Effort-Reward Imbalance en de mentale gezondheid van managers in Europa

Abstract

Objectives: according to the Neo-Marxist Social Class (NMSC) Theory, social inequalities can be partly explained by positions of authority. Higher positions of authority imply higher rewards conceptualized as ‘loyalty rent’. In contemporary workplaces a reduced need for loyalty and therefore also rewards can be expected. We investigate how the interaction between positions of authority and Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) is related to mental health. Methods: from the 6th wave of the European Working Conditions Survey, we selected workers aged 15 to 64 from 28 European Member States. ERI was measured with 18 proxies for the ERI Questionnaire. For mental health, the WHO-5 well-being index was used. Relationships were analyzed using linear regression models. Results: we found a relationship between ERI and mental health for European employees. We did not find worse mental health for middle managers, but we did for higher managers. The vulnerability for ERI is higher in positions of authority with the expectation of loyalty rent attached to leadership roles. The mental health of female middle managers appears more vulnerable to ERI than men's. Conclusions: our findings show that mental health risks of middle and higher managers become apparent especially in situations where rewards do not match the status expectations of the position.