Human-centered digitalized jobs including demands on and possibilities of learning for the elderly

Status:

ongoing

Aims:

The project intends to describe the job demands of new kinds of organization in interlinked digitalized work as they are perceived by employees of different ages, in comparison with the characteristics of human-centered work design (DIN EN ISO 6385). These demands are of interest as they are, and as they are desired by employees.

Activities/Methods:

The methods of the investigation and the contents of the questionnaires and workshops applied are based on an analysis of international research reports as to the characteristics of human-centered work, the demands of flexible, interlinked, digitalized work, the characteristics of performance and learning of elderly employees, as well as the characteristics of learning by doing, and its prerequisite i.e. the job design promoting learning. The selected, evaluated questionnaires were applied online (n₁ = 268); n₂ = 23 employees participated in the workshops. The random sample of employees in different German administrative offices offers statistically valid results.

Results:

Essential results are:

• Well-based results of research in human aging proved: Effective learning even of elderly employees is possible on condition of mentally demanding long-term job requirements, and the rejection of the myths of fateful age-induced deficits in performance and learning.
• Interlinked and flexibly organized digitalized work increases in the analyzed civil services. In cases of deficient design of the jobs, time pressure (because of missing ergonomically based time allowed), information overload, and deficits in work-life-balance are complained.
• Learning on the job (learning by doing) with or without digital demands and digital assistance is the main kind of lifelong learning. This kind of learning shows clear qualitative shortfalls in the analyzed organizations in comparison to the international state of knowledge: These are shortfalls as to the combination of participative, preventive, condition-centered job design promoting learning and health, with the qualification of managers as to the manifold possibilities to improve learning on the job, simultaneously promoting work-dependent health. Useful legally claimed prerequisites do exist (Risk Assessment).

Continuing this project will develop, evaluate and launch a viable and transferable generic method of learning on the job – based on a solid approach of life-long learning especially in human-centered information-processing jobs – even for the elderly.

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