Are the Quality of Organizational Changes Associated with Expected Retirement-Age Among Senior Employees?

Objective: Major organizational changes may be associated with both positive and negative uncertainty in working life. This study described the prevalence of organizational changes (reorganizations or round of layoffs) within different job functions in Denmark and investigated whether quality of the implementation process (measured as "information", "involvement" and "consent") was associated with employees' expectations regarding retirement age.

Methods: A representative sample of older Danish employees ≥ 50 years (n = 12,269) replied to a questionnaire survey in 2020.

The use of individual and collective selection, optimisation and compensation (SOC) strategies and their association with work ability among senior workers.

Unlabelled: Background Selection, optimisation, and compensation (SOC) can be important strategies for maintaining work ability as we age. This study aimed to explore differences in self-reported individual and collective use of SOC strategies across job functions, as well as their association with self-rated work ability.

Methods: In the third wave of the SeniorWorkingLife study, 10,798 workers aged 50 + , across the job function categories "Office work", "work with people", and "work in the field of production", replied to questions about collective and individual SOC strategies and work ability.

Expected reasons for leaving the labour market and loss of paid employment among older workers: prospective cohort study.

Background: Surveying expected reasons for retirement may be a useful strategy to maintain labor market affiliation. The aim was to investigate the prospective association between self-reported expected reasons for leaving the labour market and subsequent loss of paid employment before the state pension age among older workers.

Methods: The prospective risk of loss of paid employment before the official state pension age was estimated from expected reasons for leaving the labour market among 10,320 currently employed older workers (50-63 years) from the SeniorWorkingLife study.

Employee perception of managers' attitudes towards older workers is associated with risk of loss of paid work before state pension age: prospective cohort study with register follow-up.

It is increasingly urgent to retain older workers in the workforce. In the present study, we analysed the prospective associations between employees' perceptions of their managers' attitudes towards older workers, and of having experienced age discrimination in the labour market with the risk of loss of paid work before the state pension age. Questionnaire data from 10,320 currently employed workers aged 50 + on perceptions of managers' attitudes towards older workers and perceived age discrimination were collected at baseline in the SeniorWorkingLife study.

New Technology and Loss of Paid Employment among Older Workers: Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: This study investigates the association between the implementation of new technology in the workplace and the subsequent loss of paid employment among older workers.

Methods: We estimated the prospective risk of loss of paid employment (register-based) from questions on new technology among 10,320 older workers (≥50 years). To investigate potential differences between work types, analyses were stratified by job function: (1) work with symbols (office, administration, analysis, IT), (2) work with people (people, service, care), (3) work in the field of production (processing, producing or moving things).

Exploring the Use of Selection, Optimization, and Compensation Strategies Beyond the Individual Level in a Workplace Context - A Qualitative Case Study.

Due to aging populations and the prolonging of working lives, the number of senior workers will increase. Therefore, this study investigates the use of SOC strategies (Selection, Optimization, and Compensation) across organizational levels as a means for senior workers to maintain workability and age successfully at work. The need to expand the perspective of the SOC model beyond the individual level, when applied to a work context, has been emphasized theoretically in the literature, nevertheless, SOC strategies have so far only been examined at the individual level.

The Psychosocial Work Environment and Perceived Stress among Seniors with Physically Demanding Jobs: The SeniorWorkingLife Study.

Background: Poor psychosocial work conditions are known to foster negative health consequences. While the existing literature on this topic focus mainly on white-collar workers, the influence of different aspects of the psychosocial work environment in physically demanding jobs remain understudied. Likewise, senior workers represent a population of the workforce at increased risk of adverse health outcomes and premature exit from the labour market.

Development of a Questionnaire for Measuring Employees' Perception of Selection, Optimisation and Compensation at the Leadership, Group and Individual Levels.

This study is the first to develop a questionnaire to measure employees' perceptions of the use of the action strategies selection, optimisation, and compensation (SOC) beyond the individual level, which has so far been lacking in research and practice. The study thus contributes an important tool for research into the role of SOC strategies at the leadership, group, and individual levels for long and healthy working lives. It may also be used by practitioners as a tool to provide input when developing targeted interventions to support long and healthy working lives.

What Do the Managers Think of Us? The Older-Worker-Perspective of Managers' Attitudes.

Background: Due to demographic changes, the need to prolong working life has become increasingly salient. Paradoxically, stereotyping and discrimination against workers based on their age can limit possibilities for a long working life. A large body of research has investigated attitudes towards older workers; however, less is known about differences across occupational groups as well gender differences.

Is Work Group Social Capital Associated With Sickness Absence? A Study of Workplace Registered Sickness Absence at the Work Group Level.

Background: The concept of social capital has its focus on cooperative relations in the workplace. This study investigates the association between social capital and sickness absence among workers in 41 work groups in the Danish dairy industry and examines the possible effects of an intervention on social capital in the workplace on sickness absence.

Methods: A sample of 791 dairy workers working in 41 work groups that participated in an intervention study on social capital filled in a questionnaire on four subtypes of social capital, and social capital scores from individual participants were aggregated to the level of work groups.

Factors Contributing to Retirement Decisions in Denmark: Comparing Employees Who Expect to Retire before, at, and after the State Pension Age.

Analyse factors affecting retirement decisions comparing employees expecting to retire before, at, and after the state pension age. In the SeniorWorkingLife cohort, 12,269 workers aged +50 replied to questions about expected retirement age, reasons for leaving, and reasons for staying longer. For all groups, poor health, wish for more leisure, and economy were the most salient expected reasons for retiring.

Enhancing the social capital in industrial work teams: results from a participatory intervention.

We investigated the effects of an intervention aiming at enhancing four types of team-level social capital (bonding, bridging and two types of linking social capital) in six dairy plants with a total of 60 teams. Social capital and work engagement was assessed in baseline and follow-up surveys. The follow-up period was approximately 20 months, comprising an intervention period of 12 months.

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

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.

Does Social Capital in the Workplace Predict Job Performance, Work Engagement, and Psychological Well-Being? A Prospective Analysis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the prospective association between social capital in the workplace and self-reported job performance, work engagement, and psychological well-being.

Methods: Survey data on 538 employees in the dairy industry were analyzed using linear multilevel regression analysis. Social capital was analyzed as individual-level and aggregated team-level variables.

Enhancing the social capital in industrial workplaces: Developing workplace interventions using intervention mapping.

Social capital in the workplace has been found to be associated with employee wellbeing and work engagement. Yet, evidence of effects of interventions to enhance the social capital are lacking. The intervention mapping method has been described as a useful tool for developing workplace interventions but it is very resource consuming.

The association between team-level social capital and individual-level work engagement: Differences between subtypes of social capital and the impact of intra-team agreement.

The study explored the association between team-level social capital and individual-level work engagement. Questionnaire data were collected from six companies in the dairy industry. Seven hundred seventy-two participants divided into 65 teams were included.

The impact of retirement on age related cognitive decline - a systematic review.

Background: Knowledge on factors affecting the rate of cognitive decline and how to maintain cognitive functioning in old age becomes increasingly relevant. The purpose of the current study was to systematically review the evidence for the impact of retirement on cognitive functioning and on age related cognitive decline.

Method: We conducted a systematic literature review, following the principles of the PRISMA statement, of longitudinal studies on the association between retirement and cognition.

Can psychosocial work conditions protect against age-related cognitive decline? Results from a systematic review.

According to the use it or lose it hypothesis, intellectually stimulating activities postpone age-related cognitive decline. A previous systematic review concluded that a high level of mental work demands and job control protected against cognitive decline. However, it did not distinguish between outcomes that were measured as cognitive function at one point in time or as cognitive decline.

Older drivers' reasons for reducing the overall amount of their driving and for avoiding selected driving situations.

Structured telephone interviews were conducted with 840 older drivers to explore their reasons for self-regulating their driving. The main reason for reduced driving was having fewer activities to drive to, and for avoidance of driving situations, reasons also included not liking or feeling insecure about driving in the situation. The lower-functioning participants, but still only a minority, were more likely to indicate decline in vision and reaction time as reasons for avoidance.

Cognitive problems, self-rated changes in driving skills, driving-related discomfort and self-regulation of driving in old drivers.

Ageing in general is associated with functional decline that may have an adverse effect on driving. Nevertheless, older drivers have been found to show good judgement and to self-regulate their driving, which may enable them to continue driving safely despite functional decline. The process of the self-monitoring of driving ability and the awareness of functional decline, and its association with the self-regulation of driving is, however, not fully understood.

Cognitive screening of older drivers does not produce safety benefits.

Although screening policies for older drivers based on chronological age are widely used in many countries, previous research has shown that increasing age does not cause higher crash rates and that consequently, chronological age per se is at best only a weak predictor of safe driving performance. Previous research on age-based mandatory screening of older drivers has not been able to demonstrate any safety benefits from screening measures. The present study is a population-based evaluation of the safety effects that the introduction of the cognitive test as an age-based screening tool has had in Denmark.