Emotional attachment to work leads to healthier workforce

Workers who feel emotionally attached to and identify with their work have better psychological well-being, says a new study. Efforts to increase affective organisational commitment (AOC) - the employee's emotional attachment to, identification with, and involvement in the organisation - may lead to a happier, healthier workforce, and possibly contribute to reducing employee turnover, the study said.

Thomas Clausen from National Research Centre for the Working Environment in Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues looked at how AOC affected psychological well-being and other health-related outcomes in approximately 5,000 Danish eldercare workers, organised into 300 groups.

The results showed significantly higher well-being for employees in groups with higher AOC. Groups with high AOC also had lower sickness absence rates and fewer sleep disturbances, as reported by workers.

The findings suggest that strategies aimed at enhancing employee's emotional attachment to work might help to address the high rates of burnout and turnover among employees in healthcare and eldercare services. (The study appeared in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine)