Effective work organisation

Professor Schaper, what are the telltale signs of a workplace that is in desperate need of better organisation? What do I need to be on the look-out for as a manager?

When employees say that they are stressed and under a lot of pressure, complain that they are no longer able to keep up or are no longer able to bounce back/are no longer able to relax outside of work, then you are seeing some very clear warning signals. A typical indicator is absenteeism, i.e. when people start calling in sick. The underlying cause is often psychological stress. A high employee turnover rate is another sign that staff are not able to cope with the prevailing working conditions. These are clear alarm signals that have to be taken seriously.

You carry out employee surveys at care facilities and are using them to gain some insights. How would you assess the current situation there?

From our surveys, we frequently discover that it is not just the specific work itself that causes stress. There are often other factors at play that unsettle staff or alienate them from their employers, such as mergers or restructuring measures. Often people are worried about losing their jobs. As a manager, you have to take that seriously and deal with it sympathetically.

And what about the specific work situation within this sector? To what extent does work organisation play a role here?

From an occupational psychology perspective, this really is a very tricky field. In many places, nurses and carers face enormous pressure at work. This is often due to the fact that they have to carry out additional tasks, such as completing painstaking care documentation, while simultaneously having to cope with high levels of staff sickness and the general turnover of staff. On top of that, when you consider the amount of effort they have to put in and how important their role is to society, the work is not very well paid. Moreover, people living in care are not ordinary residents. Each of them has their own individual needs. This makes the work extremely complex, as well as both physically and mentally demanding. This can really create a huge amount of pressure.

That sounds like a desirable situation, because the staff will then presumably be able to take responsibility and be ready to take decisions independently. How can I encourage that as a manager?

As a manager I have to ensure that work is structured in such way that employees have enough leeway to act autonomously and make decisions for themselves. In addition, I should continuously provide my staff with an adequate amount of feedback on their work. Communication and social support are vital. Once these are in place, people will find a certain amount of job satisfaction. They will regard themselves as capable of tackling the daily challenges and will develop a commitment to the organisation as a whole, including its aims and values. If this results in work tasks or routines being structured more efficiently or in a more flexible response to workplace demands, it can even have an economic impact as well. All in all, a thoroughly positive dynamic.

What is the situation like in other sectors, such as for a team working at an industrial laundry?

Actually, the points I have outlined can be applied to virtually any occupational sector. Ultimately, it always comes down to organising the work in such a way that it is challenging but, insofar as possible, does not cause continuous stress and overload. Employees still need some leeway even in occupations that are supposedly very straightforward. A certain amount of variety and the opportunity to get involved in the organisational aspects help employees to see their work as a positive challenge and gain a sense of “being useful” and “having a job that matters”.