Integrating Older Worker Health Protection and Health Promotion With Action Plans for an Aging Workforce

This is an abstract for section of a 90-minute session called “Participatory Approaches to Designing the Age Friendly Workplace”

A workshop, titled “Designing the Age Friendly Workplace”, was developed to help employers prepare for an aging workforce. In the workshop, organizations craft action plans tailored to their specific needs. Despite widespread acknowledgement that the US workforce is aging, few employers are taking concerted action to retain and sustain experienced workers. Under the assumption that some employers are simply unsure where to begin, a program was developed to raise organizations' awareness of the changes that are likely to occur and what can be done to prepare. The curriculum highlights three key areas that have the potential to promote “total worker health” for workers of all ages: the design of the work environment, worksite health promotion (aka wellness) programs and policies that promote work-life balance. In order to help participants take the next step from awareness toward action, the workshop also incorporates a business planning strategy that helps participants focus on specific performance goals, action items and a detailed “action plan” to achieve those goals. Workshop participants generate action plans that make sense for their organizations. The ideal audience for the workshop is a group of people representing different roles within an organization. Health and safety, human resources, facilities, workers on the ground and management all have roles to play in designing age-friendly workplaces.