Glossary
- Age management
refers to the various dimensions by which human resources are managed within organisations with an explicit focus on ageing and, also, more generally, to the overall management of the workforce ageing via public policy or collective bargaining. (Source)
Essential principles of include:
- An emphasis on prevention rather than reactive problem solving;
- A focus on the whole working life and all age groups, not just older workers; and
- A holistic approach encompassing all dimensions that contributes to effective .
- Age Profiling
(or: age structure analysis) is used to analyse the age structure of an organisation in the present and in the future. The results must be interpreted in connection with the work and its demands as well as the HR policy and planning in the organisation. (Source)
- Annualised hours
Annualisation or schemes allow workers’ working time (and pay) to be calculated and scheduled over a period of a year. They are a means of achieving working time flexibility. (Source)
- Chronic diseases
Most in Europe are non-communicable diseases, which are diseases that are non-infectious and non-transmittable among people. They are of long duration and generally of slow progression. The four main types of non-communicable diseases are cardiovascular diseases (e.g. heart attacks), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (e.g. asthma) and diabetes. (Source)
- Chronological ageis the age of a person measured in units (usually years) from birth to a given date.
- Disability
A disabled worker is a worker with physical or mental impairments that may hamper the work performance. Disabled workers include people with chronic, long-term or progressive conditions. (Source)
- Employability
can be defined as ‘the quality of being employable’ or the ‘combination of factors permitting access to work, to maintain it and to progress in one’s career’.
- Environmental factorsare elements from the daily life and working life that can have positive or negative impacts on the overall health of workers. Examples of negative elements include chemical factors (e.g. hazardous fumes or gases), physical factors (e.g. noise or vibrations), biological factors (e.g. bacterial, virus and funghi) or psychosocial factors (e.g. work-life balance).
- Flexible retirement
means giving workers more choice in their retirement decisions. This may include modifying incentives to retire later, or by allowing workers to receive a part of their pension benefits while continuing to work at reduced hours. (Source)
- Flexible work
enables both individual and organisation needs to be met through making changes to the time (when), location (where) and manner (how) in which an employee works. (Source)
- Functional agerefers to a person’s functional fitness level, compared to others of his/her same and sex.
- Job sharing
This is an employment relationship in which one employer hires two (or more) workers to fill a single full-time position. It is a form of part-time work that ensures the shared job is permanently staffed. (Source)
- Lifelong learning
concerns all learning activities undertaken throughout life, aiming to improve skills, knowledge and competences. It is a broad concept involving an individual’s education that is flexible, diverse and available at different times and places throughout life. Lifelong Learning encompasses the whole spectrum of formal, non-formal and informal learning. (Source)
- Median age
The age that divides a population into two numerically equal groups; that is, half the people are younger than this age and half are older. (Source)
- Medical rehabilitationaims at restoring the functional or mental ability and quality of life of people with physical or mental impairments or disabilities.
- Mental health
is a state of well-being in which an individual can realise his/her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his/her community. (Source)
- Musculoskeletal disorders
Work-related (MSDs) refer to health problems affecting the muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, the vascular system, nerves or other soft tissues and joints of the musculoskeletal system. Work-related MSDs are associated with repetitive and strenuous work. These health problems range from discomfort, minor aches and pains, to more serious medical conditions which can lead to permanent . (Source)
- Occupational hazard
An is a source, situation, or act with a potential for harm in terms of human injury or ill health, or a combination of these. (Source)
- Physiological agePhysiological (or biological) age is a measure of how well or poorly the body is functioning relative to the .
- PPE
, which stands for Personal Protective Equipment means all equipment designed to be worn or held by the worker (clothing, helmets, goggles) to protect him/her against one or more hazards likely to endanger the worker’s safety and health at work, and any addition or accessory designed to meet this objective. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, electrical, heat, chemicals, biohazards, and airborne particulate matter. must be used when the risks cannot be avoided or sufficiently reduced by technical means of collective protection or procedures of work organisation. (Source)
- Psychological ageis how old one feels, acts and behaves. It is subjective and based on a person’s self-assessment.
- Psychosocial risks
are those aspects of work design and the organisation and management of work, and their social and environmental context, which may have the potential to cause psychological or physical harm. Issues such as , workplace violence and harassment are linked to psychosocial risks. (Source)
- Rehabilitationis a process aimed at enabling people to reach and maintain their optimal physical, sensory, intellectual, psychological and social functional levels.
- Return-to-workis a concept encompassing all procedures and initiatives aiming at facilitating the workplace reintegration of persons who experience a reduction in work capacity or capability, whether due to invalidity, illness or ageing.
- Risk assessment
is a step in the OSH risk management process that allows identifying potential risks and hazards that workers may be exposed to and deciding on protective and preventive measures that are necessary to be implemented. It is a dynamic process that allows organisations to put in place a proactive policy for managing occupational risks. (Source)
- Sedentary workrefers to jobs that are characterised by minimal movement and low energy expenditure. often requires the worker to sit down for a long period of time.
- Social agereflects cultural and societal expectations of how people should act at a certain age. It is an estimate of a person's capabilities in social situations that are relative to normal standards.
- Sustainable work
over the life course means that working and living conditions are such that they support people in engaging and remaining in work throughout an extended working life. These conditions enable a fit between work and the characteristics or circumstances of the individual throughout their changing life, and must be developed through policies and practices at work and outside work. (Source)
- Vocational rehabilitationVocational (or occupational) aims at enabling people with physical or mental impairments or disabilities to overcome barriers to accessing, maintaining or returning to employment or another useful occupation.
- Work ability
can be described as the balance between the resources of the individual and work related factors. is also influenced by the environment outside of work. Personal resources include the following elements: (1) health and functional capacities; (2) competences and skills; (3) values, attitudes and motivation. Work related factors comprise work content, work environment, work organisation and leadership. (Source)
- Work-related stress
People experience stress at work when they perceive that there is an imbalance between the demands made of them by their work and the physical and mental resources they have available to cope with those demands. (Source)
- Workplace health promotion
is the combined efforts of employers, employees and society to improve the health and well-being of people at work. This can be achieved through a combination of (1) improving the work organisation and the working environment; (2) promoting active participation; and (3) encouraging personal development. (Source)