title: Healthy work environment--a challenge?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In Sweden, leave due to sickness was high during the 1990s. The Swedish Social Insurance Agency was able to decrease sick days in the period between 2000 and 2010 but sick days are rising again in Sweden, mostly due to psychological problems among women and partly due to their work environment. It is important to find methods to identify poor work settings to prevent absenteeism due to sickness. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors created a web questionnaire focusing on the organizational setting and its impact on employee wellbeing--reported as mental energy, work-related exhaustion and work satisfaction. The questionnaire measures good and poor work environment factors to help managers improve organizational settings. The questionnaire was validated qualitatively and quantitatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It is possible to measure individual wellbeing in an organizational context at an early stage. The authors followed a company undergoing organizational change and identified groups at risk of developing illness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Managers uncertain about employee mental status can measure employee wellbeing easily and cost effectively to prevent illness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The authors created a method, statistically evaluated, to proactively identify good and poor work environments to promote healthy co-workers.
authors.affiliation: Predoc, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Pia Hannele
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Jansson von Vultée
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005221:Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D016272:Occupational Health; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D058996:Quality Improvement; D012307:Risk Factors; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Analysis; Continuous Quality Improvement; Health; Job satisfaction; Organization changes; Organizational performance; Quality management; Staff satisfaction; Stress; Web-questionnaire