The Job Leeway Scale: Initial Evaluation of a Self-report Measure of Health-Related Flexibility and Latitude at Work

Abstract

Purpose Evidence suggests that workers manage health-related challenges at work, in part, by using available leeway to perform work differently. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Job Leeway Scale (JLS), a new 18-item self-report questionnaire designed to assess worker perceptions of available flexibility and latitude to manage health-related challenges at work. Methods Workers seeking assistance for workplace difficulties due to chronic medical conditions (n = 119, 83% female, median age = 49) completed the JLS along with other workplace and health measures. Construct validity was assessed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and concurrent validity was assessed by associations with related measures. Results Mean item scores ranged from 2.13 to 4.16 within a possible range of 0–6. The EFA supported three underlying factors: organizational leeway (9 items), task leeway (6 items), and staffing leeway (3 items). Internal consistency (alpha) ranged from 0.78 to 0.91 for subscale scores and 0.94 for the total score. The JLS showed moderate correlations with other work outcome measures including work fatigue, self-efficacy, engagement, and productivity. Conclusion The JLS is a promising new measure with initial support for its reliability and validity to assess worker beliefs of available flexibility to manage health symptoms at work, and this construct may have organizational implications for worker support and accommodation.

Chronic Health Conditions in the Workplace: Work Stressors and Supportive Supervision, Work Design, and Programs

“…Our third paper, by Dr. William Shaw and colleagues, Organizational Support Factors Associated with Fatigue and Turnover Intention among Workers with Chronic Health Conditions, examines four organizational support factors for workers with chronic health conditions: heath-related leeway, perceived organizational fairness, sense of community at work, and job control (Shaw et al, 2024). As noted, healthrelated leeway refers to the freedom afforded to workers to self-regulate their work behaviors while managing symptom fluctuations (Shaw et al, 2023). Using a sample of workers with various chronic health conditions who participated in a randomized controlled trial of the Manage at Work intervention, the authors found that higher levels of perceived fairness uniquely contribute to lower levels of turnover intentions and higher levels of leeway uniquely contribute to higher levels of fatigue and turnover intentions.…”