Designing Effective Projects for Promoting Health@Work

Abstract

The fast-changing high-performance economy is highly dependent on healthy employees – and at the same time is putting their health at risk. Expectations of employees regarding health@work are rising. In a workshop format, students learn how to develop effective, exemplary projects to promote good working conditions, work-life balance or healthy lifestyles in companies.

Objective

After active participation in the course, students will • Know the key individual, team-level, and organizational factors influencing health@work • Be familiar with health-related challenges and opportunities of a changing world of work • Know intervention strategies for improving working conditions, work-life balance and health behaviors in companies • Be able to design an exemplary intervention project– based on key principles and a systematic planning cycle

Content

The globalization and the digital transformation of our economy lead to fast changes in organizations and of working conditions. Work becomes more flexible regarding time, location and employment contracts. Simultaneously, employees become more demanding regarding their autonomy, the quality of working life and their work-life balance. In this dynamic context, offering standardized health promotion programs in companies is not sufficient anymore. Employers and employees need to jointly develop tailored approaches how to continuously assess and improve health@work. Thus, we want to enable you to support companies in this process. The course consists of three parts. The first part, with five sessions, provides an introduction to approaches to promote health@work. The lectures will present and discuss these approaches using practical examples and discuss them with the students. The third lecture allows you identify the topic you like to work on during the course – and find other students for your related group work. Session 1: Overview of course and of approaches to promote health@work Session 2: Promoting Health @ Work: Improving working conditions Session 3: 7-Step planning cycle; Define topics and groups; Pitch & Evidence Session 4: Promoting Health @ Work: (digital) lifestyle interventions Session 5: Promoting Health @ Work: Work-Life-Balance and Leisure crafting interventions The second part has a workshop format and aims to thoroughly develop the project ideas chosen by students in groups of two. The pitch presentations help to focus on the essence of one's own idea and to trigger constructive feedback for improving it. The tutors support the teams in their systematic, detailed planning of their own project idea. Specifically, students will consider the four key principles of successful health promotion projects: systematic planning, stakeholder participation, combined individual- and environmental-level actions, and integration into organizational routines. Session 6: First pitch of group projects (Step 1-Topic); Input step 2 - analysis, participation & design thinking Session 7: Outcome model - intervention strategies & outcome objectives (step 3+4); Project Implementation (step 5) Session 8: Second pitch of group projects: outcome model (Step 3+4) Session 9: Compulsory 1:1 coaching session with Teaching Assistants Session 10: Organizational level change strategies & integration into organizations Session 11: Evaluation types and methods (step 6) In the third part, the two-person project teams present their project plan in the plenary, discuss it with all students, and obtain feedback from the course leader and teaching assistants. Sessions 12: Presentations & discussions of group projects steps 1-6: first half of groups Sessions 13: Presentations & discussions of group projects steps 1-6: first half of groups Given the hands-on workshop character of this lecture, students are required to actively participate in all sessions. Besides raising knowledge on promoting health@work, the students will generally improve their project development skills. Also, as the course has students from D-MTEC, D-HEST and D-USYS, it facilitates their transdisciplinary exchange. Transdisciplinary skills are increasingly needed for addressing complex needs in our society.

Resources