment, designing and implementing changes, evaluating changes and adapting the approach if necessary. In addition, principles of participative action research were used to empower the departments in designing and implementing their own actions during the project. Next to determining overall effects, the study aims to assess potential moderators including the level of intervening (organization-directed or multilevel), process variables (the number and fit of actions to risk factors, communication and employee participation) and partaking in a Psychosocial Safety Climate intervention offered during the second half of the project. The results of linear mixed-model analyses showed that all job factors improved with the exception of autonomy, which did increase halfway the project but not when considering the entire timeframe. In addition, work engagement decreased and symptoms of burnout remained stable. Emergency departments that implemented more fitting actions, communicated better and involved their employees more in the process, had more favorable changes in job factors and more stable well-being. More activity (based on the number of actions implemented) and a multilevel approach regarding stress management did not lead to greater improvements. The Psychosocial Safety Climate intervention was effective in improving Psychosocial Safety Climate, but a longer follow-up period seems required to evaluate its effect on job factors and well-being. Overall, the project resulted in positive changes in most job factors, and its findings emphasize the importance of process variables in stress management interventions. Longer follow-up and higher quality multilevel interventions (including professional support for employees with stress-related complaints) seem essential to also improve well-being. Show less
This book is an endeavor to expose the multifariousness of the challenges for contemporary countries to legislate on domestic working conditions under the combined effects of deepening... Show moreThis book is an endeavor to expose the multifariousness of the challenges for contemporary countries to legislate on domestic working conditions under the combined effects of deepening globalization and characteristics of domestic legal systems. Five topical subjects are reflected on: a general discussion over the foundation and feasibility of regulating working conditions in globalization, followed by four parallel studies that respectively concentrate on China’s legislation on construction safety, Germany’s minimum wage law, the parental leave policies of the US and Sweden, and Great Britain’s experiences with employee participation. By dissecting the situations in which divergent stances, defective mechanisms and practical straits are entangled, the crisis of labor legislation is concretized into specific problems while simultaneously opportunities for change are uncovered. It is argued that the traditional ‘zero-sum’ approach to understanding the tension between labor protection and the realization of economic objectives should be abandoned. The potential of decent working conditions to boost productivity and to facilitate long-term cooperation with other countries needs to be recognized. There might be objective barriers prohibiting the law from responding effectively to the changing economic world. However, the legislation should endeavor to guide relevant social actors and create conditions for surmounting these barriers. Show less
