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Workplace Determinants of Social Capital: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Evidence from a Finnish Cohort Study

Author

Listed:
  • Tuula Oksanen
  • Ichiro Kawachi
  • Anne Kouvonen
  • Soshi Takao
  • Etsuji Suzuki
  • Marianna Virtanen
  • Jaana Pentti
  • Mika Kivimäki
  • Jussi Vahtera

Abstract

Objective: To examine which contextual features of the workplace are associated with social capital. Methods: This is a cohort study of 43,167 employees in 3090 Finnish public sector workplaces who responded to a survey of individual workplace social capital in 2000–02 (response rate 68%). We used ecometrics approach to estimate social capital of work units. Features of the workplace were work unit's demographic and employment patterns and size, obtained from employers' administrative records. We used multilevel-multinomial logistic regression models to examine cross-sectionally whether these features were associated with social capital between individuals and work units. Fixed effects models were used for longitudinal analyses in a subsample of 12,108 individuals to examine the effects of changes in workplace characteristics on changes in social capital between 2000 and 2004. Results: After adjustment for individual characteristics, an increase in work unit size reduced the odds of high levels of individual workplace social capital (odds ratio 0.94, 95% confidence interval 0.91–0.98 per 30-person-year increase). A 20% increase in the proportion of manual and male employees reduced the odds of high levels of social capital by 8% and 23%, respectively. A 30% increase in temporary employees and a 20% increase in employee turnover were associated with 11% (95% confidence interval 1.04–1.17) and 24% (95% confidence interval 1.18–1.30) higher odds of having high levels of social capital respectively). Results from fixed effects models within individuals, adjusted for time-varying covariates, and from social capital of the work units yielded consistent results. Conclusions: These findings suggest that workplace social capital is contextually patterned. Workplace demographic and employment patterns as well as the size of the work unit are important in understanding variations in workplace social capital between individuals and workplaces.

Suggested Citation

  • Tuula Oksanen & Ichiro Kawachi & Anne Kouvonen & Soshi Takao & Etsuji Suzuki & Marianna Virtanen & Jaana Pentti & Mika Kivimäki & Jussi Vahtera, 2013. "Workplace Determinants of Social Capital: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Evidence from a Finnish Cohort Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(6), pages 1-7, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0065846
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065846
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Junling Gao & Scott R Weaver & Hua Fua & Zhigang Pan, 2014. "Does Workplace Social Capital Associate with Hazardous Drinking Among Chinese Rural-Urban Migrant Workers?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(12), pages 1-13, December.
    2. Toni Alterman & Rebecca Tsai & Jun Ju & Kevin M. Kelly, 2019. "Trust in the Work Environment and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Findings from the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-15, January.
    3. Hisashi Eguchi & Akizumi Tsutsumi & Akiomi Inoue & Yuko Odagiri, 2017. "Psychometric assessment of a scale to measure bonding workplace social capital," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(6), pages 1-13, June.
    4. Xiaojie Sun & Nan Zhang & Kun Liu & Wen Li & Tuula Oksanen & Lizheng Shi, 2014. "Effects of a Randomized Intervention to Improve Workplace Social Capital in Community Health Centers in China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(12), pages 1-17, December.

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