Develop action plans

The dialogue within the unit is expected to lead to several themes you would like to work on. Prioritise a manageable number of focus areas (not too many) and develop one or more legally required action plans.


šŸ“Œ Prioritise focus areas for action plans

Once you have completed your dialogue and formed an overview of what needs to be done within your unit to improve the work environment, you need to prioritise a suitable number of focus areas.

You should describe how you will work with each focus area in an action plan.

šŸ”Ž Fully understand the situation before you prepare your action plan

Some measures will be easy to initiate, while others may require one or more meetings/processes to gain more detailed understanding of a specific focus area. In order to get the most out of activities to address a specific topic, it is essential to start by understanding whether it is something simple, complicated or complex.

Simple issue ā€“ e.g. draught from windows

Simple issues can be resolved through ā€˜best practiceā€™.

Find the best ā€˜recipeā€™ and follow it. If the WPA report shows that there is a draught coming from the windows, this could be easy enough to fix. Perhaps it is enough to apply some sealant?

The matter could also be more complicated. 
Perhaps it is about time the windows were replaced? Who owns the buildings? And who is responsible for paying? Is there enough money? If so, which windows should be replaced? What expert resources should be involved? Are there any procurement agreements in place? Are some solutions more sustainable than others? What is financially viable in the short and long terms?

Complicated issue ā€“ e.g. stress

Complicated issues are better tackled with ā€˜good practiceā€™.

There is not one, perfect solution, and it is a good idea to call in specialist expertise.

If the report or the dialogue indicate that there is too much stress, dealing with the issue will not be easy. "Stress affects the individual, but is solved together", is a well-known saying. It might be necessary to involve experts to help establish a solid plan for the unitā€™s work. There is not necessarily one, ideal solution.

Employees affected by stress may also perceive the situation as complex. The solution for the individual may, therefore, involve measures beyond what the organisation and the unit require. 

Complex issue - e.g. offensive behaviour

Complex issues are best resolved through ā€˜emerging practiceā€™

In other words, it is about experimenting with well-thought-out initiatives. It is important to have a clear view of both the current situation and the desired outcome.

Based on these views, identify interim goals leading up to the desired outcome, and select specific experiments aimed at achieving these targets.

Find inspiration for work on the work environment by reading about topics covering everything from the physical work environment, stress, offensive behaviour, and psychological counselling to staff development dialogues and the workplace culture at AU

āœšŸ» Local and specific action plan

WPA action plans must be documented in the AU action plan module. This will help to create an overview of the focus areas and progress in the solutions.

Action plans must be prepared at least at department/school level, but it is also a good idea to prepare action plans as locally as possible in order to ensure that the activities are meaningful to individual managers and employees. For example, if you decide to adopt stress as a focus area, initiatives and activities should be as specific as possible, to ensure that they can be followed up easily on an ongoing basis.

šŸ’¬ Coordinate efforts

In order to succeed with these initiatives, it may be beneficial to involve additional levels in the organisation to ensure coordinated efforts where everyone is pulling in the same direction. If, for example, there is a need to reduce loneliness, you should think in terms of what management can do, what the individual employee can do, what can be done at group level. You should also think about what activities can be agreed on at the workplace as a whole.


How to create a good action plan

Video in Danish on how to draw up an action plans in the WPA portal:

Inspiration for creating a good action plan (recorded workshop, in Danish):