Title: Beyond the 10 000 steps: Managing less visible aspects of healthy ageing at work
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: This project will support the over-50s to remain in work for longer by co-creating commercially viable, scalable products and interventions to support the less visible aspects of older workers' health and well-being. The research will adopt an intersectional approach to consider how older workers' health needs are shaped by the interconnections of gender, ethnicity, social class and employment type. In this way, the study will address inequalities in access to appropriate health support at work. The potential impact will be significant: encouraging increased industry investment in healthy ageing at work, allowing employers to retain older workers' knowledge and talent, and supporting people to remain active, economically productive, independent, and socially connected across generations for longer. Ultimately, these outcomes will contribute to narrowing the gap between the richest and poorest and ensure people enjoy at least five extra healthy, independent years by 2035. The project will: a. Build upon existing research (including ESRC/MRC-funded 'New Dynamics of Ageing' programme; Joint Programmes Initiative 'More Years Better Lives', NORFACE/DIAL) to further understand the ways in which physical, mental and financial well-being interact with workplace culture, policies and practices to constrain and enable opportunities for people to work productively in later life (50 and beyond), learning from interventions already in place in the UK and internationally. b. Assess how work-related health and wellbeing needs of different groups of older workers have changed because of work and life circumstances arising from Covid-19. c. Use the understanding from a. and b. to co-design, pilot and evaluate a series of innovative, technology-based, data-led workplace products and interventions to improve the less visible aspects of health and well-being of older workers, in collaboration with older workers and employers. d. Work closely with a range of businesses and other partners including: age-focused charities (Age Scotland, Business in the Community); professional bodies (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development); trade unions; policy-makers; chambers of commerce to ensure outputs are widely disseminated and interventions are readily adopted and commercially viable and scalable. e. Develop a pathway to impact that supports the Challenge mission of ensuring that people can enjoy at least five extra healthy, independent years of life by 2035 whilst narrowing the gap between the richest and poorest groups of older people, by maintaining health at work. f. Develop future capacity in the field of technology-driven innovations to support later-life working by supporting and mentoring talented early-career scholars. The Project Team brings together multidisciplinary expertise in data-driven health, design studies, management, occupational medicine, social policy, social gerontology, and sociology to go beyond existing workplace health interventions and add value by: (i) Highlighting aspects of older worker health and well-being that have been less visible, specifically menopause, dementia and the health needs of carers and the self-employed. (ii) Producing a new qualitative dataset that explores the changing nature of work for the older workforce, including changes (e.g. more home-working) arising from responses to Covid-19. (iii) Focusing on health inequalities, especially those arising from the intersections of gender, ethnicity and social class differences. (iv) Co-designing more innovative interventions (technology and data-led) with older workers. (v) Using successful business-partnering initiatives (e.g. Age Scotland Age Inclusive Matrix, SAS) to expand the reach and scalability of these interventions across all business/industry sectors.

Lay abstract: Working with employers, employees, professional bodies and other key stakeholders this project will co-design innovative workplace interventions to support the health and well-being of older workers (aged 50+), enabling them to stay in paid work for longer and increasing their overall well-being. Context: There is an urgent need to make the health of older workers more visible. One in three workers in the UK are aged 50+, and this figure is set to rise in coming decades. 44% of people aged 50-64 have a long- term health condition, and 21% of older workers who leave the labour market 'early' (before State Pension Age) cite health problems as the primary reason for leaving. New research is urgently needed to identify the most appropriate actions employers can take to prevent health conditions from developing in their older workforce, and to support older employees who have existing health problems. It is important to fill these gaps in our understanding because, with the right workplace supports in place, older people are more likely to be able to extend their working lives even if they experience long-term health issues. This urgency has been heightened by the Covid-19 pandemic as both older workers and their employers reassess health needs and risks associated with older age, and consider alternative forms of working. We know that the nature and quality of people's work influences their health and that, conversely, people's state of health influences their ability to work. What is less well-understood is how the relationship between work and health changes over time as people grow older. The experiences and needs of older workers have tended to be overlooked in previous research about work and health. When older workers have been considered, not enough attention has been paid to inequalities between different groups. We know little about how older workers' health and well-being is influenced by factors such as gender, ethnicity, social class, occupation, type of employment, and unpaid caring roles. Moreover, some aspects of health and wellbeing that particularly affect older workers, such as menopause, dementia, and financial stability, are especially hidden. Aim and objectives: Building upon existing research, this project will work with employers, older workers (including self-employed) and a range of stakeholders to deepen understanding of the ways in which physical, mental and financial well-being interact with workplace culture and supports to constrain or enable opportunities for productive later-life employment. These findings will be used to co-design a suite of innovative products and data-driven interventions to improve the health, well-being and financial stability of older workers. Our co-designed outputs will provide businesses and social enterprises with fit-for-purpose and scalable products, services and business models, which support people as they age. Potential application and benefits: The potential impact will be significant - encouraging increased industry investment in healthy ageing at work so that people can remain active, productive, independent and socially connected across generations for as long as possible, thereby contributing to the Healthy Ageing Challenge mission of ensuring that 'people can enjoy at least five extra healthy, independent years of life by 2035', whilst also supporting the UK policy goal of extending working life beyond traditional retirement ages. Better support for older workers will allow employers to retain experienced staff and avoid the costs of replacing them. The translation and adoption of interventions within the workplace will help to increase productivity, build resilience and sustainability within the ageing workforce, and create new market opportunities to promote economic growth.

Research activity codes: 1.2 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC PROCESSES
Health categories: GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE