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SOLVE - Frequently asked questions |
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1. What is SOLVE?SOLVE is an interactive educational programme designed to assist in the development of policy and action to address psychosocial issues at the workplace.
2. Why SOLVE?Stress, alcohol and drugs, violence (both physical and psychological), HIV/AIDS and tobacco all lead to health-related problems for the worker and lower productivity for the enterprise or organization. Taken together they represent a major cause of accidents, fatal injuries, disease and absenteeism at work in both industrialized and developing countries. These problems may emerge due to the interaction between home and work, they may start at work and be carried home (or into the community) or vice versa. SOLVE focuses on prevention. To address these problems at the enterprise or organizational level, a comprehensive policy should be put into place. Apart from day-to-day operational issues, an enterprise policy should focus on occupational safety and health needs, including psychosocial problems. Traditional approaches have neither addressed the policy requirements nor action required in reducing the negative impact of psychosocial problems.
3. Why the ILO?The ILO, with its tripartite structure and its leadership in occupational safety and health, is in a unique position to develop and support activities which translate concepts into policies and policies into action at the national and enterprise levels. The methodology of the SOLVE training courses is designed to enable an organization or an enterprise to integrate psychosocial issues into overall enterprise policy and establish a framework for preventative action.
4. What is SOLVE for managing directors?SOLVE for managing directors is a two-hour programme for top managers designed to introduce the integrated approach and demonstrate the impact on corporate survivability. This module uses an interactive approach incorporating case study analysis and group discussion.
5. What is SOLVE at the policy level?The Policy-Level SOLVE Course is a 32-hour interactive programme for operational managers designed to provide the elements necessary for participants to design a comprehensive corporate policy including psychosocial factors. The Policy-Level SOLVE Course is highly interactive, using case study analysis, simulation exercises and policy development activities to reach its objectives. This course may be conducted over one week or over a longer period of time, dividing the course into smaller elements.
6. What is SOLVE for workers?SOLVE for workers is a one to two-hour orientation course for workers, workers' representatives and supervisors. It is designed to demonstrate how multiple psychosocial factors can impact the worker at work, during leisure activities and at home. It also provides an opportunity for the worker to become familiar with the comprehensive corporate policy. SOLVE for workers uses exercises, group discussion and individual action planning to achieve its objective.
7. What are MicroSOLVEs?MicroSOLVEs are subject-specific courses relating to one of the five psychosocial problems covered in SOLVE. They are the action oriented follow-up to the policy-level SOLVE activities and are designed for workers and supervisors in enterprises that have already completed the Four-Day Policy-Level course and have developed a comprehensive policy that addresses psychosocial issues. MicroSOLVE elements come in sets of three for each topic; module one addresses recognition of the problem; module 2 addresses action and module 3 prevention. Each module is about 1.5 hours long.
8. How can a country develop the capacity to adopt SOLVE?In consultation with the ILO, develop a tripartite working advisory group including the ministries concerned, employers' and workers' representatives to:
9. What is a tripartite advisory group?The role of the tripartite body is to:
10. What is a host institution (or national focal point)?The central contact organisation for the ILO in a country that in most cases will designate the national facilitator. This will be a national organisation involved in labour and/or health questions with an educational capacity and the willingness to facilitate.
11. Who is a national facilitator for SOLVE?An individual from the host organisation trained by the ILO who coordinates SOLVE activities at a national level and who may be responsible for:
The different roles of national facilitator, course director and instructor can be fulfilled by the same person.
12. Who is a SOLVE course director?An individual trained by the ILO to organise, manage and evaluate any of the following SOLVE activities:
The different roles of national facilitator, course director and instructor can be fulfilled by the same person.
13. What kinds of workplaces is SOLVE designed for?SOLVE is relevant to all enterprises or organisations in all sectors because the psychosocial factors considered can occur in all types of workplace. The ILO is currently working on adapting SOLVE to sectors with specific needs.
14. Who is the ideal target audience?SOLVE for Managing Directors is, as the name says, aimed at top executives. Ideally there should be less than 18 participants. SOLVE at Policy Level is designed to work best in groups of 16 participants. Ideally the group should consist of four workers' representatives, four government officials and eight employers or their representatives. SOLVE for Workers is a short introductory course for all employees in organisations where SOLVE is to be implemented. Ideally there should be less than 18 participants. MicroSOLVEs are subject-specific courses for all employees in organisations where SOLVE is being implemented. Ideally there should be less than 18 participants. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
