Reducing Job Demands Through a Participatory Work Redesign Intervention: A Quasi‐Experimental Study in Aged Care

ABSTRACT Extensive research on work design indicates that high job demands undermine employee well‐being, yet few empirical studies have focused on interventions that directly reduce job demands. This paper reports on a quasi‐experimental field study evaluating the effects of a work redesign intervention aimed at reducing employees' job demands in the high demand sector of aged care. Two residential aged care facilities from an Australian not‐for‐profit aged care organization comprised the intervention group and two similarly sized facilities comprised the comparison group, who underwent no intervention. Drawing on well‐being and involvement HRM theories, the intervention featured a participatory approach that actively involved frontline workers in identifying sources of high demands and providing work redesign solutions to be implemented by management. During the study, changes in national funding policy resulted in an increase in staffing across all facilities. However, results showed that intervention facilities experienced a statistically significant reduction in employee‐reported time pressure and emotional demands whereas no such changes occurred in the comparison facilities. There were also indications of a reduction in leave without pay, although no clear impact on turnover or well‐being. The results highlight the value of participatory work redesign as a viable and theory driven HRM strategy for improving employee outcomes in demanding service and health care environments, over and above increasing staff numbers.