© Copyright 2000 Rogers Media. The following article first appeared in the March 2001 edition of BENEFITS CANADA magazine.

Coming of age

The aging population is forcing employers to rethink their benefits and human resources strategies. It's time for organizations to put systems in place so that older employees don't slip through the cracks, but become a more valuable component of the workforce.

By Jennifer Thomas and Marianne Chilco

If your bus, train or section of the highway accurately reflects today's workforce, 29% of your fellow rush-hour travellers are under 35 years old, 44% are between 35 and 54 years old, and 27% are 55 to 80. Every year from now on, those numbers will get more and more top-heavy because of the advancing baby boomer group.

The first of the boomers turns 55 this year, and by 2026, an estimated 40% of the working population will be 55 to 80, 36% between 35 and 55, with only 24% under 35.

All of this means that employers will be faced with a new set of workplace issues--sooner than you think. It's time to start asking: Who's going to replace your retirees? Are there increased health costs associated with older employees? Will eldercare be a major issue for your younger employees? How will the choices your company makes today affect its competitive stance 10 or 20 years from now?

There are three main areas of concern associated with an aging population and workforce. They are: changing workplace needs of older em- ployees; eldercare issues; and expanded workplace and retirement options. Looming alongside these issues is a projected national labour shortage, that demographic experts predict will occur as early as 2016 as a result of the baby-boom/baby-bust tidal wave, and the consequent need for effective employee retention strategies.

The workplace cycle of younger individuals, newly educated and eager to advance, replacing their elder colleagues is coming to an end. With the greatest concentration of the population growing old together--and living longer and healthier while doing so--there won't be the same need or inclination for older employees to move out of the workplace as quickly, or for employers to let them leave.

So, what will older employees need to function at an optimal level in the workplace? Exactly what any other employee needs to thrive in the workplace--respect. The employer should find no greater burden in meeting older employees' needs than in doing so for younger staff. Where a difference seems to exist, however, is between today's and tomorrow's senior.

Health Canada suggests that, due to higher education and more varied work experiences, the senior of the near future may have a better knowledge of community and government programs and services; be more open to health promotion messages; more inclined to participate in educational, political and voluntary activities; and be more likely to assert their rights.

From an organizational perspective, this can level the playing field by diminishing negative and destructive misconceptions and stereotypes associated with older workers. It can help organizations promote employees' physical and mental health, and in the process, lower disability and healthcare costs, reduce insurance premiums and raise productivity.

Astute employers will want to ensure they are meeting their older employees' needs, while growing their business. The two goals are not mutually exclusive.

There's a lot of talk of increased healthcare costs associated with increased employee age. One place to investigate the validity of this projection is your insurance company. Talk to the insurer about what you can expect in terms of coverage and claims for the older employee, and ask for some guidance to keep costs down. Prevention is vital in this area and can be achieved through an employee assistance program (EAP) or a company-wide wellness program, and augmented with relevant age- and topic-specific health campaigns.

As the health of an employee is strengthened, so is the organization. A workforce that gives employees professional support in resolving personal issues, has programs and resources readily available to help workers' balance work and family issues and encourages them to pursue better health status is the workforce of the future. If employers don't have these support systems in place today, they are certain to feel the pressure to do so from baby boomer employees in the near future.

BURDEN OF CARE

Along with the aging workforce comes the need for younger employees to care for their elderly parents and perhaps even other older family members. Health Canada reports that 75% to 85% of care received by seniors in the community is provided by family and friends.

Demands on the caregiver, who may be your employee, can easily interfere with work. Statistics Canada suggests that 50% of caregivers agree that helping others caused them to have repercussions at work. In addition, individuals caring for a person with dementia are more vulnerable to depression.

The image of an employee desperately trying to cope with urgent child and eldercare needs without disrupting their work responsibilities or alerting their manager must be rendered obsolete. The good news is timely, effective support and resources for both employers and employees are more available and affordable than ever before.

Now is the time to open the lines of communication about the real-life challenges your workers face--before their problems become the organization's, or they find another employer who has benefits and workplace policies in place that make a real difference for them and their families.

Adequate income and being part of a social network such as the workplace are important contributors to aging well, according to Health Canada. Canadian employers have a meaningful role to play in these areas.

With the impending skilled labour shortage, it's going to be more crucial than ever to keep healthy employees--regardless of their age--interested in and able to make a contribution to an organization. Progressive employers will not only include older employees in retraining programs and professional development initiatives, they will target them for participation.

According to Issues of an Aging Workforce: A Case Study of the Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, there appears to be no difference between the ability of old and young workers to adapt to new technologies. Training and retraining is an important piece of today's business puzzle and will require even greater consideration and corporate support in the future. With no reserve of skilled, younger employees to fill the void of retiring staff, employers will need to establish a dependable network of training resources. Whether it's in-house or external, up-to-the-minute expert training translates into more productive employees, a solid foundation of quality service and a stronger competitive edge.

PUT IT IN WRITING

Even with the most generous and effective employee retention strategies in place, there will still be employees who want to retire early. Some individuals will take advantage of whatever early retirement packages exist in their organization, and want to break completely free of the workplace. But for those who don't, employers must be ready. In other words, organizations must be truly flexible.

Employers must be able to produce the actual procedure manuals that reflect their policies on flexibility in workplace arrangements--from hiring through to retirement. This manual needs to include policies on part-time and partial-year work; a compressed work week; job-sharing; flex time; working from home; phased-in retirement; half-time retirees as well as a retiree mentor program.

Flexibility in hours, location and division of work is gaining momentum in North America as technology eases the transition away from the traditional work model. But there is still organizational resistance--not unexpected when moving outside the norm--which is why employers would do well to carefully review their current policies, then invest in support to fully analyze their human resources needs as well as the needs of their employees. By embracing flexible working arrangements, a company taps into more channels to get the job done, which brings far-reaching benefits--but only if the new policies are closely tied to strategic objectives and communicated effectively.

When older employees are respected in the workplace, enjoying greater mental and physical health through company wellness and counseling services, gaining new skills with training initiatives and balancing work and family demands through the assistance of EAPs, they can play a more responsible role at work than ever before. Add some useful financial and retirement planning resources and post-retirement opportunities, an attractive and inclusive benefits package and an interesting job to do, and an employer can be confident in its ability to retain this productive and loyal employee--and create a strong and competitive workplace well into the future.

Jennifer Thomas is program manager, WS Family Matters, and Marianne Chilco is communication specialist, with Warren Shepell Consultants in Toronto. mchilco@warrenshepell.com.

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Lending a hand

A comprehensive employee assistance program or wellness program can help an organization ensure its aging workforce is healthy, happy and productive. These initiatives should include:

• Employee access to counseling for personal and family problems.
• Child/eldercare resources and information.
• 24-hour medical consultation for non-urgent symptoms.
• Nutrition information and consultation.
• Stress management services.
• Professional consultation for law and money matters.
• Access to wellness information and resources.
• Employer support services to integrate wellness program.

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Championing the cause

Steps to becoming a senior-friendly organization, and demonstrating how your company values its older employees in the process:

• Sponsor elder-related community events (Alzheimer seminars, conferences, runs).
• Host on-site information sessions on topics such as arthritis and cancer.
• Offer volunteer opportunities to community-based seniors.
• Encourage staff to participate in community volunteer efforts for elder
  organizations.
• Develop relationships with local community centres (fundraising support, assistance with inter-generational programming).
• Educate yourself and your company on elder concerns and challenges.
• Host professional seminars on reversing negative senior stereotypes.
• Adapt your product packaging and labels to accommodate seniors.
• Offer retirement and financial planning seminars to the community.

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EAPs mature with the aging workforce

by Sonya Felix

The types of issues that employees face tend to change as the years go by. Instead of childcare, employees may worry about how to care for aging parents or a spouse. They may also be concerned about their own health and want advice on how to stay well or how to manage a chronic illness. Compounding all of this, a looming retirement may create financial and/or emotional anxieties for older employees.

These are the kinds of problems that employee assistance programs (EAPs) are addressing more and more every day. "Eldercare is a huge issue," says Lisa Anderson, an eldercare counsellor with Ceridian Performance Partners in Markham, Ont. "As the aging population increases, we're seeing more and more people, especially women, dealing with a parent or spouse who has a debilitating illness. They're looking for ways to provide the necessary care to their dependents that will allow them to remain in the workforce."

With the stress of caring for the elderly and infirm in the home blamed for the declining health among caregivers, it makes sense to provide help before a crisis occurs, says Barb Jaworski, program director of family advisory services at FGI in Mississauga, Ont. "We're definitely getting a lot more calls related to eldercare. In the last 15 years the number of three-generation households has increased by 40%. Seniors are living longer and after age 85 they often have massive disabilities. More and more employees are having to cope with these problems."

Aging employees also have problems of their own. "As we become older, we become more susceptible to illness," says Anderson. An EAP counsellor can provide emotional support and offer practical suggestions such as working shorter hours. "Or, we can find them a support group which they can attend in the evenings."

For employees getting ready to retire, EAPs are the source for pre-retirement counseling to help people figure out financial implications, what they want to do with their future and even whether they actually want to stop working. "It's important to focus on early prevention and proactive services," says Bram Lowsky, president of Ceridian Performance Partners. "The more information people have, the better prepared they are and presumably the less issues they'll have to deal with as they grow older."

The Romanow Commission has released its final report on the future of healthcare in Canada.

For Commissioner Romanow's recommendations, click here.

Click here for Senator Michael Kirby's report, "The Health of Canadians – The Federal Role: Recommendations for Reform."