Implementing interventions to reduce work-related stress among health-care workers: an investment appraisal from the employer's perspective

Ben F. M. Wijnen*, Joran Lokkerbol, Cecile Boot, Bo M. Havermans, Allard J. van der Beek, Filip Smit

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Purpose The Stress-Prevention@Work implementation strategy has been demonstrated to be successful in reducing stress in employees. Now, we assess the economic return-on-investment to see if it would make for a favourable business case for employers.

Methods Data were collected from 303 health-care workers assigned to either a waitlisted control condition (142 employees in 15 teams) or to Stress-Prevention@Work (161 employees in 15 teams). Main outcome was productivity losses measured using the Trimbos and iMTA Cost questionnaire in Psychiatry. Measurements were taken at baseline, 6, and 12 months post-baseline.

Results The per-employee costs of the strategy were epsilon 50. Net monetary benefits were the benefits (i.e., improved productivity) minus the costs (i.e., intervention costs) and were the main outcome of this investment appraisal. Per-employee net benefits amounted to epsilon 2981 on average, which was an almost 60-fold payout of the initial investment of epsilon 50. There was a 96.7% likelihood for the modest investment of epsilon 50 to be offset by cost savings within 1 year. Moreover, a net benefit of at least epsilon 1000 still has a likelihood of 88.2%.

Conclusions In general, there was a high likelihood that Stress-Prevention@Work offers an appealing business case from the perspective of employers, but the employer should factor in the additional per-employee costs of the stress-reducing interventions. Still, if these additional costs were as high as epsilon 2981, then costs and benefits would break even.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)123-132
Number of pages10
JournalInternational Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health
Volume93
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2020

Keywords

  • Work stress
  • Prevention
  • Intervention
  • Employee perspective
  • Investment appraisal
  • RETURN-ON-INVESTMENT
  • MENTAL-HEALTH
  • COST-EFFECTIVENESS
  • NURSES
  • PROMOTION

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Implementing interventions to reduce work-related stress among health-care workers: an investment appraisal from the employer's perspective'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this