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PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess whether organizational justice lowers productivity loss and sickness absence, and whether there are reverse effects of productivity loss and sickness absence on organizational justice. METHOD: A longitudinal study with 2 years of follow-up was conducted among employed persons aged 45-64 years from the Study on Transitions in Employment, Ability and Motivation (STREAM). Participants (N = 7011) yearly filled out an online questionnaire. Structural equation modeling in LISREL was conducted to assess the longitudinal relationships between distributive justice of salary, distributive justice of appreciation, procedural justice, productivity loss, and sickness absence. RESULTS: Both distributive justice of appreciation and procedural justice contributed to lower productivity loss and lower sickness absence at 1-year follow-up. Productivity loss increased perceptions of distributive justice of appreciation at 1-year follow-up, whereas sickness absence lowered both perceptions of distributive justice of appreciation and procedural justice at follow-up. CONCLUSION: Improving organizational justice lowers the risk of productivity loss and sickness absence and may be a useful tool to improve the productivity of organizations.

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Purpose To longitudinally investigate (1) whether lower work ability and work engagement predict the use of company policies on reduced working hours and exemption from evening/night work among older workers, and (2) whether using such policies subsequently contribute to higher work ability and work engagement. Methods In total 6922 employees (45-64 years) participating in the first three waves of the Study on Transitions in Employment, Ability and Motivation were included. Participants yearly filled out an online questionnaires. Regression analyses were applied to study the influence of baseline work ability and work engagement on the incident use of policies during the first year of follow-up, and the incident use of these policies on work ability and work engagement during the second year of follow-up. Results Employees with a higher work ability were less likely to start using the policy 'reduced working hours' [OR 0.91 (95 % CI 0.83-0.98)]. Starting to use this policy was in turn related to lower work ability 1 year later [B -0.28 (95 % CI -0.47 to -0.08)]. Starting to use the policy 'exemption from evening/night work' was related to higher work engagement 1 year later [B 0.23 (95 % CI 0.07-0.39)]. Conclusions Low work ability precedes the use of some company policies aiming to support sustainable employability of older workers. Further research is needed to explore whether company policies result in a (longstanding) improvement, or reduced deterioration, of older workers' employability.

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OBJECTIVE: The present study examines the effects of health policy in organizations as perceived by employees on their job satisfaction, burnout, and sickness absence. METHODS: The data were collected with Internet questionnaires in a longitudinal three-wave design among a heterogeneous sample of 1004 employees. RESULTS: The study shows that a stronger focus on health in the organization enhanced job satisfaction, reduced burnout, and reduced sickness absence a year later, after controlling for these variables in previous measurements. Reversed effects of these work outcomes on the perceived health policy were not found. CONCLUSIONS: A strong focus on health in the organization improves psychological health and health behavior of employees. Introduction of a comprehensive health policy may be beneficial for both organizations and their employees.

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A longitudinal three-wave study among a large representative sample of 1519 employees of various companies in The Netherlands examined how organizational justice (as measured by distributive and procedural justice) was related to depressive symptoms and sickness absence. It was predicted that perceived justice would contribute to lower depressive symptoms and sickness absence, whereas depressive symptoms and absenteeism in turn would contribute to lower perceptions of organizational justice. In line with the predictions, we found that both distributive and procedural justice contributed to lower depressive symptoms, and distributive justice contributed to lower sickness absence in the following year. With regard to reversed effects, sickness absence contributed to lower perceptions of distributive justice to some extent. Moreover, sickness absence was related to higher depressive symptoms a year later. This research shows the importance of justice in organizations as a means to enhance the wellbeing of people at work and to prevent absenteeism.

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When one member of a couple develops a serious illness, the lives of both partners are likely to be affected. Interventions directed at both partners are generally lacking, however. In the present study, a brief counseling program directed at couples confronted with cancer was evaluated. The intervention focused mainly on the exchange of social support and help between both partners and was aimed at restoring perceptions of equity. Couples were randomly assigned to an experimental group or a waiting-list group. After the intervention, both patients and their partners reported lower levels of perceptions of underinvestment and overbenefit, and higher levels of relationship quality. Moreover, among patients psychological distress decreased after the intervention. These effects were generally maintained until follow-up three months later. Associations between perceptions of equity and relationship quality and psychological distress were also examined.

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This study in a sample of 135 women from rural areas examined the effects of social comparison with the marriage of another woman upon mood, identification and relationship evaluation. The comparison target constituted either an upward or a downward comparison, characterized by either high or low effort. Upward targets evoked a more positive mood, and a less negative mood than downward targets, while, in contrast, the evaluation of one's own relationship was more positive after being exposed to a downward target than after being exposed to an upward target. Upward targets and high-effort targets instilled more identification than downward and low-effort targets. A higher level of marital quality led to less identification with the downward targets and to more identification with the upward targets, particularly with targets who put a high degree of effort in the relationship. Identification mediated the association between marital quality and positive mood following upward comparison. The present study suggests that upward and downward comparison may have effects upon mood that are opposite to those upon self-evaluation, and demonstrates that happily married individuals may through identification with upward targets derive positive affective consequences from exposure to such targets.

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The central aim of the present study was to examine if equity theory still applies to intimate relationships when couples are confronted with a serious illness. Equity concerns were examined among 68 cancer patients and their partners. Contrary to our expectations, only male patients on average felt overbenefited in their relationship, whereas female patients on average felt equitably treated. Moreover, it was found that the partners of these patients did not, as was expected, feel underbenefited in their relationship. The main focus of the present study was on the association between perceived equity on the one hand and relationship satisfaction and emotions on the other. It was found that in general patients seemed most sensitive to underbenefit (i.e. they felt least satisfied), and experienced on average least positive and most negative affect when they felt underbenefited. Particularly, patients who were physically impaired felt dissatisfied and angry when underbenefited. The partners of these patients were in general equally sensitive to inequity in both directions, regardless of their ill partner's physical condition.

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