Enhancing productive and healthy working environments

Dr. Myanna Duncan C. Psychol.

& Professor Cheryl Haslam
Work & Health Research Centre, Loughborough University

Ageing workforce

increasing age of the UK workforce presents major challenges important to maintain health, productivity and quality of working life need to promote a healthy working environment

New Dynamics of Ageing

seven year multidisciplinary research initiative with the
ultimate aim of improving quality of life of older people.
Largest and most ambitious programme of ageing research ever mounted in the UK. In 2008 Loughborough University was awarded funding to carry out a 4 year research project on the older workforce.

The Working Late team

Working Late: Aims

Explore the dynamics of later life working Develop interventions to improve health and workability
Develop design solutions to improve the quality of working life

Four Interconnected Work Packages

1. User engagement & dissemination

2. Dynamics of later life working

3. The Occupational Health Context 4. The Work Environment

Working Late: User Engagement

Engagement with users to inform research process Research presented to, discussed with, and modified by selected user groups

Working Late: Later Life Working

Examine work participation and recruitment opportunities Impact of age discrimination legislation Interactions between work and family commitments

Working Late: The Work Environment

Explore the design needs of ageing workers:

Equipment, tools and workspaces Job design and planning Develop design models for an inclusive workplace using Organiser for Working Late

Working Late: The Journey to Work

Relationship between travel and work

Impact of family commitments

Information, support and technology required to accommodate changing needs

Working Late: Occupational Health

Identification of current occupational health strategies
Evaluate workplace policies and strategies for promoting health and workability Aims to develop innovative health promotion interventions

Working Late: Health Interventions

Health education materials to engage and motivate employees Develop, implement and evaluate health promoting physical activity interventions

Sitting Time
600

Time spent sitting in each domain (minutes)

500 400 300 200 100

Other leisure
Computer at home TV At work Transport

Workday

Non workday

Press Coverage

Intervention
1 year intervention to encourage:

Incidental activity Active commuting Exercise at work

Participants health assessments at: Baseline, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months

Intervention Recruitment
Glasgow (116) Leeds (116) Liverpool (41) Grafton (95) Gipping (50) Total: 1119 participants

Dundee (102)
Edinburgh (107) Newcastle (116) Ipswich (158) London (218)

private sector public sector

Physiological

Height Body weight and composition Waist and hip circumference Blood pressure and resting heart rate Activity levels (pedometer)

Assessment Tools

Step Count Data

Website to record step count data 60,000+ step count entries made

Psychological

Personal and organisational demographics Lifestyle and physical activity information Work Ability Index (WAI) General Health Questionnaire LOISS Sleep Scale Musculoskeletal pain/discomfort Job attitudes (satisfaction, motivation, commitment)

Interview Themes
Increased awareness of sedentary time Behavioural changes to working day (where
possible)

Greater awareness of health as a priority Effect other areas: diet, family involvement, psychological mood, work performance Seasonal variations in behaviour

walking lunch

Walking Lunch Initiative

Working Late - outputs

examples of the impact of legislative changes on older workers work experiences (guidance for employers) recommendations for journey planning best practice in occupational health provision new interventions tried and tested OWL design resource - responding to the needs of the older workforce

Thank you

www.workinglate.org

@workhealth

Contact: M.Duncan@lboro.ac.uk