Keeping the boom(ers) in the labour market: Can existing workplace policies and accommodations make a difference?

The aging of workforces in many developed countries has generated concerns about worker shortages and lost expertise.

To manage this, many employers are looking for ways to retain older workers. However, there are also concerns that, with age, there is a greater likelihood of chronic diseases, activity limitations and injuries. This has made some employers apprehensive about whether increases in the number of workers with chronic conditions will lead to increased accommodation needs and costs.

Understanding accommodation use is critical for employers who want to retain older workers and who desire information about the potential value of current workplace practices. In this talk, ACED project director Dr. Monique Gignac, a senior scientist and scientific co-director at the Institute for Work & Health, shares her research on accommodation needs, accommodation use and employment outcomes among a sample of of over 1,500 Canadian workers aged 50-67 years living with arthritis and/or diabetes and how they compare to workers with no chronic conditions.

In this presentation, you will learn about:

1. the kinds of challenges faced by people living with chronic conditions like arthritis and diabetes in the workplace;
2. the kinds of policies and practices (i.e. accommodations) that are needed and used most frequently by older workers with and without chronic diseases; and
3. whether having accommodation needs met, unmet or exceeded are associated with different health and job outcomes.