By Karina Nielsen, University of Sheffield
The H-WORK project has entered its second phase: the implementation of interventions targeting individuals, work groups, leaders and line managers and organisational policies, practices and procedures. Central to the project is the rigorous evaluation of the interventions to understand what works for whom in which circumstances. To answer these questions, we evaluate the different phases of the interventions.
What do participants feel about the intervention activities?
At this phase, it is important to understand what participants in intervention activities feel about the activities. This may influence whether participants decide to translate and integrate what they have learned and the action plans they have developed into daily working practices.
We ask whether participants feel the intervention is appropriate for the issues they experience in their work. We ask what participants feel about the quality of the materials used, whether they felt facilitators at training sessions and workshops were able to deliver the material, and about how well people worked to together in sessions and workshop.
We also ask about whether participants intend to use what they have learned and any action plans they have developed once they are back in the workplace. If they have developed action plans we also ask whether they think these action plans will be able to address the issues they experience at work.
Interventions, improved mental health and wellbeing
We ask similar questions for each level of intervention in all our six organisations participating in this phase. Together the answers to these questions enable us to understand how participants feel about the interventions. If participants do not feel the interventions are useful or are of poor quality, they are less likely to use what they have learned and implement any action plans.
Therefore asking these questions gives us valuable knowledge as to why interventions may or may not bring about improved mental health and wellbeing once the project has finished.
In the next phases of the project, we will explore whether action plans are implemented as planned and whether participants use what they have learned.