The dialogue tool Work Balance in practice : A learning evaluation for sustainable work

• In order to respond to the challenges in the organisational and social work environment area and to promote a sustainable working life, Scania has developed the dialogue tool called Work Balance (WB) It is research-based and intended to provide support and structure for managers to maintain an in-depth and regular dialogue with employees about their experiences of work situations. The dialogue is structured using four elements – Manageability, Comprehensibility, Meaningfulness and Recovery – and is intended to be used on a voluntary basis in groups or individually. In cooperation with Scania, HELIX has conducted a learning evaluation for Work Balance. The purpose of this learning evaluation was to identify enablers and obstacles to the use of Work Balance and to produce improvement proposals as a basis for Scania’s further development of the dialogue tool. HELIX researchers interviewed 44 employees, first- and second-line managers from production and office environments, from six production units in four countries. These employees used or had chosen not to use the dialogue tool. The results show an overall positive view of Work Balance, of the voluntary use, relevance, adaptability, flexibility and the varied mode of application. However, its use has been discontinued at one production unit where the tool did not work as desired. The implementation varied in terms of clarity of information and training in the tool. The conditions of use varied greatly depending on previous experience, culture and maturity of teams and managers in terms of being open and putting feelings into words. Use also varied between production units. Those who used it regularly were very satisfied, while others who did not see the benefit stopped using Work Balance. In production, the teams were larger, time was more limited, language and questions felt more abstract, and use was perceived as more difficult than in an office environment. Senior managers requesting that it be used tended to result in more sustained use. Perceived effects were: a more open atmosphere, better communication, increased consensus and earlier identification of problems. Many believed in an indirect positive link between Work Balance and key performance indicators. A simpler version of Work Balance was requested, but also better handling of identified problems, where more support and training for managers and teams are needed. A well-developed culture of improvement should be a good basis for a developed dialogue where Work Balance is linked to other tools or methods used in the team’s core processes.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Produktionsteknik, arbetsvetenskap och ergonomi (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Production Engineering, Human Work Science and Ergonomics (hsv//eng)

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