Implementatie van de Participatieve Aanpak bij leidinggevenden voor optimale inzetbaarheid.

Supervisors play an important role to prevent sick leave or to reduce lost time due to sickness absence. The Participatory Approach (PA) is an effective workplace intervention which supervisors can apply to support employees at risk for sick leave. The PA is a stepwise protocol to solve barriers for employability through joint problem solving. It is hypothesized that a multifaceted implementation strategy will be more effective than a minimal implementation strategy to implement the PA within a company. A tailored training for supervisors in applying the PA within their company should give them more confidence in supporting employees at risk for sick leave.

It is hypothesized that a multifaceted implementation strategy compared to a minimal implementation strategy will be more effective to implement the Participatory Approach (PA) within a company. A tailored training for supervisors in applying the PA within their organization should give them more confidence in supporting employees at risk for sick leave.

Measurements will take place at baseline, and after 6 and 12 months. Measurements will be done using digital or paper questionnaires.

Within this study two implementation strategies of the Participatory Approach (PA) will be compared. The intervention group will receive a multifaceted implementation strategy. This strategy compromises three stages:

1. Working group with representatives of all stakeholders about in-company conditions for the PA. This will be one session of 2 hours with 6-10 persons;

2. Training of supervisors in the PA by trained in-company professionals, taking 5 hours in a group of 4 to 10 supervisors;

3. Coaching ‘on the job’ of supervisors by in-company professionals.



Stakeholders are department managers, HRM-professionals, supervisors, employees and occupational health professionals.



The control group will receive a minmal intervention strategy. Supervisors in the control group will receive solely written down information about the Participatory Approach.