Gerontology & Geriatric Research

2-Work, Health, and Job Performance in Relation to a Sustainable Working Life

Vincenza Frisardi^* Department of Geriatrics, University of Bari, Geriatrician and Gerontologist Center for Aging Brain, Italy
^*Correspondence: Vincenza Frisardi, Department of Geriatrics, University of Bari, Geriatrician and Gerontologist Center for Aging Brain, Italy, Email:

Received: 15-Nov-2022, Manuscript No. JGGR-22-18770; Editor assigned: 18-Nov-2022, Pre QC No. JGGR-22-18770 (PQ); Reviewed: 02-Dec-2022, QC No. JGGR-22-18770; Revised: 08-Mar-2023, Manuscript No. JGGR-22-18770 (R); Published: 15-Mar-2023, DOI: 10.35248/2167-7182.23.12.663

Introduction

Given the ageing of the workforce and the lengthening of working lives, companies have made supporting and retaining older workers a strategic management objective. Given the effects of long-standing health impairments in older age, the relationship between health and work is particularly important for older workers who perform manual tasks [1]. Few studies have examined the impact of employees' ability to balance work and health demands, including managerial and organizational support, although numerous studies have examined the relationship between work ability and job performance We evaluate the mediating role of work-health balance in the relationship between work ability and job performance, both self-reported and assessed, taking into account health as a dynamic balance between work and health demands influenced by both individual and environmental factors. An established socio-demographic trend of our century is the ageing of the world's population. In an effort to promote the development of a society for people of all ages and to politically raise awareness about ageing, the United Nations designated the years as the "decade of healthy ageing governments are beginning to adjust policies to accommodate an increasing number of older people as they become more aware of this demographic transformation [2]. To develop multilevel and participatory coordination of active ageing policies, for instance, the department of family policies Italy has funded a large national project.

Due to the rising proportion of older workers, ageism in the workforce is a significant social transformation. The workforce's ageing is brought on it is the most direct method of gauging organizational effectiveness through scales and surveys completed by employees, job performance is crucial for businesses as well as organizational psychologists However, the fact that self-reported variables are primarily used to evaluate job performance has drawn criticism because it can lead to partial and desirability biases reports of supervisors' evaluations are regarded as providing a more objective assessment of employees' performance recently demonstrated that, from the perspective of measurement instrument quality, anonymous selfr eported job performance instruments are superior to official scores received from immediate supervisors [3]. He argued that since supervisor evaluations are not anonymous, they might be less reliable. Consequently, managers may exaggerate performance to avoid conflict the study was based on a steel manufacturing company in Italy, and the survey that was presented as part of the company's actions to evaluate and enhance the organization's age inclusivity. The study was conducted from January to. Its definition, the survey was administered to the intended audience using pen and paper with the aid of line managers. The sample is not randomised and the study is cross-sectional. Employees in manual roles who were 50 years of age or older at the time of the study were given the survey. They were dispersed among three different plants in Italy and included all so-defined older workers who held a manual job position.

Description

To take part in the research, the In a sample of older manual workers in an Italian steel factory, this study sought to determine the role of work-health balance as a mediator in the relationship between work ability and job performance as assessed by the employee and the supervisor. Our research demonstrated that the relationship between work ability and self-rated job performance can be partially mediated by work-health balance. One of our hypotheses, however, was not supported, and workhealth balance could not be regarded as a mediating factor between work capability and jo b performance as assessed by supervisors [4].

By concentrating on the dynamics surrounding the balance between health and work demands for older manual workers, this study adds to the body of literature on extending working lives. We discovered that work ability influences how well employees think their jobs are going.

Only employees over the age of 50 were included in the study's sample, which only represented one sector of the economy. Also unknown is whether the sample was representative of the national or regional steel industry. Due to the difficulty of handing out paper-based surveys, the response rate was quite low we can infer that a bias in selection occurred and that only employees who were eager to support organizational initiatives gave an answer. Additionally, Italy's manufacturing industry is heavily politicised, and the project had the backing of the union. The notion that an employer might inquire about a worker's health is seen as highly sensitive and an invasion of their right to privacy. The majority of the participants were men, so the gender imbalance is this study emphasizes that for older manual workers, work-health balance acts as a mediating factor between work ability and self-reported job performance. Contrarily, workhealth balance does not mediate the impact of work ability on job performance as determined by supervisors [5]. Additionally, there is a positive correlation between work ability and workhealth balance and both measures of job performance; however, work ability is more highly correlated with supervisor-rated job performance than work-health is with self-assessed job performance. These findings imply that there are various ways to improve job performance, depending on whether it is self-or supervisor-assessed. The work ability index and work-health balance questionnaire are helpful tools to use in organizational health promotion, according to the study's first practical implication.

Conclusion

Researchers and occupational health professionals have focused on the health status of older workers as a key factor in extending working lives. Health is more than just physical or mental problems or the evaluation of one's ability to work. The ability of employees to manage the demands on their health at work and maintain an active, sustainable, and responsible balance between various spheres, including work and health, is another aspect of employee well-being. This study demonstrates that management attention to employee well-being and widespread organizational support for health management are important factors in enhancing older workers' performance. The literature on healthy ageing at work and the viability of long working lives can both benefit from this study. It provides fresh insight.

References

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