Pilot Study on Workability

Professor Philip Taylor Christopher McLoughlin Older Workers and Workability Melbourne 12-13 December 2011

Todays presentation
Background on our research and the concept work ability Describe our current research activities Preview upcoming developments in work ability research.

Section 1: Background

Work ability: Development

Work ability is an indication of how well a persons health, skills and experience match the demands of their job. Developed by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health 30 year longitudinal study Work Ability Index (WAI) Framework for PWA International Symposia Evolving theoretical model

The Work Ability Index (WAI)

Work ability was first used in the early 1980s, the WAI following shortly after Primary tool for the Finnish longitudinal study Identified factors associated with work ability Formed the basis for activities to promote individuals work ability Facilitated development of new ways of thinking about work ability

The Work Ability Index: 7 Items

1. Current work ability compared to lifetime best 2. Work ability in relation to the demands of job (two items) 3. Number of diseases diagnosed by a physician (14 disease categories) 4. Estimated work impairment due to disease 5. Sick leave during the past year 6. Own prognosis of work ability two years from now 7. Mental resources (3 items)

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WAI score by age Finnish longitudinal study

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The holistic model of work ability

Redesigning Work for an Ageing Society

Australian Research Council funded project Mixed method approach including large employee survey (n 1700) Employed or modified items from: WAI Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire European Foundation survey on working conditions Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia

Unexpected results obtained for the WAI

WAI scores: Australia and Finland

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Drawing on three Australian studies conducted between 2005 and 2009, we found poor discrimination among participants using the WAI a trend that is similar to Finnish longitudinal data.

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Limitations of the WAI: So what?

Psychometric considerations Poor discrimination between participants means: 1. interventions are difficult to evaluate and 2. screening suffers high false negative classification Highly skewed data limits multivariate analysis Theoretical considerations Measuring an evolving construct using a static measure? Face validity cannot be clearly asserted Work ability has implications beyond retirement intentions

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Section 2: Current Activities

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The Work Ability Survey (WAS)

Two factors motivated the development of a new measure of work ability: 1. Advancement of the holistic model of work ability by FIOH 2. Discerning of the limitations of the WAI Constructed using structural equation modelling techniques and data from Redesigning work for an ageing society ARC project Drawing on existing measures contained in the questionnaire, including the WAI 58 items organised into two components: 1. Organisational capacity 2. Personal Capacity
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WAS characteristics
The WAS demonstrated improved predictive validity compared to the WAI (shown in table below) Business is engaged by personal/organisational dichotomy Case and intervention studies across 4 organisations Clear delineation and measurement of underlying factors Relative importance of underlying factors assessable
Variance in outcome variables explained (R2) WAS Job Satisfaction Personally meaningful work Number of health problems due to work 31% 24% 20% WAI 6% 5% 19%
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WAS cluster

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WAS: Advantages
Psychometric considerations Improved discrimination allows the investigation of intervention effects across the work ability continuum Normally distributed scale scores are suitable for robust multivariate analysis Theoretical considerations Measure based current conceptualisations of work ability Face validity can be asserted and assessed by researchers Reflects the change in the use of the work ability concept beyond a predictor of retirement intentions

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WAS: Limitations
With 58 items, the measure is currently not suitable for screening Limited coverage of conceptual elements of work ability Developed using non-representative data Indications of model misspecification confounded by item response categories

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Section 3: Preview

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Work Ability Survey Revised (WAS-R)

Monash University, Sydney University, Swinburne University and Safe Work Australia Nationally representative sample of workers (n 3200) Methodologically sound approach to scale development Improved coverage of operationalisable elements of the conceptual model Current status: Data collection completed Assessing problems in patterns of responses Completing modelling analyses

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Theoretical model
Emotional Demands Physical Demands Work Demands Cognitive Demands Role Complexity Pace of Work Communication Supervisor Everyday Discrimination Workplace Environment Work ability Organisational Capacity Respect Collegiality Training Control Physical Health Psychological Well-Being Work/Life Balance Work Schedule Personal Capacity Competence Work Benefits Job Insecurity Financial Precarity Social Support Leisure Activities 21 Work Methods Skill Usage Work Time Switching off Work/Home Home/Work Intrinsic Benefits Extrinsic Benefits Competence Career Support Consultation

194 Personal Capacity M 193 192 191 190 189 188 187 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54 55 - 64 65 and older

Personal capacity scores were lowest for respondents in the youngest age groups and peaked with respondents of prime working age. Respondents aged 25 to 54 reported average personal capacity scores that were higher than the youngest age group at a statistically significant level.
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156 Organisational Capacity M 154 152 150 148 146 144 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54 55 - 64 65 and older

Respondents aged between 55 and 64 years of age recorded the highest (statistically stable) organisational capacity score. The mean difference was statistically significant.

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Work Ability Survey Revised (WAS-R)

Next steps: Complete modelling process Delve into; industry, sectorial, occupational, organisation type, gender, age, socio-economic position and work ability Future directions Benchmark WAS-R scores for Australian workers Extend project through longitudinal design Refine measure responding to data and method advances Track changes in work ability over time and developing international comparison data

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Thank you
Professor Philip Taylor philip.taylor@monash.edu

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