Promoting older workers job retention and health by working hours

Work environment needs to be improved in such a way that work ability is maintained and older workers are both able and motivated to participate in the working life. Working hours contribute to well-being at work in a multifaceted way: they influence health, work-life balance, performance at work and the economic situation of the workers. Poor working hours may be a risk factor for elderly workers'' work ability but can as well serve as an innovative positive way to extend the individual work careers.   Long work weeks (over 40 hours) are more frequent among older (45-) workers in Europe while irregular working hours and shift work are more common among younger workers. Among public sector women, control over working hours, as well as the conflicts between the work and family, were most common among the middle-aged workers.   Functional working hour solutions can promote job retention and the health of older workers. Shortening the average working hours decreases fatigue and improves possibilities for recovery and the decrease of work load. Older people with disabilities have more often part-time jobs. Good control over working hours is related with good subjective health, lower sickness absence and lower risk for cause-specific disability pension. In an intervention study, the increase of control over working hours by installing working time autonomy in hospitals improved well-being at work - the younger groups benefitted still the most. In shift work, adaptation to consecutive night shifts is decreased among aging. Changes from slower to more rapidly rotating shift systems has been shown to induce to improvements in general well-being, sleep-wakefulness and performance among especially the older workers.