This chapter offers a descriptive, yet critical, overview of a holistic approach to managing health and wellbeing of employees that has been developed in Finland from the 1980s by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH). Known as the Work Ability model (Ilmarinen, 2010), it attempts to integrate all aspects of the health and wellbeing of individuals and should be seen as a preventative approach to the management of a broad range of health issues in the workplace. Thus it could extend the quality working life of all adults, but more especially (and its initial purpose) those over 50, generally described in the literature as ‘older workers’. It is offered here as an example of an integrated yet scientifically based approach to the improvement of health and wellbeing over the life-course that could be introduced into the United Kingdom (UK). It would build on the work of the Health, Work and Wellbeing strategy led by Dame Carol Black during the last Labour administration (see Black, 2008) (to be discussed later).

This chapter first provides a description of the Finnish approach and a brief background to its development as a method within what has been termed ‘age management’. It then considers how it might be applied in the UK context, given the policy shift of raising the state pension age, and thus (potentially) extending the time spent in employment. Fundamental to the method is the promotion of ‘active ageing’ (see Walker, 2002; WHO, 2002) and the productive and quality-led extension of working life. This assumes that all individuals want to, and indeed need to, extend their working lives and certainly this may not always be the case. However, for a substantial number, continuing to work may be a financial necessity, as well as a desirable goal in some cases (Smeaton et al, 2008). Additionally, it has been demonstrated through scientifically rigorous studies that the Work Ability approach can lead to a better quality of retirement over the longer term (Tuomi et al, 2001; Gould et al, 2008). Other research evidence has demonstrated that employees value work for a range of reasons, including intrinsic interest and sense of purpose, the ability to use skills and knowledge acquired over a lifetime, social status and self-respect, and social engagement with colleagues and workmates, customers and partners (McNair and Flynn, 2006; Waddell and Burton, 2006).