Abstract
BackgroundWork-life balance (WLB) is the extent to which individual’s multiple life roles and demands carry over between each role. WLB can be divided into work interference with personal life (WIPL) and personal life interference with work (PLIW). This study aimed to investigate longitudinal associations between WIPL, PLIW and work ability outcomes.MethodsIn this cohort study, 224 employees in the energy and water sector in Sweden were followed-up over 2 years. Three questions derived from the Work Ability Index were used for measuring work ability outcome: current work ability compared with lifetime best; work ability regarding physical; and mental demands. Logistic regression models were used to analyse longitudinal associations between work ability and WIPL and WIPL respectively, controlling for workplace (company), position at work, experience of leadership quality, demographics, and work ability.ResultsWork ability compared to lifetime best were associated with WIPL in the adjusted logistic regression models (odds ratio (OR) 1.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15–2.73), and PLIW (OR 3.34, 95% CI 1.66–6.74). Work ability regarding physical demands was associated with WIPL (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.07–2.40). Work ability regarding mental demands was associated with WIPL (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.03–2.44) and PLIW (OR 2.88, 95% CI 1.31–6.32).ConclusionIn this two-year longitudinal study, lower WIPL predicted good/excellent overall work ability compared with lifetime best, higher work ability regarding physical and mental demands, and lower PLIW predicted good/excellent overall work ability compared with lifetime best and higher work ability regarding and mental demands.
Highlights
Work-life balance (WLB) is the extent to which individual’s multiple life roles and demands carry over between each role
Maximum, minimum of the scale or index, and correlations indicated aExperience with leadership quality was measured with an 7 item index ranging from 1 to 6 bWork interference with personal life (WIPL) and personal life interference with work (PLIW), was both three item index scales, ranging from 1 to 5 cWork ability outcome in the matrix was measured at follow-up
Work ability compared with the lifetime best was dichotomized into: Poor/moderate work ability compared to lifetime best (=0) and good/excellent work ability compared to lifetime best (=1). *P ≤ 0.05, **P ≤ 0.01 aWork interference with personal life (WIPL) and personal life interference with work (PLIW), was both three item index scales, ranging from 1 to 5 bExperience with leadership quality was measured with an index, ranging from 1 to 6
Summary
Work-life balance (WLB) is the extent to which individual’s multiple life roles and demands carry over between each role. WLB can be divided into work interference with personal life (WIPL) and personal life interference with work (PLIW). This study aimed to investigate longitudinal associations between WIPL, PLIW and work ability outcomes. The concept of work ability may be divided into general and specific work ability [6]. Having work ability in a general sense is having the health, standard basic competence and the basic occupational virtues required for perform some kind of job, assuming that the work tasks are reasonable and that the work environment is acceptable. Having work ability in a specific sense, is having (some set of) the required manual, intellectual and social competence together with health and the relevant job-specific virtues that are required for managing the specific work tasks. Work ability has been shown to have predictive value for several outcomes, including; productivity [7], sick leave/absence [8, 9], job survival [10], work-related disability [11], and mortality [12]
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