<title>Abstract</title> Background Some of the health workforce qualified as front-line health care workers work in precarious conditions, which results in inadequate global distribution and quality of health care. Objective To identify predictors of the quality of work life of healthcare workers in adult critical care units. Methods Quantitative study, cross-sectional analytical design with stratified two-stage sampling; three instruments were applied to 209 healthcare professionals in adult critical care units in different sites in a region of Colombia, concerning Quality of Life at Work - GOHISALO, Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire - COPSOQ and Professional Quality of Life - ProQoL V. Multiple ordinal logistic regression was performed with exposure variables from the COPSOQ and ProQoL domains; the outcome variables were the dimensions of the Quality of Work Life instrument. Ethical standards for research involving human subjects were ensured. Results According to the results of the multiple logistic model, quality of work life is predicted by job integration and predictability (OR = 6.93; 95%CI = 3.6–13.9), leisure time management and double presence (OR = 4.5; 95%CI = 1.22–8.79). Both job satisfaction and job security are related to leadership quality (OR = 3.82; 95%CI = 2.27–6.55 and OR = 3.18; 95%CI = 1.22–8.79) respectively. Conclusions The quality of work life of healthcare workers in adult intensive care units is predicted by quantitative demands, double presence, emotional demands, work pace, predictability, vertical trust, predictability, and quality of leadership.