Workplace infection prevention control measures and work engagement during the <scp>COVID</scp> ‐19 pandemic among Japanese workers: A prospective cohort study

Our objective was to assess the effect of appropriate workplace IPC measures on employees&#39; work engagement. It could be important to note how workplace infection prevention control (IPC) measures for COVID-19 contribute to positive mental health among workers. We hypothesized that if workplace IPC measures are adequately implemented, they would have a positive effect on employees&#39; work engagement.We conducted an internet-based prospective cohort study from December 2020 (baseline) to December 2021 (follow-up after 1 year) using self-administered questionnaires. At baseline, 27036 workers completed the questionnaires, while 18 560 (68.7%) participated in the one-year follow-up. After excluding the 6578 participants who changed jobs or retired during the survey period, or telecommuted more than 4 days per week, 11 982 participants were analyzed. We asked participants about the implementation of workplace IPC measures at baseline and conducted a follow-up using a nine-item version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9).Four groups were created according to the number of workplace IPC measures implemented. The mean (SD) UWES-9 score of the &quot;0-2&quot; group was the lowest at 18.3 (13.2), while that of the &quot;8&quot; group was the highest at 22.6 (12.6). The scores of the &quot;3-5,&quot; &quot;6-7,&quot; and &quot;8&quot; groups were significantly higher than that of the &quot;0-2&quot; group (all, p .001). The p trend of the four groups was also significant (p .001).Promoting workplace IPC measures improves workers&#39; work engagement, and a dose-response relationship exists between workplace IPC measures and work engagement.