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EMPOWER
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H-WORK
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MINDBOT
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MENTUPP
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The European platforM to PromOte Wellbeing and HEalth in the woRkplace (EMPOWER)
eHealth platform for the workplace
Digital technology opens new paths in health and well-being, which also extend to the workplace, where a wide range of problems affect people daily. The EU-funded EMPOWER project will investigate and test the impact and cost-effectiveness of a compatible eHealth intervention platform aiming to prevent common mental health complications and reduce psychological distress in the workplace. The platform will be created in collaboration with stakeholders and direct employees and employers of SMEs and public institutions in Finland, Poland and Spain. The project will apply both qualitative and quantitative methods to assess personal effects, cost-effectiveness and potential obstacles to detect the major challenges on both an individual and organisational level.
Objective
EMPOWER is a multidisciplinary research and innovation effort aiming to developing, implementing, evaluating and disseminating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a modular eHealth intervention platform to promote health and well-being, reduce psychological distress, prevent common mental health problems and reduce their impact in the workplace. In collaboration with stakeholders, we will adapt existing effective interventions focused on different components (awareness and stigma, workplace conditions and psychosocial factors, stress, common mental health symptoms, early detection, comorbidity, lifestyle, and return to work) to created a combined online modular platform feasible in various workplace settings by culturally and contextually adapting it.
The intervention will be implemented through a randomized controlled trial directed to employees and employers of small and medium sized enterprises and public agencies from three European countries (Spain, Finland and Poland). Both qualitative and quantitative methods will be used in the evaluation of the individual health outcomes, cost-effectiveness (from a social, economical, employer and employees perspective), and implementation facilitators and barriers. Implementation strategies relevant to the uptake of the EMPOWER intervention will be identified, including a realistic appraisal of barriers to uptake as well as evidence-based solutions to these barriers. Through scaling-up pre-existing effective and cost-effective interventions, EMPOWER is aimed at addressing the overarching challenges from different perspectives, including individual level (e.g., addressing stigma, mental health, well-being and lifestyles, taking into account legal, cultural and gender issues) and organizational level. The main outcomes effort will help employees, employers and policymakers in decision processes of new legal and contractual framework at EU and national level covering the new economy landscape.
Objective
EMPOWER is a multidisciplinary research and innovation effort aiming to developing, implementing, evaluating and disseminating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a modular eHealth intervention platform to promote health and well-being, reduce psychological distress, prevent common mental health problems and reduce their impact in the workplace. In collaboration with stakeholders, we will adapt existing effective interventions focused on different components (awareness and stigma, workplace conditions and psychosocial factors, stress, common mental health symptoms, early detection, comorbidity, lifestyle, and return to work) to created a combined online modular platform feasible in various workplace settings by culturally and contextually adapting it.
The intervention will be implemented through a randomized controlled trial directed to employees and employers of small and medium sized enterprises and public agencies from three European countries (Spain, Finland and Poland). Both qualitative and quantitative methods will be used in the evaluation of the individual health outcomes, cost-effectiveness (from a social, economical, employer and employees perspective), and implementation facilitators and barriers. Implementation strategies relevant to the uptake of the EMPOWER intervention will be identified, including a realistic appraisal of barriers to uptake as well as evidence-based solutions to these barriers. Through scaling-up pre-existing effective and cost-effective interventions, EMPOWER is aimed at addressing the overarching challenges from different perspectives, including individual level (e.g., addressing stigma, mental health, well-being and lifestyles, taking into account legal, cultural and gender issues) and organizational level. The main outcomes effort will help employees, employers and policymakers in decision processes of new legal and contractual framework at EU and national level covering the new economy landscape.
Multilevel Interventions to promote mental health in SMEs and public workplaces
Managing mental health on the job
Mental health problems among the EU population are on the rise, particularly affecting employees in public organisations and SMEs. Knowledge and instruments to manage workers' mental health and well-being are limited. The EU-funded H-WORK project intends to create, apply and test a multi-level estimation and intervention instrument aiming to promote mental health in public organisations and SMEs. It will evaluate the outcomes of applied methods and offer proposals to employers, health professionals and policymakers. The project will create, prove and develop the H-WORK Innovation Platform, a system that will include advanced digital services, and facilitate the dissemination of H-WORK solutions across the EU.
Objective
Recent reports indicate an increase in mental health problems among the general EU population in recent years. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and public organisations are particularly vulnerable as they have often scarce knowledge and resources to effectively manage workers’ mental health and wellbeing. The general aim of the H-WORK project is to design, implement and validate effective multi-level assessment and intervention toolkits providing new products and services to promote mental health in public organisations and SMEs, evaluate individual and organisational outcomes of the adopted measures, and provide recommendations for employers, occupational health professionals and policymakers. The project aims to design, implement and exploit an integrated toolkit (H-TOOLS) which will provide managers and CEOs to effectively assess organisational psychosocial risk (HAT), implement the most appropriate interventions (HIT), and evaluate individual and organisational outcomes of the adopted measures (HET). Implementation of the H-WORK Toolkits will occur in ten intervention sites across five European countries, including five public organisations (healthcare, higher education, governmental) and five SMEs. Moreover, the data and experience generated during the implementation process will allow for development of further H-WORK products and services. Specifically, H-WORK will design, test and deploy the H-WORK Innovation Platform which will include novel digital services such as Benchmarking Calculator and Decision Support System that will facilitate the spread and uptake of the H-WORK solutions across Europe, and ensure the long-term sustainability of the project outcomes. The H-WORK project will significantly contribute to coordinated strategies for occupational health and safety and will foster health, social and economic prosperity in the EU.
Objective
Recent reports indicate an increase in mental health problems among the general EU population in recent years. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and public organisations are particularly vulnerable as they have often scarce knowledge and resources to effectively manage workers’ mental health and wellbeing. The general aim of the H-WORK project is to design, implement and validate effective multi-level assessment and intervention toolkits providing new products and services to promote mental health in public organisations and SMEs, evaluate individual and organisational outcomes of the adopted measures, and provide recommendations for employers, occupational health professionals and policymakers. The project aims to design, implement and exploit an integrated toolkit (H-TOOLS) which will provide managers and CEOs to effectively assess organisational psychosocial risk (HAT), implement the most appropriate interventions (HIT), and evaluate individual and organisational outcomes of the adopted measures (HET). Implementation of the H-WORK Toolkits will occur in ten intervention sites across five European countries, including five public organisations (healthcare, higher education, governmental) and five SMEs. Moreover, the data and experience generated during the implementation process will allow for development of further H-WORK products and services. Specifically, H-WORK will design, test and deploy the H-WORK Innovation Platform which will include novel digital services such as Benchmarking Calculator and Decision Support System that will facilitate the spread and uptake of the H-WORK solutions across Europe, and ensure the long-term sustainability of the project outcomes. The H-WORK project will significantly contribute to coordinated strategies for occupational health and safety and will foster health, social and economic prosperity in the EU.
Mental Health promotion of cobot Workers in Industry 4.0
Studying whether cobots can make workers happier
People-focused robots, also called collaborative robots (cobots), are designed to work with people (not to replace them) to help increase productivity in the manufacturing industry. These robots work with people in a shared workspace. The EU-funded MindBot project will investigate how cobot-based manufacturing workplaces are able to promote workers’ mental health. It will define an employment model for persons diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) working in the frame of manufacturing SMEs adopting cobots. The project will take a multidisciplinary approach, considering numerous facets that could impact mental health and intervening on technological, relational and organisational aspects of cobot-based work.
Objective
MindBot aims at identifying methods and implementing solutions for promoting good mental health in the emerging industry 4.0 within the specific context of manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that adopt collaborative robots (cobots) in their production lines. MindBot idea is to design workplaces where level of challenge and difficulty of job tasks are matched with the workers’ abilities and skills, in order to support motivation and engagement of workers interacting with cobots in a flexible and personalized way. This will facilitate an active and positive attitude of the worker that promotes good mental health and prevents negative experiences of anxiety or boredom and apathy that eventually lead to mental illnesses.
A multidisciplinary approach will be adopted by taking into account multiple facets potentially impacting mental health and intervening on technological, relational and organizational aspects of the cobot-based work. MindBot involves a major worldwide cobot manufacturer, SMEs (employers and employees), universities, technical and clinical research centers, patient organizations and ministry of labour and pension system.
The key expected results are:
Objective
MindBot aims at identifying methods and implementing solutions for promoting good mental health in the emerging industry 4.0 within the specific context of manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that adopt collaborative robots (cobots) in their production lines. MindBot idea is to design workplaces where level of challenge and difficulty of job tasks are matched with the workers’ abilities and skills, in order to support motivation and engagement of workers interacting with cobots in a flexible and personalized way. This will facilitate an active and positive attitude of the worker that promotes good mental health and prevents negative experiences of anxiety or boredom and apathy that eventually lead to mental illnesses.
A multidisciplinary approach will be adopted by taking into account multiple facets potentially impacting mental health and intervening on technological, relational and organizational aspects of the cobot-based work. MindBot involves a major worldwide cobot manufacturer, SMEs (employers and employees), universities, technical and clinical research centers, patient organizations and ministry of labour and pension system.
The key expected results are:
- The definition of organizational guidelines for the design of a cobot-based manufacturing workplace able to promote workers’ mental health;
- The definition of technical guidelines for the design of a “mental health friendly” cobots, including the MindBot prototype development;
- The definition of an employment model for persons diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) working in the frame of manufacturing SMEs adopting cobot.
Mental Health Promotion and Intervention in Occupational Settings
Healthy workplaces for small businesses
Depression and anxiety are the most prevalent mental health difficulties in the workplace in the EU, causing immense suffering and costing the global economy €1 trillion each year in lost productivity. Certain sectors, in particular construction, health and ICT, have an elevated risk of mental health difficulties, with those working in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) being particularly vulnerable. However, most SMEs have limited capacity to address mental health promotion and provide mental health interventions to staff. As SMEs comprise more than 90% of all EU businesses, there is a huge potential to influence population health.
Objective
MENTUPP aims to improve mental health and wellbeing in the workplace by developing, implementing and evaluating a comprehensive, multilevel intervention targeting both clinical (depressive, anxiety disorders) and non-clinical (stress, burnout, wellbeing, depressive symptoms) mental health issues, as well as combating the stigma of mental (ill-) health. The intervention will be tailored for SMEs in construction, healthcare and ICT and assessed in a multi-country Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial. The primary aim is to improve mental health in the workplace, with a secondary aim to reduce depression and suicidal behaviour.
MENTUPP will be conducted by an interdisciplinary consortium that includes world leading experts in mental health in occupational settings, depression, anxiety, stress, suicide prevention and stigma. It builds on a solid foundation of evidence, in particular leveraging partner European Alliance Against Depression’s four-level intervention to improve mental health and reduce suicide risk and partner Mates in Construction’s successful workplace intervention to reduce suicide in construction workers. Long-lasting impact is also a key priority of the project, with activities dedicated to the development of replication materials to support long-term use of the MINDUP intervention in SMEs across Europe.
Objective
MENTUPP aims to improve mental health and wellbeing in the workplace by developing, implementing and evaluating a comprehensive, multilevel intervention targeting both clinical (depressive, anxiety disorders) and non-clinical (stress, burnout, wellbeing, depressive symptoms) mental health issues, as well as combating the stigma of mental (ill-) health. The intervention will be tailored for SMEs in construction, healthcare and ICT and assessed in a multi-country Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial. The primary aim is to improve mental health in the workplace, with a secondary aim to reduce depression and suicidal behaviour.
MENTUPP will be conducted by an interdisciplinary consortium that includes world leading experts in mental health in occupational settings, depression, anxiety, stress, suicide prevention and stigma. It builds on a solid foundation of evidence, in particular leveraging partner European Alliance Against Depression’s four-level intervention to improve mental health and reduce suicide risk and partner Mates in Construction’s successful workplace intervention to reduce suicide in construction workers. Long-lasting impact is also a key priority of the project, with activities dedicated to the development of replication materials to support long-term use of the MINDUP intervention in SMEs across Europe.
