Social capital and health and job related outcomes: the case of a large municipality

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between workplace social capital and health and job related outcomes in a large Danish municipality.

Design/methodology/approach

Data used in this cross-sectional study are based on an electronic employee survey conducted in 2012 in a large municipality. Of the total population of 5,672 individuals, the number of participants amounted to 4,162, leading to a response rate of 73.4 percent. Binary logistic regression analysis is used as a statistical method, and odds ratios and their corresponding 95 percent confidence intervals have been estimated.

Findings

The level of social capital is fairly high in the municipality (3.75 on a five-point scale). Social capital is related to health (OR=0.420) and psychological distress (OR=0.282) but has an even stronger relationship to job satisfaction and commitment (OR is 9.889 and 7.800, respectively). The study contributes with the conclusion that different sub-dimensions of social capital are related to health and job related outcomes. Therefore, managers need to be specific about what exactly they want to achieve with the implementation of social capital in municipalities.

Originality/value

Research of the relationship between social capital and health and job related outcomes based on a case study approach of a municipality are limited. This paper makes an original contribution in providing evidence of the importance of social capital for Danish municipal sector employees’ health, job satisfaction, and commitment in a work context.

Citation

Løkke, A.-K. (2016), "Social capital and health and job related outcomes: the case of a large municipality", International Journal of Workplace Health Management, Vol. 9 No. 1, pp. 17-31. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWHM-12-2014-0055