REVIEW PAPER
Workplace health promotion as a tool for reducing
the consequences of ageing of the working population
More details
Hide details
1
Instytut Medycyny Pracy im. prof. J. Nofera / Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Łódź, Poland
(Krajowe Centrum Promocji Zdrowia w Miejscu Pracy / National Centre for Workplace Health Promotion)
Online publication date: 2019-08-08
Corresponding author
Eliza Goszczyńska
Instytut Medycyny Pracy im. prof. J. Nofera,
Krajowe Centrum Promocji Zdrowia w Miejscu Pracy, ul. św. Teresy 8, 91-348 Łódź
Med Pr Work Health Saf. 2019;70(5):617-31
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
A significant intensification of the ageing process in Poland, projected for the upcoming years, will have serious socioeconomic
consequences. This demographic process at the macro level will result in lower contributions to the state budget (due to decreased
workforce) and higher public expenses (on pensions, healthcare and long-term care). Implications at the meso (workplace) level
will include the diminishing and ageing of workforce, which will then cause troubles in recruitment. Decreased ageing personnel’s
productivity due to absence and presenteeism is also probable. One way of coping with such challenges by the state is to support
social and occupational activity of the society. One of the tools to be employed within such a policy is workplace health promotion
(WHP). In literature there are no thorough elaborations summarizing WHP advantages in this field. The aim of this paper
is to outline the scientific evidence of WHP effectiveness in counteracting/reducing the consequences of the ageing process (the
shrinking workforce and the declining productivity of the ageing personnel, associated with absence/presenteeism). A narrative
literature review was conducted (Polish and English publications identified in the EBSCO/PubMed databases, using the Google
engine and a snowball method). The potential of WHP stems from its effectiveness in enhancing employees’ health/preventing
health problems. A good health condition reduces the shrinking of workforce via sustaining workability/occupational activity.
It also mitigates the impact of absence and/or presenteeism. Health problems have the opposite effect. Although the analysis of
the WHP effectiveness in strengthening workability, extending occupational activity, reducing absence/presenteeism/related loss
of productivity belongs to poorly developed scientific areas, the systematic literature reviews that have been gathered reflect the
WHP potential in these fields. Med Pr. 2019;70(5):617–31