Aging Workforce Research Articles

Cognitive challenge as a probe to expose sex- and age-related differences during static contractions.

Despite activities of daily living being frequently performed simultaneously with a cognitive task, motor function is often investigated in isolation, which can hinder the applicability of findings. This brief review presents evidence that 1) performing a cognitive challenge simultaneously with a motor task can negatively impact force steadiness and fatigability of limb muscles during a static contraction, 2) the negative impact on old adults (>65years old), particularly older women is greater than young when a cognitive challenge is simultaneously performed with a static motor task, 3) age-related mechanisms potentially explain impairments in motor performance in the presence of a cognitive challenge, and 4) the mechanisms for the age-related decrements in motor performance can be distinct between men and women. These observations are highly relevant to the older adults, given the increased risk of accidents and injury when a motor task is performed with a high cognitive-demand task, especially in light of the expanding reliance on an aging workforce.

Multi‐level effects of human resource bundles on the performance of aging employees

AbstractPreviously, scholars have studied the need for implementing different human resource (HR) configurations that foster aging employees' outcomes, but there is a lack of evidence at the group level. Using the framework of Social Exchange Theory, coupled with the Selection, Optimization, and Compensation theory, we examine associations between bundles of HR practices, age (measured both as calendar age and proportion of an aging workforce), and performance, at both the individual and group levels. First, the outcomes of our multi‐level analysis show that bundles of maintenance‐enhancing HR practices are positively related to performance at both levels, whereas bundles of growth‐enhancing HR practices associate with performance only at the group level. Second, age relates positively to performance, both at the individual and group levels. At the group level, there is an inverted U‐shaped relationship between the proportion of an aging workforce and group performance, such that a group's performance benefits from the participation of older employees up to a maximum proportion of 56%. Finally, age negatively moderates the association between growth‐enhancing HR bundles and performance at both the individual and group levels. Results highlight the value of older employees for working organizations, and the importance of adopting HR practices that consider maintenance and growth‐related needs across the life‐span, while also providing useful theoretical and practical implications for Human Resource Development scholars and professionals.

Employers’ Retirement Age Norms in European Comparison

Abstract Policies incentivizing longer working lives can remain ineffective if employers are not able and willing to employ an aging workforce. Depending on what employers consider appropriate age norms for work and retirement, they may be more willing to recruit and retain older workers. This study investigates how these retirement age norms differ across Europe and how they are related to country- and gender-specific pension policies and employment practices. The study uses data from the European Social Survey round 9 (collected in 2018) for 27 countries. Employers are identified as self-employed with personnel and managers who supervise others. The data include questions about the ages of when someone is too young to retire and when someone is too old to work. These items are combined and used in a set of multilevel interval regression models to analyze: (a) How employers’ retirement age norms differ from those of employees and (b) How employers’ retirement age norms vary across countries. The results indicate that, overall, employers have higher retirement age norms than employees, but that the difference narrows substantially once controlled for other factors. Employers’ retirement age norms are positively related to countries’ gender-specific statutory retirement ages and older-worker employment rates. In the case of statutory retirement ages, this association is stronger among employers than among various socioeconomic groups of employees.

Motion Analysis of the Torso and the Elbow During Picking and Placing Heavy Object on Shelf

In recent years, labor shortages and workforce aging have become problematic. One solution to this problem is introducing humanoid robots to perform human tasks. This research is aimed at analyzing the posture and preparation posture of the torso and elbow in human motions for improving the motion planning of humanoid robots utilizing the redundant part. We analyze the frontal tilt angle of the torso, time of backward bending the torso, and lateral tilt angle of the elbow when humans apply force. In the experiments, we focused on picking and placing heavy objects on the shelf, which requires maintaining balance and exerting force, and confirmed the differences in movements by changing the weight of the objects. An optical motion capture system and a six-axis load cell were used for measuring the motion. The subjects were asked to approach the shelf from a distance of 1 m and move a heavy object from the upper to the middle height of the shelf. As a result, the heavier the object, the earlier the preparation posture of a backward bending of the torso before grasping. The heavier the object, the larger the tilt angle of the torso forward. Significant differences were observed between the time of backward bending and picking the object, distances from the shoulder to wrist joint, and tilt angle of the torso. We identified the posture and time required to bend the torso for holding a heavier object in front of the shelf, considering the dynamic stability of the Zero-Moment Point.

NCCN Highlights Best Practices for Challenges in Oncology

NCCN Highlights Best Practices for Challenges in Oncology

Investigating the differences in human behavior between conventional machining and CNC machining for future workforce development: A case study

Due to the high efficiency and consistent product quality, CNC machining has gained a dominant role in the modern machining industry. However, conventional machining still has its significance for certain production settings, e.g. prototyping, and machining workforce preparation. CNC and conventional machining require particular skills and knowledge, which can be unique to specific types of machine tools or overlap to a certain extent. With increasing production volume demands and an aging workforce, a need for efficient quantification, preservation and transfer of said skillsets arises to ensure effective preparation of future professionals and the undisrupted operation of the manufacturing industry. Moreover, the observed shift towards human-centered manufacturing systems in the Industry 4.0 necessitates obtaining an in-depth understanding of human roles in machining. The following paper proposes a novel research approach based on collection and analysis of eye-tracking and video data supplemented by verbal interviews, surveys and self-assessment. A conducted case study spans the entirety of the machining process, from part evaluation, cutting strategy determination, machining operations, to process re-evaluation and optimization. The results show that far greater variability in cutting strategy in terms of operation order, number of operations and used production tooling between consecutive production runs can be observed for conventional machining, with little variation in those terms noted for CNC-based production. Overall, the collected data has allowed to gain an insight into the machinist's decision-making processes and the rationale for observed cutting strategy changes, allowing for potential future application of the proposed research method in improving the machining training and potentially aiding process design by applying the outcomes of studies performed with the use of presented research method to expert systems and future CAM/CAE software solutions.

Substitutability between older and younger workers and its implications for Japan

PurposeThis study investigates the impact of the increasing proportion of older workers in the workforce by establishing a theoretical framework and estimating the degree of substitutability between them and their younger counterparts.Design/methodology/approachThe first step is to establish a theoretical framework that combines older and younger workers with imperfect substitutability in the production of final goods within an aggregate production function. The author then derives an equation that relates the relative wage, relative supply and elasticity of substitution between the worker types, for use in estimation. Using data from Japan’s Basic Survey on Wage Structure and Population Census from 2010 to 2019 across 47 prefectures, the author estimates the elasticity of substitution between older and younger workers in Japan.FindingsThe author finds that workers aged 55 and over and their younger counterparts are gross substitutes, and the estimated elasticity of substitution is in the range of 2.33–2.86. This implies that a 10% increase in the relative number of workers aged 55 and older leads to a fall in their relative wage in the range of 3.5–4.3%. The study estimations suggest that since 2010, there has been a convergence in the relative wage of older workers across Japan’s prefectures.Originality/valueUnderstanding the degree of substitutability between older and younger workers is essential for quantitatively assessing the impact of workforce aging, technological advancements and labor policies on the wage distribution. This study estimates the elasticity of substitution between the two worker types based on a theoretical model, and utilizes recent datasets and methodology not adequately addressed in previous literature.

Harnessing the Potential of Older Workers Through Relationships at Work: Social Support, Feedback, and Performance

Abstract With the aging of the global workforce, it is crucial to deepen our understanding of how to keep older workers healthy, motivated, and productive. In this research, we integrate job design with socioemotional selectivity theory to propose that social job characteristics relate to employee performance differently for older and younger workers. Specifically, in a 3-wave survey (N = 454), we tested employee age as a moderator of the relationships between receiving social support and feedback at work, and performance, as well as giving social support and feedback at work, and performance. The results showed that, in general, both receiving and giving social support and feedback are associated more strongly with the performance of older than younger workers. The findings provide important theoretical implications for the study of aging and work; they also offer practical applications for creating workplaces in which older workers can reap the benefits of social relationships to remain productive.

Staff perspectives on end-of-life care for people living with dementia in residential aged care homes: qualitative study.

People living with dementia in care homes can benefit from palliative approaches to care; however, not all will require specialist palliative care. The generalist aged care workforce is well placed to provide most of this care with adequate training and support systems in place, but little is known about their experiences. To describe staff perspectives on providing quality end-of-life care for people living with dementia in residential care and their families. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with residential aged care managerial and frontline staff in Australia who were caring for residents living with dementia and end-of life needs. A comprehensive, then snowballing sampling strategy was used in participating care homes. Transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Fifteen semi-structured interviews and six focus groups were undertaken with 56 participants across 14 sites across two Australian states. Five themes were identified: putting the resident at the center (creating homes not hospitals, knowing the individual, a case management approach); articulating goals to grant wishes (initiating the conversation, broadening death literacy, avoiding hospitalization); a collective call to action (staffing the home, recognizing deterioration and escalating issues, communication channels and engaging GPs, managing medications, psychosocial supports); educating to empower staff (governance and guidance, mentoring juniors, self-care); and facilitating family acceptance (setting expectations, partnering in care, access at all hours). Aged care staff are committed to providing person-centered palliative and end-of-life care for people living with dementia, recognizing the intrinsic value of each resident, regardless of their declining state. Frontline and managerial staff consider advance care planning, collectively working as part of a multidisciplinary team, access to targeted palliative and end-of-life education and training, and engaging families as key priorities to providing high quality care in care homes.

Residential Aged Care and Homelike Environments: A scoping literature review of views of the aged care workforce

Evidence exists of the benefits of homelike environments for residents of residential aged care facil-ities (RACF). To date, most research has focused on the perceptions, experiences, and quality-of-life outcomes of homelike environments from residents’ perspectives. The views of the aged care workforce (ACW) about homelike environment in RACF is under-researched. A scoping review was conducted of the Pubmed, Medline, PsychInfo, Cinahl, and Scopus databases in April 2021. Search terms included: homelike environment; residential aged care; staff. Perspectives of ACW were synthesized using Rijnaard’s framework, encompassing three key categories. Of 1597 papers identified, 21 articles published from 1990 to 2021 met the eligibility criteria for review. The scop-ing review provided insights from nursing staff, facility managers, administrators, and also activity coordinators, laundry, and catering staff. Eight key elements of homelike environments were identi-fied, further classified into three key categories: (1) built environment (indoor and outdoor spaces); (2) psychological elements (residents’ choices and control, maintaining residents’ beliefs and habits); (3) social elements (relationships with residents, families, and staff, communal environments and maintaining contact with community). No important differences in themes across ACW groups were evident. Homelike environments were associated with higher job satisfaction, lower burnout, lower staff turnover and did not contribute to staff distress nor perceptions of reduced safety. Homelike environments are potentially beneficial for ACW. Review findings can inform planning, implemen-tation, and evaluation of homelike environments, to ultimately enhance outcomes for ACW and res-idents in RACFs.

Migrant Care Workers' Perceptions of Their Working Conditions in Australian Residential Aged Care Facilities.

Staff shortages and retention are the major challenges in residential aged care facilities (RACFs). This study aimed to explore migrant care workers' perceptions of job demands, their coping strategies, and employment intentions to leave or stay in the sector. Using a descriptive qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with n = 20, RACF migrant care workers from Filipino, Indian, and Nigerian backgrounds in Perth, Western Australia, from April to December 2019. Data were thematically analyzed. Motivating factors included the availability of care work in RACFs, and positive cultural norms associated with caring for older family members. Participants experienced a combination of resettlement and workplace challenges specifically, limited support network, communication challenges, and racial discrimination. Work challenges that are compounded by post-migration stressors should be recognized and addressed in the design and implementation of the aged care workforce reforms to attract and retain migrant care workers.

Employment Disadvantages among Asian NESB Skilled Migrants in Australia: The Case of Japanese Independent Professionals

ABSTRACT Since the late 20th century, skilled labour migration has become a primary channel for resolving the increased global competition, ageing workforces, and skill shortages facing industrialised countries. Despite this ongoing policy trend, skilled migrants – who are increasingly from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESBs), including Asia – confront barriers to securing employment that is commensurate with their skill levels, which exposes them to an array of social and economic vulnerabilities. This article uses qualitative data to examine post-migration employment disadvantages among an under-researched group of Asian NESB skilled migrants in Australia: Japanese independent professionals. The findings show that their employment disadvantages in the host labour market can be attributed to what is termed here multilateral contextual gaps in skills transfer, rather than simply a lack of competence, knowledge, or work experience. The article concludes by identifying the implications of the study, including policy changes that would help improve the skills utilisation and retention of skilled migrants in Australia, which appear to be hampered by the host country’s human capital-based, market-driven skills regimes. These changes are urgent given the imperative for societies such as Australia to revive their economies in the post-pandemic era through higher intakes of skilled migrants.

Worlds Apart: Does Perceptual Congruence Between Leaders and Older Employees Regarding Age-Friendly Organizational Climate, Management, and Work Design Matter?

Abstract Research on the effectiveness of age-friendly organizational practices tends to focus on older employees’ perceptions of these. Drawing on perceptual congruence and psychological contract theory, we hypothesize that leaders’ perceptions of these organizational practices are relevant as well. Specifically, we argue that (dis)agreement between leaders’ and older employees’ perceptions (i.e., perceptual (in)congruence) of organizational practices related to age-friendly organizational climate, management, and work design plays a role in older employees’ well-being. Polynomial regression and response surface analysis were applied to a dyadic sample of 484 older employees and their leaders from 100 diverse organizations. Results reveal that leader-employee perceptual congruence on high levels of perceived age-friendly work design was related to higher employee well-being. By contrast, older employees’ well-being was lower when leaders evaluated the three age-friendly organizational practices higher than their older employees. Our findings suggest that further theoretical consideration of the role of leader-employee perceptual (in)congruence for aging workforces is needed, and that scholars and organizations should acknowledge the relevance and interplay of different stakeholders’ perceptions within an organization.

Creating an age-inclusive workplace: The impact of HR practices on employee work engagement

AbstractDrawing on social exchange theory, our study aims to examine how age-inclusive human resource (HR) practices affect work engagement by shaping the age-diversity climate and perceived organizational support (POS). We hypothesize that diversity beliefs play a moderating role in the relationship between age-inclusive HR practices and POS. Our analysis of a sample of 983 employees from 48 organizations in China highlights the direct impact of age-inclusive HR practices on work engagement. Moreover, age-diversity climate and POS mediate the association between age-inclusive HR practices and work engagement. We further demonstrate that diversity beliefs play a moderating role in the association between age-inclusive HR practices and POS. Our findings not only contribute to the literature but also provide practical implications for managing an aging workforce.

Second Wind: Understanding How Academics from the Philippines Adjust to Retirement

Second Wind: Understanding How Academics from the Philippines Adjust to Retirement

Providing Digital Technology Training as a Way to Retain Older Workers: The Importance of Perceived Usefulness and Growth Need

Abstract The increasing prevalence of aging workforce around the globe renders older worker retention an integral approach for organizations to maintain human capital. In the meantime, the increasing application of digital technologies at work poses new challenges for older workers. Providing digital technology training is therefore considered as a potential approach to retaining older workers. Yet, we have limited knowledge about the role played by digital technology training availability in facilitating older worker retention. Addressing this important research void, we examine the motivation-based (i.e., autonomy need satisfaction at work) and the ability-based (i.e., competence need satisfaction at work) mechanisms that transmit the positive indirect effects of digital technology training availability on older workers’ intention to remain. We also examine the critical roles of the relevance of the training (both the relevance to the situation and to the participant) in shaping the impacts of digital technology training availability. Analyzing data collected from 285 workers aged 40 years or older, we found that when digital technology was perceived to be more (vs. less) useful at work, digital technology training availability indirectly facilitated older workers’ intention to remain via both autonomy and competence needs satisfaction at work. Moreover, the amplifying effects of perceived usefulness of digital technology at work were more (vs. less) pronounced for participants who had higher (vs. lower) growth need. Theoretical and practical implications were also discussed based on our findings.

Skill redefinition and classification, capitalism, and labour process theory of work: evidence from Thailand

Skill redefinition and classification, capitalism, and labour process theory of work: evidence from Thailand

Effectiveness of clinical mentorship program for students of long-term aged care: A mixed-methods study

BackgroundInternationally, the population is rapidly aging with a strong demand for aged care services. In Taiwan, both recruiting and retaining staff to aged care poses difficulties. Good clinical role models can positively impact students' confidence and professional development and influence their willingness to enter the long-term aged care workforce. ObjectivesTo clarify clinical mentors' roles and competencies and assess the effectiveness of a mentorship program for improving students' professional commitment and self-efficacy in long-term aged care. DesignA mixed-methods study with a quasi-experimental research design and qualitative interviews. SettingsPurposive sampling was used to recruit long-term aged care professional clinical mentors with preceptor qualifications and nursing and aged care students enrolled in a two-year technical program in a Taiwanese university's gerontology care department. ParticipantsFourteen mentors and 48 students participated. The student control group received regular education; the experimental group received mentorship guidance. MethodsThis study included three phases. Phase one involved qualitative interviews to identify clinical mentors' roles and competencies. Phase two involved expert panel meetings to establish the clinical mentorship program's content and implementation. Phase three involved the program's evaluation. Quantitative questionnaires were administered before the program and subsequently at 6, 12, and 18 months to assess mentors' effectiveness and students' professional commitment and self-efficacy in long-term aged care. Qualitative focus groups solicited participants' feelings and suggestions for the program. ResultsClinical mentors' roles and competencies centered on two themes: professional role model and establishing good rapport. Quantitative analysis showed that mentoring effectiveness initially recorded a decline, followed by a subsequent increase. Both groups' professional self-efficacy and commitment followed an increasing trend. While the experimental group's professional commitment score was significantly higher than the control groups, their professional self-efficacy scores did not differ significantly. ConclusionsThe clinical mentorship program improved students' long-term aged care professional commitment and self-efficacy.

Advancing professional nursing practice at the bedside: Five nurses' stories.

In Brief With staffing shortages, an aging workforce, and pandemic pressures, professional nursing advancement programs may help rejuvenate nurses.

VALIDATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A PLATFORM FOR MONITORING ERGONOMIC RISKS IN CONSTRUCTION

The present research aims to validate and implement a mobile, unobtrusive and privacy-preserving platform for real-time ergonomic risk alert and training, enabling the design of workplace interventions tailored to the needs and fitness levels of a specific ageing workforce. For the implementation and validation of the system a BSN (Body Sensor Network) sensor suit has been developed, non-intrusive for the worker that continuously monitors wirelessly all the ergonomic parameters of the construction worker during his full working day and collects and analyses in real time the values captured by the sensors, giving both the worker and the medical or health service information about his condition and fitness during work making it possible to help and advise him for the improvement of his health both at work and in private life. Index Terms Body Sensor Network - Ergonomics assessment - Older workers - Workplace adaptation - Construction worksite.