HR-ON Wellbeing helps Rudersdal Municipality reduce sick leave
In Rudersdal Municipality there is an increased focus on employee well-being and the work environment after entering a cooperation with HR-ON Wellbeing. The initiative involves three centres within Health and Social Services, which have joined the solution. As these are large organisational units, they have chosen to test HR-ON Wellbeing’s application as a pilot project among 300 managers and employees across the three centres.
Center Chief for Social Efforts, Lene L. Petersen, is very positive about the cooperation with HR-ON Wellbeing, as she sees opportunities for greater openness, reflection and dialogue among managers and employees:
“We had a meeting the other day with representatives across the entire organisation and there was great interest and curiosity in our new cooperation with HR-ON Wellbeing — including among colleagues who are not part of the project but follow it from the sidelines. Everyone is very excited to see the surveys and reflections that the continuous responses give rise to. There is a belief that having an easily accessible app-based solution at hand makes people actually take the time to focus on their well-being.”
“We have received very positive feedback from our employees. They find it meaningful and we can see that several have accepted offers for calls from both physiotherapists and occupational psychologists. The fast response from HR-ON Wellbeing based on the employees’ app entries has left a positive impression.” – Lene L. Petersen
A little over 60% of the employees in the project activated their profiles within the first month and started using the HR-ON Wellbeing application. The majority (95%) answer the ongoing well-being questions and therefore receive feedback on their well-being and access to professional counseling if necessary.
Within the organisation, well-being surveys are usually carried out every other year. However, no tool has previously been able to provide an accurate and ongoing picture of employee well-being and assist management in intervening in the right places.
“It becomes very general with the overall picture and is not particularly useful for the individual manager. When employees have later had to reflect on their experiences, it has not always been accurate but more a reflection of the moment. The idea with HR-ON Wellbeing is that we can make faster adjustments if we discover declining well-being curves — and this is where HR-ON Wellbeing has to prove its value.”
Sexism and violations in the workplace
Another relevant issue in organisations — and society in general — is the debate concerning sexism and violations in the workplace. In Rudersdal Municipality, this issue is taken very seriously, and Lene sees the cooperation with HR-ON Wellbeing as a way to create greater openness on the subject and receive feedback from employees regarding behaviour that crosses boundaries and the general tone within the organisation.
“We have recently included the questions HR-ON Wellbeing has launched about sexism and violations, which allows us once a quarter to ask the 300 participants whether they have felt violated within the last few months. The questions are phrased very well. Among other things, the workplace language is addressed, which is a good way to explore culture. Many of our units primarily consist of female employees, so men may be outnumbered, and it is interesting to learn about their experiences with the overall social tone.”
Well-being during a pandemic
Covid-19 has affected well-being in many organisations, and Rudersdal Municipality has also felt the impact over recent months. Particularly employees working closely with vulnerable citizens have experienced pressure, as safety precautions and careful behaviour have been a major part of everyday life.
“A lot of people are becoming very Corona-exhausted. For those working from home, it worked for a period, but over time the social interaction and easy access to sparring have been missed. Around 90% of those employees who are part of the HR-ON Wellbeing solution work directly with citizens. They have experienced being tired and worn down. It is very demanding to work among vulnerable groups. However, the employees keep their spirits high and are proud that they have largely managed to keep Corona at bay and avoid outbreaks.”
Data-driven insight for targeted action
The organisation has previously observed significant differences in well-being across the three units. The HR-ON Wellbeing project aims to provide management with insight into where and how to intervene when well-being curves decline.
“We have seen that departments with rotating shifts experience differences in well-being. It can be more demanding to work with changing hours on weekdays and weekends compared to departments working regular 9–17 schedules. This is another area where we are excited to see the results of the HR-ON Wellbeing surveys and how the project can help us intervene in the right places.”
Sick leave must be reduced by half a percent
The real test for Rudersdal Municipality is whether the preventive effort will succeed:
“It is our ambition to prevent wear and tear, dissatisfaction and long-term sick leave among our employees, and we expect that this well-being tool will help us learn and act in time. We have a goal to reduce sick leave across the organisation by half a percent — and HR-ON Wellbeing will help us achieve that.”
Summary
– Rudersdal Municipality pilots HR-ON Wellbeing across three centres.
– 300 managers and employees participate in proactive well-being monitoring.
– Fast professional follow-up from psychologists and physiotherapists.
– Quarterly questions address culture, sexism and workplace violations.
– Goal: reduce sick leave by 0.5% through preventive action.
