Health effects of relocation at work

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Environmental Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Work-related stressors can impact employee health.
• Building construction and renovation can necessitate workplace relocation, acting as a significant stressor.
• Understanding the health consequences of such environmental changes is crucial for employee well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively measure the health effects of a work-related stressor (office relocation) over six months.
• To investigate the relationship between workplace moves and health outcomes in university medical center employees.
• To examine whether social support moderates the health effects of workplace relocation.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study involving 355 employees at a university medical center.
• Subjects categorized into 'movers' and 'non-movers' based on relocation during building renovation.
• Health outcomes, including bed-disability and physician utilization, were measured and analyzed, controlling for demographic factors and pre-existing conditions.

Main Results:

• Employees who relocated ('movers') experienced a significantly higher rate of bed-disability (P = .05).
• Movers were more likely to report a deterioration in their overall health (P < .05).
• High social support at work and overall did not mitigate the negative health effects; instead, it correlated with increased physician utilization among movers.

Conclusions:

• Work-related relocation due to building construction is an adverse stressor impacting employee health.
• The study did not support the hypothesis that social support moderates the adverse health effects of this specific work-related stressor.
• Family physicians should consider workplace environmental changes as potential contributors to adverse patient health outcomes.