Coppens Evelien, Hogg Bridget, Greiner Birgit A, Paterson Charlotte, de Winter Lars, Mathieu Sharna, Cresswell-Smith Johanna, Aust Birgit, Leduc Caleb, Van Audenhove Chantal, Pashoja Arlinda C, Kim Dooyoung, Reich Hanna, Fanaj Naim, Dushaj Arilda, Thomson Katherine, O'Connor Cliodhna, Moreno-Alcázar Ana, Amann Benedikt L, Arensman Ella
LUCAS Center for care research and consultancy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Centre Fòrum Research Unit, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain.
J Occup Med Toxicol. 2023 Aug 15;18(1):17. doi: 10.1186/s12995-023-00378-2.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face major financial losses due to mental health issues affecting employees at all levels but seldom apply programs to promote wellbeing and prevent mental health issues among employees. To support the development of a multi-country workplace-based mental health intervention for SMEs (MENTUPP), a multinational consultation study was conducted. The study aimed to examine the experiences and needs of SMEs concerning the promotion of employee wellbeing, and the prevention and management of non-clinical mental health problems in workplaces.
A survey consisting of open and closed questions was designed to assess key informants' opinion about the acceptability, the use, and the implementation of interventions to promote wellbeing and prevent mental health issues in the workplace. Academic experts and representatives of SME organisations, specific sector organisations, labour or advocacy groups, and occupational health organisations across the nine MENTUPP intervention countries (eight European countries and Australia) were invited to complete the survey. Data were collected via the online platform Qualtrics. Sixty-five of 146 informants responded, representing a 44.5% response rate. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the quantitative data and qualitative data were analysed through thematic analysis.
Measures to create mentally healthy workplaces were most used in SMEs, while more specific mental health interventions, such as training staff on how to promote wellbeing, were hardly used. Managers lack resources to implement mental health interventions and are concerned about employees spending too much time on these interventions during working hours. Receiving information about the economic benefits of mental health interventions and hearing successful testimonials from other SMEs can persuade managers otherwise. Employees have concerns about confidentiality, discrimination and stigma, and career opportunities when using such interventions.
The study identifies a variety of challenges, needs and possibilities related to implementing mental health interventions in SMEs. Employers need to be convinced that investing in mental health in the workplace is worth their time and money. This requires more studies on the (cost-)effectiveness of mental health interventions. Once employers are engaged, their knowledge and competencies about how to implement such interventions should be increased and privacy concerns of employees to participate in them should be addressed.
中小企业（SMEs）因各级员工的心理健康问题面临重大财务损失，但很少应用促进员工福祉和预防员工心理健康问题的项目。为支持针对中小企业开展的多国工作场所心理健康干预措施（MENTUPP）的开发，开展了一项跨国咨询研究。该研究旨在调查中小企业在促进员工福祉以及预防和管理工作场所非临床心理健康问题方面的经验和需求。
设计了一项包含开放式和封闭式问题的调查，以评估关键信息提供者对促进福祉和预防工作场所心理健康问题的干预措施的可接受性、使用情况和实施情况的看法。MENTUPP干预措施涉及的九个国家（八个欧洲国家和澳大利亚）的学术专家以及中小企业组织、特定行业组织、劳工或倡导团体和职业健康组织的代表受邀完成该调查。数据通过在线平台Qualtrics收集。146名信息提供者中有65人回复，回复率为44.5%。描述性统计用于分析定量数据，定性数据通过主题分析进行分析。
营造心理健康工作场所的措施在中小企业中使用最为频繁，而更具体的心理健康干预措施，如培训员工如何促进福祉，则很少使用。管理者缺乏实施心理健康干预措施的资源，并且担心员工在工作时间花费过多时间在这些干预措施上。了解心理健康干预措施的经济效益并听取其他中小企业的成功经验可以说服管理者改变看法。员工在使用此类干预措施时担心保密性、歧视和污名化以及职业机会。
该研究确定了与在中小企业实施心理健康干预措施相关的各种挑战、需求和可能性。雇主需要相信，在工作场所投资心理健康是值得他们花费时间和金钱的。这需要对心理健康干预措施的（成本）效益进行更多研究。一旦雇主参与进来，就应提高他们实施此类干预措施的知识和能力，并解决员工参与这些措施时对隐私的担忧。
