KS (Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities) and NAV (Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration) collaborate to help reduce sick leave rates in municipalities in Norway. The effort is aimed at work units in 25 municipalities that have for a long time had sick leave rates of 10%.
In close collaboration with KS and NAV, Specifique developed in 2017 a learning course with two main objectives:
- Strengthen managers in mastery-oriented leadership
We have developed a Dialogue Mat for the use of top managers in workshops across the target municipalities. The dialogue mat illustrates the connection between mastery-oriented leadership and reduced rates of sick leave, as well as contributing to dialogue and behaviours that support the municipalities’ work in ensuring lasting reduction in sick leave rates. - Ensure ownership and accountability among employees
We have also developed a Dialogue Mat for the individual workplace. The managers themselves are responsible for using the dialogue mat within their unit, as well as following-up on the specific measures after they have been established.
From January till June, more than 1000 managers had participated in workshops with Dialogue Mats, and approximately 16.000 employees would participate in local workshops within their unit. The feedback was extremely positive, and especially the value of discussion around what sick leave rates means “for us” and how we can work together to reduce it, felt meaningful. The Dialogue Mat working method is perceived as engaging, educational, and involving.
