Later Life Workplace Index (LLWI)

Within our aging societies later life work is on the rise in most developed countries and organizational practices are important for its successful implementation. The European Commission (2015) projects a 30% increase among European employees aged 55 to 64 between 2013 and 2030. The increase in mainly driven by demographic change, but also by increased labor market participation rates of older employees - including workers in retirement age. This effect is further accelerated by increasing standard retirement ages in many European countries. In parallel, skilled labor force shortages affect key industries, challenging organizations in terms of recruitment, succession planning and knowledge retention. Moreover, later life work has been found to support health and well-being on the individual level (e.g., Behncke, 2012; Dingemans & Henkens, 2015) as well as relieve social systems on the societal level. It is hence in the interest of both, economy and society, to retain the job performance, motivation, and health of older employees.
Organizational HR and management practices have been shown to positively affect successful employment of older employees in many domains (e.g., Kunze, Boehm, & Bruch, 2011). While much research has been carried out on the individual antecedents and preferences for older employees and post-retirement work in recent years (e.g., Fasbender, Deller, Wang, & Wiernik, 2014; Templer, Armstrong-Stassen, & Cattaneo, 2010), it is not yet understood, how successful employment of older employees can be enabled from an organizational perspective perspective (Boehm, Kunze, & Bruch, 2014). Research has revealed many individual levers, e.g. an organizational climate and leadership style supporting older employees, flexible work arrangements, occupational healthcare or a purposeful knowledge transfer (e.g., Kooij, Jansen, Dikkers, & de Lange, 2014). However, organizations still lack a well-founded self-assessment tool to assess their readiness for an aging workforce and to derive possible courses of action (Henkens et al., 2018; Truxillo, Cadiz, & Hammer, 2015). Moreover, it is not yet investigated and understood, which organizational practices drive older employees’ performance, motivation, and health most.
Wöhrmann, Deller and Pundt (2018) hence propose the Later Life Workplace Index (LLWI) to systematically describe successful working conditions for older employees and to compare organizations regarding their practices for an aging workforce. The index aims to serve as a free tool for self-assessment within organizations and benchmarking among peers on industry and regional level.
Partner
Goinger Kreis
The Goinger Kreis is a German forum und think tank of leading business managers and scientists for the future of human resource management and employment. Within its interest group for "employment potentials of older workers" the Goinger Kreis supports the development of an index for successful and sustainable later life work since many years. Further information is available at www.goinger-kreis.de.
Demographie Netzwerk (ddn)
The Demographie Netzwerk (ddn) is networking association of ~400 companies and institutions that aims to actively shape the demographic change within the workforce. The ddn supports the development of the Later Life Workplace Index as a practice-oriented tool allowing companies and organizations to self-assess themselves regarding their capabilities regarding an aging and increasingly age-diverse workforce.
Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA)
The BAuA is a federal institute from the German Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) and conducts scientific research in four divisions: Issues and Programmes, Products and Work Systems, Work and Health, as well as Hazardous Substances and Biological Agents. The BAuA supports the development of the Later Life Workplace Index scientifically and methodologically.
ias Gruppe
The ias Group provides integrated solutions regarding health and performance management in Germany. Over the last 40 years the ias Group has pioneeringly accompanied all changes in the world of work. As one of the leading providers in its industry, it develops prevention-oriented solutions that help to keep managers, employees and whole organizations healthy, productive and successful. The ias Group supports the Leuphana University of Lüneburg in embedding the Later Life Workplace Index and its findings and insights in practice.
Age Smart Employer Award
The Age Smart Employer Award is a culture-change strategy to honor New York City businesses whose practices engage and retain workers of all ages, with a specific focus on older workers. The award was initiated by the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center and The New York Academy of Medicine in 2012 as an extension of the Age Friendly NYC initiative, a public-private partnership to make New York City a better place to grow old. It honors New York City employers whose policies and practices promote generational diversity in the workforces and highlights the positive contributions of older workers.