Developing managerial competencies to support return to work following long term absence

Transcription

1 Developing managerial competencies to support return to work following long term absence Presentation by: Emma Donaldson-Feilder Of research by Dr Joanna Yarker & Ben Hicks (Goldsmiths, University of London), Dr Fehmidah Munir (Loughborough University) and Emma-Donaldson-Feilder (Affinity Health at Work) Supported by British Occupational Health Research Foundation Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Health and Safety Executive Steering group of employer organisations

2 Session format Context, role of line managers and why they are important Outline of our research and findings Implications for employers and managers Discussion UK Context Since April 2010 fit note replaced sick note : GPs can sign that employee may be fit for work GPs can make suggestions for adjustments that might assist the individual to return to work Employers need to adapt to manage new system Return-to-work programmes are likely to fall short where managers are not equipped to manage the returning employee

3 Role of Line Managers Often first point of contact when the employee is unwell and does not attend work Responsible for day-today management of employee upon their return Key to work adjustments and work redesign initiatives May be first person employee contacts when need to meet HR/OH to discuss RTW Importance of line managers The risk of long term sick leave increased with lower support from the supervisor and lower management quality (Labriola et al 2006) Lack of supervisor support for women increased the frequency of sick leave (Vaananen et al 2003) Supervisors defined themselves as carrying the main responsibility for the rehabilitation of employees (Holmgren et al 2007)

4 Line manager behaviour Aas et al (2008) identified 5 leadership qualities valued by the employee following a period of long term sickness absence Ability to make contact Being considerate Being understanding Being empathic Being appreciative Need for further research our aims Little research on behaviours of line managers in RTW context, so aimed to: Identify the specific manager behaviours to support RTW following long-term sickness absence Develop a competency framework & questionnaire Test the validity and reliability of the model Lack of research-based tools that can be applied to real world workplaces, so aimed to: Develop practical guidance and tools for employers, OH/HR and line managers

5 Conditions responsible for long term sickness absence Anxiety and depression Back pain Heart disease Cancer Research Programme STAGE 1: Identifying Manager Behaviours 5 workshops: HR and OH professionals 46 interviews: managers and employees with RTW experience to identify behaviours and develop preliminary Competency Framework STAGE 2: Developing the Competency Measure for Managers to Support Return to Work Questionnaire developed from behaviours identified in focus groups and interviews in Stage 1 STAGE 3: Trial and Refinement of Competency Framework and Measure for Managers to Support Return to Work Distribution of questionnaire to 186 managers and 359 employees. Analysis of results and refinement of framework and questionnaire following factor analysis

6 Research Programme Cont d STAGE 4: Follow-up survey Refined questionnaire sent back to the original employees and managers after a period of six months. Analysis to examine the reliability and validity of the competency framework and questionnaire over time. Research Outputs Model of competencies required by line managers to support effective return to work Management Competency Indicator Tool Advice leaflets and guidance for employers, employees, OH and HR Competency While employee is absent Initial RTW Negative Behaviours General Manager Behaviours: - Managing the team - Open and sensitive approach - Legal and procedural knowledge Example behaviours Regularly communicated with me via telephone or Focussed conversations more on my well being Made it clear that I should not rush back to work Reassured me that my job would be there for me when I returned Incorporated a phased return to work for me Explained any changes to my role, responsibilities and work practices Made my first weeks back at work as low stress as possible Lost patience with me when things became difficult Questioned my every move Made me feel like a nuisance for adding extra work to their schedule Went against my requests for certain adjustments to be made to my work Encouraged my colleagues to help in my rehabilitation process Asked my permission to keep my team informed on my condition Adapted their approach to be more sensitive towards me Conducted themselves openly Understood that despite looking fine, I was still ill Understood the need to make reasonable adjustments by law Showed awareness of their relevant legal responsibilities Followed the correct procedures

7 Other interesting findings Low scores on manager competence associated with lower wellbeing, more psychological distress and greater work limitations Employee ratings of manager competence: Depended on nature of sickness absence: backpain or anxiety and depression gave lower score Lower at follow-up/deteriorating over time Managers and employees have different views on what constitutes successful return Key messages for managers Clear set of behaviours (not single silver bullet ) Ongoing good people management skills vital, rather than knowledge of health condition Pre-existing good relationships important Contact employees while they are absent Sustain supportive behaviour Seek support and guidance from OH/HR

8 Additional messages for employers Fit Note managers require more support and this framework/guidance can help Use framework to raise managers awareness Provide managers with guidance, support and training where necessary Encourage managers to contact absent employees and show all relevant behaviours Consider who should support RTW Be available to provide support to managers Free downloads A guidance leaflet and checklist for managers based on the research can be downloaded from the CIPD website: _manager_support_long_term_sickness The full research report can be downloaded from the BOHRF website: ml

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10 Summary Line managers play a vital role in supporting employee RTW following long-term absence Research provides a framework and guidance for managers Key messages include importance of good people management and need to support managers Thank you for listening! And thank you to all those who supported this research Emma Donaldson-Feilder: emma@affinityhealthatwork.com Dr Jo Yarker: joyarker@mac.com Dr Fehmidah Munir: f.munir@lboro.ac.uk