TY - JOUR

T1 - Job maintenance through supported employment PLUS

T2 - A randomized controlled trial

AU - Telle, Nils Torge

AU - Moock, Jörn

AU - Heuchert, Sandra

AU - Schulte, Vivian

AU - Rössler, Wulf

AU - Kawohl, Wolfram

PY - 2016/9/20

Y1 - 2016/9/20

N2 - Sickness absence from work due to experienced distress and mental health issues has continuously increased over the past years in Germany. To investigate how this alarming development can be counteracted, we conducted a randomized controlled trial evaluating a job coaching intervention to maintain the working capacity of members of staffand ultimately prevent sickness absence. Our sample included N = 99 employees who reported mental distress due to work-related problems. The intervention group (n = 58) received between 8 and 12 individual job coaching sessions in which they worked with a professional job coach to reduce their mental distress. The control group (n = 41) received a brochure about mental distress. Data were collected before the start of the study, at the end of the job coaching intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up. These data included the number of sickness absence days as the primary outcome and questionnaire measures to assess burnout indicators, life satisfaction, and work-related experiences and behaviors. Compared with the control group, the results indicated no reduction in sickness absence in the intervention group but fewer depressive symptoms, a heightened ability of the participants to distance themselves from work, more experience of work-related success, less depletion of emotional resources, and a greater satisfaction with life when participants had received the job coaching. Thus, although we could not detect a reduction in sickness absence between the groups, job coaching was shown to be a viable intervention technique to benefit employees by contributing to re-establish their mental health. We discuss the implications of the study and outline future research.

AB - Sickness absence from work due to experienced distress and mental health issues has continuously increased over the past years in Germany. To investigate how this alarming development can be counteracted, we conducted a randomized controlled trial evaluating a job coaching intervention to maintain the working capacity of members of staffand ultimately prevent sickness absence. Our sample included N = 99 employees who reported mental distress due to work-related problems. The intervention group (n = 58) received between 8 and 12 individual job coaching sessions in which they worked with a professional job coach to reduce their mental distress. The control group (n = 41) received a brochure about mental distress. Data were collected before the start of the study, at the end of the job coaching intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up. These data included the number of sickness absence days as the primary outcome and questionnaire measures to assess burnout indicators, life satisfaction, and work-related experiences and behaviors. Compared with the control group, the results indicated no reduction in sickness absence in the intervention group but fewer depressive symptoms, a heightened ability of the participants to distance themselves from work, more experience of work-related success, less depletion of emotional resources, and a greater satisfaction with life when participants had received the job coaching. Thus, although we could not detect a reduction in sickness absence between the groups, job coaching was shown to be a viable intervention technique to benefit employees by contributing to re-establish their mental health. We discuss the implications of the study and outline future research.

KW - Business psychology

KW - Individual placement and support

KW - Job coaching

KW - Job maintenance

KW - Mental health

KW - Sickness absence

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85015341927&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/44c23098-4166-30c6-a584-8dcbdcc56999/

U2 - 10.3389/FPUBH.2016.00194

DO - 10.3389/FPUBH.2016.00194

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:85015341927

VL - 4

JO - Frontiers in Public Health

JF - Frontiers in Public Health

SN - 2296-2565

M1 - 194

ER -