Eating Together at the Firehouse: How Workplace Commensality Relates to the Performance of Firefighters

Figures & data

FIGURE 1 Conceptual diagram of commensality in relation to organizational performance.

TABLE 1 Descriptive Statistics and Correlations

Variable (Scale)	M	SD	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
1. Age (1–10)	6.21	1.66
2. Tenure (1–7)	4.40	1.66	.80**
3. EuroAmerican (0,1)^a	.74	.44	.05	.11
4. Double house (0,1)^b	.57	.50	−.08	−.05	−.11
5. Number of alarms (1–3)	2.14	.78	−.20**	−.18**	.02	.25**
6. Eat together (1–5)	4.80	.46	−.04	.04	.10	−.05	.10
7. Cook together (1–5)	4.87	.51	−.07	.00	.08	.14*	.22**	.39**
8. Pool funds once per tour	.77	.42	−.19**	−.13	−.11	.01	.31**	.04	.15*
9. Meal important (1–9)	8.07	1.51	−.06	−.05	.03	.05	.12	.15*	.29**	.01
10. Work-group performance (0–10)	9.32	1.75	−.01	.10	.09	.03	.31**	.19**	.14*	.09	.33**
11. Cooperative behavior 1 (1–5)	3.56	1.10	−.18**	−.07	−.02	.01	.14*	.11	.13*	.10	.21**	.43**
12. Cooperative behavior 2 (1–5)	1.61	1.16	.03	−.00	.05	.02	−.06	−.10	−.11	−.09	−.01	.01	.23**
13. Job satisfaction (1–7)^c	5.98	1.40	−.06	−.06	−.19**	−.06	.06	−.04	.08	.15*	−.08	−.02	−.05	−.13*

Note. n = 244 firehouse shift officers.

^a1 = European American. ^b1 = double house. ^cReverse scored.

*p < .05. **p < .01.

TABLE 2 Results of Regression Analyses for Workgroup or Firehouse Shift Performance

	(1) Performance B (SE)	(2) Performance B (SE)
Double house	−.08(.22)	−.04(.20)
Eat together	.58(.19)**	.46(.18)**
Number of alarms	.66(.15)**	.55(.15)**
Cooperative behavior		.60(.12)**
Constant	5.14(.92)**	3.78(.76)**
F	10.01	20.37
Df	234	234
R^2	.12	.26

**p ≤ .01.