Occupational health and work performance in municipal workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a correlational study in Comas, Lima, 2020

Abstract

Objective: To examine the magnitude and direction of the relationship between institutional occupational health management and work performance among permanent workers of the District Municipality of Comas, Lima, during the COVID-19 health emergency in 2020.

Method: Observational, cross-sectional, correlational study. The population comprised 435 permanent workers; 205 participants were selected by simple random sampling (95% CI; 5% sampling error). Data were collected using two self-administered questionnaires with four-point Likert scales, both previously validated by expert judgment: the Health Management Questionnaire (HMQ; α = 0.87; social management and safety management dimensions) and the Work Performance Questionnaire (WPQ; α = 0.91; leadership, professional training, motivation, and responsibility dimensions). Inferential analysis used Spearman’s rho coefficient (IBM SPSS v.24; α = 0.05).

Results: All three null hypotheses were rejected. The overall correlation between health management and work performance was positive and significant (ρ = 0.326; p < 0.001). The social management dimension showed the strongest association with performance (ρ = 0.896; p < 0.001). Safety management showed a very weak positive correlation, statistically significant but of negligible practical relevance (ρ = 0.044; p = 0.044). 43.0% of workers rated institutional health management favourably, a figure that fell to 32.6% among supervisors.

Conclusions: Occupational health management is positively and significantly associated with work performance in the studied municipal context. Social management factors—internal risk communication, staff participation, and perceived organisational support—showed the greatest effect on performance. Peruvian local governments are encouraged to prioritise the participatory and communicational component of their preventive health strategies.