Job Maintenance through Supported Employment PLUS: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health Psychology
• Workplace Mental Health Interventions
• Employee Well-being Research

Background:

• Rising sickness absence in Germany linked to employee distress and mental health issues.
• Need for effective interventions to maintain workforce capacity and prevent absenteeism.
• Work-related problems significantly impact employee mental health and job performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a job coaching intervention's effectiveness in reducing sickness absence among employees with mental distress.
• To assess the impact of job coaching on mental health indicators, burnout, and life satisfaction.
• To determine if job coaching can maintain working capacity and prevent sickness absence.

Main Methods:

• Randomized controlled trial with 99 employees reporting work-related mental distress.
• Intervention group received 8-12 job coaching sessions; control group received a brochure.
• Outcomes measured included sickness absence days, burnout, life satisfaction, and work-related experiences via questionnaires at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up.

Main Results:

• No significant reduction in sickness absence days was observed in the job coaching group compared to the control group.
• The intervention group reported fewer depressive symptoms and enhanced ability to distance from work.
• Participants receiving job coaching experienced greater work success, less emotional depletion, and higher life satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• Job coaching, while not reducing sickness absence, effectively improves employee mental health and well-being.
• The intervention demonstrates potential for re-establishing mental health and enhancing work-related experiences.
• Further research is needed to explore long-term effects and optimize job coaching strategies for sickness absence prevention.