Effects of the use of a shift schedule evaluation tool with ergonomic recommendations on employee wellbeing - a quasi-experiment in the Finnish healthcare sector

We investigated the effects of a shift schedule evaluation tool with ergonomics recommendations on employee wellbeing. The study sample was from the Finnish Public Sector study (n = 7002 employees). The shift planners' use of the shift schedule evaluation tool was linked to employees' self-reported wellbeing outcomes. Inverse probability weights, reflecting the likelihood of the evaluation tool's use by the shift planner, were calculated using multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression for each participant and logistic regression for each ward. Wards using the tool (intervention group) were compared to those not using it (control group) with a generalized linear model. No association was found between the tool's use and wellbeing at the ward level. In the individual level, lower psychological distress was found in the intervention group (Risk ratio 0.92, 95 % Confidence interval 0.85-0.99). More rigorous use of the tool may be necessary to achieve significant benefits for wellbeing.