The Beneficial Role of Participation in Decision-Making on Workers' Health and Commitment: A Cross-Sectional Study in Belgium's Health and Homecare Sector.

Abstract

To test the hypothesis of a beneficial role of worker participation in the decision-making process as a buffer against demanding work organization on mental and physical health and commitment. A cross-sectional study ( N = 1134) was conducted among workers employed in the health and homecare sector. Multiple regressions and moderation analyses were performed to test whether worker participation in decision-making moderates the association between demanding work organization and health and whether it directly predicts work commitment. As hypothesized, results show that demanding work organization is negatively associated with the mental and physical health of workers and that participation in the decision-making moderates this negative association. Finally, participation in decision-making is directly related to work commitment. Results are discussed in light of the recent evolution of work conditions in the health and homecare sector.