Esbjerg Municipality - From Long Courses to Effective Behavior
How Esbjerg Municipality transformed their training approach.
From long course to effect: Esbjerg Municipality used behavioral design and Vyond animation to create three short films that make sick leave rules concrete and action-oriented.
Esbjerg Municipality – From long course to effective behavior
How do you go from an hour and a half course to a nine-minute video – and at the same time have a greater impact?
When Esbjerg Municipality contacted us, they wanted help adapting an existing course for managers on sick leave, which had been developed by another municipality.
The task was simple: Translate and adapt the material.
The course lasted an hour and a half – and although it was well done, we quickly began to doubt whether this was where you got the most value for your efforts.
Sick leave is not just a set of rules to be memorized. It is an area characterized by sensitivity, dilemmas and practical challenges, where the most important thing is to change the behavior of both managers and employees.
In Esbjerg, they were already working with a sick leave model (1-5-14), where managers make contact on specific sick days.
We therefore suggested something completely different: Drop the course – focus on behavior.
Fortunately, the Municipality of Esbjerg was on board with that idea.
Together with skilled development consultants from Esbjerg Municipality, we gathered some managers, elected representatives and occupational health and safety experts for a workshop to better understand the challenges and barriers that stood in the way of following the model.
After the workshop, Esbjerg Municipality did two concrete things.
Firstly, the rules on sick leave were written a little simpler, so they were easier to explain and understand. The basic essence was the same as before.
Secondly, the automatic message, which previously only went to the manager as a warning to call for a care interview, was expanded to also be sent to the employee.
In addition to these initiatives, it was clear that there was still a need for clear communication about sick leave rules to both employees and managers.
Therefore, we developed three short, easy-to-understand information films, explainers, in the animation tool Vyond. The total duration was approximately 9 minutes – a significant reduction compared to the original desire for an hour and a half course.
It was cheaper to develop and at the same time had a greater effect.
The animations were ideal because they could convey sensitive situations realistically without appearing dramatic or unbelievable, which often happens with real actors.
The films focused on creating clear expectations, for example regarding contact on the first day of illness, and demystified concerns that employees might have – such as the fear of losing their job.
We are proud of the good collaboration and the finished product. Ultimately, it was about making things simple, relevant and directly usable – without wasting anyone's time.
And sick leave? Yes, it is actually decreasing (although we probably can't take all the credit).
You can watch the videos here: