From results to measures: following up your work environment survey

What the rules require after the survey

Since 1 January 2026 the regulation on the performance of work has had its own chapter on the psychosocial working environment. It describes a chain: survey and assess the risk (§ 1A-2), make plans and put measures in place (§ 1A-3), and inform employees about the risks and the measures (§ 1A-4).

A survey without measures meets only half the duty. It also costs trust: people who answer and see nothing happen are less willing next time.

Step 1: Read the results in the right order

It is tempting to go straight to the lowest number. Look at three things instead, in this order:

1. Level – which factors are low for the whole organisation? Those are the shared challenges.
2. Spread – which departments or groups stand out? A low score in one group is often a different matter from a low score everywhere.
3. Change – what has moved since the last survey? A drop often says more than a level that has stayed put.

Look at the statements behind each factor too. Workload can be low because people have too much to do, or because they never get their breaks – and those call for different measures.

Step 2: Choose two or three factors

The most common mistake is to tackle everything. Ten measures nobody follows up achieve less than three that actually get done. Prioritise by risk: how serious it is, how many it affects, and how long it has lasted.

The regulation also says the factors must be seen together. Arbeidstilsynet's own example is that a high workload can add to the strain of emotional demands, while support from managers and colleagues can ease it.

We have written about each of the eleven factors – what it measures, common causes and three measures that work:

• Freedom to speak up
• Workload and time pressure
• Conflicting demands
• Contact and communication
• Emotional demands
• Support from manager
• Participation and control
• Integrity and dignity
• Role clarity
• Support from colleagues
• Recognition and meaning

Step 3: Find the cause together with your employees

The number tells you where it hurts, not why. You find the cause best with the people it concerns – in a team meeting, with the safety representative present. The regulation requires cooperation with employees and their representatives both in the risk assessment and when the measures are drawn up. Good questions to start with:

• What do you think lies behind this number?
• When do you notice it most – in which situations, which weeks?
• What would make the biggest difference, and what can we do ourselves?

Do not ask who answered what. The survey was anonymous, and the meeting should be too in practice: talk about the work, not about individuals. Read more about going through the results with your employees.

Step 4: Give every measure an owner, a deadline and a goal

A measure without an owner is a wish. Write each one so that someone can check whether it was done:

Arbeidstilsynet writes that measures should as far as possible address the causes, such as organisational or work-related conditions. A stress management course does little if the problem is staffing.

Step 5: Tell people what happens, and measure again

Regulation § 1A-4 requires that employees and their representatives get the information they need about the risk factors and the measures. Say what you found, what you have chosen to do, and what you are leaving – and why. The last part is often forgotten, but it is what people remember.

Then measure again. A short pulse on the factors with measures running, a couple of months later, shows whether the number has moved. If it has not, that is a finding in itself: the measure missed the cause, and you try something else. Read more about how often to measure.

Document as you go

The survey and the risk assessment must be documented and form part of your systematic health and safety work (§ 1A-2 letter d). It does not have to be heavy. It is enough that you can show what you found, how you assessed it, which measures you chose and what happened next. Read more about the risk assessment.