CDPC | CEDC
CDPC | CEDC

Working Later in Life? A Question of Balance

Published

May 15, 2024

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Can work/life balance practices that are sensitive to diversity promote career extension?

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed a trend – which has been in place for several years – concerning the difficulty faced by many work environments to attract and retain employees. This is particularly true for sectors that are already experiencing staff shortages, such as the healthcare sector. In this context, how can CDPs and organizations encourage employee retention?

This study examined organizational practices in the healthcare sector, one of the most challenged sectors in terms of work-life balance, in an attempt to identify the ones that nurses and rehabilitation professionals find most interesting. The authors explored this issue through the following hypotheses:

  • Healthcare professionals’ preferences in terms of work/life balance vary throughout their life in relation to their age and their gender.
  • Work/life balance practices that take this diversity into account tend to encourage longer working lives.

Lazzari Dodeler and Tremblay based their study on a sample of 18 nurses and 12 rehabilitation professionals of varying ages, working from several organizations in the healthcare sector. A variety of organizational practices thought to have an impact on job retention of healthcare professionals through a better work-life balance were identified by the authors:

  • Phased retirement
  • Retirement combined with part-time employment
  • Flexible working hours
  • Workweek reduced to 4 days
  • Workweek compressed to 4 days
  • Voluntary part-time work
  • Internal mobility
  • Mentoring
  • Providing training
  • Participative management

Among these practices, Lazzari Dodeler and Tremblay note that voluntary part-time work is particularly attractive to mothers and that a measure such as phased retirement is viewed favorably by nurses.

Why aren’t different life paths considered more often when it comes to work/life balance? It may be that the beliefs about career underpinning organizational decision-making does not always consider the diversity of career paths. The traditional career model is based on male trajectories and linear career paths. However, the acceptance of this model has been declining as we increasingly observe life courses marked by career renewal among people approaching retirement age. The authors also note that the interdependence between the familial and professional spheres seems to be less important among men than among women, implying the existence of differentiated needs in terms of work/life balance.

What can we learn from this study?

  • At the theoretical level, it seems appropriate to rethink career development theory to consider age and gender diversity.
  • At the practical level, it is important to encourage organizations to put in place reconciliation measures that consider different forms of diversity simultaneously. This fosters work/life balance opportunities that truly meet people’s needs according to the characteristics of their life course.

Research / Original Citation

Lazzari Dodeler, N. & Tremblay, D. (2014). Travailler plus longtemps? Les pratiques de conciliation-emploi-famille/vie personnelle dans la perspective d’une diversité de parcours de vie. Question(s) de management, 6, 91-110. https://doi.org/10.3917/qdm.142.0091

The results presented in this study include certain limitations raised by the authors, notably the fact that the sample is small and composed of few men, particularly in certain age categories, which makes it difficult to generalize the results. The authors also point out that there are other types of diversity that were not included in this study, such as ethno-cultural or ability diversity.

Fun Facts

This blog article (in French only) published by the Institut de recherche et d’informations socioéconomiques (IRIS), continues the discussion on retention on the workforce of people near retirement age. Milène Lokrou, PhD student at Laval University, explores this phenomenon, which is not entirely recent, nor exclusive to Quebec and Canada. The flip side of career renewal or extension is also questioned. Although this phenomenon can be seen as a way of combating ageism by enabling professionals to flourish under working conditions that suit them, the possibility of working longer can also become a constraining social pressure for people approaching the end of their careers.

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More and more experienced workers want (or need) to extend their careers. However, the job market doesn’t always provide them with the accommodations they need to stay with or return to work. What do you think are the best strategies for supporting these experienced workers?

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