The Role of Workplace on Work Participation and Sick Leave after a Terrorist Attack: A Qualitative Study
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Participants
2.2. Ethics
2.3. Procedure
2.4. Thematic Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Supportive Management
It was [important] that they [the managers] showed compassion and empathy, and in general gave us a lot of slack when it came to day-to-day working. They expressed that they were fully aware that not everyone was feeling up to the task. In retrospect, it turned out that people did about as much work as they had done before, when they had only calmed down for a short period. ...I think the fact that it turned out as well as it did was because we gained the [managers’] confidence.(Female in her 60s)
It was very important that the system, in other words my own employer, the ministry, but also the entire ministry community, with everything from occupational health services to the support network, had open arms and were so generous that we only had to say if we needed something. ‘If you need something, just say so. It does not matter what it costs, we will support you all the way.’ They also accepted that people’s individual needs were very different.(Female in her 50s)
Those who worked to create the conditions so that we could do our job, they gave it their all and made a huge effort... So, we had a good feeling that if something could be done it would be done, and that we were all in the same boat. There was no discrimination. ...I think it [the situation] was very good. There was a good driving force in the organization ... and everyone contributed as much as they could.(Male in his 30s)
For me, it has been good to be allowed to slow down, at least sometimes, whether that means simply working from home or such as now, when I can slow down [my work pace] for a few weeks and let my shoulders sink a little ... Even if one is sometimes absent for a short time, it is important that one is still allowed to have interesting tasks.(Female in her 40s)
I think the way we handled it had a preventative effect for many and possibly for me too. ...Just the knowledge that one could stay home if one needed to, was good.(Female in her 40s)
Discussion: Supportive Management
3.2. Sense of Cohesion
We were very much characterized by a sense of unity. We were, of course, given temporary premises...and we had to be three or four people sharing an office, and we had to reconnect our PCs...we had been given some laptops... We had to make everything work and it took a few days before things fell into place. We knew that we had to prepare a state budget and that there were short deadlines. In fact, the atmosphere was quite good despite our circumstances. We all pulled together and were determined that we had to work a little more than usual, so we continued to stay on a little later in the afternoons to get the work done. ...There was a mood of rolling up one’s sleeves and so we kept going. ...It was ‘now we have to get the job done and finish the task.’(Male in his 30s)
Although it might seem like ‘swearing in church’, I thought it was great fun to get to that build-up phase, having that sense of unity. Despite the atrocity behind the situation, it was also incredibly good. It was a great time. People gave their all and did not care about anything else. It was a case of giving priority to the community and rebuilding it. So, despite the situation, it was fantastic. I am extremely glad I was part of that. ...Simply making things happen, making them flow smoothly, despite everything else. It was a lot of fun. It may be wrong to say ‘fun’, but it gave one a boost. ...The sense of unity was very good. ...Also, people did things they had never done before. They worked around the clock. There was a lot of laughter. ...Yes, despite the tragedy, there was something very positive, our memory of working together.(Female in her 50s)
What I have thought of as important for our workplace was that the Minister was very clear that we should achieve this [mastery]. We should get it together. We should not give up. ...I think the thought of not being a victim, but that we were strong enough, was very important. I think that set a standard for people. Everyone was looking for something, and it was crucial that the Minister said what he did, and that the management followed it up. It was not as though we were all on sick leave and that the best thing was to stay at home. No, everyone was expected to show up for work.(Female in her 40s)
Although I was on sick leave, I sat down here in the corner of the café. ...Then my good colleagues joined me for coffee. They took turns coming. ...I have been very lucky to have some close colleagues who have been there for me. For me, it felt like a safety net. ...I think that in a way they were invaluable. That was a time when I really needed to keep in touch with my colleagues.(Male in his 30s)
Yes, I had very good support from the whole Ministry office when I was sick, right from the first few days and throughout the whole period I was in the hospital. One manager was incredibly supportive and came to visit in person and arranged for me to be visited by my work colleagues every week, almost in rotation. I think just about everyone in the office stopped by. ...So, I was continually kept informed about cases and what was happening. One feels...that it is a very good workplace one really wants to return to. There are people who care, and that means a lot. ...So, then when one is motivated, one just does it [returns].(Male in his 30s)
Discussion: Sense of Cohesion
3.3. Working as a Coping Strategy
For me, just being at work and standing at work was precisely what was decisive for me doing so well [in the aftermath]. ...I did not need to take time off to sit at home and ponder. For me, that was neither attractive nor constructive. I knew that if one was alone in quietness, then one would only have oneself and one’s head to relate to. It is not certain that would be particularly positive. So, you know that what... [you must do is to get] out into the world.(Female in her 50s)
It was never an option for me to consider being on sick leave...for me it is probably not good therapy to sit at home and look at the wall, and ponder, ponder, and ponder. Rather, it is better for me to be at work and in a context where I can keep my mind on professional matters, and where I can have social interactions with colleagues.(Male in his 30s)
Yes, because I was very aware that it was important for me to come back. ...So, I had to sit there and watch, and in that way try to experience a little normality again...I know it is not good to sit at home alone and think bad thoughts.(Female in her 50s)
My manager said, ‘I think it’s good for all of us to start working, as then you have something to go to and at least you will be together.’ When I think about that in retrospect, it was very wise. ...It felt very meaningful. I think it would have been harder if I had stayed at home. So, part of the reason why it was so good afterwards [i.e., after the bomb explosion] is that it was obvious to my manager, and then it became obvious to me, too. ‘Yes, of course we will start again.’(Female in her 40s)
I think I have learned that I can handle most things. I think that confirms... [that] I am quite a persistent person who does not give up my goals. ...At least, I think there is nothing I cannot do if I really want to. I think I will persevere at work, and even though sometimes I have gone home from work with a feeling of hatred, I think there is nothing I cannot cope with.(Female in her 20s)
I think that is an old childhood lesson. I thought a lot about it then, that my father always said, ‘Whatever you have started, you must finish.’(Female in her 40s)
Discussion: Working as a Coping Strategy
3.4. High Work Demands and Lack of Acceptance of Individual Needs
It was ‘business as usual’. ...Yes, there was a lot of ‘Yes, now we must take care of each other, and we have to stop in the hallway and ask, “How are you?”’ However, at the same time it was a case of keep going. There was no reduction in the level of ambition, nor was there any clear prioritization. It was rather a case of ‘Just take a walk around the building if you feel sad...’ However, because no one gave less priority to their tasks, there was no time to take a short break.(Male in his 40s)
There was no such thing as ‘there may be some repercussions and that it may be someone thought that was rough’ or something like that. ‘No one has been injured [due to the blast]. We are working on the state budget, which must be finished, and we will return to work as soon as possible, even if we have to sweep the shards of glass ourselves.’ ...I felt I was standing at a crossroads. Either one pulls oneself together...and maybe brushes, sweeps glass away and writes the state budget and then get well through doing that…or one will fall by the wayside, which I did.(Male in his 50s)
The work environment, and especially the immediate line manager, did not understand that we could not just push through the paperwork. People were tired and they were traumatized. ... [The managers] simply rejected their wishes and views as if they were not important, [saying] ‘Now you just have to pull yourself together.’ I did it as best I could. She [the boss] had a way of accepting what came up, which was just completely...it just is not possible to behave like that. ...The pace of work went faster and faster. I worked increasingly more quickly. More and more. Some just sat there, completely paralyzed, unable to do anything, including even some who had not been there [i.e., at work during the explosion]. My way of solving what I found difficult was to work harder, but that did not go well. It only got worse and worse.(Female in her 40s)
Among other things, there was the fact that changes to processes were rolled out. It was very much about digital solutions and forms of collaboration that so far have been OK and good initiatives in themselves, but I think it was slightly...almost a little untimely. [Laughs] For me, who was there [at work during the explosion], I just wanted to be allowed to handle what tasks we were assigned on a daily basis... Those [changes] were large additional burdens for everyone, also for those who were not there [at work during the explosion]. One did not need the extra load. ...I think it contributed to extra stress.(Female in her 30s)
However, I think in the beginning one should just talk about it [the bombing] and talk about it. One could say that when September came, then management wanted us to just work. One was supposed to not care... What was that about? So, when one was sitting in the common area where we can talk together, I heard, ‘What are you sitting here for?’ I think the management treated it [the situation] completely different to what, for example, the psychologist has recommended.(Female in her 50s)
A little lid was put on it and we were not supposed to [open it]. We sat in an open office landscape, where we should not talk about it [the bomb explosion] and...I can understand that, because the purpose was to take account of those who did not want to talk about it. But maybe it [the explosion] was a little too silenced. So, some of us came together for lunch or for a cup of tea or met in a room just so that we could sit and talk.(Female in her 40s)
Those who had been at work had a reason to grieve in a way, but for us who had just lost our workplace, it was not the same. ...That was experienced as somewhat unfair. It may sound strange to say it, but ‘See us, too. We are here. We have feelings. This is our job, too. We have also lost a colleague, even though we were not at work that day.’ So, there was a bit of a hierarchy in who could grieve and who could not. ...No one has the exclusive right to grief. This could perhaps have been made a little clearer in our ministry.(Female in her 40s)
In general, I think perhaps there was not that much care really. No, [on second thoughts] I do not think that. Perhaps it was also the fact that the management was reluctant to establish such a differentiation, ‘Those who were there, and those who were not there,’ such that the latter would experience that they were overlooked. I think they [the management] were very worried about that risk.(Female in her 50s)
Discussion: High Demands and Lack of Acceptance
4. Strengths and Limitations
5. Implications
6. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Variables | Directly Exposed PTSD Group (n = 24) | Indirectly Exposed PTSD Group (n = 25) | Directly Exposed Non-PTSD Group (n = 24) | Indirectly Exposed Non-PTSD Group (n = 25) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Age, years | 52 (10.1) | 52 (11.5) | 51 (9.9) | 51 (10.4) |
Gender | ||||
Women | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
Men | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
Education, years | 7.9 (2.3) | 7.7 (2.9) | 8.3 (3.0) | 7.9 (3.6) |
Doctor certified sick leave * | 18 | 10 | 7 | 3 |
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Heir, T.; Stokke, E.H.; Tvenge, K.P. The Role of Workplace on Work Participation and Sick Leave after a Terrorist Attack: A Qualitative Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 1920. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041920
Heir T, Stokke EH, Tvenge KP. The Role of Workplace on Work Participation and Sick Leave after a Terrorist Attack: A Qualitative Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(4):1920. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041920
Chicago/Turabian StyleHeir, Trond, Elise Hansen Stokke, and Karina Pauline Tvenge. 2021. "The Role of Workplace on Work Participation and Sick Leave after a Terrorist Attack: A Qualitative Study" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 4: 1920. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041920
APA StyleHeir, T., Stokke, E. H., & Tvenge, K. P. (2021). The Role of Workplace on Work Participation and Sick Leave after a Terrorist Attack: A Qualitative Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4), 1920. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041920