Organisational changes and long-term sickness absence and injury leave: a difference in difference approach

The article evaluates the impact of organisational changes on long-term sickness absence. We use a unique dataset matching a company level survey on computerisation and organisational changes with an administrative file allowing to follow up health issues in the working population. We implement a difference in difference approach using two time windows: a three years' time period after changes have occurred and another one during the implementation of changes. Guided by the perspective that organisations change through the implementation of new tools and practices, we consider Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) on one hand and management tools on the other. This allows to identify three treatments according to the sets of tools implemented by companies: ICT changes only, management changes only, both ICT and management changes. We find the following core result: changes in the management dimension alone reduce long-term sickness absences when joint changes in ICT and management tools increase occupational risks. There are however gendered differences in the timing and strength of impacts as women are mainly impacted during the period when changes are implemented and impacts are stronger while men are impacted afterwards. Also, older employees seem protected against the serious health consequences of any form of changes. These results point to the need to better understand the process of organisational change (its complexity, intensity, dynamics), the gendered construction of health behaviours as well as that of technology and management tools uses in devising occupational safety and health policies targeted at evolving work environments.