Workplace Assessment
Create a good working environment with a mandatory workplace assessment
A workplace assessment involves mapping and assessing the risk of both the physical and psychological working environment, helping to identify areas in need of targeted action. By law, all workplaces in Denmark must complete a workplace assessment at least every three years, or whenever major changes occur that may affect the working environment – for example, relocating to new premises or organisational restructuring.
What does a workplace assessment help with?
A workplace assessment equips your organisation to systematically, effectively, and proactively manage the working environment – and, crucially, to develop a solid plan for how it can be improved.
You are free to choose your own method for conducting a workplace assessment, as long as both employees and management are involved and the assessment is documented in writing. Some organisations choose an electronic survey, while others favour a dialogue-based approach.
Read more below about the different assessment types as well as the four mandatory phases in the assessment process.
An electronic workplace assessment is conducted using an online questionnaire. This method is ideal if you wish to ensure anonymity for employees, allowing them to express their opinions without having to speak up in front of colleagues or managers. It is especially useful for larger organisations wanting a complete overview of their physical and psychological working environment, offering flexibility in data collection as employees can respond at their convenience.
When we facilitate surveys, it is important to us that employees are only asked questions relevant to their working circumstances, and that the questions resonate with their experiences. That is why it is crucial to work in close collaboration with you to develop the right survey design, and to decide how to distribute it to employees – whether it is by email, text, or other channels.
While the survey is active, you can keep track of the response rate via your own response barometer. Once the response period ends, we deliver easy-to-understand, colour-coded data reports and subsequently visit your organisation to present and discuss the results, and to talk about the next steps in your assessment process.
We offer benchmarking against national surveys from both The National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NFA) and The Danish Working Environment Authority. Additionally, we can provide industry-specific benchmarking within 11 different sectors for selected questions. Cross-tabulation and impact measurement services are also available if they provide extra value for your business.
If you are part of a smaller organisation with a high degree of trust and security within the team, a dialogue-based workplace assessment can be an excellent choice. Here, both employees and management are actively involved in discussing the physical and psychological working environment, prioritising themes with development potential, and developing proposals for concrete action plans.
In our experience, this high level of engagement creates strong commitment and helps remind everyone – employees and leaders alike – of their shared responsibility to create a positive working environment, both physically and psychologically.
The dialogue method also works well as standalone follow-up, or for supporting further work after an electronic workplace assessment.
The 4 mandatory phases in the assessment process
IWorking closely with your health and safety organisation, for example, we customise a workplace assessment mapping that aligns precisely with your needs and requirements.
No matter which method you choose, your workplace assessment must be documented in writing and include the following four phases:
Mapping working environment conditions, and assessing risks related to working environment challenges
Involving the sickness absence data
Prioritising and preparing a written action plan
Implementing and evaluating the action plan
Free tool for your action plan
Download our free tool for developing action plans following your workplace assessment.
The tool includes both a template and comprehensive instructions.
How does a survey work?
A survey begins with a start-up meeting where we develop a timeline together, review the survey framework, and agree on the reporting structure. Before distributing the survey, we fully test it online together to ensure all employees can participate without difficulties. Once the test is complete, employees receive a personalised link to the survey.
After the agreed deadline, we process all responses, prepare data reports, and present and discuss the most important findings with you and your colleagues at a reporting meeting.
At Human House, we believe it is essential to allow enough time for the survey process. There should be sufficient opportunity to consider which questions to ask, how to group employees, the report structure, and to conduct the online questionnaire test. We are proud that the majority of our clients return after one, two, or three years for a new survey – where they wish to compare their latest results with previous years.
Start-up meeting
Clarification of schedule, questionnaire and report structure
Testing
Online survey test before launch
Response period
Collection of responses – typically over two weeks
Report generation
We treat the responses provided with complete confidentiality
Debriefing
We review and explain the most important results
We help you and your organisation find the right approach
No matter which method you and your workplace choose, you can count on us to handle the footwork while you and your colleagues focus on your core business.
It is important to select the approach that creates the most value for your organisation. We guide you through the considerations necessary to achieve the best possible process – regarding structure, scope, and content.
Is it necessary to use an external consultancy for a workplace assessment?
There is no legal requirement to use an external consultancy for a workplace assessment. If your organisation has the resources and competencies, you can certainly manage the workplace assessment process internally. However, there are several advantages to engaging an external consultancy and making use of our expertise:
- We make the process clear and manageable – ensuring compliance, helping you select the right approach, and supporting you in handling your data.
- In close collaboration with, for example, your health and safety organisation, we customise the assessment to match your specific needs and wishes.
- We handle all the footwork, freeing up valuable internal resources.
- You can assure your employees that their responses are handled externally and confidentially, ensuring that individual answers remain private.
- We present results in an accessible format so all stakeholders – from employees to managers – are well equipped to contribute constructively to the process.
- We interpret the results from a professional working environment consultant’s perspective – assessing how they relate to current legislation, national averages, and similar organisations.
- We help you identify themes worth developing further, as well as organisational strengths that you and your colleagues should continue to nurture.
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