| The Validity of Tests of Self-Reported Workplace Productivity | ||||||||
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Low productivity while at work (presenteeism)
has been reported
to produce significant cost excesses for organizations and economies.
However,
many of these reports have been based on estimates drawn from
self-report tests that are not supported by evidence showing their
efficacy. Thus,
the aim of this study was to assess associations between responses to
eight leading
self-report tests of presenteeism and on-the-job productivity. Test
responses were taken from 98 Alberta Health Care workers based in the Edmonton, Alberta area. Productivity levels were drawn from their daily work activity records. Results: The Table shows the proportion of variability in average daily work output that was accounted for by the various tests. Roughly, this is the amount of agreement between each test and actual work, expressed as a percentage that was calculated by squaring the original correlation that was found. For example, a correlation of .80 would be desirable and would indicate that 64% of the variability had been accounted for. A lower, but perhaps still acceptable correlation of .50 would represent 25%, a value of .20 = 4%, and so on. Daily averages were derived for # of patients seen, # of services provided, time providing the services (in minutes), and the average # of services per patient - this for Direct Services (face-to-face) and Indirect Services (case conferences, paperwork, etc). Values in the Table below 1% are not shown, those between 1% and 5% are in light type, and those between 5% and 10% are in bold. None of the values in the Table reached 10%! The conclusion is sadly easy. Test-based productivity estimates did not show strong associations with daily recordings of work activity. In fact, associations were too low to allow a positive recommendation for any of the tests. Next time you read about productivity losses in the workplace costing millions, check out the the type of productivity measure that was used. |
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| Source: From Thompson AH, Waye A, Dewa
CS, Jacobs P (2020). Self-report measures of presenteeism are not strongly correlated
with health workers’ logged activity. Journal of Occupational and
Environmental Medicine 62(12), 1011-1018. Click here for a copy. Tests: Work Productivity & Activity Impairment Questionnaire (WPAI), W.H.O. Health & Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ), Valuation of Lost Productivity Questionnaire (VOLP), Work Productivity Short Inventory (WPSI), Health and Work Questionnaire (HWQ), Lam Employment Absence & Productivity Scale (LEAPS), Endicott Work Productivity Scale (EWPS), Quantity and Quality (qq). |
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