Our workforce is just heading over the crest of demographic wave – nearly one in three New Zealand workers is now aged 50 or over, according to Statistics New Zealand. And the growing population of “silver surfers” will inevitably impact on workforce size, composition – and management practices.
In its “Workplace 2020” report, the Department of Labour warns that the ageing of the baby boomer bulge in particular will affect workplaces. There are lot of them and it seems likely many will work past traditional retirement age.
Older workers are undoubtedly valuable asset to business. They bring knowledge and experience and strong work ethic – not to mention network of important business contacts that younger executives simply haven’t had the time to develop. But they also are likely to have higher health risks. The predicted rise in the number of long-term health conditions that require ongoing management will also mean that more people will be forced to work while not in the best of health.
Given that healthy workplaces contribute to healthy business performance, the challenge is to help older employees work to their optimal level of performance. So – how can an employer help keep older workers healthier, happier and more productive?
Workplace health and wellness interventions, which can help to identify and address potential health risks before they become major health events, are good place to start.
Health checks
Health checks identify potential health risks and provide reference point against which improvement in health can be measured. These can range from fairly basic wellness checks through to more detailed health assessments for employees.
More comprehensive wellness programmes will usually begin with medical assessment to check blood, cholesterol and Body Mass Index (BMI) among other things. Employees are then asked to complete an online health questionnaire that questions them about their lifestyle habits.
Lifestyle factors are an important risk indicator for number of common diseases and conditions. For example, there is direct link between alcohol intake, smoking, lack of exercise, obesity and high levels of stress and the risk of common diseases and conditions such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, type-two diabetes and more.
Combining health check with lifestyle questionnaire helps provide more accurate indication of health, and when all employee data is collated employers can begin to see what the key health risks are for their employees. This will then inform the development of targeted health and wellness interventions to address these health risks, improve the overall health of their workforce, and ultimately their own business performance.
Southern Cross has found that employees aged 45 years and above are likely to really embrace health and wellness initiatives in the workplace. Many are starting to experience health problems and are therefore very committed to improving their own personal health and wellbeing.
Health insurance
Health insurance for employees is another important weapon in an employer’s arsenal as they prepare themselves for an ageing workforce.
Research conducted by TNS for Southern Cross showed link between workers who had health insurance and greater productivity levels, higher levels of engagement in the workforce, reduced stress levels, reduced absenteeism and enhanced levels of job satisfaction.
The study looked at 276 New Zealand employees who had either had, or were waiting for, an operation in hospital and showed that those with insurance were less stressed, took less time off work and overall their illness was less serious than those workers who didn’t have health insurance. Let’s take look at some of the findings:
Waiting times for treatment
The average waiting time between GP referral and treatment in hospital for those with insurance was just five weeks, while those without insurance waited on average 16 weeks for treatment.
Stress levels
Workers were asked about the stress levels they felt between the initial referral and the operation, with prompts around the illness itself, its effect on their work, their lifestyle or their financial situation. The workers with health insurance were less stressed than the uninsured group with mean stress levels of 3.9 out of 10 (10 being the most stressed) versus the uninsured group who had mean stress rating of 4.8 out of 10.
The number of days experiencing higher stress (five or more out of 10 on the stress scale) was again much lower for those with health insurance with mean of 7.8 days, versus mean of 35 days of high stress for those without health insurance.
Ability to continue working
The study asked participants to use 10-point scale (one is unable to work at all and 10 is performing completely as normal) to rank how they felt they performed at work while waiting for treatment. Uninsured workers experienced lower levels of productivity, with only half (52 percent) feeling they were able to continue to work normally while waiting for treatment, compared with three out of four workers with health insurance (75 percent).
Absenteeism
Significantly lower absence rates were recorded for those with insurance, with an average 14 days off work while undergoing treatment, compared with an average 44 days absent from work for those without health insurance.
Having to wait long periods of time for treatment in the public health system, or having to try to find the money for private care can be very stressful and ultimately detrimental to person’s job performance and general sense of wellbeing. By providing subsidised health insurance for staff, employers can see return on their investment through employees being treated and able to return to full productivity much sooner.
For some time now, health and productivity have been gaining attention as relevant business issues. There has been shift in mindsets from health care as cost that needs to be managed to health and productivity as critical business investment. Faced with an ageing workforce, never before has this been more apparent. As the proportion of older workers to younger continues to increase, employers and managers should be future-proofing their business, to ensure they are meeting their workforces’ changing needs.
Peter Tynan is chief executive, Southern Cross Health Insurance.
Baby boomer health tips
Engage your older workers in discussions – ask what it is they want so you can tailor health initiatives accordingly.
Areas you may want to consider:
• Preventative measures – experience has shown high participation by older workers in health and wellness programmes. When designing them, think about those activities that are more likely to appeal to older workers such as walking groups instead of fun runs; GP checks, vaccinations and educational seminars on topics addressing relevant health issues for older workers.
• Employee benefits such as subsidised health insurance are likely to be very highly valued by older workers.
• You may need to consider putting in place better support to help employees manage long-term conditions in the workplace, such as arthritis, diabetes or heart conditions.
Health interventions may help them manage their condition better, preventing them from reaching the stage where they need to take time off. Be flexible. As the
workforce ages, more workers will have caring responsibilities for others outside
work and may require more flexible working hours.
