{
  "abstract": "Objective The EU-CoWork project aims to design and assess the impact of Compassionate Workplace Programmes (CWPs). These programmes aim to cultivate work environments where structured policies and intentional actions support employees dealing with serious illness, caregiving responsibilities, and bereavement. A compassionate workplace is one where colleagues collectively recognize, empathize with, and respond to one another’s distress. It is a space where individuals, teams, and management collaborate to enhance the working conditions, health, and wellbeing of those undergoing such profound experiences.Material and Methods The project consists of (a) an international co-creative and developmental evaluation of tailored CWPs, and (b) a mixed-methods international process and impact evaluation. Through asset and needs mapping, facilitated co-creation, knowledge exchange workshops, communities of practice, and inspiration materials tailored CWPs will be developed and implemented across 12 workplaces located in Belgium, Sweden, Austria, and Greece. This may include policy development, social and physical environment adaptation, reorientation of wellbeing services, and skills enhancement. The second component integrates cross-sectional panel surveys, qualitative interviews and field research, as well as analysis of relevant policy documents.Results Data collection is currently ongoing. Workplace policy documents have been obtained, and baseline quantitative indicators have been collected through surveys in the recruited workplaces. Additionally, focus groups and expert interviews have been conducted to explore the contextual characteristics of the workplace settings. The development of the Compassionate Workplace Programs has commenced, with initial implementation activities, including kick-off events, initiated in the majority of participating workplaces.Conclusion EU-CoWork’s outcomes include the development of evidence-based tools to assist organizations in creating work environments that adequately support employees, leading to enhanced wellbeing and productivity. The framework, grounded in participatory approaches and contextual adaptation, will help design policies and interventions to address the challenges of Europe’s evolving workplace dynamics, fostering more compassionate and sustainable work environments across diverse organizational contexts.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Compassionate Communities Centre of Expertise (COCO), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium. Brussels Institute for Social and Population Studies (BRISPO), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium"
      ],
      "name": "Deborah De Moortel"
    }
  ],
  "title": "8000007 Developing compassionate workplaces in Europe to protect employees’ mental health and wellbeing",
  "uid": "88781267-db37-525d-b0df-d8dd19695685"
}