Fritzsche Lars, Wegge Jürgen, Schmauder Martin, Kliegel Matthias, Schmidt Klaus-Helmut
a Department of Ergonomics , imk automotive GmbH , Annaberger Str. 73, 09111 Chemnitz , Germany.
Ergonomics. 2014;57(2):148-61. doi: 10.1080/00140139.2013.875597. Epub 2014 Jan 15.
Prior research suggests that ergonomics work design and mixed teams (in age and gender) may compensate declines in certain abilities of ageing employees. This study investigates simultaneous effects of both team level factors on absenteeism and performance (error rates) over one year in a sample of 56 car assembly teams (N = 623). Results show that age was related to prolonged absenteeism and more mistakes in work planning, but not to overall performance. In comparison, high-physical workload was strongly associated with longer absenteeism and increased error rates. Furthermore, controlling for physical workload, age diversity was related to shorter absenteeism, and the presence of females in the team was associated with shorter absenteeism and better performance. In summary, this study suggests that both ergonomics work design and mixed team composition may compensate age-related productivity risks in manufacturing by maintaining the work ability of older employees and improving job quality.
先前的研究表明，工效学工作设计和（年龄及性别方面的）混合团队可能会弥补老年员工某些能力的下降。本研究调查了这两个团队层面因素对56个汽车装配团队（N = 623）一年内旷工率和绩效（错误率）的同时影响。结果显示，年龄与旷工时间延长以及工作规划中更多错误相关，但与整体绩效无关。相比之下，高强度体力工作负荷与更长的旷工时间和更高的错误率密切相关。此外，在控制了体力工作负荷后，年龄多样性与较短的旷工时间相关，团队中有女性与较短的旷工时间和更好的绩效相关。总之，本研究表明，工效学工作设计和混合团队构成都可能通过维持老年员工的工作能力和提高工作质量来弥补制造业中与年龄相关的生产力风险。
