Valuable human resources on workers compensation claims are wasted

Abstract

Strains in the psychosocial work environment are a major challenge in both Danish and European occupational contexts, leading to sickness absence and a poor work environment in general. In Denmark occupational diseases are registered both in The National Board of Industrial Injuries (NBII) and in the Danish Working Environment Authority (WEA), thus serving two functions; to examine whether the employee is entitled to recognition and compensation, and to inform the WEA about problems in the work environment which can be applied by the WEA in prevention work at the worksites. This study shows that employees’ motivation in reporting an occupational mental disease often concerns a wish to prevent a poor work environment. However, the employees rarely experience inspection from the WEA, often no workplace intervention takes place, and in 2014 only 4.9 % of the complaints were recognized by the National Board of Industrial Injuries. Thus, a large number of sick-listed employees waste valuable resources on workers’ compensation claims. The article applies a mixed-method approach, based on 11 interviews and questionnaire data from 433 employees with a notified men - tal occupational disorder, supplemented by relevant official documents, including a report on WEA inspections addressing the psychosocial work environment formulated by the State Auditing Office (2013).