Workplace characteristics, depression, and health-related presenteeism in a general population sample

To investigate the relationships between workplace psychosocial factors, work/family conflicts, depression, and health-related presenteeism in a sample of employees who were randomly selected from the communities.

A cross-sectional study of 4032 employees representative of the working population aged 25 to 64 years in Alberta, Canada. Data about workplace characteristics, depression, and health-related presenteeism were collected through telephone.

In the participants, 47.3% and 42.9% reported some degree of impaired job performance in completing work and avoiding distraction, respectively. Major depression is the strongest factor associated with avoiding distraction. Job strain and effort-reward imbalance seemed to affect job performance through severity of depression but not major depression.

Negative work environment may directly and indirectly affect job performance. Workplace health promotion activities should target organizational factors such as job strain and effort-reward imbalance and work/family conflicts so as to reduce the risk of depression and the direct and indirect effects of these risk factors and depression on productivity.