Search results for "work ability."
showing 10 items of 34 documents
Does mindfulness affect participants’ response to a vocational rehabilitation program?
2016
Objective: The study aims were to investigate whether mindfulness predicts improved work ability after a multifactorial vocational rehabilitation program in Norway and to examine the mediating influence of mindfulness in the relationship between personal health factors and changes in work ability in response to the program. Methods: Seventy-four participants on long-term sick leave completed questionnaires assessing mindfulness, work ability, functional health, psychological functioning, and demographics before and after a 4–6-week multidisciplinary vocational rehabilitation program. In addition to a standard logistic regression analysis, a bias-corrected bootstrapping technique was used to…
Burnout-related ill-being at work : Associations between mindfulness and acceptance skills, worksite factors, and experienced well-being in life
2018
The aim of this paper was to investigate the associations between mindfulness and acceptance (MAA) skills and burnout-related ill-being at work (ILLB) after eliminating the impact of worksite (WS) and general well-being in life (WELLB) factors. The results were derived from data on employees (n = 168) of varying professional backgrounds, who experienced relatively high levels of burnout. Analyses were conducted using structural equation modelling (SEM) and the Cholesky decomposition method, since these allow for the investigation of multiple measures and multiple factors in relation to one another. In relation to ill-being at work, the analyses revealed a general MAA factor as well as a spe…
Work Ability of Finnish Physical Education Teachers
2015
In the physical education (PE) teachers’ profession, physical tasks comprise a large part of the job. PE teachers identify their health as good, and they are satisfied with their job. Nevertheless, the work ability of PE teachers may be decreasing. Purpose: The purpose of this article was to explore the work ability of Finnish PE teachers. What disorders or physical problems do PE teachers experience as a result of their job, and how do they affect job satisfaction? Are there differences between men and women or older and younger teachers? Of the Finnish PE teachers (N = 655), 31% reported that they had at least one disease or disorder that hindered their work ability. The most common were …
Perspectives on Dynamic Retirement and Active Ageing
2014
One central goal in ageing individuals’ late-career stages is to participate in working life, subsequently transition successfully into retirement, and to lead a satisfying and healthy life in retirement. In many ways, these goals are aligned with the policy orientation of countries facing challenges with global ageing. This chapter describes some of the current themes of retirement and late-career research, with a specific interest on the role of individual resource allocation strategies and human resource management in promoting the work ability of older employees. It will present the concept of bridge employment in the Finnish context, and the effects of normal retirement, i.e. after rea…
Physical and psychosocial prerequisites of functioning in relation to work ability and general subjective well-being among office workers
2002
Objectives The purpose of the study was to investigate the physical and psychological prerequisites of functioning, as well as the social environment at work and personal factors, in relation to work ability and general subjective well-being in a group of office workers. Methods The study was a descriptive cross-sectional investigation, using path analysis, of office workers. The subjects comprised 88 volunteers, 24 men and 64 women, from the same workplace [mean age 45.7 (SD 8.6) years]. The independent variables were measured using psychosocial and physical questionnaires and physical measurements. The first dependent variable, work ability, was measured by a work ability index. The secon…
Effects of environmental intervention on sedentary time, musculoskeletal comfort and work ability in office workers
2016
Sit-stand workstations offer a potential strategy to reduce prolonged occupational sitting. This controlled intervention study examined the effects of an environmental intervention on occupational sedentary time, musculoskeletal comfort and work ability, and the usability of sit-stand workstations in office work via a self-reported questionnaire. The intervention group (n = 24) used sit-stand workstations during the 6-month intervention period, and the control group (n = 21) used traditional sitting workstations. The results showed that working at sit-stand workstations can reduce sitting time significantly compared to control workstations (-6.7% vs. 5.0%, p = .019), which is reallocated mo…
Strategic Responses: A Survey Experiment on Opposition to Pension Reforms*
2013
The responses given in opinion polls on future policy reforms reflect both subjective expectations and preferences. We disentangle these factors using data from a controlled survey experiment conducted in Germany. At the time of the experiment, an increased retirement age had been proposed as part of a pension reform. Thus, the survey respondents faced an incentive to give biased responses. By understating their expected work ability at the age of retirement, they could make the increase of the retirement age a less attractive policy option. We find evidence for such strategic response behavior, and this strategic bias appears to be stronger in former communist East Germany.
Dose-response association between leisure time physical activity and work ability:Cross-sectional study among 3000 workers
2015
INTRODUCTION: Regular physical activity is important for longevity and health, but knowledge about the optimal dose of physical activity for maintaining good work ability is unknown. This study investigates the association between intensity and duration of physical activity during leisure time and work ability in relation to physical demands of the job.METHODS: From the 2010 round of the Danish Work Environment Cohort Study, currently employed wage earners with physically demanding work (n = 2952) replied to questions about work, lifestyle and health. Excellent (100 points), very good (75 points), good (50 points), fair (25 points) and poor (0 points) work ability in relation to the physica…
Work strain in midlife and 28-year work ability trajectories
2011
We investigated the 28-year development trajectories of work ability among initially middle-aged male and female municipal employees and the association of perceived mental and physical work strain in midlife by work ability trajectory groups.The baseline data of the Finnish longitudinal study of municipal employees (FLAME) were collected in 1981 (N=6257) with follow-ups in 1985, 1992, 1997, and 2009. Work ability was assessed in all the waves as present perceived work ability relative to lifetime best. Altogether, N=2690 had work ability data in 1981 and 2009, and at least for one wave in between these years, and were included in group-based semi-parametric mixture modeling trajectory anal…
Occupational Gerontology: Work-Related Determinants of Old Age Health and Functioning
2014
Work is one of the essential functions during the human life span. We spend almost half of our lives occupationally active. Therefore, several different work-related determinants are affecting our lives. In recent years, there has been an increasing knowledge about work-related factors and their effect on health and functioning. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have provided strong evidence that both positive and negative exposures in work influence our well-being. This chapter gives an overview of recent literature about the associations between work, working conditions, and health. Within this chapter, we summarize the current knowledge on the association between work-related…