Abstract
We investigated the relationship between workplace exercise and psychological distress, and work engagement, both of which are factors related to the mental health and work productivity of employees. Data from the Meiji Yasuda Lifestyle study, collected from July 2017 through December 2017, were used. Data from an annual health checkup and questionnaire were collected from the Meiji Yasuda Shinjuku Medical Center in Tokyo, Japan. The 1321 participants (mean age: 50.8±9.5years, rate of female: 68.2%, rate of white-collar workers: 64.7%) were divided into three groups based on the frequency of performing workplace exercise: less than once, once or twice, and three or more times a week. Vigor of work engagement and psychological distress were assessed using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6). Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine relationships between workplace exercise frequencies and work engagement or psychological distress. Demographic variables, health behaviors, health status, work characteristics, and objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behavior were adjusted for odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Participants who performed workplace exercise once or twice and three or more times a week showed a significantly higher OR (OR=1.93, 95% CI=1.00-3.71, p=0.049, OR=1.63, 95% CI=1.23-2.15, p=0.001, respectively) for vigor of work engagement. Neither groups of workplace exercise showed a significant OR for psychological distress even when adjusted for covariates. The practice of workplace exercise is positively and independently related to vigor of work engagements of physical activity and sedentary behavior, and the association was observed regardless of the frequency of once or twice, or three or more times a week. Workplace exercise, however, does not correlate with psychological distress. Our findings indicated that workplace exercise at least once or twice a week could have practical implications for the enhancement of vigor of work engagement, especially among white-collar workers.
Highlights
The prevention of mental disorders and promotion of employee mental health are important issues given their relationships with individual productivity at the workplace (Boles et al, 2004)
The results indicate that a higher frequency of workplace exercise is related to higher vigor of work engagement independently from physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB)
Other previous studies reported that workplace exercise improved work-related social capital compared to home exercise (Andersen et al, 2015), so that performing workplace exercise could enhance the resources of work engagement, such as social support at work (Schaufeli and Bakker, 2004)
Summary
The prevention of mental disorders (e.g., depression) and promotion of employee mental health are important issues given their relationships with individual productivity at the workplace (Boles et al, 2004). Numerous employers currently devote substantial resources to promote work engagement, given its positive impact on both productivity and employee health status. Previous studies report that high-work engagement is related to productivity (Salanova et al, 2005; Xanthopoulou et al, 2009) and mental and physical health (Eguchi et al, 2015; Schaufeli et al, 2008). Work engagement can be a predictor of the future incidence of depression (Imamura et al, 2016). There is very limited research elucidating the relationships between work engagement and workplace
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