Projects

Project 1: Expanded Theory of Salutogenesis  
In 2020, the Global Working Group on Salutogenesis published a position paper on future directions for the concept of salutogenesis (Bauer et al., 2020). These recommendations include to expand the original Salutogenic Model of Health. The present project works on complementing the current ease/dis-ease continuum of the model by an additional positive health continuum. Also, it works on adding a path of positive health development leading directly from resources to positive health. This acknowledges that resources do not only play a key role as general and specific resistance resources in coping with or resisting stressors and adversarial life situations. But as growth resources, they can also support in approaching positively valued live goals and in personal growth and development. Such an expanded salutogenic model of health will allow to universally study and promote the full human health experience.
Project lead: Georg Bauer
Funding: Center of Salutogenesis

Project 2: Work-related Sense of Coherence: Concept and scale validation 
We have been developing the concept and related scale of a work-related sense of coherence (Work-SoC), defined as the perceived comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness of an individual’s work situation. As the Work-SoC is influenced both by the stable, general SoC and the more dynamic working conditions, it can be considered as a sensitive indicator of salutogenic working conditions.  Meanwhile, the 9-item scale has been translated into Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish. This project aims to further advance the concept and measure of Work-SoC based on these international developments.
Project lead: Georg Bauer
Funding: Center of Salutogenesis

Project 3: Validation of the Sense of Coherence (SoC) Scale 
Sense of coherence is the core concept of the salutogenic model of health. The related 13-item SoC Scale has been developed into 50 languages. This project aims to further validate the SoC Scale in new languages. Also, we support new methodological approaches to validating the SoC scale, such as network analysis. Further, we are conducting a comparative study on SoC in employees across 35 countries.
Project lead: Georg Bauer, Martin Tusl, Philipp Kerksieck, 
External Partner: Igor Porthogese (Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari)
Funding: Center of Salutogenesis

Project 1: Needs-Based Crafting: A novel approach to employee well-being
Employee well-being is central to both individual fulfillment and organizational success, especially in today’s digitalized and flexible work landscape. While these trends offer autonomy and growth opportunities, they also heighten demands on self-management and balancing work and nonwork life. To support employees, effective strategies are needed to sustain well-being and performance across life domains. This project investigates needs-based crafting as an innovative approach within occupational health psychology. Traditional job design viewed employees as passive, but job crafting introduced a bottom-up perspective, showing clear benefits for well-being and motivation. Existing models, however, mainly focus on predefined job characteristics and are less applicable beyond the workplace. The needs-based model, grounded in psychological needs theory, proposes that employees shape work and nonwork domains to satisfy six DRAMMA needs: detachment, relaxation, autonomy, mastery, meaning, and affiliation. This model emphasizes intrinsic motivation and captures a broad range of strategies across contexts. Although new scales demonstrate benefits of needs-based crafting, little is known about the specific strategies employees use in different situations. To address this, the project employs ecological momentary assessment to collect real-time data on crafting strategies. This will reveal how employees proactively satisfy their DRAMMA needs, how individual and contextual factors shape crafting, and which strategies are linked to positive well-being outcomes. The findings will provide actionable insights for employees, inform interventions, and advance both the theory and practice of crafting research. 
Project lead: Martin Tusl
Funding:  SNF Spark

Project 2: Crafting Playbook
The Crafting Playbook is an app that uses short “plays” to encourage users to think about their work activities and relationships in the workplace and to shape them in a targeted manner (i.e., to “craft” them). It is based on extensive research on job crafting, defined as pro-active strategies to change the characteristics of one's job to better align it with personal needs, goals, and skills.  
The Crafting Circle, consisting of representatives from Zurich's universities (PHZ, ZHaW, ZHdK), has developed a series of plays: on dealing with stress, on resources and pressures at work, on contributing personal strengths and values, as well as on mutual understanding within the team and showing appreciation. New plays are continuously being developed as part of further projects. Besides the end-user app, an open-source tool is available for other researchers and practitioners guiding them in developing own crafting plays. Mehr Informationen im folgenden, schweizerdeutschen Video: here
Project lead: Georg Bauer, Philipp Kerksieck
External partners: PHZ, ZHaW, ZHdK, FHNW, Forum BGM Zürich 
Funding: DIZH, Project Partners, Center of Salutogenesis

Project 3:  Comparison of Future of Working Life across 35 countries 
A global survey of the future of work 
Digitalization is rapidly changing the nature of work, causing concern for how these changes will impact people. But how do people across the globe think and feel about the future of work? Do they anticipate opportunities for shaping their future? How does this differ by country and by culture (e.g., individualism vs collectivism)? Addressing these questions will allow society to better prepare people for coming challenges. 
In this project, we investigate people’s beliefs and emotions about work today and in the future. Then, building on research about (job) crafting, we examine the agency that people possess for pro-actively shaping the future of work (“future crafting”).
This project fosters a greater understanding of how digitalization and the changing world of work are shaping society at a global level and can help identify ways that society could be better prepared for digitalization as well as potential problems (e.g., gender inequalities). This aligns with the DSI’s goal to encourage critical reflection on digitalization-driven developments. 
The study involves a global survey recruiting 17,500 participants from 35 countries across six continents. The study received seed funding from the Digital Society Initiative at the University of Zurich. 
Research areas: Future of work - Digitalization - Job crafting - Emotions - Culture
For more information please visit the project website:
Digital Society Initiative Community - Work
Digital Society Initiative
Project lead: Georg Bauer, Philipp Kerksieck
External partners: Lauren Howe, Jochen Menges 
Funding: Digital Society Initiative at the University of Zurich

Project 4: Crafting AI@work Together (DIZH Proposal) 
Organizations rapidly implement artificial intelligence (AI) tools to improve efficiency. However, success depends on how employees integrate AI into their daily work and how AI impacts their daily tasks, work identity, social relationships, and well-being. The project aims to develop and test interventions promoting a human-centered AI implementation. We apply the emerging concept of needs-based AI-crafting, defined as employees proactively shaping the AI implementation at work aligned with their personal needs, skills, preferences, and organizational goals.  
The transdisciplinary project will address the following research questions: 

1. Usage and perception of AI: How do employees of the organization adopt and experience the ongoing implementation of AI in their jobs  
2. Human impact of AI: How does the ongoing AI implementation affect employees’ work-related motivation, well-being, and social relationships? 
3. Crafting-enhanced AI implementation at work: How can crafting-based, participatory interventions support human-centered AI implementation? How do these interventions influence the usage, perception, and human impact of AI? 
4. Organizational factors: What organizational factors contribute to the success or failure of human-centered AI implementation?  

We established a research-practice partnership with the public administration of the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland with over 30’000 employees. This allows for a wait-list control group intervention study design involving diverse organizational units with a range of AI implementation levels. The mixed-methods study will apply both quantitative, longitudinal surveys and focus group discussions. AI-crafting interventions will be developed in design-thinking workshops with employees - including AI-crafting plays, AI-crafting-supportive leadership training, and team-level AI-crafting workshops. 
Project lead: Martin Tušl, Georg Bauer 
External partners:  Alexander Mertes & Carolin Brüesch (ZHAW), Angélique Zessin (Cantonal Administration) 
Funding: Submitted proposal for DIZH Project call  

Co-Creation of Care – Towards Human Centered Health Care for better Patient & Staff Experiences

The interdisciplinary research project Co-Creation of Care (CCC) investigates how collaboration between healthcare professionals and patients can be designed to be more human-centered, relational, and effective. The project focuses on the everyday interactions and care experiences, particularly between nurses and patients in acute hospital settings. It asks, for example, how co-creation is enacted in daily clinical practice and how it influences patients’ recovery experience, emotional safety, and involvement in care, as well as nurses’ job satisfaction, psychological well-being, and perceived quality of interaction.

Despite growing efforts to promote person-centered care, little is known about how such principles are enacted and experienced in everyday practice. CCC addresses this gap by exploring the relational, emotional, and procedural aspects of care, aiming to make them more visible and actionable.

The project employs a multi-method, mixed-methods design, encompassing seven interconnected work packages. These include:

• a national survey of quality and HR professionals in Swiss hospitals to assess organizational perspectives on CCC,
• a secondary analysis of the Swiss LEP nursing catalog to examine how CCC-relevant practices are represented in routine documentation,
• cultural probe studies with nurses and patients to capture first-hand experiences of CCC in daily hospital life,
• in-depth narrative interviews with nurses and patients using the DIPEx methodology to explore lived experiences in depth,
• a longitudinal two-wave survey to assess key elements of CCC, including its core components, individual and organizational determinants, and perceived experiences and outcomes among nurses and; the survey study also contributes to the validation of a CCC measurement scale,
• structured observations of nurse-patient interactions to assess CCC-related behaviors,
• and a series of stakeholder focus groups and co-creation workshops (both national and international) to synthesize findings, evaluate generalizability across healthcare contexts, and develop practice-oriented implementation strategies.

The overall aim of the project is to identify core elements of co-creative interaction in care, assess their impact on outcomes such as patient-reported recovery and staff well-being, and generate recommendations for how CCC can be promoted across diverse healthcare contexts.

Co-Creation of Care is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) and carried out in close collaboration with multiple Swiss hospitals. The project team includes researchers from the University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), and University Hospital Zurich (USZ), bringing together expertise from public health, nursing, ethics, health design, and implementation science.

Project lead:
Sylvia Lisman-Broetje, Georg Bauer (EBPI UZH) 
Nikola Biller-Adorno (UZH), Andrea Glässel (UZH), Florian Liberatore (ZHAW), Anna Lisa Martin-Niedecken (ZHdK), Heidi Petry (USZ) 
Funding: SNF Schweizer Nationalfonds

Project 1: Crafting, Stigmatization & Inclusion in Employees with Mental Health Issues
Abstract in preparation!
Project lead: Anja Lehmann
Funding: Center of Salutogenesis 

Project 2: Digital Crafting-based Job Retention Interventions for Employees with Mental Health Issues 
This pilot project aims to integrate the concept of needs-based job crafting into the job coaching programme of the SVA Zurich, with a focus on employees maintaining work ability or returning to work during and after mental health issues. This is particularly important given recent reports from the Swiss Federal Social Insurance Office, which highlight a concerning trend: Most sickness-related Federal Disability Insurance pensions are now granted for mental health-related reasons (Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft EDI, 2022) a pattern seen in many other countries as well.  
Needs-based job crafting empowers individuals to proactively adapt their work tasks, relationships and environment to better meet their psychological needs as described in the DRAMMA model: Detachment, Relaxation, Autonomy, Mastery, Meaning and Affiliation (De Bloom et al., 2021). 
In collaboration with job coaches and clients, the project will co-develop digital micro-intervention elements as part of a Crafting Playbook. These Plays support self-reflection, learning and playful action in small, engaging steps. 
Materials will be made available under an open-source, Creative Commons license to encourage adaptation and wider use.  
The intervention will be tested in practice and accompanied by a process evaluation to explore feasibility, acceptance and potential benefits for sustainable work participation during and after experiences of mental health challenges. The process evaluation will include a speech-to-text evaluation component and the use of large language models for personalized assessment and feedback.
Project lead: Philipp Kerksieck, Georg Bauer
Funding: Biäsch Foundation / Supported Employment Switzerland / SVA Zurich / Center of Salutogenesis

Project 1: Strengthening Mental Health Together: Healthy during Study and Work Life
The flagship course “Strengthening Mental Health Together: Healthy in Study and Work” addresses the growing challenge of student mental health during university and the transition to professional life. Designed for Bachelor’s and Master’s students across all UZH faculties, the course provides an interdisciplinary, evidence-based approach, integrating perspectives from psychology, medicine/public health, economics, and sports science. 
Students will learn key positive mental health resources and apply them to their own study and career contexts. The course combines lectures and moderated small-group work to develop individualized “well-being toolkits” tailored to personal needs. 
With an emphasis on social connectedness, peer support, and reflective practice, the module fosters both immediate benefits for student well-being and transferable skills for future workplace challenges. Innovative teaching methods ensure scalability and active student engagement. An accompanying study will evaluate the course’s effectiveness, providing evidence for its impact and guiding further development. 
Project lead: Anja Lehmann, Georg Bauer
External partners: Moritz Daum (UZH), Valentina Vylobkova (UZH), Lisa Wagner (UZH) 
Funding: School for Transdisciplinary Studies, Center of Salutogenesis   

Project 2: Developing a SSPH+ Initiative for Students’ Mental Health 
Mental health is a fundamental public good, a core component of health, and a universal human right. Yet mental health needs remain largely unmet, with young people—especially students—facing high levels of psychological distress. Data show that university students report lower subjective health and higher depression rates than their peers in the general population, with women being particularly affected. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these challenges. 
“Emerging adulthood” (18–29 years) is a vulnerable life stage marked by major transitions in education, work, and social life. For pre- and post-graduate students, including PhD candidates, academic environments and expectations are important determinants of mental health. Universities therefore have a responsibility to provide healthy learning and research conditions. 
This project builds on discussions at the 2024 SSPH+ retreat and aims to develop a coordinated, inter-university Student Mental Health initiative across SSPH+ institutions. Through collaboration between ZHAW, USI, UZH, EPFL, and other member universities, the project will: 

1. Define the scope of the initiative, including populations, outcomes, and definitions. 

2. Identify data needs and suitable instruments for joint surveys. 

3. Map existing interventions in Switzerland and internationally to promote mental health and prevent mental disorders in students. 

Expected outputs include: 

1. An SSPH+ joint statement and action plan (e.g., manifesto, position paper, or code of conduct). 

2. A curated set of survey tools and indicators for student mental health monitoring. 

3. A shared resource collection (Padlet) of prevention and promotion initiatives. 

By addressing mental health inequities in students, the project directly contributes to the SSPH+ vision to promote equitable health and integrates the three strategic pillars—Teaching & Education, Inter-university Research, and Science to Policy & Practice—into a concrete, collaborative action plan.
Project lead: Georg Bauer, Anja Lehmann
External partners: Julia Dratva (ZHAW), Emiliano Albanese (USI) , Annina Zysset (ZHAW) 
Funding: SSPH+ Contribution for Inter-University Initiative and Collaboration 

1. Advancing the Concept and Measurements of Salutogenesis

Project: Salutogenesis in the Corona Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of millions worldwide, causing great uncertainty and anxiety. Although the pandemic is global, it appears each nation has developed its own way of managing the crisis. Employing the salutogenic model (Antonovsky, 1987) we ask how individuals cope with this crisis in an effort to maintain their health and wellbeing. We hypothesized that individual as well as national resources could explain levels of mental health and anxiety. Understanding the contribution of individual and national coping resources to the level of mental health can suggest ways national and global decision-makers might deal with the crisis in a way that promotes health. The individual resources include sense of coherence and social support of family, friends, and virtual contacts. We are especially interested in the individuals’ perception of national resources such as sense of national coherence, trust in governmental institutions, compliance with instructions, and common attitudes towards the Corona virus. Relevant demographic variables (socioeconomic status, gender, religion, political orientation) will be explored. Currently, the study runs in Israel, Netherlands, US, and German speaking countries (Austria, Germany, Switzerland).
For more information please visit the project page.
Project lead: Georg Bauer & Claudia Meier Magistretti (HSLU)
Funding: Internal Funding

Project: Examining the Role of Needs-Based Crafting in Promoting Employee Positive Health Development During and Beyond the COVID-19 Crisis
A Salutogenic Approach: Completed PhD thesis
Modern work is shaped by digitalization, agility, and flexibility, offering employees more autonomy but also greater demands for self-management and work–life balance. To address this, my thesis examines needs-based crafting as a salutogenic strategy for employee well-being. Needs-based crafting refers to deliberate behavioral and cognitive changes individuals make to satisfy their psychological needs. Viewed through the lens of salutogenesis, with its central concept of the Sense of Coherence (SOC), my research extends SOC beyond a coping resource to show how it supports proactive crafting and positive health development. The thesis comprises three studies. The first investigates the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on employees in Switzerland and Germany, highlighting both challenges and positive transformations in work and nonwork life. The second examines causal links between SOC, off-job crafting, and mental well-being using longitudinal panel data. The third validates a new scale for assessing needs-based job crafting, demonstrating its structure and links to positive outcomes such as engagement and job satisfaction. Overall, the thesis contributes to occupational health psychology and salutogenesis by: (1) clarifying the crisis-related changes in employees’ work and health, (2) providing evidence on the benefits of needs-based crafting across life domains, (3) introducing a validated job crafting scale, and (4) establishing initial evidence for crafting as a path of positive health development within the salutogenic model.
Project lead: Martin Tušl, Georg Bauer 
External partners: Jessica de Bloom  University Groningen/NL
Funding: Horizon 2020, UZH Foundation 

2. Salutogenic Crafting of Work- and Non-Work-Life:

Projekt: Craft4Health: Crafting life for health and well-being: Understanding different types of crafting in everyday life and in challenging times 
Find all information of this SSNF project here: https://data.snf.ch/grants/grant/201113 
Project lead: Georg Bauer, Philipp Kerksieck & Jessica de Bloom (University of Groningen, Netherlands)

https://www.ebpi.uzh.ch/en/research/archive_research/archive_work_and_health.html