Supporting An Ageing Workforce

For every industry there resides a different demographic of employees. Each line of work attracts different labourers, critical thinkers, specialities and a variety of mentalities. We live in a time when employees are staying in the game longer than ever – so what does that mean for employers? 

To manage a workplace effectively, caring for employees and ensuring they have access to the resources they need is important. When considering ageing workforce problems, it’s best that employers really consider what types of programmes and benefits they can keep their hard workers healthy and happy. This may mean putting into effect employment policies that help keep them rarin’ to go. 

Ageing Workforce Problems – Solutions for Older Employees

Because people are staying in the workforce longer than ever, places of employment are seeing a new set of issues revolving around their wellbeing. This means that new policies may need to be put into place to protect their health, but it may also mean providing resources that ensure they’re being taken care of during their employment. 

There are a multitude of new scenarios that may arise with an older demographic being employed in the workforce, so below we’ve listed a few that should be considered if your company is proudly employing an ageing workforce. Remember, if your employees are choosing to stay with you as they age, there is much to be gained from their professional experience and institutional knowledge. 

• Evaluate your paid time off (PTO) policies – This should apply across the board – retaining employees by offering them plenty of opportunity to get away and decompress should be a high priority. But consider with an ageing workforce their potential desire to retire and see the world. Giving them better vacation opportunities may be beneficial in boosting their wellbeing and retaining their years of value with your company.
• Focus on situational leadership – This is a HUGE skill that’s imperative when handling a diverse workforce. This doesn’t just apply to an ageing demographic, but it can stand out in employment practises. This is especially important when considering new hires. Remember that every person learns differently, but when you focus on generational learning, cultural influences can make a world of difference. In order to effectively train, manage and hear your ageing employees, you need to consider to their generational habits and learning processes.
• Centre age appropriate training – Just like it’s important to understand everyone’s cultural ideals, it’s important to cater to their demographic when training. Set them up for success by learning what they need to know to be effective in the workplace. 
• Know your people – this should apply to your whole staff, but if you feel remiss in not getting to know your people, jump to it! Our ageing workforce desires acknowledgement that their experience is needed and wanted – let’s face it. Institutional knowledge is priceless. 
• Evaluate physical workplace challenges – Perhaps one of the more glaring ageing workforce problems is the accommodations that should be considered in the workplace. Health restrictions to keep your staff comfortable should be a top priority. Standing excessively, more ergonomic office furniture – these things may need to be adjusted to keep your ageing employees happy and healthy.
• Consider putting their knowledge to great use – Having a workforce who is ageing is actually pretty awesome. For those employers who have retained them for decades, or even if you’re just hiring someone who is older – imagine the knowledge they have is based on the experiences they’ve gained throughout their lives. Consider kicking off mentoring programs, or teaching classes based on their strengths. The opportunity to utilise their knowledge while bringing up your younger employees is worth its weight in gold.

Seemingly, most issues that employers encounter with an ageing workforce are not unmanageable. In fact, these challenges merely present themselves as our workplace culture continues to progress forward. Retirement age is going up, necessity, desire to stay busy – this just means employers are faced with finding solutions to a whole new, valuable and hard working demographic!

Understanding the unique needs of your employees can help you to build a happier and healthier workforce. Not all employees will desire the same benefits. At hug, we’ve developed a platform that helps you to support your team. With employee feedback via our four core modules: Mind, Money, Health and Engagement, we can not only offer real time insights, but also provide you with actionable information and advice that can be measured, providing a clear view of the impact of interventions over the longer term.Book a demo by clicking here today.