Technology in the Workplace: Implications for Older Workers

1
Technology in the Workplace Implications for
Older Workers

• Sara J. Czaja
• Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
• University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
• Center for Research on Aging and Technology
  Enhancement

Aging by Design Bentley College October 17 18
2005
2
Acknowledgements

• National Institute on Aging/National Institutes
  of Health
• Collaborators
• Joseph Sharit
• Sankaran Nair
• Chin Chin Lee
• Mario Hernandez
• Trinidad Arguelles

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Overview of Presentation

• Review of recent demographic trends related to
  aging and work
• Review existing data on aging and work
  performance
• Discuss the potential implications of workplace
  technologies for older workers
• Outline areas of needed research

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Percentage of the Labor Force Age 55, 1950-2025
Source BLS, 2001
5
Labor Force Participation Rates for Older
Workers, by Sex, 1948-2015
Source BLS 2001
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Factors Influencing Trends in Aging Work and
Retirement

• Aging of the baby boomers
• Changes in retirement policies and legislation
  (Social Security Act Age Discrimination in
  Employment Act The American with Disabilities
  Act)
• Slowed growth in the number of younger workers
• Declines in pension benefits and retiree health
  care coverage
• Changes in preferences/perceptions of older
  workers

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Accommodating an Aging Work Force Requires
Understanding

• The characteristics of the older work force
• The potential implications of aging for work
• The characteristics of existing jobs and work
  environments

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Who are the Elderly?

• The elderly as a group are healthier, more
  diverse and better educated than previous
  generations
• Percentage of older adults (65) with a high
  school degree and higher education is increasing.

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Who are the Elderly ?

• The older population is becoming more ethnically
  diverse.
• Number of older people reporting good health and
  physical functioning is increasing.
• However the likelihood of developing a chronic
  condition or functional impairment increases with
  age.

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Chronic Illness and the U.S. Population
Male
Female
Source Trend watch Chronic illness and the
aging U.S. population, Clinical Geriatrics, 7(7),
1999.
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Age-related Changes in Abilities that have
Relevance to Work

• Slower response times
• Movement control limitations
• Declines in vision and audition
• Declines in attention
• Declines in working memory
• Difficulty multi- tasking

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Potential Implications of Aging for Work
Activities
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Some Caveats . . .

• Aging is associated with substantial variability
  and older adults as a group are very
  heterogeneous.
• Older workers and retirees in their midcourse
  years (50s, 60s, and early 70s) are typically
  different from those in their late 70s, 80s,
  90s.
• Predictions about a persons ability to learn a
  new skill or perform a job should be based on
  abilities relative to demands as opposed to
  chronological age.

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Aging and Work Performance

• Data on aging and actual work performance is
  limited especially for technology-based jobs.
• Many of the available studies on aging and work
  involve small samples, restricted age ranges or
  cross-sectional study designs.
• Overall, there is little evidence to suggest that
  overall productivity declines with age.

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Aging and Work Performance

• Relationship between aging and productivity
  depends on the type of performance measure, type
  of job, job experience, and training.
• Older workers tend to have lower accident rates
  than younger workers however, if injured they
  tend to have longer recovery times.
• Older workers have lower absenteeism and turnover
  rates than younger people.

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Characteristics of Existing Work Environments
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Technology and Work

• In 2001, 72.3 million workers (53.5) used a
  computer at work.
• Computer occupations will account for 8 out the
  20 fastest growing jobs.
• Use of technology is becoming more prevalent
  across most occupations (e.g., managerial and
  professional workers, sales, administrative
  support personnel, customer service
  representatives).
• The incidence of telecommuting is increasing. In
  2000, 44 million workers in the United States
  engaged in some form of telecommuting.

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Use Computer, Internet / E-Mail at Work, as a
Percent of Employed Persons Age 25
Source NTIA and ESA, U.S. Department of
Commerce, using U.S. Census Bureau Current
Population Survey Supplements
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Potential Implications of Technology for an Aging
Work Force

• Negative Implications
• Technology-based tasks place a greater emphasis
  on cognitive abilities.
• Advances in technology imply that workers need to
  learn new skills and to interact with new
  systems.
• Current job skills and knowledge become obsolete.
• Usability problems create barriers to access.

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Cognitive Abilities Important to Performance of
Technology-Based Tasks
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Potential Implications of Technology for an Aging
Work Force

• Positive Implications
• Technology reduces the physical demands of jobs.
• Technology makes work at home and flexible work
  schedules and arrangements more likely options.
• Adaptive technologies may make work more viable
  for older people.
• Technology such as multi-media systems may be
  effective learning tools for older adults.

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Examples of Adaptive Technologies by Disability
Type
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Critical Question

• Given age-related changes in abilities and cohort
  differences in exposure to technology, will older
  adults be able to successfully adapt to the new
  technology-based work environment?

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Older Adults and Attitudes Towards Computer
Technology

• In general, findings indicate that older adults
  have positive attitudes towards computers.
• Older people generally report less comfort with
  computers and less computer confidence than
  younger people.
• Experience with computers generally result in
  more positive attitudes.

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Comfort and Efficacy by Age Group
Source Czaja, S. J. Sharit, J. (1998). Age
Differences in Attitudes Toward Computers.
Journal of Gerontology Psychological Sciences,
53B, 329-340.
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Comfort Subscale by Age Group by Time Period
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Use of a Computer at Work by Gender and Age, 2001
Source NTIA and ESA, U.S. Department of
Commerce, using U.S. Census Bureau Current
Population Survey Supplements
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Internet Use by Age by Year
Source UCLA Center for Communication Policy
(February, 2003). The UCLA Internet Report
Surveying the Digital Future Year Three.
Available on-line http//www/digitalcenter.org/pd
f/InternetReportYearThree.pdf.
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Older Adults and Acquisition of Computer Skills

• Older adults are able to learn to use computers
  and other forms of technology.
• Older people may require more practice.
• Older people require more time to learn new
  concepts and procedures.
• Older people may benefit from environmental
  support aids.

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Older People and Computer Task Performance

• Older people are able to successfully interact
  with technology to perform tasks.
• Older people typically take longer time to
  perform basic tasks.
• Older people may use less efficient procedures.

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S. Czaja, J. Sharit, and Colleagues (1998, 1999,
2001, 2002, 2004)

• Examined age performance (20-75 yrs) differences
  on a variety of computer-based tasks including
• Data entry (transportation industry)
• Customer service representative (health insurance
  industry)
• Accounts balancing (banking industry)
• Tele-Commuting (customer service rep.)

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Overall the Data Indicated

• The older adults were willing and able to perform
  the tasks
• The older adults generally achieved lower levels
  of performance
• Performance improved with experience for all age
  groups
• There was substantial variability in performance
  among the older adults
• Prior computer experience and component cognitive
  abilities were important predictors of performance

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Data Entry Task
Information Search and Retrieval Task
Account Balancing Task
Transactions Balanced/Hour
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Number of Inquiries Correctly Navigated
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Intervention for Data Entry Task

• Redesign of Data Entry Forms
• Reorganization of information
• Highlighting of task relevant information
• Redesign of Data Entry Screens
• Reorganization of information to create
  consistent mapping with form
• Unidirectional information flow
• On-screen prompting
• Elimination of irrelevant data fields

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Keystroke Errors Per Trip Record
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Conclusions

• Older adults are willing and able to participate
  in todays work environment.
• There is little evidence to suggest that aging is
  associated with declines in job performance.
• However
• More detailed information is needed on the
  relationship between age-related changes in
  abilities and actual work performance.
• More data is needed on the work performance of
  older adults in actual work settings.

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Conclusions

• More information is need on the role of
  experience and compensatory strategies in work
  performance.
• More detailed information is needed on the work
  preferences of older adults.
• Studies are needed to how job and workplace
  design interventions and adaptive technologies
  can be used to enhance employment for older
  people.
• Studies are needed to identify training
  strategies that are effective for older people
  and how technology can be used as a training
  tool.