Building evidence for active work through a bibliometric review of employee physical activity and job performance

Building evidence for active work through a bibliometric review of employee physical activity and job performance

Cover: Economic and Business Review
  • SEB research

Authors:

Keywords:

Employee physical activity | Occupational health | Job performance | Workplace well-being | Organizational
productivity

Abstract

Physical activity (PA) is widely recognized as beneficial for employee health and well-being, yet research linking employee PA to job performance remains fragmented across disciplines, outcome conceptualizations, and theoretical perspectives. Although prior systematic reviews and meta-analyses report generally positive effects of workplace PA on health-, absenteeism-, and productivity-related outcomes, they provide limited insight into how this research field is intellectually structured or how it has evolved over time. To address this gap, we conduct a comprehensive bibliometric review of the employee PA–job performance literature.

Using performance analysis alongside co-citation, co-occurrence, and bibliographic coupling techniques and interpreting results through the invisible colleges framework, we trace the field's development, identify its dominant research streams, and integrate them into a coherent conceptual account. 

The findings reveal a shift from early outcome-focused health and productivity studies toward more differentiated streams addressing employee well-being, cognitive functioning, and productivity-related outcomes. Building on this synthesis, we develop an integrative framework of the employee PA–job performance field, portraying its historical development, underlying theoretical underpinnings, conceptual space, and nomological network and offering guidance for future research at the intersection of employee PA, well-being, cognition, and job performance. 

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) addressed in the article are:

  • SDG 3 – Good health and well-being
  • SDG 8 – Decent work and economic growth

The article is published in:
Economic and business review

The content is freely accessible at:

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