A question of support: working longer and what works

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To what extent do our working conditions affect our decisions about whether or not to continue in a job despite having a chronic disease? In the latest ICLS WorkLife blog, Maria Fleischmann, Research Associate in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, has been asking what might help to prolong working life for older people. Could factors such as having supportive colleagues and managers, or a clear understanding of who does what, make a difference?

Maria explains how she and colleagues used data from the Whitehall II study, to see how factors such as levels of autonomy and of support from supervisors or co-workers might affect their decisions if they became ill with diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke or malignant cancer. 

The research, part of UCL's  RenewL project looking at extended working lives, showed that while good 'psycho-social' working conditions were helpful generally in supporting workers to stay on in their jobs, they didn't appear to make any extra difference for those who became ill. 

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