At the sources of one's well-being: early rehabilitation for employees with symptoms of distress.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the effects of a new multifaceted early rehabilitation program on employee well-being targeted on distressed employees in small-to-medium sized workplaces.

METHODS

Fifty-two employees (92% women; age: 34 to 66 years) participated in five biweekly sessions with one follow-up day at 6 months. Rehabilitation professionals specially trained for the mindfulness method covered topics from health, nutrition, sleep, physical activity to stress management. Employees were divided by their well-being level at baseline into "healthy" and "symptomatic" groups. Main outcomes were job, mental, and physical well-being.

RESULTS

Well-being among the symptomatic employees reached that of the healthy ones at baseline. Also, the healthy participants benefited from the program to a small degree.

CONCLUSIONS

The preliminary findings of this new program are promising although more research is needed on its effects and cost-effectiveness.