Tips on managing an aging workforce

With projections that by 2020 one in four workers could be 55-years of age or older, employers are concerned about health and wellness issues connected with an aging workforce. While employers are wise to consider the needs of older workers, both to aid retention and create a productive and safe workplace environment, most have not implemented strategies to deal with the issue, according to a new joint study by the Disability Management Employer Coalition and Cornell University.

The study is interesting because it is one of the few studies of its kind to examine the aging workforce from the perspective of disability management professionals. The major findings of the report include:

• Among the employer respondents, 85.6 percent are very or somewhat concerned about the aging workforce. Those in the transportation and utilities/oil/gas industries are most concerned.
• The seven best practices to manage the exposure include:
  • Flexibility - in scheduling, working location, leave and the availability of job sharing and phased retirement.
  • Maintaining and enhancing benefits - education and counseling as older workers approach Medicare; bridging the transition with part-time benefits; and short- and long-term disability leave policies.
  • Wellness - preventive health programming; addressing the co-morbid medical conditions common among older workers; and integration of wellness and health insurance.
  • Safety checks - appropriate equipment and use of technology; regular ergonomic assessments and work site evaluations.
  • Accommodation - Loss of strength, range of motion, speed of movement, reaction time, vision, hearing and so forth are natural processes of aging. Accommodation was the most commonly cited leading practice including improved illumination, larger text sizes, reduced standing time, lifting equipment or lower weight lifting requirements, increased task rotation, etc. Job descriptions need to be up to date and properly identify the essential functions of the job and the associated functional capabilities.
  • Stay-at-work and return-to-work programs - personalized case management can help identify motivation to return to work; longer transitional work assignments if there is steady medical progress; fitness for duty evaluations; training and placing workers in area better suited to their abilities.
  • Communication and recognition - Training managers to understand that different generations respond to different communication styles and how to respectfully handle issues before they morph into safety problems is key.
• Organizational data, including workforce demographics and absence and disability management metrics, is important in developing targeted programming for absence and disability management. While generalizations tend to be made, it is important to study your particular organization to truly understand the risks.

Many of the accommodations for older workers can be done with minimal cost and also benefit younger workers. One good source is a fact sheet from the American Society of Safety Engineers, offerings tips for increasing workplace safety of older workers.

Proactive employers who address the physical, physiological and cognitive issues that are a natural part of aging and allow older workers to perform efficiently and with dignity will benefit from higher retention of valuable skills and improved productivity.