Dataset Information

The association of vertical and horizontal workplace social capital with employees' job satisfaction, exhaustion and sleep disturbances: a prospective study.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Workplace social capital (WSC) may be beneficial for employees' health and well-being; however, most studies have analyzed WSC on the individual and not the workplace level. We test whether higher compared to lower levels of vertical WSC (WSC between employees and superiors) and horizontal WSC (WSC between employees), measured at the workplace level, is prospectively associated with higher levels of employees' well-being.

Methods

Using data from an intervention study, we analyzed associations between workplace aggregated vertical and horizontal WSC at baseline with job satisfaction, exhaustion and sleep disturbances at 24-months follow-up. The sample included 606 municipal pre-school employees (71 workplaces). We adjusted for individual and workplace characteristics, baseline scores of outcomes, intervention status, and the interaction of exposure with intervention status. We used the Genmod procedure in SAS with a repeated statement to account for correlation of individuals within workplaces. We repeated analyses using individual-level WSC measurements.

Results

Higher levels of vertical and horizontal WSC at baseline predicted a higher level of job satisfaction (0.20, p?=?0.01 and 0.24, p?=?0.01, respectively) and a lower level of exhaustion (-?0.33, p?=?0.04 and -?0.43, p?=?0.04) at follow-up in the most adjusted model. Analyses with individual-level measures yielded similar results and further showed an association of a higher level of horizontal WSC with a lower level of sleep disturbances.

Conclusions

Higher levels of vertical and horizontal WSC were prospectively associated with better well-being of employees in municipal pre-schools. Workplaces may thus consider focusing on improving WSC as a means for ensuring or improving employees' well-being.

SUBMITTER: Framke E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6609764 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:ImportanceWorkplace psychosocial resources naturally tend to cluster in some work teams. To inform work-related sleep health promotion interventions, it is important to determine the associations between clustering of workplace resources and sleep disturbances when some resources are high while others are low and to mimic an actual intervention using observational data.ObjectiveTo examine whether clustering of and changes in workplace psychosocial resources are associated with sleep disturbances among workers.Design, setting, and participantsThis population-based cohort study used data from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (2012-2018), the Work Environment and Health in Denmark study (2012-2018), and the Finnish Public Sector Study (2008-2014), collected biennially. Statistical analysis was conducted from November 2020 to June 2022.ExposureQuestionnaires were distributed measuring leadership quality and procedural justice (ie, vertical resources) as well as collaboration culture and coworker support (ie, horizontal resources). Resources were divided into clusters of general low, intermediate vertical and low horizontal, low vertical and high horizontal, intermediate vertical and high horizontal, and general high.Main outcomes and measuresOdds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were reported from logistic regression models for the associations between the clustering of resources and concurrent and long-term sleep disturbances. Sleep disturbances were measured by self-administered questionnaires.ResultsThe study identified 114 971 participants with 219 982 participant-observations (151 021 [69%] women; mean [SD] age, 48 [10] years). Compared with participants with general low resources, other groups showed a lower prevalence of sleep disturbances, with the lowest observed in the general high group concurrently (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.37-0.40) and longitudinally after 6 years (OR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.48-0.57). Approximately half of the participants (27 167 participants [53%]) experienced changes in resource clusters within 2 years. Improvements in vertical or horizontal dimensions were associated with reduced odds of persistent sleep disturbances, and the lowest odds of sleep disturbances was found in the group with improvements in both vertical and horizontal dimensions (OR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.46-0.62). A corresponding dose-response association with sleep disturbances was observed for decline in resources (eg, decline in both dimensions: OR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.54-1.97).Conclusions and relevanceIn this cohort study of workplace psychosocial resources and sleep disturbances, clustering of favorable resources was associated with a lower risk of sleep disturbances.