The impact of the work organization on individuals’ psychological well-being

TL;DR

This study compares the psychological well-being of workers in transport and education sectors under different work arrangements.

Contribution

The study identifies how work organization and individual factors affect psychological well-being across occupational groups.

Findings

Transport workers showed better psychological well-being than university workers.

On-site work positively affects well-being in university workers.

Age and gender have distinct impacts on well-being in different occupational groups.

Abstract

This study explored the psychological well-being (PWB) of workers engaged in two distinct occupational settings, the transport and instruction sectors, to understand how different work arrangements (on-site, remote, and hybrid) affect workers’ PWB.

A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2020 to December 2021, involving employees of a transport company (427), primarily engaged in on-site tasks and University workers (445) involved in remote activities. The PWB was assessed using the Psychological General Well-Being Index.

A general global satisfactory PWB was demonstrated in both groups. However, transport workers showed significantly better results compared to the University personnel, both at the global level (mean ± standard deviation: 87 ± 9 vs. 72 ± 14, respectively) as well as in the anxiety, depression, positive well-being, self-control, general health and vitality sub-dimensions. Age was negatively associated with the PWB among transport workers (β = −0.16; p < 0.001), while no significant association was demonstrated in the University group. Only in this latter group, the female gender negatively affected the global PWB perception (β = −9.0, p < 0.001). Working mode, particularly on-site work, was positively associated with the global PWB perception (β = 4.8; p < 0.042) in university workers.

The type of work organization and individual characteristics may significantly influence workers’ PWB perception. These findings suggest the need for tailored interventions specifically focused on workload and the specific challenges as well as the needs for different occupational groups (e.g., women, older employees, and remote workers) to promote individuals’ well-being in an evolving world of work.

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