France — Assisting companies in taking better account of chronic diseases IN the workplace (ARACT Aquitaine)

Approximately 15 % of the French workforce suffers from chronic disease; however, related absenteeism is more the result of work organisation. ARACT (a regional unit of the National Agency for the Improvement of Working Conditions) besides an initial assessment of the impacts of chronic diseases on work ability, partnered with 15 small and medium-sized enterprises and two larger companies to assist to design projects for workers with chronic diseases, and implement company strategies to adapt work organisation and retain workers with such diseases. The strategies are based on internal communication tools and in-house training. In addition, ARACT created a publicly available website and produced best-practice guides. Success factors included the involvement of all relevant stakeholders and the identification of practical solutions based on real work situations. While no formal evaluation has been undertaken, companies within the project have commended the opportunity for the focused dialogue on health at work. This approach would be transferable to other countries if relevant adaptations to the national context were made and a relevant intermediary organisation existed to implement it.