To investigate the impact of selected corporate environment factors, health risks, and medical conditions on job performance using a self-reported measure of presenteeism.
Design.
A cross-sectional survey utilizing health risk appraisal (HRA) data merging presenteeism with corporate environment factors, health risks, and medical conditions.
Setting.
Approximately 8000 employees across ten diverse Australian corporations.
Subjects.
Employees (N = 1523; participation rate, 19%) who completed an HRA questionnaire.
Measures.
Self-reported HRA data were used to test associations of defined adverse corporate environment factors with presenteeism. Stepwise multivariate logistic regression modeling assessed the relative associations of corporate environment factors, health risks, and medical conditions with increased odds of any presenteeism.
Results.
Increased presenteeism was significantly associated with poor working conditions, ineffective management/leadership, and work/life imbalance (adjusting for age, gender, health risks, and medical conditions). In multivariate logistic regression models, work/life imbalance, poor working conditions, life dissatisfaction, high stress, back pain, allergies, and younger age were significantly associated with presenteeism.
Conclusions.
Although the study has some limitations, including a possible response bias caused by the relatively low participation rate across the corporations, the study does demonstrate significant associations between corporate environment factors, health risks, and medical conditions and self-reported presenteeism. The study provides initial evidence that health management programming may benefit on-the-job productivity outcomes if expanded to include interventions targeting work environments.
PelletierKR. A review and analysis of the clinical and cost-effectiveness studies of comprehensive health promotion and disease management programs at the worksite: 1998–2000 update. Am J Health Promot.2001;16:107–116.
2.
GoetzelRZLongSROzminkowskiRJ. Health, absence, disability and presenteeism cost estimates of certain physical and mental health conditions affecting US employers. J Occup Environ Med.2004;46:398–412.
3.
KarasekRATheorellT. Healthy Work, Stress, Productivity and the Reconstruction of Working Life.New York: Basic Books; 1990.
4.
SiegristJ. Adverse health effects of high-effort/low-reward conditions. J Occup Health Psychol.1996;1:27–41.
5.
KivimakiMVahteraJPenttiJFerrieJE. Factors underlying the effect of organizational downsizing on health of employees: longitudinal cohort study. BMJ.2000;320:971–975.
6.
VossMFloderusBDiderichsenF. How do job characteristics, family situation, domestic work and lifestyle factors relate to sickness absence? A study based on Sweden Post. J Occup Environ Med.2004;46:1134–1143.
7.
BurtonWNChenCYContiDJ. Caregiving for ill dependents and its association with employee health risks and productivity. J Occup Environ Med.2004;46:1048–1056.
8.
LynchJKrauseNKaplanGA. Workplace conditions, socioeconomic status and risk of mortality and acute myocardial infarction: the Kuopio Ischemic Health Disease Risk Factor Study. Am J Public Health.1997;87:617–622.
9.
TheorellTTsutsumiAHallquistJ. Decision latitude, job strain and myocardial infarction: a study of working men in Stockholm. Am J Public Health.1998;88:382–388.
10.
BosmaHPeterRSiegristJMarmotM. Two alternative job stress models and the risk of coronary heart disease. Am J Public Health.1998;88:68–74.
11.
DevereuxJJVlachonikolisIGBucklePW. Epidemiological study to investigate potential interaction between physical and psychosocial factors at work that may increase the risk of symptoms of musculoskeletal disorder of the neck and upper limb. Occup Environ Med.2002;59:269–277.
12.
PikhartHBobakMPajakA. Psychosocial factors at work and depression in three countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Soc Sci Med.2004;58:1475–1482.
13.
KrantzGOstergrenPO. Common symptoms in middle aged women: their relation to employment status, psychosocial work conditions and social support in a Swedish setting. J Epidemiol Community Health.2000;54:192–199.
14.
Ala-MursulaLVahteraJPenttiJKivimakiM. Effect of employee worktime control on health: a prospective cohort study. Occup Environ Med.2004;61:254–261.
15.
AmickBCKawachiICoakleyEH. Relationship of job strain and iso-strain to health status in a cohort of women in the United States. Scand J Work Environ Health.1998;24:54–61.
16.
PeterRSiegristJ. Chronic work stress, sickness absence and hypertension in middle managers: general or specific sociological explanations?Soc Sci Med.1997;7:1111–1120.
17.
LundTLabriolaMChristensenKB. Psychosocial work environment exposures as risk factors for long-term sickness absence among Danish employees: results from DWECS/DREAM. J Occup Environ Med.2005;47:1141–1147.
18.
NielsenMLRuguliesRChristensenKB. Impact of the psychosocial work environment on registered absence from work: a two-year longitudinal study using the IPAW cohort. Work Stress.2004;18:323–335.
19.
VaananenAToppinen-TannerSKalimoR. Job characteristics, physical and psychological symptoms, and social support as antecedents of sickness absence among men and women in the private industrial sector. Soc Sci Med.2003;57:807–824.
20.
VahteraJKivimakiMPenttiJTheorellT. Effect of change in the psychosocial environment on sickness absence: a seven year follow up of initially health employees. J Epidemiol Community Health.2000;54:484–493.
21.
NorthFMSymeSLFeeneyA. Psychosocial work environment and sickness absence among British civil servants: the Whitehall II Study. Am J Public Health.1996;86:332–340.
22.
NiedhammerIBugelIGoldbergM. Psychosocial factors at work and sickness absence in the Gazel cohort: a prospective study. Occup Environ Med.1998;55:735–741.
23.
VossMFloderusBDiderichsenF. Physical, psychosocial and organizational factors relative to sickness absence: a study based on Sweden Post. Occup Environ Med.2001;58:178–184.
24.
DonaldsonSISussmanSDentCW. Health behavior, quality of work life, and organizational effectiveness in the lumber industry. Health Educ Behav.1999;26:579–591.
25.
DeJoyDMWilsonMG. Organizational health promotion: broadening the horizon of workplace health promotion. Am J Health Promot.2003;17:337–341.
26.
LoweGSSchellenbergGShannonHS. Correlates of employees' perceptions of a healthy work environment. Am J Health Promot.2003;17:390–399.
27.
NielsenMLKristensenTSSmith-HansenL. The intervention project on absence and well-being (IPAW): design and results from the baseline of a 5-year study. Work Stress.2002;16:191–206.
28.
MaesSVerhoevenCKittelFScholtenH. Effect of a Dutch work-site wellness-health program: the Brabantia Project. Am J Public Health.1998;7:1037–1041.
29.
LernerDAmickBCRogersR. The Work Limitation Questionnaire. Med Care.2001;39:72–85.
30.
KesslerRCBarberCBeckA. The World Health Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ). J Occup Environ Med.2003;45:156–174.
31.
LynchWReidelJ. Measuring Employee Productivity: A Guide to Self-Assessment Tools.Scottsdale, AZ: William M. Mercer Inc. and the Institute for Health & Productivity Management; 2001:1–94.
32.
BolesMPelletierBLynchW. The relationship between health risks and work productivity. J Occup Environ Med.2004;46:737–745.
33.
BurtonWNChenCYContiDJ. The association of health risks with on-the-job productivity. J Occup Environ Med.2005;47:769–777.
34.
BurtonWNPranskyGContiDJ. The association of medical conditions and presenteeism. J Occup Environ Med.2004;46:S38–S45.
35.
KesslerRCGreenbergPEMickelsonKD. The effects of chronic medical conditions on work loss and work cutback. J Occup Environ Med.2001;43:218–225.
36.
MusichSHookDBarnettTEdingtonDW. The association between health risk status and health care costs among the membership of an Australian health plan. Health Promo Int.2003;18:57–65.
37.
MusichSHookDBaanerSEdingtonDW. The association of two productivity measures with health risks and medical conditions in an Australian employee population. Am J Health Promot.2006;20:353–363.
38.
EdingtonDWYenLBraunsteinA. The reliability and validity of HRAs. In: HynerGCPetersonKWTravisJW eds. SPM Handbook of Health Assessment Tools.Pittsburgh, PA: The Society of Prospective Medicine & The Institute for Health and Productivity Management; 1999:135–141.
39.
MartinLMLeffMCalongeN. Validation of self-reported chronic conditions and health services in a managed care population. Am J Prev Med.2000;18:215–218.
40.
AndersonDRWhitmerRWGoetzelRZ. The relationship between modifiable health risks and group-level health care expenditures. Am J Health Promot.2000;15:45–52.
41.
EdingtonDWYenLTWittingP. The financial impact of changes in person health practices. J Occup Environ Med.1997;39:1037–1046.
42.
GoetzelZAndersonDRWhitmerRW. The relationship between modifiable health risks and health care expenditures. J Occup Environ Med.1998;40:843–854.
