Establishing an evaluation method to measure organizational management returns to workers' health and well-being over time

Purpose The relationship between organizational management and workers' occupational health and well-being (OHW) needs to be deeply understood and the effectiveness of organizational management needs to be quantified. Driven by dual needs, this study aims to clarify the mechanisms between organizational response, job characteristics, job stress, burnout and OHW. An evaluation methodology focused on efficiency was developed, with organizational management as an input and workers' OHW as an output. Organizational management performance was visually portrayed, current status assessment tools were provided and a basis for future management was provided. Design/methodology/approach Based on literature research, the relationship between organization management and OHW was investigated by the person-environment-occupation-performance model and the driving force-pressure-state-impact-response model. The mechanism was elucidated using the geo-detector and coupling coordination degree methods. In addition, a method was constructed based on data envelopment analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of management. Findings There was an upward trend in OHW promotion over the four quarters, especially in the fourth quarter (Q4) for the J project. Organizational resources, job autonomy control, stress related to responsibility and performance and intervention forms were identified as the dominant factors affecting OHW. The coupling relationship between the factors was revealed. In Q4, the average comprehensive, technical and scale efficiencies were 0.77, 0.82 and 0.94, respectively. It was mainly the technical efficiency that determined the trend of comprehensive efficiency. Research limitations/implications This study focuses on the project of one enterprise as a case study, and the data may be sparse. In the future, efforts can be made to broaden the source of the sample to include different enterprises in different geographic locations to deepen the analyses. Secondly, the integration of data measured by wearable devices will be considered in the assessment of OHW. Moreover, it can provide more guidance for management. Practical implications With the establishment of quality-based assessment tools, new insights can be gained for measuring costs and benefits. This evaluation provides incentives for activities and changes the bias that regards interventions as unnecessary investment costs. This study focused on a creative new perspective of “efficiency” and proposed a novel evaluation model. It covers the “input-output” cycle in the system, reflecting the coordinated development and grasping the dynamic changes. In addition, a cycle will generate the response plan for the next cycle of input, as much as possible to reflect the “input-output” lag of the system. Social implications By focusing on the health and well-being of this large group of workers, the healthcare burden can be reduced and production and economic functioning can be ensured. It is also one of the national strategic goals in the context of China's modernization. It is the necessary support for healthy work organization and harmonious social development. Originality/value This study contributes to stress, health and well-being management, improving satisfaction and promoting performance. Importantly, it has innovative value and practical significance in constructing and consolidating the whole chain of OHW promotion, including leading factors, driving mechanisms, evaluation methods and sustainability. In the Healthy China strategy context, this study develops new perspectives and evaluation methods but also draws managerial-oriented conclusions.