State of the Science Conference
September 15-16, 2005

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Aging and the Accommodating Workplace: An Examination of Employer Practice

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1. Aging and the Accommodating Workplace: An Examination of Employer Practice
2. Study Rationale
3. Older Worker Demographics
4. Age-Related Disabilities
5. Why Accommodations for Older Workers?
6. "Finding the Holes"
7. Methodology
8. Initial Results
9. "Survey Says…"
10. Additional Insight
11. Additional Insight II
12. Conclusions: A Research Dilemma
13. Next Steps

Slide 1 of 13

Aging and the Accommodating Workplace: An Examination of Employer Practice

Lynzee Head, M.S., Brad Bagwell and Paul M.A. Baker, PhD
RERC on Workplace Accommodations
September 16, 2005

Slide 2 of 13

Study Rationale

• Baby Boomer generation - "graying" of the workforce
• Age-related disabilities, the ADA and workplace accommodations
• Study collects data on current provision of workplace accommodations for age-related disabilities
• Through workplace accommodations, study explores issues related to older adults, disability and employment

Slide 3 of 13

Older Worker Demographics

• Between 2001-2010, the number of workers over age 55 will increase 46.6%; workers between the ages of 25-54 will increase by only 5% (SHRM, 2003)
• By 2015, nearly 20% of the labor force will be over the age of 55 (GAO, 2001)
• Increase in labor force participation among older workers linked to growth in number of older women (GAO, 2001),/li>

Slide 4 of 13

Age-Related Disabilities

• Older workers experience physical, neurological and sensory changes throughout the aging process - "age-related disabilities"
  • Arthritis
  • Diabetes
  • Heart Disease
  • Vision and/or Hearing Impairments
  • Mobility Impairments
• Changes may affect a worker's safety and productivity

Slide 5 of 13

Why Accommodations for Older Workers?

• Significant portion of the labor force with age-related disabilities
• Covered by the ADA*
• Accommodations address:
  • Loss of productivity
  • Safety issues
  • Potential loss of valuable skills and training
• But will older workers ask for accommodations - particularly if they don't identify as having a disability?
• Are employers even thinking about this or does this issue even appear on the employer "radar?"

* As long as the impairment is a "qualified disability" under the ADA

Slide 6 of 13

"Finding the Holes"

• Like most disability statistics, data on workplace accommodations is relatively sparse
• Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) Older Workers Survey (2003)
• Our interest:
  • Demographics of older employees
  • Workplace accommodation policies
  • What employers are doing now to accommodate older workers

Slide 7 of 13

Methodology

• Environmental scan/Literature review
• Telephone interviews of Fortune 500 employers (n=61) from BLS-projected areas of economic growth
• Targeted group: HR professionals

Slide 8 of 13

Initial Results

• Still collecting survey responses
• So far…out of 61 first wave calls
  • 2 responses
  • 11 - "no research/survey" policy
  • 2 - "no workplace accommodation policy"
  • Very difficult to find appropriate person to survey, and once finding them, getting them on the phone

Slide 9 of 13

"Survey Says…"

• No accurate count on number of employees with disabilities (self-disclosed)
• Both companies keep records of HR-reported workplace accommodations
• One company continually assesses and modifies accommodation arrangements
• Both companies anticipate supplying a greater number of workplace accommodations for older workers within the next 20 years
• Health care benefits identified as having the greatest impact on the retention of older workers

Slide 10 of 13

Additional Insight

• Respondents report very small percentage of employees over age 65 or older (~2-3%)
• Most accommodations not related to age, but driven by medical need
• Records on accommodations are difficult to keep due to the number of unofficial (ad hoc) accommodations
• One company - ergonomics department noticing more requests from employees over age 55
• Respondents are aware of the increasing older adult workforce, but are not targeting this group for accommodations

Slide 11 of 13

Additional Insight II

• Difficult to find anyone to speak with regarding workplace accommodations
• Older workers (= 65) are such a small percentage of workforce now, that accommodations for this demographic are not an issue
• Difficult to get a sense of whether or not older workers are being accommodated without empirical evidence
  • Employers not required to keep records of accommodations
  • Large number of informal accommodations never reported to HR

Slide 12 of 13

Conclusions: A Research Dilemma

• How can we attempt to evaluate/modify policies on workplace accommodations without evidence demonstrating that existing policies are working?
• Talking to employers about workplace accommodations is difficult for researchers - what about people with disabilities?
• Will employers be prepared for a large shift in workforce demographics?
• Does anyone care?

Slide 13 of 13

Next Steps

Second wave of interviews
Case study of one of the respondents

For more information:
Lynzee Head
RERC on Workplace Accommodations
lynzee.head@gcatt.gatech.edu

The RERC on Workplace Accommodations is supported by Grant H133E020720 of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of Education.

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