Conceptualizing Age-Friendliness in Workplaces: Proposing a New Multidimensional Model

Work and income instability and retirement financial wellbeing for women and men

Financial wellbeing in retirement is contingent on realizations of financial expectations developed earlier in life and may differ substantially by gender. People's standard of living in retirement is tied to stability in work and income trajectories during working years along with retirement benefits and savings. Women have a greater overall income disadvantage relative to men, including reduced life course labor force exposure that may restrict retirement savings and benefits. Using the Canadian Longitudinal and International Study of Adults (LISA) and 20 years of linked tax record data (N = 2,353), we explore the association between instability in work and income histories and lower perceived retirement standard of living (PRSOL), net of retirement benefits, for women and men in Canada. Results show that for women, life course effects shaping PRSOL are driven by cumulative disability exposure and bouts of social assistance. For men, PRSOL is influenced more by cumulative unemployment. Although retirement benefits do not offset histories of work and income instability for either gender, income assistance is protective for women in retirement while personal investments are protective for men. Overall, our findings suggest that despite Canada's relatively generous pension program in later life, life course instability in work and income have persisting, gendered effects on financial wellbeing in retirement that underscore financial and health disadvantage for women across the life course.

The Relationship between Work, Health and Job Performance for a Sustainable Working Life: A Case Study on Older Manual Employees in an Italian Steel Factory

BACKGROUND

Supporting and retaining older workers has become a strategic management goal for companies, considering the ageing of the workforce and the prolongation of working lives. The relationship between health and work is especially crucial for older workers with manual tasks, considering the impact of long-standing health impairments in older age. Although different studies investigated the relationship between work ability and job performance, few studies have analysed the impact of workers' capability to balance between health and work demands, including managerial and organisational support (work-health balance). Considering health as a dynamic balance between work and health demands influenced by both individual and environmental factors, we assess the mediator role of work-health balance in the relation between work ability and job performance, both self-reported and assessed by the supervisor.

METHODS

The study utilises data from a case study of 156 manual workers, who were 50 years old or older and employed in a steel company in Italy. Data were collected inside the company as an organiational initiative to support age diversity.

RESULTS

The findings show that work-health balance partially mediates the relationship between work ability and self-rated job performance, while it does not mediate the relationship with job performance as rated by the supervisor. Supervisor-rated job performance is positively associated with work ability, while it decreases with the increasing perceived incompatibility between work and health.

CONCLUSION

A perceived balance between health and work is a strategic factor in increasing manual older workers' job performance. For older workers, not only the perceived capability to work is important but also the organisational health climate and supervisor's support. More studies are needed to verify if managers overlook the importance of health climate and support, as strategic elements that can foster performance for older employees.

Development and Validation of a Workplace Age-Friendliness Measure

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Measuring the extent to which the culture of organizations can be considered age-friendly is a significant anchor in the constructive inclusion process of older workers in workplaces, given the consistent aging of the workforce. Hence, the purpose of this research was to develop a novel, comprehensive, and theoretically driven measure of workplace age-friendliness.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Three multiphased, multisourced studies were conducted: a qualitative assessment procedure and 2 separate quantitative field surveys of individual-level perceptions.

RESULTS

A 24-item scale of workplace age-friendliness was developed, consisting of 4 dimensions that represent the different ways in which organizational culture aligns with an aging and older workforce: age-friendly core culture, development, wellness, and flexibility. Confirmatory factor analysis verified that a 4-factor structure is the most appropriate solution, with all dimensions having acceptable internal consistency. Preliminary evidence of construct validity is also presented.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

The measure developed in this study may serve researchers as well as practitioners in the field of aging and work. Further implications and limitations of using this instrument in future empirical study on workplace age-friendliness are discussed.

Work despite poor health? A 14-year follow-up of how individual work accommodations are extending the time to retirement for workers with poor health conditions

Given many OECD countries' efforts to extend their citizens' working years, research underscores the importance of work accommodations to maintain older workers and enable them to work despite poor health or declines in physical functions. Nevertheless, few studies have investigated the associations between poor health conditions and opportunities to accommodate work in accordance with individual needs and preferences. In this study, we differentiate between three types of poor health conditions (disease, illness, or sickness). We examine the separate effects of these health conditions as well as of possibilities for work accommodations (working hours, pace, planning), on time to retirement. Additionally, we examine the potentially joint effect of poor health and low opportunities for work accommodations. The analyses are based on a representative sample of 1143 Swedish workers from Panel Survey of Ageing and the Elderly (PSAE) with a baseline (2002/2003) age of 55–64 years. Using complementary register data on income, we followed the labor market activity of these individuals until the end of 2015. We employed Cox proportional hazard regression to estimate the time to retirement and adjusted for demographical, socio-economic, and work-related covariates. In comparison to those with good health, having disease, illness, and sickness is associated with a higher risk of earlier exit from the labor market, and the joint effect of poor health and low opportunities for work accommodations increases this risk. High influence to accommodate work while having a disease or sickness supports work participation, while these patterns of associations were not equally consistent for individuals with illness. This study highlights the importance of increasing older individuals’ opportunities to make their own work accommodations, particularly in the presence of disease and sickness, and thereby combat the negative effects of poor health on time to retirement.

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Government efforts to extend working life face challenges concerning older workers health conditions and physical function.

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Poor health is known as an important predictor for early retirement.

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Work accommodations are advocated as critical to maintaining older workers ability to work despite poor health conditions.

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Longitudinal studies capturing individual's health and working conditions with retirement are needed.

Now What? The Lived Experience of Women Forced to Retire and Implications to Health in Later Life

Women in the United States are retiring at an unprecedented rate, with many retirements driven by recent economic downturns and social expectations, such as caregiving. Successful retirement transition is a key component of happiness during older adulthood, but many factors suggest that forced retirement may have a negative impact on health. The purpose of the current research study was to explore the lived experiences of women who were forced to retire. The current study population comprised 10 women, age ≥55, recruited from community settings to participate in individual semi-structured interviews. Participants shared common experiences, despite having different reasons for retiring. The overarching theme of Now What? Denied the Opportunity to Mentally Prepare was identified. Findings suggest opportunities for nurses to assess women for mental and physical health indicators and assist them as they transition into retirement, particularly if the retirement was unplanned. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 57(10), 12-16.].