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Workplace RERC


State of the Science Conference
September 15-16, 2005

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Managing the Health and Productivity Connection: The Politics of Incapacity & Aging

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Slides Index Slides 1-14 Slides 15-26

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  1. Risk dynamics-STD duration of lost time by age group
  2. Industry comparison-top short term impairments for workers over 40
  3. Risk Dynamics-STD lost days by selected impairments
  4. Risk dynamics-top four STD impairments with the longest durations of time away from work for workers over 40
  5. Productive Aging - A New Life Stage
  6. Productive Aging - Building Blocks
  7. Productive Aging - The Politics of Incapacity
  8. Competing pressures of the productive aging paradox
  9. An Employee Neutral Absence Management Tool
  10. A Web Based Absence Management Tool
  11. RTW Option: Adjust Priority Level - 1A
  12. RTW Option: On-the-Job Training - 1B

Slide 15 of 26

Risk dynamics-STD duration of lost time by age group

Bar graph shows the number of average lost days for short term disabilities, by age group:

  • Under 40 years old - about 58 days
  • 40-49 years - about 59 days
  • 50-59 years - about 67 days
  • 60 years and older - about 77 days

    Source: UnumProvident Disability Database, 2002-2004.

    Slide 16 of 26

    Industry comparison-top short term impairments for workers over 40

    Bar graph shows percent distributions for short term impairments for workers over 40 in five different industries:

    Musculoskeletal Injury

  • Manufacturing - about 38%
  • Transportation - about 32%
  • Education - about 32%
  • Banking - about 29%
  • Healthcare - about 38%

    • Circulatory

  • Manufacturing - about 11%
  • Transportation - about 14%
  • Education - about 9%
  • Banking - about 8%
  • Healthcare - about 8%

    • Cancer

  • Manufacturing - about 8%
  • Transportation - about 9%
  • Education - about 15%
  • Banking - about 12%
  • Healthcare - about 12%

    • Digestive

  • Manufacturing - about 11%
  • Transportation - about 9%
  • Education - about 8%
  • Banking - about 9%
  • Healthcare - about 8%

    • Other Metabolic Diseases

  • Manufacturing - about 12%
  • Transportation - about 13%
  • Education - about 12%
  • Banking - about 12%
  • Healthcare - about 11%

    • Source: UnumProvident Disability Database, 2002-2004.

    Slide 17 of 26

    Risk Dynamics-STD lost days by selected impairments

    (Age influences impairment duration and time away from work)

    Bar graph shows duration of short term disability for five different impairments:

    Digestive

  • Under 40 years old - about 36 days
  • 40 years or older - about 43 days

    • Musculoskeletal Injury

  • Under 40 years old - about 59 days
  • 40 years or older - about 72 days

    • Circulatory

  • Under 40 years old - about 58 days
  • 40 years or older - about 76 days

    • Mental Disorder

  • Under 40 years old - about 66 days
  • 40 years or older - about 77 days

    • Cancer

  • Under 40 years old - about 63 days
  • 40 years or older - about 78 days

    • Source: UnumProvident Disability Database, 2002-2004.

    Slide 18 of 26

    Risk dynamics-top four STD impairments with the longest durations of time away from work for workers over 40

    Bar graph shows the duration of various impairments:

  • Musculoskeletal Injury - about 72 days
  • Circulatory - about 75 days
  • Mental Disorder - about 77 days
  • Cancer - about 78 days

    Source: UnumProvident Disability Database, 2002-2004.

    Slide 19 of 26

    Productive Aging – A New Life Stage

    Prospectively aligning work demands with worker capacities to achieve continuous productivity

    Productive Aging Life Stage:

  • Emerging - 45 to 55 years*
  • Primary - 55 to 70 years*
  • Transitional - Over 70 years*

    • * or determined based on health, functional capacity and work issues

    Slide 20 of 26

    Productive Aging – Building Blocks

  • Create a corporate work health culture that invests in productive aging
  • Understand and track predictors/costs of extended work disruption
  • Protect & enhance functional work capacity
  • Create focused pathways to maintain or return to productivity
  • Align training/education strategies to acquire new or maintain skills
  • Create opportunities for intergenerational mentoring/coaching with transfer of skills and information
  • Create incentives for phased career to retirement transitions

    • Slide 21 of 26

    Productive Aging – The Politics of Incapacity

    A graphic shows a pyramid of the “Building Blocks of Productive Aging”:
  • The base level includes controlled health risks, access to medical care, appropriate nutrition, and protect strength & endurance
  • The next level includes social & cognitive engagement, hopefulness & spirituality, and emotional resilience
  • The next level includes financial security and flexible work environment
  • The top block is independence & mobility

    • Slide 22 of 26

    Competing pressures of the productive aging paradox

    A graphic shows the competing pressures of excessive risk factors and healthy aging on one side of a balance, and continued productivity and disposable worker on the other side.

    Slide 23 of 26

    An Employee Neutral Absence Management Tool

    Creating Work Site Flexibility through Negotiated Disability

    Slide 24 of 26

    A Web Based Absence Management Tool

    Chart: The Contact Center Accommodation Matrix is shown from the Absence Management

    Restrictions & Limitations

    		 Temporary Options (Transitions < 2 weeks) Intermediate Options (Transitions 4 to 8 weeks) Long Term Options (Transitions over 12 weeks)
    Reduce Rate of Work Function * On-the-Job Training
    * Adjust Priority Level
    * Mentoring    		 * On-the-Job Training
    * Adjust Priority Level
    * Adjust Number of Skills
    * Mentoring
    * Shift Change    		 * Retraining
    * Relocation
    * Reassignment
    * Replacement
    * Personnel Action
    * Permanent Accommodation
    Reduce Exposure to Targeted Stressors * Adjust Type of Skills
    * Mentoring    		 * Adjust Type of Skills
    * Mentoring
    * Cross Training    		 Same as above
    Reduce Work Hours * Modified Work Schedule * Modified Work Schedule
    		 Same as above


    The management tool is available at http://www.workrx.com/demo

    Slide 25 of 26

    RTW Option: Adjust Priority Level - 1A

    Sample Screen from the Absence Management Tool:

    For a restriction & limitation of reduce rate of work function, a temporary option is to adjust the priority level. Instructions are provided for transition and administrative steps.

    Slide 26 of 26

    RTW Option: On-the-Job Training - 1B

    Sample Screen from the Absence Management Tool:
    For a restriction & limitation of reduce rate of work function, an immediate option is to instead spend the time on on-the-job training. Instructions are provided for transition and administrative steps.


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