How to cater for senior citizens in the workplace
by Natasha Christou Digital Marketing ConsultantAccording
to the U.S. jobs report which was released in July 2017, around 19 per cent of
people aged 65 years old or over were working at least on a part-time basis
during the second quarter of 2017. This is the highest employment to population
ratio that has been recorded by this age group in 55 years. What’s more, the
Labor Department’s good employment report has recently recorded that the number
of individuals aged over 85 years old who are still working is increasing too.
There is a
very good chance that there’ll be at least one elderly citizen within your
workplace if you’re an employer in the US then. With this in mind, everything
should be done to provide older employees with support so that they are able to
continue working in the most effective manner. Acorn Stairlifts, an
award-winning stair lift supplier, has provided the following advice about how
workplaces can be modified so that the spaces suit elderly staff members. They
have also advised on some techniques employers can adopt to better support
senior citizens at their firm…
Remind older employees
that they are valued to a business
When an
employer simply makes assumptions about what a staff member will want once they
reach a certain age but chooses to remain in work, issues can quickly develop. Take
out the guesswork by always having an open dialogue with staff members. Regular
one-to-ones with line managers prove very useful here, as they allow employees
to get things off their chest or query aspects of their work in a private and
confidential environment. As an employer, keep on reminding staff that your
door is always open if someone needs anything too.
Be sure to
avoid having people believe that a workplace only caters for a specific age
group or demographic too. UK pub company JD Wetherspoon is keen to ensure its
workforce is incredibly broad, with their recruitment manager Sarah Carter
pointing out to Caterer.com: “Some people’s perception of our industry is that
it’s a youth-oriented one. So, while we were very good at employing students,
we’d always struggled to attract applications from the older age bracket. We
still get people ringing up saying, ‘I’m 45 – am I too old for a bar manager
job?’. The answer is absolutely no way!”
A diverse
workforce that senior citizens can help to provide to a business can actually
bring with it some unique benefits. Ms. Carter explains: “One of our older
workers said he felt he had a great rapport with our customers, because some of
them are more comfortable talking to staff their own age.”
Offer part-time
opportunities and flexible working alongside full-time work
Some staff
members, especially those who are reaching elderly age, will find the typical 9
‘til 5 shift from Monday to Friday unappealing. Flexible hours and part-time
roles could suit them much better.
Older
employees may appreciate the shorter working weeks that part-time work will
provide them with. This is because it will give them an opportunity to
transition out of the workforce in a smoother manner. Meanwhile, flexible
working will grant older employees the chance to remain in employment while
better balancing their other responsibilities — perhaps they need to care for
an elderly loved one, for instance.
Consider the ergonomic and
accessibility aspects of your current workplace
Your
workplace can be altered in various ways to make it much more appealing to
elderly employees. For one, take the time to assess your workspace and the
tasks performed during a day’s work to ensure that nothing could be
contributing to musculoskeletal issues, making adjustments and improvements
where necessary. Can mechanical assist devices be introduced to achieve less
stressful handling, for instance? How about a platform being used to raise a
worker so that they don’t have to bend their wrists as much while working?
Obviously, the measures will be different depending on the type of industry
you’re a part of.
Be sure to
take the time to evaluate how accessible a workplace is for employees too. Consider
the distance someone must cover to get from their parking spot to their
workspace, for example, as well as to and from either a break room or restroom
once they are at work.
After this
evaluation, many ways to make a space easier to navigate should be identified. If
the workplace is not on the ground floor or over multiple floors, look at
installing a stairlift on the stairs so that nobody has trouble navigating
across levels. Athens Straight Stairlifts can
help here. Automatic
doors should make entering a building quicker too, while altering a layout so
that workspaces are closer to break rooms could prove beneficial to both the
employee and business as well.
Sources:
https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/how-employers-can-support-a-growing-band-of-older-workers/
https://www.caterer.com/careers-advice/money-and-legal/hospitality-jobs-for-mature-workers
https://www.ehstoday.com/health/four-simple-ergonomic-steps-more-productive-workplace
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-10/working-past-70-americans-can-t-seem-to-retire
https://nypost.com/2018/07/11/why-so-many-elderly-people-are-still-working/
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Created on Sep 4th 2019 10:57. Viewed 624 times.