Interaction of working conditions, job satisfaction, and sickness absences: Evidence from a representative sample of employees

• Published in: Social science & medicine (1982) Vol. 67; no. 4; pp. 520 - 528
• Main Authors: Böckerman, Petri, Ilmakunnas, Pekka
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2008; Elsevier; Pergamon Press Inc
• Series: Social Science & Medicine
• Subjects: Absenteeism; Adult; Age Factors; Biological and medical sciences; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Finland; General aspects; Humans; Illness; Illnesses; Job Satisfaction; Male; Medical sciences; Medical sociology; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Models, Economic; Occupational Health; Occupational medicine; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Quality of work; Sample surveys; Sex Factors; Sickness absence; Sickness absence Finland Working conditions Job satisfaction; Social norms; Social values; Socioeconomic Factors; Studies; Work Environment; Working conditions; Workplace - organization & administration; Europe; Finland; Working conditions; Job satisfaction; Sickness absence; Finland; Human; Employee; Disease; Health; Interaction; Social medicine; Working condition
• ISSN: 0277-9536; 1873-5347
• DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.04.008

We study the predictors of sickness absences among 2800 Finnish workers responding to the cross-sectional Quality of Work Life Survey in 1997. The data contain detailed information on the prevalence of adverse working conditions at the workplace from a representative sample of wage and salary earners. We show by using recursive multivariate models that the prevalence of harms at the workplace is associated with job dissatisfaction and dissatisfaction with sickness absences. The policy lesson is that the improvement of working conditions should be an integral part of any scheme aimed at decreasing sickness absence.