The design comprises a two-armed cluster, randomized waitlist controlled design. The goal of the study is to prevent stress and burnout in middle managers and employees in a hospital setting. The study population is middle managers in a hospital setting. These managers are randomized by unit and stratified on number of managers enrolled from each unit to obtain equal numbers in each arm.~The intervention comprises five training modules with practice in small groups in between. Training will take place over 5 months. The training will be received in groups of 20 middle managers and the training will be facilitated by 2 facilitators. Themes of training are inspired by the concept of Health Oriented Leadership which takes into account that the well-being of middle managers is important for the well-being of employees. Central themes of the training are: 1) Self-care and well-being of the manager and how to cope with stress as a manager. 2) Employee well-being and reducing risk-factors in the psychosocial working environment of employee mental health problems. 3) Enhancing protective factors social social support and a healthy team climate. 4) Responding to employees at risk and how to handle difficult conversations and procedures on return to work. 5) Managing well-being in employees during changes and pressure.~In order to establish commitment for the waitlist control group, the control group will receive an offer of a webinar and some written information.~Middle managers in both intervention arms will receive a questionnaire at baseline, after the intervention and at 6 months follow-up. The intervention group will also receive a short questionnaire after each training.~The following expectations are hypothesized:~The training will improve self-care and perceived staff-care in middle managers and in employees in the intervention group when compared to the control group~The training will improve psychological outcomes of stress, well-being, exhaustion and psychological symptoms among middle managers and employees in the intervention group when compared to the control group~The training will improve the perceived psychosocial working environment (PSWE) among middle managers and employees in the intervention group when compared to the control group~The training will reduce sickness absence and retention among middle managers and employees in the intervention group when compared to the control group~Middle managers who adhere more to the training will experience larger improvements in self-care, staff-care and mental outcomes
The design comprises a cluster, randomized waitlist controlled design. The goal of the study is to prevent stress and burnout in middle managers and employees in a hospital setting. The study population is middle managers in a hospital setting.~The intervention comprises five training modules with practice in small groups in between. Training will take place over 5 months. The training will be received in groups of 20 middle managers and the training will be facilitated by 2 facilitators. Themes of training are inspired by the concept of Health Oriented Leadership which takes into account that the well-being of managers is important for the well-being of employees. Central themes of the training are: 1) Self-care and well-being of the manager and how to cope with stress as a manager. 2) Employee well-being and reducing risk-factors in the psychosocial working environment of employee mental health problems. 3) Enhancing protective factors social social support and a healthy team climate. 4) Responding to employees at risk and how to handle difficult conversations and procedures on return to work. 5) Managing well-being in employees during changes and pressure.~In order to establish commitment for the waitlist control group, the control group will receive an offer of a webinar and some written information.~Middle managers in both intervention arms will receive a questionnaire at baseline, after the intervention and at 6 months follow-up. The intervention group will also receive a short questionnaire after each training.~The following expectations are hypothesized:~The training will improve self-care and perceived staff-care in middle managers and employees in the intervention group when compared to the control group~The training will improve psychological outcomes of stress, well-being, exhaustion and psychological symptoms among middle managers and employees in the intervention group when compared to the control group~The training will improve the perceived psychosocial working environment (PSWE) among middle managers and employees in the intervention group when compared to the control group~The training will reduce sickness absence and retention among middle managers and employees in the intervention group when compared to the control group~Middle managers who adhere more to the training will experience larger improvements in self-care, staff-care and mental outcomes