Considerations for physical employment standards in the aging workforce.

BACKGROUND: If current population and health trends continue, workplace demographics will look significantly different by the turn of the century. Organizations will no longer have a steady pipeline of younger workers and will likely need to rely on older workers to remain competitive in the global marketplace. The future multi-generational workforce will bring with it the challenge of maximizing contributions from each generation whilst at the same time addressing the health, safety and wellbeing needs of all workers. OBJECTIVE: This review provides an insight into aging and older workers, and presents recommendations to promote worker longevity. METHODS: This narrative review draws on evidence from 108 published sources. RESULTS: The relationship between age and work is not simple; factors including the physical nature of the job and worker's health and fitness interact with age to either increase or decrease the potential effect of age. Evidence suggests that the issues arising from an aging workforce can be managed through polices that focus on active aging through: attitude management; flexible working and the provision of occupational health. CONCLUSION: The integration of such interventions would require company and organizational commitment from the top down with educational programs at all levels to ensure understanding and participation.

Perception and predictability of travel fatigue after long-haul flights: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The impact of travel fatigue and jet lag varies between individuals and may significantly affect the ability of some to perform their occupational role following a transmeridian flight. It would be advantageous in an occupational setting to be able to predict prior to travel those who may suffer most. METHODS: A Traveler Profile Questionnaire was developed to assess the perceived severity of travel fatigue in 100 subjects making transmeridian flights. RESULTS: The questionnaire provided an internally consistent measure of fatigue and confirmed that subjects experienced greater symptoms of travel fatigue following east/west flights when compared with north/south. Easterly travel was rated marginally worse than travel in a westerly direction. The respondents scores as measured by the Circadian Type Inventory (Folkard 1987) and Composite Morningness Questionnaire (Smith 1989) were used to identify whether such tools could be used as indicators of susceptibility to the effects of travel fatigue. After allowing for a gender difference, increased rigidity in sleeping habits as shown by a decrease in the Flexibility/Rigidity score on the Circadian Type Inventory was associated with an increase in the composite 'severity' score for travel fatigue derived from ratings of specific physiological symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The Traveler Profile Questionnaire, while internally consistent was nonetheless insufficient to be used in a predictive capacity to identify those individuals who would suffer most from the effects of travel fatigue.