Workplace diversity and psychosocial work characteristics as predictors of low back functioning and job satisfaction among warehouse workers: A multilevel analysis

Immigrant and ethnic minority workers have become a significant part of the US workforce. This study examined associations of workplace diversity with low back functioning and job satisfaction while accounting for psychosocial work characteristics at the worker, job, and facility levels. We surveyed 383 warehouse workers (White=204, African-American=94, Latino=63, and other=22) in 69 jobs in 9 facilities throughout the Eastern US. Workplace diversity was defined as the proportion of coworkers within the same facility who are of the same race/ethnicity as the respondent (% co-ethnics). Besides demographics, covariates included coworker support (worker-level), job control, workload, objectively-measured physical demands (job-level), and management fairness (facility-level). Low back functioning was measured with a lumbar motion monitor and job satisfaction by self-report. Multilevel analyses revealed that Latino workers have worse low back functioning that White workers. Among Latino and African-American workers, an increase in % co-ethnics is associated with better low back functioning, whereas for White workers the association is opposite. Latino workers are generally more satisfied with their jobs. White workers experience high job satisfaction only when their % co-ethnics is high. For all workers, coworker support, job control, and management fairness are positively and job demands are negatively associated with job satisfaction. The meaning of diversity for different groups of workers is discussed with regard to its differential associations with low back functioning and job satisfaction. The study suggests that psychosocial work characteristics are important for job satisfaction not only at the worker level but also at the job and facility-levels.