On the frontlines: Identifying individual and organizational factors associated with managerial perceived ability to take actions to prevent sickness absence in employees with mental health problems

Abstract

This study investigates self-reported managerial perceived ability to take actions aimed at preventing employees´ sickness absence within an occupational setting, focusing on three specific preventive strategies: actions to adapt tasks and setting, social support actions, and actions to involve experts. Regression trees, combined with bootstrap aggregation to improve model stability, were applied in an exploratory framework to identify key factors associated with the perceived ability to take actions. Distal organizational factors, such as organizational support and climate, showed the strongest associations with managers' perceived ability to take actions to prevent sickness absence, followed by more proximal organizational factors in terms of managers’ psychosocial working conditions. In contrast, individual factors, and notably, the broader organizational context in terms of industrial sector and organizational size, were comparatively less strongly associated. By accounting for the complexity of managers' work situation, this study provides novel insights and important knowledge. Future studies are needed to test the organizational factors identified in the study as more appropriate organizational preconditions for managers to support and retain employees with mental health problems at work.