Good ergonomics and team diversity reduce absenteeism and errors in car manufacturing |
| |
| Authors: | Lars Fritzsche Jürgen Wegge Martin Schmauder Matthias Kliegel Klaus-Helmut Schmidt |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Ergonomics, imk automotive GmbH, Annaberger Str. 73, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany;2. Department of Psychology, TU Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany;3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, TU Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany;4. Department of Psychology, University of Geneva, Boulevard du Pont d'Arve 40, CH-1211 Genève 4, Switzerland;5. Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, TU Dortmund, Dortmund 44139, Germany |
| |
| Abstract: | Prior research suggests that ergonomics work design and mixed teams (in age and gender) may compensate declines in certain abilities of ageing employees. This study investigates simultaneous effects of both team level factors on absenteeism and performance (error rates) over one year in a sample of 56 car assembly teams (N = 623). Results show that age was related to prolonged absenteeism and more mistakes in work planning, but not to overall performance. In comparison, high-physical workload was strongly associated with longer absenteeism and increased error rates. Furthermore, controlling for physical workload, age diversity was related to shorter absenteeism, and the presence of females in the team was associated with shorter absenteeism and better performance. In summary, this study suggests that both ergonomics work design and mixed team composition may compensate age-related productivity risks in manufacturing by maintaining the work ability of older employees and improving job quality. |
| |
| Keywords: | ergonomics work design diversity ageing health performance |
|
|
