Title
Employment contracts: Cross-sectional and longitudinal relations with quality of working life, health and well-being
Author
TNO Kwaliteit van Leven
Kompier, M.
Ybema, J.F.
Janssen, J.
Taris, T.
Publication year
2009
Abstract
Objectives: The aim of this study was to enhance (i) insight in the relationship between different types of employment contract and the quality of working life, health and well-being, and (ii) our causal understanding of these relationships by comparing employees whose contract type changes across time. Methods: Analyses were based on a two-year prospective cohort study. Cross-sectional analyses were based upon a sample of 2,454 Dutch employees (2004). Longitudinal data were available for 1,865 respondents (2004-2006). We distinguished among 5 contract types, and subgroups of 'Upward' (i.e., towards permanent employment) and 'Downward' (towards temporary employment) movers across time. Data were analysed with analysis of variance and cross table analysis. Results: Cross-sectionally, we found differences between contract types in quality of working life: generally permanent employees had better jobs, whereas temporary agency workers and on call workers had more 'bad work characteristics'. We also found a difference in health behaviour (smoking) and that psychological health was worst among temporary agency workers. In longitudinal analyses we found some evidence that a positive change in employment contract was associated with a better quality of working life and better psychological health, whereas the opposite was true for a negative contract change. Conclusions: The quality of working life, health and well-being are unequally distributed over employment contract groups. Temporary agency workers and on-call workers deserve special attention in terms of job design and human resource management.
Subject
Healthy Living
Work and Employment
Contract type changes
Job insecurity
Prospective study
Temporary work
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:c5adaf65-4dbb-46ac-b73c-b5531fdb639f
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1539/joh.l8150
TNO identifier
241526
ISSN
1341-9145
Source
Journal of Occupational Health, 51 (51), 193-203
Document type
article