Gendered Support? Understanding How Managers Address Mental Health Needs

Abstract Background Gender differences in sick leave due to common mental disorders (CMD) are pronounced, with more women taking sick leave. Research has reported gender differences in work modifications during return-to-work (RTW) following CMD-related sick leave. Although workplaces play a critical role in prevention, studies rarely focus on managers who are responsible for implementing preventive measures and overseeing RTW. We hypothesized that managers would propose different preventive actions depending on the gender of the individual experiencing CMD Aim To examine actions proposed by managers to prevent CMD-related sick leave, and to investigate how these preventive actions vary based on employee gender. Data and methods The study (n = 2147) surveyed 3,000 public sector managers via the Swedish Citizen Panel in 2024. Using an experimental design with randomized video vignettes with either a male or female employee, participants answered 20 questions about preventive actions. Chi-square analysis examined gender differences across actions. Factor analysis grouped the actions into three types: actions to adapt tasks, to involve experts, and to provide social support to the employee. Sum scores for each action type were analyzed with the Mann-Whitney U-test to compare the number of actions proposed for male and female vignettes. Results Most of the 20 actions were proposed by the managers but only one, “increase staffing to compensate for reduced work capacity” showed a significant difference between a male and female vignette (p = 0.030). No significant differences were found in the number of proposed actions for male and female vignettes across the three action types (p-values: 0.71, 0.31, 0.70). Conclusions This study found little evidence that gender impacts the preventive measures proposed by managers, with no significant differences across action types. This contradicts research where work modifications are implemented differently for female and male employees. Key messages • Managers proposed a broad range of measures to prevent sick leave due to common mental disorders. • Common mental disorders drive the development of sick leave, especially for women. However, this study found minimal gender-based differences in managers’ preventive strategies.