Health in the World of Work – Prolonging Healthy Working Years

Context of the health at work in flux

In globalization, the shift is from industrial production towards services and expanded information and communication technologies. This, together with the demographic changes and aging work force, has given rise to a growing need for a competent labour force, changes in work life, and continuous reorganization of enterprises and organizations. There are now higher demands for organizing work, work content and network orientation, within enterprises and between enterprises.

In addition, combining work and career options during the life cycle, willingness to raise retirement age, and flexibility of teams at work has raised the demands of the workplaces. An increased work pace, the use of information technology, the complexity of responsibilities and the pressure for continuous learning of new tasks have increased mental strain and stress. Also, a higher demand for service and customer orientation has in turn brought new work requirements. As a result, psychosocial orientation to working with different people on a daily basis has gained in importance. The work ability and well-being of people at work are important not only for the health of the individuals themselves, but also society as a whole is involved in maintaining the work ability of the ageing workforce, in decreasing work-related disability, and in reducing the costs of disability benefits and pensions.

One of the aims of the Finnish EU Presidency is to promote the attractiveness of work life and to maintain and promote work ability, that is, to prolong healthy working years. The basis for this approach is the Lisbon strategy , the Mid-Term Review of the Lisbon Strategy , the new social agenda and the green paper on demographic change . The attractiveness of work life can be promoted, for example, through improvements in the workplace, in economic issues, in job security, and through support by insurance systems, health at work and healthy workplaces, occupational health and safety services, and anticipatory rehabilitation.

The changing labour market, well-being at work, and support for workplaces may also be enhanced via workplace health promotion (WHP), and the promotion and maintenance of work ability (PMWA), as these similar functions have been called in some countries. This broad concept consists of the combined efforts of employers, employees, and society to improve the health and well-being of people at work. WHP, in addition, involves effective communication and information for employees on health issues, joint decisions made with employees together with employers, and encouragement of employees and employers to make healthy choices and assume healthy practices.

Issues at stake in the process of expert meetings

The context of work life has been changing rapidly. It continues to do so due to the increased demands on the adaptability of workers and enterprises. The demographic changes in European countries have also brought along an immediate need to attract more people to enter and remain in the labour market. In addition, the changes in work contracts between unemployment, precarious, and temporary work require additional investments in the quantity and quality of jobs and the productivity of work. This in turn requires investments in human capital, which may be in the form of investment in the maintenance and promotion of work ability, in workplace development, and in the workers' well-being.

Further investment in the area of employment and social inclusion strategies may serve to improve employability, reintegration, and reconciliation of employment and caring responsibilities. Changes have also occurred in the social partnership, which has given social dialogue a key role in promoting corporate social responsibility. In order for European citizens to live a healthy and prosperous life, employment policies, social, health and safety policies at work should be based firmly on work life.

Several new risks are emerging in workplaces due to the changes in work life. To tackle these occupational health challenges, to improve wellness at work, and to ensure freedom from diseases, diverse multiprofessional and multidimensional services are needed to encourage people to work and to remain longer in work life. In addition, the free movement of professionals puts even more pressure on employment, social and health services to facilitate mobility, as well as ensuring the competence and qualifications of professionals working in such services. Furthermore, such services should be coordinated, and possibly also integrated, to guarantee their high quality and to enhance solidarity, equal access, wide coverage of services, and equal distribution of benefits. In order to reach overall well-being at work, the aim should be to proceed from risk prevention to promotion of health at work.

These services support employers and employees in providing opportunities for a better work life. The major concern is how to form partnerships between employers, occupational health services, public health care systems, health and safety actors at work, and social services, in order to support the changing work life and recognize the need for early changes. The efficiency of multidisciplinary and multidimensional services will increase the attractiveness of work in parallel with well-being and wellness at work. The content of services has already changed due to increasing consumerism and market orientation, but governments should not forget the common values and fundamental rights set in the Social Agenda (2005–2010). These emphasize an integrated European approach with positive interplay between economic, social, and employment policies, and the role of quality of employment, social policy, and industrial relations to improve human and social capital. The creation of a social Europe with equal impact in parallel with economic policy is of utmost importance. Basic values need to be defined both in work life and in the services supporting it. Furthermore, ways to mainstream these basic values for other policies, e.g., industrial, internal market, trade and competition policies, need to be defined. The need for regulation, deregulation and re-regulation of employment, social services and human capital should be examined from a global perspective in order to avoid a negative impact.

Anticipated results of the process

Based on the expert consultation process, the presentations given and the discussions held in the three preparatory meetings, a final expert recommendation will be produced and offered to the informal Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council in July 2006. Both health and safety at work and public health strategies of the EU are in the process of revision, which may offer an opportunity to include the issues tackled in the series of meetings into these policy papers.

The ultimate aim is to raise awareness of the theme "prolonging healthy work years" and to introduce it as part of the policy and activities of the EU and its Member States. It is in the interest of all Member States to improve the health of their employees and significantly increase the appeal of entering and remaining longer at work and in the labour market.

These expert meetings have two main objectives:

• To receive comments and ideas on how to best promote activities for more healthy years in work life, and workplace health promotion on the EU level, taking into account the opportunities for collaboration between e.g.:
  • Public health care, occupational health and safety, occupational health services
  • Social partners and non-governmental organizations at all levels of work life.
• To explore and prioritize activities, approaches and objectives which promote health and the sustainable work ability of the work force in a comprehensive way that is:
  • based on scientific evidence and experience
  • acceptable by the social partners and citizens
  • feasible in regard to the national resources and service systems in the EU Member States.

Summary Report of the Workshop on Prolonging Staying at Work (17–18 November 2005, Prague)

The Workshop explored the topic of prolonging people's staying at work from different viewpoints. Reaching the goal of an extended work life is essential for a sustainable, stable and productive society on country level as well as the entire European Union level.

The discussions highlighted several EU initiatives and instruments. The UK Presidency of the European Council has raised the challenges of demographic change high on the agenda, and these issues will continue to be a high priority in the Presidency programme of 2006. The new EU strategy on occupational safety and health will be based on a comprehensive approach aimed at improving well-being at work. The occupational safety and health strategy – together with other EU instruments – should support the inclusion of age-related factors in all policies and activities. All aspects of the opportunities and threats of demographic change should be widely covered in training and education.

The principal conclusion of the Workshop was that in order to attain longer work careers and an improved work life, several continuous parallel measures should be taken at all levels of society. The promotion of a sustained extended work life needs stronger emphasis at all policy levels, and in all operations at the workplace. The results of the Workshop are summarized in the following five expert proposals:

1. Good practices. Legislation, collective agreements, voluntary initiatives, workplace-level operations and evidence-based good practices provide considerable potential for improving work life and the well-being of workers. National systems should be structured so that at each level there are coherent incentives aimed at encouraging people to stay on longer at work, and employers to retain ageing workers.
2. Co-operation. In order to successfully respond to the challenges of globalization and demographic change, it is essential that all actors are involved. Interaction, networking and partnership need to be effective if the adoption of programmes and measures for this is to be accelerated. There is a need for strategies and programmes which synergize the efforts of the various actors, nonetheless striving for mutual goals. Systematic and transparent networking and cooperation should be initiated at and between all levels (macro, meso and micro). These measures should benefit individuals by improving the quality of work and well-being at work, so that they will have the opportunity, ability and willingness to stay longer in work life.
3. Generations. It is essential to raise awareness of the needs and vulnerabilities of people at different ages and different life transitions, of the flexibilities and support needed in these situations, and of the importance of the balance between work and family life. Work should be designed to suit everyone, regardless of these factors. The transfer and use of skills and tacit knowledge from seniors to the younger generation is a great challenge in the constantly changing world of work.
4. Workplaces. Age management should play an integral part in the development of work and workplaces for workers, at individual, enterprise and society level. All actors should be trained in the use of age management tools and good practices for promoting and maintaining work ability (PMWA) during ageing. Longer work careers can be initiated by all stakeholders, through the reform of work and workplaces.
5. Human resources. National workplace health promotion (WHP) strategies should be based on a bio-psycho-social model, and the researchers and social partners should be involved in the formulation of the strategies. WHP must be widely applied in the training and education of occupational health service personnel, supervisors and managers. Trade unions and employers´ organizations must be encouraged to place more emphasis on systematic PMWA. Working conditions, work demands and their relationship with work ability and age-related factors need to be more prominently on the agenda. The mutual flexibility of work life and the opportunity to combine work and retirement through, for example, part-time retirement should be supported.