A recent study published in the July 2005 Issue of Perspectives on Labour and Income by Statistics Canada indicates that job strain, caused by a combination of a heavy workload, time constraints, conflicting demands and lack of control, may be an overlooked factor in an employee's decision to retire. Several other studies have already documented this negative relationship.
This study found that many workers who felt stressed and dissatisfied with their job felt they could not retire soon enough, while others delayed retirement for the simple reason that they enjoyed their work (because they were able to balance demands with the power to make decisions).
The National Population Health Survey examined whether older workers (aged 45 to 57 in 1994) who experience high job strain will be more likely to retire than those who do not feel the same pressure at work. The study found that, between 1996 and 2002, older workers in managerial, professional or technical jobs with high job strain were much more likely to retire early than those with low job strain. However, for sales, services, clerical and blue-collar occupations, job strain was not related to retirement. To illustrate, the study provides this example: because managers, professionals and technicians have different expectations toward their job and their role within the workplace, many have higher levels of education, and expect their job to offer a fair amount of latitude and a chance to use their competencies and professional skills. Also, since managers, professionals and technicians generally have higher incomes and are more likely to be covered by a pension plan, those in high-pressure jobs may be less hesitant to retire. In either case, managers, technicians and professionals were much more likely to retire from their job if they felt they had low autonomy, lacked the opportunity for professional development, and were in a hectic job with conflicting demands.
In the survey, job strain is defined as “a measure of the balance between the psychological demands of a job and the amount of control or decision-making power it affords”. Control or decision-making power refers to the “freedom to decide how to perform tasks and having a say” about what happens in one's job. Generally, jobs that are psychologically demanding are associated with high stress. Lack of control combined with too many job demands significantly increases the likelihood of early retirement.
Interestingly enough, the study implies that if job strain can be mitigated by the ability to balance demands with the power to make decisions, older workers may be more inclined to continue working. In fact, high demands can even lead to increased well-being if workers have control over their tasks.
The article "Job strain and retirement" is available in the July 2005 online edition of Perspectives on Labour and Income, Vol. 6, no. 7 (75-001-XIE, $6/$52).
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