Motivational processes in occupational health

A major focus in both science and practices today is well-being in the workplace. The aim of the project is to use motivational concepts to better understand occupational health in the 21st century. Work motivation is an important factor to consider with regards to occupational health as it represents the energetic forces originating in the interaction between the individual and the external work environment. The project combines the study of important factors in the work environment with knowledge on motivational processes. This provides increased insight into conditions of the work context needed to ensure and facilitate healthy and productive employees and organizations. The focus on motivational processes in the relation between social-contextual factors and various indicators of occupational health will increase knowledge on not only "why", but also "how" the workplace gives implications on peoples' health and well-being. The project has three thematic focus areas all relating to the overall theme. First, the project develops and tests strategies for creating positive experiences in the workplace (WP1 and WP4). Second, it examines the relations between payment systems and -characteristics and workers' motivation, performance, and well-being health (WP2). Third, the project examines how specific strategies for increased job recovery interplay with motivational processes in relation to occupational health (WP3). The project uses a unique combination of rigorous quantitative and qualitative research methods to gain in-depth knowledge regarding optimal working conditions and outcomes in organizations. WP1 and WP4: Workplace interventions for motivation and health By using the theoretical framework of self-determination theory, this part of the project focuses on creating optimal work contexts for the benefits of positive occupational health outcomes as well as organizational performance through designing and testing a comprehensive and multilevel workplace intervention where both managers and employees are trained in need-supportive strategies. WP2: Payment systems Theoretically based on self-determination theory, this part of the project examines some of the contradictions within the research field on the effects of compensation by conducting a rigorous and comprehensive study of various forms of payment and payment characteristics in relation to motivation and performance. In addition, the effects of various forms of payment and payment characteristics on occupational health are examined. Data is collected through a longitudinal panel study using multimethod sources. WP3: Health Promotion Through Recovery and Motivation This part of the project examines the role of employees' recovery strategies and work motivation for successful job recovery, and the importance of recovery for occupational health and performance. Theoretically based on the stressor-detachment model, conservation of resources theory and self-determination theory, the two studies in this work package advance knowledge on how to enhance recovery in practice. The first study focuses on recovery from day to day across a period of two weeks and how proactive leisure crafting can enhance recovery experiences. In the second study, a recovery intervention is developed to examine if individuals' recovery strategies can be enhanced.

Prosjektet har gitt deltakende virksomheter og ansatte konkrete verktøy for å styrke daglig praksis. Dette gjelder spesielt intervensjoner som viser at verktøyene som er utformet bidrar til mer behovstøttende praksis på både ansatt- og ledernivå og bedre restitusjon fra jobb. Dette henger igjen sammen med økt motivasjon og bedre jobbrelatert helse. For deltakerne har prosjektet også gitt økt kompetanse i å identifisere og følge opp sentrale indikatorer i arbeidshverdagen (psykologiske behov, restitusjonsopplevelser), noe som gjør det lettere å forebygge utfordringer før de utvikler seg. På virksomhetsnivå ligger det et potensial for videre virkninger ved at kunnskapen tas inn i interne rutiner, lederopplæring og medarbeideroppfølging. Partnere har fått virksomhetstilpassede rapporter og presentasjoner som de kan benytte i dette arbeidet. Prosjektet har etablert et sterkt fagmiljø og utvidet nettverk mot sentrale aktører i offentlig og privat sektor, noe som gir bedre tilgang til relevante problemstillinger og raskere vei fra forskning til praksis. Resultatene brukes allerede i undervisning og kompetansetiltak, og danner grunnlag for å utvikle mer materiale og skalere tiltak til nye målgrupper. På lengre sikt kan prosjektets funn støtte et mer bærekraftig arbeidsliv gjennom bedre tilpasning mellom oppgaver, ressurser og krav, økt motivasjon og bedre jobbhelse. Dette kan igjen gi positive ringvirkninger på produktivitet, stabilitet og kvalitet i tjenester—til nytte for både ansatte, arbeidsgivere og samfunnet.

The proposed project goes beyond the state of the art by focusing on some specific topics within occupational health psychology to address occupational health challenges of the 21st century. First, the proposed research seeks to carry out a more comprehensive study than any in the literature that relates payment systems to basic psychological needs, work, motivation, health and well-being, and work performance. Second, by examining specific strategies for increased job recovery, the proposed project emphasizes the job recovery process as an important factor in occupational health in today’s knowledge society where work life increasingly has blurry lines to employees’ leisure time that may have unwanted consequences for occupational health. Third, the project emphasizes psychological, physiological and organizational outcomes of relevance to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the various outcomes and their interplay. Fourth, the proposed project introduces rigorous research designs to study the temporal psychological- and motivational processes leading to these various occupational health outcomes. This involves going beyond cross-sectional self-reports designs and incorporating multiple methods and longitudinal structures to enable more definitive conclusions. By using a combination of a longitudinal design with objective measures, interventions based on sophisticated quasi-experimental designs, as well as qualitative interview approaches, the proposed project is unique and can contribute to gaining more in-depth knowledge to the process of which optimal working conditions and outcomes can be emphasized in organizations. Moreover, by using the theoretical framework of self-determination theory, the focus becomes on creating optimal work climates for the benefits of positive occupational health outcomes as well as organizational performance rather than focusing on “fixing” what is already broken.