The importance of job control for workers with decreased work ability to remain productive at work.
OBJECTIVE
Workers with decreased work ability are at greater risk of reduced productivity at work. We hypothesized that work-related characteristics play an important role in supporting workers to remain productive despite decreased work ability.


METHODS
The study population consisted of 10,542 workers in 49 different companies in the Netherlands in 2005-2009. Productivity loss at work was defined on a 10-point scale by asking how much work was actually performed during regular hours on the last regular workday when compared with normal. Independent variables in the logistic regression analysis were individual characteristics, work-related factors, and the work ability index. Additive interactions between work-related factors and decreased work ability were evaluated by the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI).


RESULTS
The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the likelihood of productivity loss at work were 2.03 (1.85-2.22), 3.50 (3.10-3.95), and 5.54 (4.37-7.03) for a good, moderate, and poor work ability, compared with an excellent work ability (reference group). Productivity loss at work was associated with lack of job control, poor skill discretion, and high work demands. There was a significant interaction between decreased work ability and lack of job control (RERI = 0.63 95% CI 0.11-1.16) with productivity loss at work.


CONCLUSIONS
The negative effects on work performance of decreased work ability may be partly counterbalanced by increased job control. This suggests that interventions among workers with (chronic) disease that cause a decreased work ability should include enlargement of possibilities to plan and pace their own activities at work.
Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Tilja I
TI
van den Berg
Suzan J
SJ
Robroek
Jan F
JF
Plat
Marc A
MA
Koopmanschap
Alex
A
Burdorf
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004526:Efficiency; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D009790:Occupations; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014938:Work Capacity Evaluation; D055815:Young Adult