Participants wanted for research into workload management interventions

Midlands employers from all sectors are invited to take part in new research which reviews different methods of workload management and their impact on mental health and workplace productivity.

Led by researchers at University of Warwick, the aim is to make policy recommendations for workload management interventions in organisations.

Employers interested in taking part in the research are invited to complete an online expression of interest form by Monday 21 February 2022.

The researchers are interested in hearing from organisational leaders including business owners, directors, senior managers, HR professionals and line managers.

Most workplace interventions aim to reduce mental health symptoms in employees using individual-level psychological interventions (e.g. resilience training).

Whilst these are somewhat effective, the impact of organisation-wide proactive approaches addressing the causes of mental health symptoms has not been fully demonstrated.

Organisational-level interventions around workload have a direct impact on employee wellbeing and productivity, but also have global relevance to public health with early intervention often leading to less demand on physical and mental health services.

Active change strategies at the organisational level can lead to a reduction in contributory factors to burnout associated with mental health outcomes, like stress, depression and anxiety.

Evidence shows that organisational level interventions may have longer-lasting effects than individual-level interventions, but more research is needed to guide policy change practices.

With the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread flexible/hybrid working, interventions to manage high workload are especially timely in addressing the global challenge of workplace mental health, that has been exacerbated beyond the existing pre-pandemic elevated rates.

A key part of the project will be to present findings and gather feedback as part of a practice review.

Practice reviews examine what’s happening ‘on the ground’ through one-on-one, or small group, interviews with people who have experience and/or expertise in the area (e.g., policymakers, professionals in the field, CEOs, HR representatives).

The team are now inviting expressions of interest from businesses across the Midlands to take part in this work.

Insights on what has worked and failed in the past, logistical considerations, acceptability of proposed approaches to employees and what’s possible with what resources – will enable wide knowledge gained through the review to be filtered through specific problem-solving settings and contexts and ensure that any policy recommendations made are grounded in reality.

Those who agree to take part will be asked to attend one online co-production workshop (up to two hours) along with a small team of representatives from other organisations.

Employers of any size and sector are welcome and should complete an online form before Monday 21 February 2022.

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