Costa Giovanni, Di Milia Lee
Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Milano, IRCCS Maggiore Hospital, Mangiagalli and Regina Elena Foundation, Milano, Italy.
Chronobiol Int. 2008 Apr;25(2):165-81. doi: 10.1080/07420520802103410.
The baby boomer generation is well into the 50+ age bracket, making it one of the largest demographic age cohorts. Whereas this cohort would have previously considered retirement, the evidence suggests that it will remain in the workforce for a longer period in response to a number of social and economic drivers. Mandatory retirement has either been abolished or is under consideration. An increased and healthier life expectancy means that people may work longer for financial and/or psychological reasons. In addition, a global shortage of skilled labor will result in efforts to keep employees in the workplace for longer periods. These trends have a number of implications for working time. What are the health implications of an aging workforce? How do we sustain good work ability into the latter years? What do we know about aging and shift work? What actions are required in the workplace to assist aging workers? This paper is not a comprehensive review of the literature but serves to highlight the complexities in understanding the relationship between shift work and aging. We discuss aging and human function and, in particular, the impact of aging on the circadian system. In addition, we outline new policy directions in this area and raise several suggestions to assist the well-being of aging workers.
婴儿潮一代已步入50岁以上的年龄段，成为最大的人口年龄群体之一。以往这个群体可能会考虑退休，但有证据表明，由于一些社会和经济驱动因素，他们将在劳动力市场停留更长时间。强制退休要么已被废除，要么正在被考虑废除。预期寿命的增加和健康状况的改善意味着人们可能出于经济和/或心理原因工作更长时间。此外，全球熟练劳动力短缺将促使企业努力让员工在职时间更长。这些趋势对工作时间有诸多影响。老龄化劳动力对健康有哪些影响？我们如何在后半生保持良好的工作能力？我们对衰老和轮班工作了解多少？工作场所需要采取哪些行动来帮助老年员工？本文并非对文献的全面综述，而是旨在突出理解轮班工作与衰老之间关系的复杂性。我们讨论衰老与人体功能，特别是衰老对昼夜节律系统的影响。此外，我们概述了该领域的新政策方向，并提出了一些有助于老年员工福祉的建议。
