Factors underlying the effect of organisational downsizing on health of employees: longitudinal cohort study

The threat of widespread job losses as a result of "downsizing" significantly increases ill health among employees, finds a study in this week's BMJ. It is not only job insecurity that adversely affects an employee's health, but also the increased demands and lessened sense of control that downsizing creates, shows the research by Kivim�ki and colleagues from the University of Helsinki and University College Medical School, London.

The research team investigated links between downsizing, changes related to work and other aspects of life as well as medically certified sick leave in 764 Finnish municipal workers. The employees were studied over a period of five years up to 1995, before, after, and during downsizing.

They found that downsizing was associated with negative changes in work, impaired emotional support from a partner, and increased tendency to smoke. Sick leave was twice as likely among workers who had undergone major, rather than minor, downsizing. The greatest proportion of the relationship between downsizing and sick leave was explained by increased physical demands, job insecurity, and less control over deployment of skills and decision making.

Contact:

Dr Mika Kivim�ki, Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Finland Email: [email protected]