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Ouder worden en werk

Het gaat niet alleen om de kalenderleeftijd

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Tijdschrift voor gezondheidswetenschappen Aims and scope

Omdat de beroepsbevolking in veel landen vergrijst en in omvang afneemt is van belang na te gaan hoe langer doorwerken kan worden bevorderd. Daarom vindt onderzoek plaats naar de determinanten van inzetbaarheid en werkbeleving van werknemers van verschillende leeftijd. Dergelijk onderzoek biedt bedrijfsartsen en organisaties handvatten voor het ondersteunen van werknemers uit verschillende leeftijdsgroepen. In de dagelijkse praktijk wordt ouder worden gekoppeld aan de kalenderleeftijd en wordt vooral gelet op de fysieke en mentale gevolgen van biologische veroudering. Uit het literatuuroverzicht dat hier wordt gepresenteerd blijkt dat er meer speelt. Naast biologische effecten zijn ook psychologische, sociale en maatschappelijke veranderingen te onderscheiden die de variatie in gezondheid, inzetbaarheid en werkbeleving tussen jongere en oudere werknemers ten dele kunnen verklaren.

Ageing and work. Beyond calendar age Because workforces are aging and decreasing in many countries it is important to remain as much employees in the workforce as possible. Therefore, numerous studies focus on determinants of employability and the perception of work in order to give handle to occupational physicians and HRM managers to support employees of different age groups. It is questionable whether calendar age in itself is liable for the differences found. Four underlying causal changes related to ageing have been distinguished in the literature: biological, psychological, social and societal changes across time. Each of these changes refers to various variables, which may be of interest in explaining differences in health, employability and work perception. Examples are physical and mental effects of ageing (biological), the influence of life time perspective on work attitudes (psychological) and (stereotypical) opinions of employers and colleagues regarding older workers (social). On the basis of available literature it is very likely that differences between workers from various ages are not only associated with biological aging. Older people often have a different job level and responsibilities at work and they have a different approach to life, which may contribute to differences in employability and work perception too.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Afdeling Eerstelijnsgeneeskunde, UMC St. Radboud, 6500, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Judith T. Bos, Nathalie C. G. M. Donders &  Joost W. J. van der Gulden

  2. Arbo- en Milieu Dienst, Radboud Universiteit, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Joost W. J. van der Gulden

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  1. Judith T. Bos
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  2. Nathalie C. G. M. Donders
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  3. Joost W. J. van der Gulden
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Bos, J.T., Donders, N.C.G.M. & van der Gulden, J.W.J. Ouder worden en werk. Tijds. gezondheids.wetenschappen 89, 309–312 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12508-011-0103-4

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