Background
Methods
Study design
Setting
Study population and sample
Intervention
Process evaluation
Results
Workplace characteristics
Worksites | Client Industry | Number of Frontline Workers | Account Stabilitya | Percent Completed Intervention Contact Points |
---|---|---|---|---|
Intervention Sites | ||||
1 | Law Firm | 7 | DM turnover (3) Chef turnover (2) No final data collection due to COVID-19 | 68% |
2 | Office Park | 5b | DM turnover (2) | 74% |
3 | Membership organization and Conference Center | 10 | Low turnover | 63% |
4 | Banking | 20 | SM Turnover (4) DM turnover (2) No final data collection due to COVID-19 | 58% |
5 | Biopharmaceuticals | 20 | 74% | |
Control Sites | ||||
6 | Biopharmaceuticals | 7 | ||
7 | Analytical laboratory instrument and software company | 10 | ||
8 | Military technology | 11 | SM Turnover (2) No final data collection due to COVID-19 | |
9 | Medical School | 17 | Site closed mid-study | |
10 | Banking | 17 | SM Turnover (2) No final data collection due to COVID-19 |
Intervention implementation: results from quantitative process tracking data
Site level intervention
Module | In-person Visits | Phone Calls | Group training/ discussion | Total contact points/planned |
---|---|---|---|---|
Project introduction and cross-site coordination | 1/1 | NA | 1/1 | 2/2 (100%) |
Safety & Ergonomics | 2/3 | 1.8/3 | NA | 3.8/6 (63%) |
Work Intensity | 1/2 | 1.8/2 | 1/1 | 3.8/5 (76%) |
Job Enrichment | .2/2 | 2/3 | .8/1 | 3/6 (50%) |
Total contact points | 4.2/8 (53%) | 5.6/8 (70%) | 2.8/3 (93%) | 12.6/19 (66%) |
Leadership intervention
Module(s) | Contact Points | Participants | Objectives |
---|---|---|---|
Project Introduction and Module Coordination | Two in-person meetings | Senior VPs representing Health and Safety, Human Resources and Operations | Introduce study; co-develop a shared vision for the intervention; identify potential internal resources |
Safety and Ergonomics, Work Intensity, Job Enrichment | Four telephone meetings | District Managers | Quarterly meetings for reviewing module assessment reports, identifying internal resources for addressing site level priorities, supporting Site Manager participation |
Safety and Ergonomics (S&E) | Two in-person meetings Two telephone meetings | Health and Safety leadership | Provide input on the development of the S&E walkthrough assessment; align priorities with ongoing internal safety audits; review aggregate walkthrough findings; identify existing company resources and opportunities for addressing areas identified for improvement |
Work Intensity (WI) | Four telephone meetings | Human Resources and Operations leadership | Review and discuss policies, practices and resources; explore challenges and opportunities to address WI across sites |
Job Enrichment (JE) | Five telephone meetings One in-person meeting | Human Resources and Operations leadership | Review available tools and resources and consider adaptations for use with frontline workers; identify opportunities to highlight performance goals and career advancement |
Context and process: results from qualitative data
“One that we systemically deal with is turnover … , from the district level down to the frontline supervisors. So continuity – I mean, if you’re gonna implement changes, you have to have some continuity. Someone supports the change and manages it and implements it and briefs the employees – that’s part of it.” (District Manager).
“The other piece of it – 14 months in our industry is an eternity. So when I looked at the accounts that were in the pilot, there was a lot of turnover in those positions. So looking at this list [of participating sites and site managers], he’s gone – he’s gone. He found another opportunity. That’s part of the lifecycle of our organization, and in this industry there’s turnover. So that’s been a bit of a challenge.” (Operations Manager).
“The relationship [is] with the client, so if it’s volatile or shaky... we don’t want to do anything except please them and stick to our core business which is executing food. Right? So anything perceived as taking away time from that is not helpful.” (National Project Champion).
“Work intensity in particular was interesting … . it’s our mission to satisfy the customer, the client, [so we] take last-minute requests and catering orders. And that naturally adds to the work intensity. So, I think it was just very eye opening, that that was a struggle, and I don’t think we came up with a solution though, necessarily. Because the easiest solution would be, well, just stop taking these last-minute requests or re-educate the customer, but, easier said than done.” (District Manager).
“There are some that the client won’t allow to change. Specifically, adding a chair and a mat for the cashier. For aesthetics, the client won’t allow this. The account has no choice. Salad bar is old and needs updating or to be replaced. Client is responsible for maintenance … It’s their equipment. Most of the items on the list require client involvement and expenditures since the account doesn’t own the equipment – the client does.” (Site Manager).
“There used to be more floating managers and floating chefs so that if a chef or a manager had to call out sick or they wanted to take a week off, they were able to because there were resources to step in and cover for them. And that dwindled and then it disappeared because of financial constraints. Similarly, when they got new registers, it used to be that they had IT technology support to come in and program those registers. Now that’s something that’s being asked of the [site] manager.” (Research Team Member).
“The food business is very demanding. It’s very unique. And I think a lot of people – from the outside looking in, you might not realize how intense of a business it is. I mean, that’s something I don’t think – if someone says, oh, you’re a chef. They think, oh, you make food all day long. And it’s like, you don’t know how many deadlines I hit all day long. It’s like you have a deadline to open the restaurant at this time, you have a deadline for every catering [job], you have a deadline with every vendor, and all – lots of things are coming at you at the same time, especially in a place like this that does a lot of catering.” (Frontline Worker).
“I look at priorities as things that change all the time … It’s taken from a priority to more of a culture shift …. It’s trying to get that culture shift in the organization. And we’re starting to see that shift turning into the direction which is good, which will ultimately benefit that frontline employee where they’re doing the work and putting their health and well-being at risk on a daily basis with the jobs that they do.” (National Project Champion).
“So there wasn’t a lot of assistance above me for doing this. It was brought to me, I took that direction and then at one – the only time we had a general meeting of everyone at [research team location] we discussed some issues, and it never really went much further than that. So to say that there was a lot of assistance from those above us, there was a bit right after the meeting, but then that’s kind of where it ended.” (Site Manager).
“Terrible. Terrible. There isn’t any [communication] …. We won’t hear from the district manager unless there’s something wrong …. They work a lot with the clients to make sure the clients are happy, looking at the financials. So that’s kind of it … I mean the accounts really sort of felt like they were on their own and that the upper levels had no clue about what it took for them to manage the accounts. So the communication, I would say, is terrible.” (Site Manager).
“Job enrichment, I think just the fact of, again, bringing awareness to it. That’s something we’re trying to do with our employees, whether it’s through cross-training and getting more aware of different job responsibilities, or in some cases – I don’t think we got into it necessarily, but with education opportunities for us, for our staff and ability for them to grow. But I think, again, it’s just two really good concepts that we don’t spend enough time on, that the study brought awareness to.” (District Manager).
“Well, if you talk about environment, safety, employee engagement, I mean I think it’s safe to say it’s pretty well aligned with our strategic priorities as an organization, right? I would say it hits really the key pillars of what we are trying to accomplish with our associates in the workplace.” (Operations Manager).
“It’s so busy for the most part that it’s just finding the time to implement those things, and it’s always been a challenge for us. And it doesn’t make your study any different than our normal checks and balances. It’s just the fact of it is that being able to sit down and make time with everybody and – it’s never been easy.” (Site Manager).
“We are the ones that set the tone and pass through all the information. We know how to do that better than anybody because we work directly with all the different personalities that are here … it was handled correctly, in my eyes.” (Site Manager).
“We planned to have a short huddle after our meeting. When the [Site Manager] went back to the kitchen, he then came back out and told me that they were behind and couldn’t take time away from prep work to participate in a huddle.” (Research Team Member).