Did you know?:
· People age 45+ now comprise the majority of the US population1
· Fewer older workers expect to retire at age 62 or 652
· It is expected by the year 2020, one quarter of the labor force will be 55-and-older3
· New estimated retirement age used by insurance company actuaries is now 74 years old4
· Older workers more likely to have carpal tunnel syndrome5
Given the above facts, it is imperative that employers start to consider and implement workplace changes that will allow their older workers to remain engaged, productive and healthy. Before I describe those changes it is important to understand the factors behind the changing workforce and the advantages and challenges (physical and cognitive) presented by the older worker.
Preparing for the “Silver Tsunami”
There is no doubt that we are seeing the graying of the American workforce. Consider that the average age of the worker in 1972 was 28 and in 2008 it was 40.6. The average age will continue to increase during the next decade. Overall we are seeing a slight increase in the percentage of young workers (18-24), a greater increase in the percentage of older workers (>55) and a decrease in the percentage of workers in between. The reasons for the increase in older workers can be contributed to the Baby Boomer generation reaching retirement age and the economic recession which has kept would-be retirees in the workforce due to reduced savings and fewer employer-sponsored retirement benefits.
Common Myths of Older Workers
There are three common myths regarding older workers that need to be debunked.
1) Older workers are not eager to learn and can’t be taught new skills—The truth is that older workers are on par with their younger counterparts when it comes to learning new skills. The method of training may be different but older workers are just as eager as and sometimes more so to learn than younger workers.
2) Older workers are more likely to be injured than younger workers—The truth is that injuries rates of older workers are below levels of younger workers; however when older workers get injured or ill they take a lot longer time to heal.
3) Older workers can’t provide the same productivity and quality of work as younger workers—The truth is that older workers are typically more satisfied in their jobs and take greater pride in their work than younger workers which results in the same or sometimes better productivity and quality compared to younger workers.
Advantages of the “Chronologically Gifted”
There are several benefits to employing older workers that will assist employers maintain a reliable, dedicated workforce and can provide cost savings for both the short and long term. Here are 10 advantages for employing older workers:
· Lifetime of knowledge built up overtime can offset declines in work cognitive skills (learn how to compensate)
· Less absenteeism
· Increased loyalty and retention rate
· Higher motivation
· More reliable/punctual
· Detail-oriented, focused and attentive
· Better organizational skills
· Maturity and less likely to become "rattled" when problems occur
· Make excellent role models and mentors
· Strong work ethic/pride in a job well done
Challenges of the “Chronologically Gifted”
The challenges that occur with older workers are due to the changes that naturally happen to humans as we age. There are physical, physiological and psychosocial changes that occur. These changes need to be understood by employers in order for them to incorporate or modify the design of the workplace to fit the capabilities of older workers. The good news is that the majority of these design changes equally fit both older and younger workers.
Physical Changes
These are the outward changes that are most obvious. The primary physical concerns are:
· Strength: 25-30% decrease at 65 years
· Flexibility: 20% decrease at 65 years
· Balance: 1/3 of people over age 65 will fall each year
· Sight: Decreases
· Reaction time: Increases
· Hearing: 1/3 decrease at 65 years compared to 20’s
· Manual dexterity and tactile feedback: Reduced
· Increased body fat composition, less muscle
Vision and hearing are two specific areas that deserve more attention, specifically:
Vision:
· 80% of the information we gather is with our eyes
· Speed and precision of accommodation decreases after age 40
· By age 60 80% of us need glasses (how does this figure into safety glasses)
· Contrast sensitivity decreases with age
· More time needed to achieve visual accuracy
· Color matching declines with age, especially blue and yellow
Hearing:
· Decreases 2-3.5%/year throughout life
· Elderly adults have decreased ability to tune out background noise
· Hearing deficiencies are 2x more common in adults w/ diabetes
Physiological Changes
Physiological changes are not visually apparent but they contribute greatly to endurance and fatigue issues. The primary concerns are:
· Oxygen exchange: 40% decrease at 65 years
· Respiratory system: 25% less at 65 years, 50% less at 70 years
· Cardiovascular system: 20% less at 65 years
· Blood Pressure: Increases
· Fatigue: Occurs more quickly
· Hot/Cold Temperatures: Difficulty accommodating
Psychosocial/Cognitive Ability Changes
The attitudes and preferences for work and learning tend to change as we age. The primary concerns are:
· Information processing: Does not appear to decrease with age; however, how they learn changes
· Distractibility/Sound level: More and more annoyed by sounds
· Shift preferences: Mornings, less night/rotating shift work
· Training and learning: More structured training
· Disengagement: More likely
Ergonomic Workplace Design Recommendations
The purpose of ergonomics is to optimize human well-being and overall work system performance. In dealing with older workers the goal of ergonomics is to preserve/enhance the workers’ performance, productivity and health. The most effective way of doing this is through engineering controls, i.e. designing the job, equipment, tools and environment to eliminate or reduce risk factors that cause poor performance, injuries and illnesses.
As with workers of any age, there is variability seen amongst them. Not all 50 year old workers have the same strength, dexterity and flexibility; the same can be said for all age groups. In other words there is no “One size fits all” design standard. So the question becomes what’s the design standard that meets the aging population? In a nutshell, it is “Design the workplace/job to fit anyone”. This will allow workers of all ages to be healthier and more productive. An adaptable workplace, i.e. one in which the worker can make changes on their own so the work/workstation fits their capabilities, benefits employers and employees alike. Here are some general design guidelines to get you started:
1) “Hand shake” zone: As much as possible design everything to be within the “hand shake” zone. This holds true for all work environments from material handling to office. We have the most strength and power when things are close to the mid-section of our body. The hand shake zone is an easy way to remember the optimal location to place, position and perform the task, tool or item.
2) Lighting: The lighting needs of older workers versus younger workers can be quite different. In general older workers need better quality of light and greater amount of light.
a. Quality—conventional lighting including the workplace standard cool white fluorescent emits a limited spectrum of light that tends to throw off harsh yellow hue that distorts colors and stresses our eyes. On the other hand, full spectrum light bulbs produce light that is seen by the human eye in a bluish-white tint. It mimics the qualities of natural sunlight which companies say produces less eye fatigue, headaches and thereby has potential to increase productivity. Look for light bulbs that have a color rendering value >95.
b. Amount—on average 40-50 year olds need 2-3x more light as a 20 year old. Because of this employers may find that younger office workers have no lights on above their workstation or have purposely disconnected one or more fluorescent bulbs in order to lower the amount of light. The best solution is to provide light switches that either allow dimming or change the amount of light (i.e. different number of fluorescent bulbs lit up within the light fixture). The amount of light needed also depends on the task the worker is performing. For example, inspection tasks require more light than large assembly tasks, and paper document tasks require more light than computer only tasks. This allows the workers to adjust the light as needed.
3) Safety Glasses: Given the fact 80% of workers 60 years old or older wear glasses employers who have jobs that require workers to wear safety glasses need to be mindful that workers get safety glasses with their prescription. The typical safety glasses contained in the box hanging on the wall are not appropriate. Workers who try to get by without prescription safety glasses at a minimum are more prone to errors and lower quality and a worst increase their risk for injury since their vision is compromised.
4) Sound—as people age they tend to be more annoyed by sound. Too much noise can be as distracting as too little noise. This applies to younger workers as well but to a lesser extent. There are three ways to deal with sound. One is to absorb it, i.e. installing panels or carpeting to dampen the noise. Second is to block the sound, i.e. designing a unique arrangement or position of offices/furniture/equipment so that it hinders the noise. The third is to control the noise, i.e. masking the noise through use of technology brings the noise up to a constant level. This is frequently done in office buildings.
5) Allow movement/posture changes—staying in one position for any length of time whether sitting or standing causes detrimental effects on the body. It is best to allow workers options on changing their position. We know that sitting increases the force on the lower back by 50%. Providing an option for sitting workers to be able to stand for 1-2 hours of their workday can go a long way to prevent “sitting disease”. Another example is for the opposite, if a worker is standing on an assembly line, providing a tall stool on which they can take a partial load off their feet periodically throughout the work day helps prevent the negative effects of prolonged standing.
There are some simple things than can be done. One is to change door knobs to levers. This gets rid of the pinch grip and changes it to a power grip. Another is to provide carts that have handles so they can be pushed rather than pulled. Does your building have quite a large number of way-finding signs? If so, increasing the letter height and color contrast of signage so it’s easier and quicker to read would be beneficial. .
Conclusion
The chronologically gifted workers are a significant asset for any employer. Companies would be wise to attract and retain them as they have been shown to have greater commitment and loyalty, fewer sick days, lower injuries and have a lifetime of knowledge. Accommodating these workers will be key to the changing workforce. Employers need to be aware of the issues faced by older workers and must use sound ergonomic principles to accommodate them and their younger counterparts in the workplace.
References:
1) "In 1990, 11.9 percent of the labor force was 55 years and older. Over the 1990-2000 timeframe, the share of the older labor force increased to 13.1 percent. In 2010, the share increased again, to 19.5 percent. BLS projects that the share of the 55-years-and-older labor force will increase to 25.2 percent in 2020," according to a 2012 analysis of census data by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Toossi, M. (2012). Labor force projections to 2020: A more slowly growing workforce. Monthly Labor Review, 135(1), 43-49. Retrieved from bls.gov.
2) "Median U.S. age is 37.2--up from 32.6 in 1990. Now nearly four in ten Americans (39 percent) are over age 45, up from 34 percent in 2000 and 31 percent in 1990. ...this is the first census when persons age 45 and over represent a majority (53 percent) of the voting-age (18 and over) population," according to a 2011 analysis of 2010 Census data.
Frey, W. H. (2011). The uneven aging and 'Younging' of America: State and metropolitan trends in the 2010 census. Washington, DC: Brookings. Retrieved from www.brookings.edu.
3) According to a 2012 analysis of data from the Health and Retirement Survey, "a declining percentage of Americans are expecting to retire at 62 and 65. In 2006, 7.4 percent of people [over the age of 50] said they plan to stop working at 62, but by 2010 it had dropped to 4.9 percent. In 2006, 16.1 percent people expected to retire at 65, but in 2010, 14.6 percent planned to do so. Conversely, expected retirement at 66 has increased from 2.9 percent in 2006 to 4 percent in 2010."
Banerjee, S. (2011). Retirement age expectations of older Americans between 2006 and 2010. Employee Benefit Research Institute Notes, 13(12), 2-12. Retrieved from www.ebri.org.
4) Source: CNA insurance
5) "In 2010, an estimated 3.1% of employed adults aged 18-64 years had carpal tunnel syndrome in the past 12 months. The percentage of employed adults with carpal tunnel syndrome increased with each age group." The highest rate was for employed women aged 45-64, with almost 7% reporting having carpal tunnel syndrome within the past 12 months, according to a 2011 analysis of National Health Interview Survey data.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). QuickStats: Percentage of employed adults* aged 18-64 years who had carpal tunnel syndrome in the past 12 months, by sex and age group - national health interview survey, 2010. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 60(49), 1680. Retrieved from www.cdc.gov.
6) Sloan Center on Aging and Work at Boston College, http://www.bc.edu/research/agingandwork/
7) Griffiiths, A. (2000). “Designing and managing health work for older workers.” Occupational Medicine. 80. 473-477.
8) Ennis-Cole. D. and Allen. J. (1998) “The Challenge of Training and Retraining Mature Learners.” Journal for Vocational Special Needs Education. 20. 35-42.
9) Haight, J. (2006). “Strategies for Reducing Human Error and Injury When Your Workforce is Aging.” Industrial Health and Safety Program at Penn State University
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