Mental and physical health are the most important factors affecting workplace productivity, reports an open-access paper in the June Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
“Systematic and simultaneous” analysis of factors influencing workplace productivity
Martin Stepanek, MA, of Charles University, Prague, and colleagues present a “systematic and simultaneous” analysis of the many factors influencing workplace productivity. “Our study shows that the network of influences affecting employees’ productivity is more complex” than previously reported, the researchers write.
Study used a comprehensive dataset of nearly 32,000 UK employees
The study used a comprehensive dataset of nearly 32,000 UK employees, drawn from the 2017 Britain’s Healthiest Workplace survey. Using a technique called structural equation modeling, the researchers analyzed the combined effects of a wide range of determinants of lost productivity; not just absenteeism but also reduced productivity while at work (presenteeism).
Four main determinants of employee productivity identified
Four main determinants of employee productivity were identified: mental health, physical health, job characteristics, and support from the organization. Mental health was the single most important factor, followed by physical health. Together, mental and physical health mediated 93 percent of the indirect effects on productivity identified in the model.
“Some influences lose most of their explanatory power in more complex models with additional explanatory variables,” the researchers write. For example, while work engagement was a strong predictor of productivity in individual models, it became negligible in models including health, job, and workplace characteristics.
Tailored strategy to improve employees’ well-being needed
There is a need for a more tailored strategy to improve employees’ well-being as well as the overall organizational, work and management culture,” said Mr. Stepanek and coauthors
Employers need strategies that do more than just address the symptoms of poor mental and physical health, the researchers add: “It is equally or even more important to address the source of such problems through supportive management, promoting more inclusive work atmosphere, and improving job satisfaction in a healthy work environment.”
From the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Razi Berry is the founder and publisher of the journal Naturopathic Doctor News & Review, which has been in print since 2005, and the premier consumer-faced website of naturopathic medicine, NaturalPath. She is the host of The Natural Cancer Prevention Summit and The Heart Revolution-Heal, Empower and Follow Your Heart, and the popular 10 week Sugar Free Summer program. From a near death experience as a young girl that healed her failing heart, to later overcoming infertility and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia through naturopathic medicine, Razi has lived the mind/body healing paradigm. Her projects uniquely capture the tradition and philosophy of naturopathy: The healing power of nature, the vital life force in every living thing and the undeniable role that science and mind/body medicine have in creating health and overcoming dis-ease. Follow Razi on Facebook at Razi Berry and join us at Love is Medicine to explore the convergence of love and health.