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To examine the spillover and crossover effects of working time demands (specifically, work contact in leisure time, evening work, and long work hours) on satisfaction with work–life balance among dual-earner couples, path analyses were conducted using data from the 2017/2018 German Family Panel (pairfam; N  = 1,053 dual-earner couples). Working time demands were measured based on (a) answering work emails/phone calls in leisure time, (b) evening work, and (c) weekly work hours. High working time demands impaired workers’ work–life balance satisfaction due to higher levels of work–life conflict. They indirectly affected partners’ work–life balance satisfaction through two pathways: (a) workers’ and partners’ work–life conflict and (b) workers’ work–life conflict and work–life balance satisfaction. These findings indicate that high working time demands negatively impact the work–life balance satisfaction of workers and their partners because of work–life conflict experienced either by the workers only or by both partners. In an increasingly digitalized labor market, measures are needed to reduce working time demands—and thus work–life conflict—for workers and their partners.

Abstract Most developed countries face an ageing workforce. Extended working lives require organizations to employ older individuals successfully. It is, however, widely untapped, which organizational practices drive successful employment of an older and age-diverse workforce, because adequate measure are missing. We hence develop the Later Life Work Index (LLWI) as a multi-faceted measure for researchers and practitioners, combining the detailed level of assessment relevant in practice with thorough conceptual coverage. We build on an empirically derived taxonomy of organizational practices developed by Wöhrmann et al. (2018). Proposed taxonomy is based on qualitative expert interviews and consists of nine dimensions covering age-inclusive organizational climate and leadership, as well as practices regarding work design, health management, individual development, knowledge management, transition to retirement, continued employment options, and health and retirement coverage. Within a first study, we developed an inventory to operationalize the intentionally broad LLWI construct. Items were iteratively developed and pretested with 30-42 German human resource managers. The final inventory consists of 100 Likert scaled, sufficiently reliable items. Within a second study among 600 managers and older workers in Germany, we confirmed the factor structure proposed by the LLWI, and ensured construct validity regarding similar scales (convergent validity) and individual level health and motivation outcomes (criterion validity). Discriminant validity is shown among the index dimensions, and regarding positive and negative affect. This paper enhances the understanding and quantitative assessment of organizational practices for later life work. We further plan to reduce the number of items to increase practicability of the measure.

Workers with flexible work designs (FWDs) face specific challenges, such as difficulties in detaching from work, setting boundaries between work and private life, and recovering from work. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an intervention in improving the recovery, work-life balance, and well-being of workers with FWDs compared with a waitlist control group. It also compares the effectiveness of a web-based training format and blended training format. In the web-based training format, participants individually completed 6 web-based modules and daily tasks over 6 weeks, learning self-regulation strategies to meet the particular challenges of FWDs. In the blended training format, participants attended 3 group sessions in addition to completing the 6 web-based modules. In a randomized controlled trial, participants were assigned to a web-based intervention group (196/575, 34.1%), blended intervention group (198/575, 34.4%), or waitlist control group (181/575, 31.5%). Study participants self-assessed their levels of primary outcomes (psychological detachment, satisfaction with work-life balance, and well-being) before the intervention, after the intervention, at a 4-week follow-up, and at a 6-month follow-up. The final sample included 373 participants (web-based intervention group: n=107, 28.7%; blended intervention group: n=129, 34.6%; and control group: n=137, 36.7%). Compliance was assessed as a secondary outcome. The results of multilevel analyses were in line with our hypothesis that both training formats would improve psychological detachment, satisfaction with work-life balance, and well-being. We expected blended training to reinforce these effects, but blended training participants did not profit more from the intervention than web-based training participants. However, they reported to have had more social exchange, and blended training participants were more likely to adhere to the training. Both web-based and blended training are effective tools for improving the recovery, work-life balance, and well-being of workers with FWDs. Group sessions can increase the likelihood of participants actively participating in web-based modules and exercises. German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00032721; https://drks.de/search/en/trial/DRKS00032721.

Abstract Employment of older individuals becomes more important in demographic change. To identify organizational practices that foster the motivation, health, and performance of older employees in particular, an efficient holistic assessment of relevant organizational factors is needed. The 80-item Later Life Workplace Index (LLWI) provides such a measure for organizational practices for older employees by differentiating nine domains. The LLWI has been applied in emerging research in various research contexts and countries. However, it is quite a lengthy measure. Therefore, this paper describes the development and validation of the LLWI-S, a 29-item short measure covering all nine domains in order to achieve a more efficient instrument. The development of the short version was both, judgemental- and statistics-driven. A focus group consisting of the original LLWI-authors and several international scholars, whose research expertise lies in the field of employment and older employees, has developed the LLWI-S. A German- and an English-language version of the LLWI-S have been validated in Germany and the U.S. Reliability and model fit for the U.S. and the German version as well as multi-group CFA for measurement invariance will be presented. Results show that the measures have good internal reliability and model fit. We provide researchers and practitioners with a validated short measure to efficiently assess all nine relevant organizational domains for older employees. Researchers can utilize the LLWI-S to gain a comprehensive understanding of all relevant areas of organizational influences on later life work, while practitioners are able to assess their organizational readiness for an aging workforce.