Decrease in Work Ability Index and sickness absence during the following year: a two-year follow-up study

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Work ability is crucial for employee productivity and well-being.
• Understanding predictors of sickness absence is vital for workforce management and healthcare planning.
• Previous research has explored various factors influencing employee absenteeism, but the predictive power of changing work ability requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether changes in work ability over a one-year period predict sickness absence in the subsequent year.
• To analyze the association between decreasing work ability and sickness absence, considering different reasons for absence.
• To identify potential confounding factors influencing the relationship between work ability and sickness absence.

Main Methods:

• A 2-year follow-up study involving 1408 workers from the Japanese information technology sector.
• Data collection included the Work Ability Index (WAI), Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ), and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) in 2011 and 2012.
• Sickness absence data for 2013 was obtained from computerized attendance records, with adjustments for psychological distress, job stress, job support, sex, age, and job title.

Main Results:

• A decrease in Work Ability Index (WAI) scores from 2011 to 2012 significantly predicted sickness absence in 2013 (OR 1.19).
• This association remained significant after adjusting for multiple confounding variables (OR 1.15).
• Decreased WAI scores predicted sickness absence due to both mental illness (OR 1.24) and other illnesses (OR 1.14).

Conclusions:

• A decline in work ability is a significant predictor of sickness absence in the following year.
• The predictive power of decreasing work ability on sickness absence was observed to be weak.
• Monitoring changes in employee work ability can aid in the early identification and prevention of sickness absence, particularly for mental health-related issues.