Is a change in work motivation related to a change in mental well-being?

• We explore the relationship between changes in work motivation and changes in mental well-being (exhaustion and depression).
• The prospective study comprises 577 employees in two manufacturing industries.
• A positive change in work motivation was significantly related to improvement in exhaustion (18 months).
• A negative change in work motivation was related to deterioration in both exhaustion and depression (18 months).
• It is important for companies to develop strategies to improve employee motivation to decrease the cost of ill health.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of changes on work motivation and the effect of the changes on future mental well-being. This prospective study comprised 577 employees who were followed up 18 months after a comprehensive baseline measurement. The response rate was 81% for the baseline and 72% for the follow-up. The results show that both negative and positive changes in work motivation over time (18 months) were related to exhaustion. A similar correlation was found between negative changes in work motivation and depression. The results show that employees with a decreased level of work motivation had a higher risk of experiencing more exhaustion and depression in the future. Thus, investing in activities to promote work motivation may be an effective means of preventing long-term sick leave for stress-related mental illness and of providing energy for successful career advancement.