Shorter spells of night work, more time to recover between shifts, and increased individual work-time control. These are some of the recommendations from an extensive Nordic research project funded by NordForsk.
Social conditions, such as income, employment and family resources, matter for health, and health matters for participation in society, employment and economic well-being. These associations are well known.
The Nordic Centre of Excellence (NCoE) Beyond the gender paradox focuses on exploring women's careers in technology-driven work environments, and conducts both action(-for change), solution-focused research and development research in these contexts. It has four main research pillars, investigating these both inside and outside of academe in a cross-sectoral, comparative manner: regional knowledge and innovation systems; knowledge and innovation systems in research-intensive environments; e-health; and Digital Humanities (in the academy and in the gaming industry).
Prolongation of work careers and increasing participation in work are set as national goals in the Nordic countries. Work environment is known to play an important role in return to work after long-term sickness absence and may affect the timing of retirement transition.
The workplace, along with the school, primary care and hospital, has been established as one of the priority settings for health promotion. Work-related factors may influence the health of employees in various ways and, in the long run, contribute to healthy ageing.
Nordic countries share similar working life structures and basis for working hour regulations. The overall aim of the project is to develop evidence-based models and solutions related to working hours to support health, well-being and work participation among employees in the Nordic countries.
