Work environment economics: To evaluate the economic effects of OSH interventions in the workplace
Most companies are founded and run for economic purposes. Since the financial aspects are important to companies, knowledge of the economic benefits of implementing interventions aimed at employee health and well-being can lead to increased investment in workplace interventions. In order to achieve this and ultimately contribute to reducing ill health among employees, it is necessary to link workplace interventions with the companies' financial goals.
Summary
In this program, methods that can be used to calculate the economic benefits of preventive measures in the workplace are developed and tested. The program includes several different projects. The methods can be both generic but also about specific work-related ill health or type of work environment interventions. Ill-health e.g., mental and musculoskeletal disorders are the most common causes of sick leave and contribute to large health insurance expenses in Sweden. The costs of illness of employees are unknown to many companies.
Methods
The method captures both the managers’ and employees’ views of health- and work environment-related problems and its effect on work performance. The method is available for companies offering workplace health interventions and for employers interested in calculating the cost of the work environment and health problems and evaluating the economic benefits of interventions.
Researcher, project time, and funding
Participating researchers are Emmanuel Aboagye., Irene Jensen and Ulf Johanson. The program is ongoing. The project was financed by FORTE, AFA insurance, KI.
Publications
Johanson U., Aboagye E. (2020) Financial Gains, Possibilities, and Limitations of Improving Occupational Health at the Company Level. In: Theorell T. (eds) Handbook of Socioeconomic Determinants of Occupational Health. Handbook Series in Occupational Health Sciences. Springer, Cham. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-05031-3_23-1
Grimani A, Aboagye E, Kwak L. The effectiveness of workplace nutrition and physical activity interventions in improving productivity, work performance and workability: a systematic review. BMC public health 2019;19(1):1676-
Grimani A, Bergström G, Casallas Mir, Aboagye E, Jensen I, Lohela-karlsson M. Economic Evaluation of Occupational Safety and Health Interventions from the Employer Perspective: A Systematic Review Journal of occupational and environmental medicine 2018;60(2):147-166
Strömberg C, Aboagye E, Hagberg J, Bergström G, Lohela-karlsson M. Estimating the Effect and Economic Impact of Absenteeism, Presenteeism, and Work Environment-Related Problems on Reductions in Productivity from a Managerial Perspective. Value in health 2017;20(8):1058-1064