WorkingAge: Improved working conditions for older workers

March 10, 2021,

Caro Bauer

20 % of the working population in Germany are over 55 years old. European Population is ageing and good working conditions are more important than ever. In a society where employment is prolonged to higher ages, a project like WorkingAge aims to promote healthy habits in working environments focusing on people aged over 45. audEERING is part of the consortium together with the University of Cambridge and many other universities and companies.

Study about Working Conditions in Office, Teleworking and Manufacturing

The goal of WorkingAge is an integrated digital solution. By studying three types of working environments (Office, Teleworking and Manufacturing) these environments shall be made fit for older workers. WorkingAge aims to:

Decrease stress absenteeism
Improved work performance due to higher motivation and involvement in decision-making
Higher confidence in the possibility to change or find a job
Increase the sense of belonging
Increase self-esteem
Increase integration of workers within working environment

Tool for Monitoring Stress Levels

To this end, the project creates a tool called WorkingAge of Wellbeing (WAOW) Tool to provide assistance in everyday routines like recommendations, risks avoidance and reminders. The worker’s behaviour, health data and preferences are monitored for friendly interactions with the user. audEERING provides noise monitoring in the environment (level, voice activity) and emotion recognition from the voice. By monitoring these factors, stress can be detected and the working conditions can be adapted in a way that fits best to the workers’ needs.

Scalable Product for Companies

This WAOW Tool will evolve to a scalable product for companies. Since the lowest employment rate in Europe is reported for the group aged 55 to 64, the project aims at retaining employment of workers of this age category, by providing alternative working schemes. Companies can use the WAOW Tool to empower their employees to improve their professional lives according to the needs they have in their specific stage of life.