Assessing psychosocial work environments: : A comparative study of survey instruments and interviews

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare two survey instruments, the HSE indicator tool and the QPSNordic, in their ability of evaluating the psychosocial work environment in a Norwegian financial organization (n =410). SWOT – based interviews were carried out as a qualitative validation. On comparable dimensions the HSE indicator tool gave a more negative picture than did the QPSNordic. Furthermore the QPSNordic provided information on several organizational dimensions not covered by the HSE indicator tool. The surveys and interviews were found to validate each other, but the interviews gave additional information on processes and contradictions in the organization that were not captured by the surveys. One finding, evident only in the interviews, was that the organization paid little attention to teamwork and team-processes. The reliability and validity of interviews as a validation tool and as a mean of assessing the work environment is discussed.