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• 1. [Article] Supporting the Aging Workforce: The Impact of Psychosocial Workplace Characteristics on Employees' Work Ability

  It is estimated that by 2020, 25% of the US labor force will be aged 55 or older. Along with this demographic shift, Americans and employees in other industrialized nations are now working longer than ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Supporting the Aging Workforce: The Impact of Psychosocial Workplace Characteristics on Employees' Work Ability Author: Rineer, Jennifer Rae Year: 2015 It is estimated that by 2020, 25% of the US labor force will be aged 55 or older. Along with this demographic shift, Americans and employees in other industrialized nations are now working longer than before, either out of preference or financial necessity. Therefore, it is essential that we understand how to support employees so that they can continue working in a healthy, happy, and productive manner as they age. The construct of work ability (the extent to which people perceive they can meet the mental and physical demands of their jobs) has the potential to guide research and practice on how best to support employees throughout the lifespan. However, though studied extensively in the occupational health literature, work ability has only recently gained attention in the Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Occupational Health Psychology literatures. This study helps to further integrate work ability into our field and theoretically ground the construct using the Job Demands-Resources model (Demerouti, Bakker, Nachreiner, & Schaufeli, 2001). Specifically, this study examined psychosocial characteristics of the work environment (age diversity climate, team cohesion, organizational justice, and leader-member exchange) that were expected to buffer against the negative effects of increased age and poor health on work ability. The interaction between team cohesion and poor health had a significant effect on work ability. While the other hypothesized interaction relationships were unsupported, ancillary analyses showed that both team cohesion and age diversity climate do relate positively to work ability, even after controlling for age and health. These findings highlight the importance of a positive social work environment in supporting employees' work ability throughout the lifespan. Suggestions for future research include examining additional psychosocial predictors and behavioral outcomes of work ability, as well as conducting intervention studies aimed at increasing work ability by improving social aspects of the work environment. Title: Supporting the Aging Workforce: The Impact of Psychosocial Workplace Characteristics on Employees' Work Ability Author: Rineer, Jennifer Rae Year: 2015 It is estimated that by 2020, 25% of the US labor force will be aged 55 or older. Along with this demographic shift, Americans and employees in other industrialized nations are now working longer than before, either out of preference or financial necessity. Therefore, it is essential that we understand how to support employees so that they can continue working in a healthy, happy, and productive manner as they age. The construct of work ability (the extent to which people perceive they can meet the mental and physical demands of their jobs) has the potential to guide research and practice on how best to support employees throughout the lifespan. However, though studied extensively in the occupational health literature, work ability has only recently gained attention in the Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Occupational Health Psychology literatures. This study helps to further integrate work ability into our field and theoretically ground the construct using the Job Demands-Resources model (Demerouti, Bakker, Nachreiner, & Schaufeli, 2001). Specifically, this study examined psychosocial characteristics of the work environment (age diversity climate, team cohesion, organizational justice, and leader-member exchange) that were expected to buffer against the negative effects of increased age and poor health on work ability. The interaction between team cohesion and poor health had a significant effect on work ability. While the other hypothesized interaction relationships were unsupported, ancillary analyses showed that both team cohesion and age diversity climate do relate positively to work ability, even after controlling for age and health. These findings highlight the importance of a positive social work environment in supporting employees' work ability throughout the lifespan. Suggestions for future research include examining additional psychosocial predictors and behavioral outcomes of work ability, as well as conducting intervention studies aimed at increasing work ability by improving social aspects of the work environment. Close

• 2. [Article] A Meta-Analysis of the Nomological Network of Work Ability

  As the workforces of industrialized countries around the world continue to age, research is needed to better understand how policies regarding retirement, and exit from the workforce, impact older workers. ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: A Meta-Analysis of the Nomological Network of Work Ability Author: Brady, Grant Year: 2016 As the workforces of industrialized countries around the world continue to age, research is needed to better understand how policies regarding retirement, and exit from the workforce, impact older workers. In particular, it is important to identify mechanisms that can be used to understand and promote the retention of older workers. Work ability (WA), a construct that has been predominately studied in Scandinavian and European countries, has been studied in this context, and identified as a predictor of exit from the workforce. Using the Job Demands-Resources model (JDR; Demerouti, Bakker, Nachreiner, & Schaufeli, 2001) as the theoretical basis, the goal of the present study was to compile and synthesize the existing literature on WA, quantitatively analyze its antecedents and outcomes (via meta-analysis), and assess potential moderators to these relationships. To my knowledge, this is the first quantitative synthesis of the WA literature. In total k = 158 studies including n =149,758 workers were included in this meta-analysis. Results showed that WA was related to a number of antecedents including job demands (r) = [-.15, -.30], job resources (r) = [.19, .25], and personal resources (r) = [.14, .45]; as well as to several outcomes including job satisfaction (r) = .23, job performance (self-rated) (r) = .23, and exit behaviors (r) = [-.19, -.36]. Moderator analyses showed that when assessing the relationship between WA and some correlates (e.g., disability, retirement), studies that used the Work Ability Index (WAI) found stronger relationships with WA than studies that used measures of perceived WA. Additionally, studies that included workers from certain occupations (e.g., blue collar jobs) found weaker relationships between WA and some of its correlates (e.g., physical job demands, job control) compared to studies of workers in other occupation groups (e.g., white collar jobs). The mean age of the sample also moderated the relationships between WA and some of its correlates. Specifically, studies that consisted of older workers found stronger relationships between WA and certain correlates (e.g., job control, physical job demands), whereas for other correlates (e.g., musculoskeletal disease, disability) studies consisting of younger workers found stronger relationships with WA. This study contributes to the existing literature by synthesizing findings from existing work, identifying gaps in the existing literature, and determining how various measures of WA impact the relationships between WA and its correlates. In addition, this study helps to identify factors that can be considered in interventions aimed at retaining older workers and extending working careers. Title: A Meta-Analysis of the Nomological Network of Work Ability Author: Brady, Grant Year: 2016 As the workforces of industrialized countries around the world continue to age, research is needed to better understand how policies regarding retirement, and exit from the workforce, impact older workers. In particular, it is important to identify mechanisms that can be used to understand and promote the retention of older workers. Work ability (WA), a construct that has been predominately studied in Scandinavian and European countries, has been studied in this context, and identified as a predictor of exit from the workforce. Using the Job Demands-Resources model (JDR; Demerouti, Bakker, Nachreiner, & Schaufeli, 2001) as the theoretical basis, the goal of the present study was to compile and synthesize the existing literature on WA, quantitatively analyze its antecedents and outcomes (via meta-analysis), and assess potential moderators to these relationships. To my knowledge, this is the first quantitative synthesis of the WA literature. In total k = 158 studies including n =149,758 workers were included in this meta-analysis. Results showed that WA was related to a number of antecedents including job demands (r) = [-.15, -.30], job resources (r) = [.19, .25], and personal resources (r) = [.14, .45]; as well as to several outcomes including job satisfaction (r) = .23, job performance (self-rated) (r) = .23, and exit behaviors (r) = [-.19, -.36]. Moderator analyses showed that when assessing the relationship between WA and some correlates (e.g., disability, retirement), studies that used the Work Ability Index (WAI) found stronger relationships with WA than studies that used measures of perceived WA. Additionally, studies that included workers from certain occupations (e.g., blue collar jobs) found weaker relationships between WA and some of its correlates (e.g., physical job demands, job control) compared to studies of workers in other occupation groups (e.g., white collar jobs). The mean age of the sample also moderated the relationships between WA and some of its correlates. Specifically, studies that consisted of older workers found stronger relationships between WA and certain correlates (e.g., job control, physical job demands), whereas for other correlates (e.g., musculoskeletal disease, disability) studies consisting of younger workers found stronger relationships with WA. This study contributes to the existing literature by synthesizing findings from existing work, identifying gaps in the existing literature, and determining how various measures of WA impact the relationships between WA and its correlates. In addition, this study helps to identify factors that can be considered in interventions aimed at retaining older workers and extending working careers. Close