Is work engagement related to work ability beyond working conditions and lifestyle factors?

Abstract

Work engagement was significantly associated with work ability even after adjusting for various factors, indicating its importance in promoting work ability. Other key factors for good work ability were frequent exercise, good sleep, non-smoking, low job demands, low physical workload, and high task resources. More specifically, this study suggests that in maintaining work ability, it is valuable not only to promote lifestyle factors or working conditions, but also to enhance employees' positive state of work engagement.

“Mental retirement?” Trajectories of work engagement preceding retirement among older workers

“…First, we performed a multivariate analysis in which we also included trajectories of work ability in the regression model on retirement. Work ability is related to both work engagement (6)(7)(8) and (early) retirement (26,27), and in the present de Wind et al study we were primarily interested in the motivational process. Second, a multivariate analysis was performed only including persons in which there was agreement between intention to retire and actual retirement ("no intention and no retirement" or "intention and retirement").…”

“…Work engagement is defined as a positive, fulfilling work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption (5). Higher work engagement has been associated with higher work ability (6)(7)(8), which, in turn, is associated with increased productivity at work (9). Higher work engagement has also been associated with less sickness absence (10).…”

Perceived Work Ability in the Light of Long-Term and Stress-Related Unhealthy Behaviors—a Prospective Cohort Study

“…This study enables a wider understanding of the role of health behaviors in long term work ability, because earlier studies have mostly included single health behaviors in cross-sectional settings [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][17][18]. As the trajectory analyses showed, unhealthy behaviors may cluster and affect, one another, which is why it is relevant to investigate the cumulative effects [47].…”

“…Decreased smoking did not correlate with improved work ability in one longitudinal study [14]. One of three cross-sectional studies on alcohol consumption and perceived work ability found a negative association, whereas two of them did not [1,10,15]. In addition, one cross-sectional study found a linear association with alcohol consumption among 31-year-old women and non-significant u-shaped association among men [17].…”

“…Physical activity has associated positively with work ability in both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies [9][10][11][12][13][14] whereas associations between smoking and work ability have not been consistent in crosssectional studies [1,8,[15][16][17]. Decreased smoking did not correlate with improved work ability in one longitudinal study [14].…”