- Project number: F 2461
- Institution: Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA)
- Status: Completed Project
Description:
In this project, the subjective well-being of employees was investigated by bringing together various indicators (job satisfaction, work engagement, life satisfaction, affect balance). Together with analyses of work, burnout, and depression (project F 2460), this made it possible to gain a comprehensive overview of employees’ mental health in Germany.
The first two waves of the Study on Mental Health at Work (Studie zur Mentalen Gesundheit bei der Arbeit, S-MGA) supplied the data basis drawn on to answer all the questions that were addressed. The Study on Mental Health at Work is a representative study of employees in Germany who are subject to compulsory social security contributions. The respondents are repeatedly surveyed at intervals of five years with computer-assisted interviews and questionnaires.
Initially, associations between work-related resources and various indicators of employees' well-being were examined longitudinally. The work-related resources included income, influence at work, control over working time, opportunities for development, and support from colleagues, as well as the quality of leadership and role clarity in the company.
Furthermore, changes in resources and well-being were also taken into account. Another major aim of this project was to examine differential associations between resources and employee well-being. In this respect, the focus was placed particularly on vulnerable groups, such as employees in low-skilled jobs and employees with physical health impairments.
Overall, the findings underline the benefits of a differentiated analysis of work-related resources. In particular, influence at work and opportunities for development were associated with higher well-being five years later. Changes in work resources provided relevant additional information concerning well-being that is particularly important with regard to interventions. The findings also highlight the relevance of control over working time for employees in low-skilled jobs and employees with physical illnesses.