Serious gaming used as management intervention to prevent work-related stress and raise work-engagement among workers

Abstract

Work-related stress is a large occupational risks in the Netherlands but interventions to reduce this risk are not implemented in organizations. The characteristics of a serious game make it a useful training tool for managers to raise awareness on their role in stimulating work engagement and managing work-related stress. In this research project a serious game for managers is developed and implemented and will be evaluated as an intervention to reduce work-related stress and raise work-engagement among employees. The evaluation will be done in a longitudinal case-control study, using a generic, standardized evaluation framework for validation of serious games. Focus of the evaluation will be on the direct effects of playing the game and on long-term effects, cf. transfer of training. In this paper the development of the game and the design for the evaluation study will be described. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.