Quality of Workplace Social Relationships and Perceived Health

Abstract

Associations between the quality of social relationships at work and mental and self-reported health were examined to assess whether these associations were independent of job strain. The study was based on cross-sectional survey data from 728 employees (response rate 58%) and included the Demand-Control-(Support) (DC-S) model, six items on the quality of social relationships at the workplace, the General Health Questionnaire (30), and an item on self-reported physical health. Logistic regression analyses were used. A first set of models were run with adjustment for age, sex, and socioeconomic group. A second set of models were run adjusted for the dimensions of the DC-S model. Positive associations were found between the quality of social relationships and mental health as well as self-rated physical health, and these associations remained significant even after adjustment for the dimensions. The findings add support to the Health and Safety Executive stress management standards on social relationships at the workplace.

Understanding baby boomer workers' well‐being in A ustralia

“…The findings are congruent with both the accepted Karasek model of the role of job demands, control and supports as influences on worker well‐being, and with recent findings about the health‐promoting role of work social relationships. The novel aspect of the present study is its focus on the BB generation which contains more female and older workers than did past generations.…”

“…Current government policies encourage workers to stay in paid employment rather than depending on the aged pension; such policies make it essential for researchers to discover the determinants of work satisfaction and well‐being in the older workforce. Worker loneliness has so far been inadequately recognised as an important factor , but there is evidence of its association with poorer performance as well as poorer mental and physical health .…”

Psychosocial factors at work, long work hours, and obesity: a systematic review

“…Another potential explanation for the conflicting results across studies is that an unfavorable work environment may have a different effect on individuals, depending on, for example, gender, age, personality, and social support (103,104). In the theoretical "isolated strain" model of Karasek and Theorell (105), social support at work is suggested to buffer the harmful effect of stress on health and enhance workers' ability to manage work demands and work stress for which there is some empirical support.…”

Resources for work‐related well‐being: A qualitative study about healthcare employees’ experiences of relationships at work

“…There is a shortage of studies with a salutogenic perspective on relationships at work, focusing on factors that support resources for well-being. Researchers have called for a more complete understanding of workplace relationships, with a focus on the ways positive, high-quality work relationships can improve employee health (Carmeli, Brueller, & Dutton, 2009;Rydstedt, Head, Stansfeld, & Woodley-Jones, 2012;Xerri, 2013). This enquiry addresses such relationships among healthcare employees in Southern Sweden.…”