How managers support capacity to work in employees experiencing common mental disorders: a focus group study

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health Psychology
• Management Studies
• Mental Health in the Workplace

Background:

• Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) significantly impact employee work capacity.
• Effective management support is crucial for employees experiencing CMDs.
• Understanding managers' perspectives on supporting these employees is vital for workplace interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how Swedish managers become aware of employees with CMDs.
• To identify the strategies Swedish managers employ to support employees with reduced work capacity due to CMDs.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving 31 managers from public and private sectors.
• Utilized 8 focus group interviews to gather in-depth experiences.
• Employed inductive thematic analysis and narrative storylines for data synthesis.

Main Results:

• Managers identified CMDs through attentive observation of various information sources, including changes in work capacity.
• Six key themes emerged regarding managers' support strategies: self-reflective, communicative, relation-oriented, accommodating, and psychosocial.
• Identified storylines illustrated managers' decision-making processes and support approaches.

Conclusions:

• Managers require enhanced knowledge regarding the early manifestations of CMDs to provide timely support.
• Awareness of changes in an employee's capacity to work serves as a critical indicator.
• Managers utilize a range of strategies to support employees with CMDs, irrespective of their existing knowledge or experience levels.