scholarly journals Retrospectively assessed physical work environment during working life and risk of sickness absence and labour market exit among older workers

2017 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 114-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emil Sundstrup ◽  
Åse Marie Hansen ◽  
Erik Lykke Mortensen ◽  
Otto Melchior Poulsen ◽  
Thomas Clausen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Sickness Absence ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Disability Pension ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Market Exit ◽  
Physical Work Environment

ObjectiveTo determine the prospective association between retrospectively assessed physical work environment during working life and prospectively assessed sickness absence and labour market exit among older workers.MethodsUsing Cox regression analyses we estimated the 4-year to 6-year prospective risk of register-based long-term sickness absence (LTSA), disability pension, early retirement and unemployment from exposure to different physical work environmental factors during working life among 5076 older workers (age 49–63 at baseline) from the Copenhagen Aging and Midlife Biobank cohort.ResultsVery hard physical work throughout working life was a risk factor for LTSA (HR 1.66,95% CI 1.32 to 2.07), disability pension (HR 2.21,95% CI 1.04 to 4.72) and early retirement (HR 1.57,95% CI 1.13 to 2.17). Both short-term (<10 years) and long-term (≥20 years) exposures to lifting or carrying of heavy burdens predicted the risk of LTSA (HRs 1.49–1.56) and disability pension (HRs 2.26–3.29). In contrast, exposure to dust was associated with LTSA and disability pension only following 20 or more exposure years.ConclusionsRetrospectively assessed hard physical work during working life and exposure to several factors in the physical work environment, especially heavy lifting, were important for labour market exit and sickness absence. This study underscores the importance of reducing physical work exposures throughout the working life course for preventing sickness absence and premature exit from the labour market.

scholarly journals Physical work environment risk factors for long term sickness absence: prospective findings among a cohort of 5357 employees in Denmark

BMJ ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 332 (7539) ◽  
pp. 449-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Lund ◽  
Merete Labriola ◽  
Karl Bang Christensen ◽  
Ute Bültmann ◽  
Ebbe Villadsen
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Sickness Absence ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Physical Work Environment

scholarly journals Do workplace health-promotion interventions targeting employees with poor health reduce sick-leave probability and disability rates?

2020 ◽  
pp. 140349482094654
Author(s):  
Roy A. Nielsen ◽  
Tove I. Midtsundstad
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Sick Leave ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Sickness Absence ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Disability Pension ◽  
Workplace Health Promotion ◽  
Workplace Health ◽  
Health Promotion Interventions

Aims: This study aimed to investigate whether introducing workplace health-promotion interventions targeting employees with health problems or reduced work ability affected overall sick leave and disability risk. Methods: The study population comprised data from an establishment survey from 2010 identifying who had introduced workplace health promotion (the intervention) linked to register data on all employees and their sickness absence and disability pension uptake from 2000 through 2010. Results: Interventions had moderate effects due to varying efficacy in different parts of the labour market. Intervention success was more likely among white-collar workers (e.g. in public administration) compared to blue-collar workers (e.g. in manufacturing), probably due to variations in both organisational and technological constraints. Effects were small among men and moderate among older workers, particularly among women. Overall, disability risk reduction was accompanied by an increase in sickness absence. Sometimes, sickness absence increased in groups with no change in disability risk, suggesting that presenteeism in one group may increase absenteeism in other groups. Conclusions: Introducing workplace health-promotion interventions may prolong work careers in some labour-market segments. Financial incentives for Norwegian establishments to continue offering workplace health-promotion interventions may be improved, given the current financial model for disability pension and sickness benefits.

scholarly journals Factors associated to managers’ belief whether their employees cannot and do not want to work until an older age, and measure activities increasing their employees’ possibilities of working in an extended working life.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerstin Nilsson ◽  
Emma Nilsson
Keyword(s):  
Work Environment ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Work Load ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Baseline Survey ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
The Social ◽  
Physical Work Environment

Abstract Background: The demographic situation with an increasing number of elderly citizens will postpone the retirement age in most countries. However, retirement is a socially accepted way to withdraw from a demanding working life.Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the main factors associated to managers’ beliefs their employees want to or can work until 65 years of age or beyond, and measures increasing participation in an extended working life.Methods: The baseline survey in a follow up study including 249 managers in the municipality sector in Sweden. By logistic regression we investigated the associations between two outcome measures: i) whether employees wanted to work, and ii) whether employees could work until 65 years of age or beyond, and statements within nine areas related to a sustainable working life as well as measure statements for an extend working life.Results : Of the mangers 79% stated their employees ‘can’ and 58% that their employees ‘want to’ work until 65 years of age or beyond. The employees’ health, physical work environment, skills and competence were statistically significant to the mangers’ belief that their employees could not work until 65 years of age or beyond. Lack of support in the social work environment and lack of possibilities to arrange relocations were the most important factors to managers’ beliefs whether employees would not want to work until age 65 or beyond.Conclusion: To offer the employee other tasks in the workplace if needed was a measure statistically significant associated to increase the managers’ belief whether their employees both could and wanted to go on and work until 65 years of age and beyond. Additionally, the managers’ belief measures to decreased physical and mental strains and rotation between different tasks to reduce work load and wear would increase whether their employees can work, and reduction of pace and working hours would increase whether employees want to work in an extended working life past 65 years of age. The managers’ perspective on how their employees ‘can’ and ‘want’ to work will hopefully contribute to the understanding of the extended working life process.

scholarly journals Strong Labour Market Inequality of Opportunities at the Workplace for Supporting a Long and Healthy Work-Life: The SeniorWorkingLife Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (18) ◽  
pp. 3264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars L. Andersen ◽  
Per H. Jensen ◽  
Annette Meng ◽  
Emil Sundstrup
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Work Ability ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Access To Treatment ◽  
State Pension

Most European countries are gradually increasing the state pension age, but this may run counter to the capabilities and wishes of older workers. The objective of this study is to identify opportunities in the workplace for supporting a prolonged working life in different groups in the labour market. A representative sample of 11,200 employed workers ≥ 50 years responded to 15 questions in random order about opportunities at their workplace for supporting a prolonged working life. Respondents were stratified based on the Danish version of the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO). Using frequency and logistic regression procedures combined with model-assisted weights based on national registers, results showed that the most common opportunities at the workplace were possibilities for more vacation, reduction of working hours, flexible working hours, access to treatment, further education and physical exercise. However, ISCO groups 5–9 (mainly physical work and shorter education) had in general poorer access to these opportunities than ISCO groups 1–4 (mainly seated work and longer education). Women had poorer access than men, and workers with reduced work ability had poorer access than those with full work ability. Thus, in contrast with actual needs, opportunities at the workplace were lower in occupations characterized by physical work and shorter education, among women and among workers with reduced work ability. This inequality poses a threat to prolonging working life in vulnerable groups in the labour market.

scholarly journals The Netherworld between Work and Retirement

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 625-636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael McGann ◽  
Helen Kimberley ◽  
Dina Bowman ◽  
Simon Biggs
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Retirement Age ◽  
Major Theme ◽  
Narrative Interviews ◽  
Social Gerontology ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Part Time

A major theme within social gerontology is how retirement ‘is being re-organised, if not undone’. Institutional supports for retirement are weakening, with pension ages rising in many countries. Increasing numbers of older workers are working past traditional retirement age on a part-time or self-employed basis, and a growing minority are joining the ranks of the long-term unemployed. Drawing upon narrative interviews with older Australians who are involuntarily non-employed or underemployed, this article explores how the ‘unravelling’ of retirement is experienced by a group of older workers on the periphery of the labour market. While policy makers hope that higher pension ages will lead to a longer period of working life, the risk is that older workers, especially those experiencing chronic insecurity in the labour market, will be caught in a netherworld between work and retirement.

Labour market marginalisation among refugees from different countries of birth: a prospective cohort study on refugees to Sweden

2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
pp. 407-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magnus Helgesson ◽  
Mo Wang ◽  
Thomas Niederkrotenthaler ◽  
Fredrik Saboonchi ◽  
Ellenor Mittendorfer-Rutz
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Sickness Absence ◽  
Disability Pension ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Risk Estimates ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Time Dependent Covariates

BackgroundThe aim was to elucidate if the risk of labour market marginalisation (LMM), measured as long-term unemployment, long-term sickness absence, disability pension and a combined measure of these three measures, differed between refugees and non-refugee migrants with different regions of birth compared with native Swedes.MethodsAll non-pensioned individuals aged 19–60 years who were resident in Sweden on 31 December 2009 were included (n=4 441 813, whereof 216 930 refugees). HRs with 95% CIs were computed by Cox regression models with competing risks and time-dependent covariates with a follow-up period of 2010–2013.ResultsRefugees had in general a doubled risk (HR: 2.0, 95% CI 1.9 to 2.0) and non-refugee migrants had 70% increased risk (HR: 1.7, 95% CI 1.7 to 1.7) of the combined measure of LMM compared with native Swedes. Refugees from Somalia (HR: 2.7, 95% CI 2.6 to 2.8) and Syria (HR: 2.5, 95% CI 2.5 to 2.6) had especially high risk estimates of LMM, mostly due to high risk estimates of long-term unemployment (HR: 3.4, 95% CI 3.3 to 3.5 and HR: 3.2, 95% CI 3.1 to 3.2). African (HR: 0.7, 95% CI 0.6 to 0.7) and Asian (HR: 1.0, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.1) refugees had relatively low risk estimates of long-term sickness absence compared with other refugee groups. Refugees from Europe had the highest risk estimates of disability pension (HR: 1.9, 95% CI 1.8 to 2.0) compared with native Swedes.ConclusionRefugees had in general a higher risk of all measures of LMM compared with native Swedes. There were, however, large differences in risk estimates of LMM between subgroups of refugees and with regard to type of LMM. Actions addressing differences between subgroups of refugees is therefore crucial in order to ensure that refugees can obtain as well as retain a position on the labour market.

Exploring the role of human factors in lean management

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 339-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Gaiardelli ◽  
Barbara Resta ◽  
Stefano Dotti
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Job Characteristics ◽  
Operational Performance ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lean Practices ◽  
Physical Work Environment

Purpose Although lean popularity is rapidly growing, its implementation is far from problem-free and companies may experience difficulties in sustaining long-term success. On this premises, the purpose of this paper is to understand to what extent human factors, affected by the implementation of both hard (defined as technical and analytical tools) and soft (concerning people and relations) lean practices, play a key role in achieving long-term superior performance. Design/methodology/approach The analysis of the relationships between lean practices implementation, human factors and operational performance is carried out in a single exploratory case study. A retrospective approach is adopted to trace the changes of human and operational performance before, during and after the introduction of lean management (LM) implementation. In particular, a mixed method concurrent design merging results of a qualitative analysis with data collected from a survey is selected to provide a more realistic benefit in the exploration of the proposed research questions. Findings The results show a short-term direct relationship between the implementation of lean practices (hard and soft) and physical work environment and job characteristics, directly connected to operational outcome. In the long term, operational performance is influenced by employee behaviour outcome and conditioned by physical work environment and job characteristics with the mediating effect of individual characteristics. Practical implications The proposed model supports the building of a roadmap for LM implementation, taking into account the role of the human factors to achieve superior operational performance. Moreover, it helps managers to implement a monitoring system to check how social and technical components of a LM system evolve over time. Finally, it supports the definition of specific training programs, tailored for specific workers’ types. Originality/value This paper extends theory in LM, highlighting how hard and soft lean practices have to interact to enable a successful LM implementation.

scholarly journals Labor market exit around retirement age in Sweden and trajectories of psychotropic drugs in a context of downsizing

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Blomqvist ◽  
Hugo Westerlund ◽  
Kristina Alexanderson ◽  
Linda L. Magnusson Hanson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Sickness Absence ◽  
Psychotropic Drugs ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Disability Pension ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Market Exit ◽  
Significant Difference

Abstract Background A maintained psychological wellbeing is important in order to continue working longer and remain active into older age. However, little is known about impact of different organizational factors, such as downsizing, on the mental health of older workers exiting the labor market. The aim in this study was to investigate trajectories of purchases of psychotropic drugs in relation to labor market exit later in life in a context with and without downsizing. Method People living in Sweden, born 1941–1951, exiting paid work via unemployment, sickness absence/disability pension, or old-age pension were followed from 2005 to 2013 regarding purchases of psychotropic drugs. Individuals employed at a workplace closing down or downsizing with ≥18% between two subsequent years were compared to employees exiting from workplaces without downsizing or workplace closure. Generalized estimating equations was applied to derive trajectories of annual prevalence of purchased antidepressants, sedatives and anxiolytics from 4 years before to 4 years after a labour market exit. Results During the period around the exit, old-age retirees experiencing a downsizing/workplace closure did not decrease their purchases of sedatives (OR 1.01 95% CI 0.95–1.07) while the unexposed decreased their purchases during this period (OR 0.95 95% CI 0.92–0.98). Similar differences concerning sedatives and antidepressants between exposed and unexposed were seen for those exiting via sickness absence or disability pension. Furthermore, a significant difference in purchases of anxiolytics was observed between those exposed to downsizing (OR 1.10 95% CI 0.97–1.24) and the unexposed (OR 0.98 95% CI 0.91–1.06) exiting via old-age retirement during the time before the exit. Conclusion Downsizing or workplace closure, although weakly, was associated with higher prevalence of psychotropic drugs certain years around the labor market exit. The results support the idea that involuntary labor market exit in mature adulthood may negatively affect the development of mental health.

scholarly journals High physical work demands have worse consequences for older workers: prospective study of long-term sickness absence among 69 117 employees

2021 ◽  
pp. oemed-2020-107281
Author(s):  
Lars Louis Andersen ◽  
Jacob Pedersen ◽  
Emil Sundstrup ◽  
Sannie Vester Thorsen ◽  
Reiner Rugulies
Keyword(s):  
Sickness Absence ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Work Demands ◽  
Physical Work Demands ◽  
Environment And Health ◽  
Prospective Association

ObjectiveThis study investigates the role of age for the prospective association between physical work demands and long-term sickness absence (LTSA).MethodsWe followed 69 117 employees of the general working population (Work Environment and Health in Denmark study 2012–2018), without LTSA during the past 52 weeks preceding initial interview, for up to 2 years in the Danish Register for Evaluation of Marginalisation. Self-reported physical work demands were based on a combined ergonomic index including seven different types of exposure during the working day. Using weighted Cox regression analyses controlling for years of age, gender, survey year, education, lifestyle, depressive symptoms and psychosocial work factors, we determined the interaction of age with physical work demands for the risk of LTSA.ResultsDuring follow-up, 8.4% of the participants developed LTSA. Age and physical work demands interacted (p<0.01). In the fully adjusted model, very high physical work demands were associated with LTSA with HRs of 1.18 (95% CI 0.93 to 1.50), 1.57 (95% CI 1.41 to 1.75) and 2.09 (95% CI 1.81 to 2.41) for 20, 40 and 60 years old (point estimates), respectively. Results remained robust in subgroup analyses including only skilled and unskilled workers and stratified for gender.ConclusionThe health consequences of high physical work demands increase with age. Workplaces should consider adapting physical work demands to the capacity of workers in different age groups.

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