Training on goals and strengths left health care workers more engaged for two months

The study

1. 01

   Who took part

   195 health care staff, such as nurses and social workers, from five organisations in the Netherlands. 170 were counted in the results; almost all were women, about 44 on average.

2. 02

   What they did

   Over about eight weeks, the training group went to two group workshops. They also did eight weekly online lessons of about an hour each. The lessons covered goals based on their own values and the fun parts of the job. They also covered using their strengths and swapping bad thoughts for good ones. The other group waited and got the training later.

3. 03

   What happened

   The training group felt more engaged at work, with more energy and drive. This showed one week after the course and again 8 to 10 weeks later. The course did not directly change how healthy people rated themselves. Some of the paper's numbers don't match, and more people dropped out of the training group.

What the study found

1. HelpedMotivation

   Staff given workshops and weekly online lessons on goals and strengths felt more engaged at work than the waiting group.

   • Action: Set a specific goaltested
   • Action: Build on what already workstested
   • Rule: Practise with a groupused

   Randomised trial of 195 health care workers in the Netherlands · vs staff on a waiting list for the course · they rated themselves · ⚠ numbers unreliable; many people dropped out

2. No differenceOther outcomes

   The course did not directly improve how healthy staff rated themselves, compared with the waiting group.

   • Action: Set a specific goaltested
   • Action: Build on what already workstested
   • Rule: Practise with a groupused

   Randomised trial of 195 health care workers in the Netherlands · vs staff on a waiting list for the course · they rated themselves · ⚠ numbers unreliable; many people dropped out

Source