© Fraunhofer IAO, IAT Universität Stuttgart 1 Building workplaces in line with the ageing process AGORA „Promoting lifelong learning for older workers“

1© Fraunhofer IAO, IAT Universität Stuttgart

Building workplaces in line with the ageing process

AGORA „Promoting lifelong learning for older workers“Cedefop, Thessaloniki12 October 2006

Bernd DworschakFraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering


Consequences of demographic change for companies

Distinct ageing of workplacepopulations, with larger percentages of employees aged 50+

The recruitment of younger workers becomes increasingly difficult

Demographic changes result inthe surplus of labour becominga widespread lack of manpower.

Probability of qualificational and regional mismatches increases

After 2010, the supply of human resources diminishes. Even high immigration rates will not be able to counter this trend.Fuchs, Thon, 1999


Short-term action

• An analysis of the age and workforce structure of firms and particular areas of work with the aim of identifying any disequilibrium in age distribution and the problems which this may engender.

Initiation of intergenerational collaboration and the introduction of tandem training enabling firms to ensure that the experience and know-how of retiring employees is transferred to their successors in good time.

Modified and extended recruitment and personnel development strategies designed to dig deep into the reserves available on the labour market – these strategies should also be aimed at ”new” target groups such as women or the older unemployed.


Approach: Analyse current age structure

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 65

2006

Age-distribution:• Company• Organisational Units• Groups of employees

Example Age structure 2006


0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 65

2006 2016


Scenario Age structure 2016

Approach: Forecast Age structure of the future

Variables:• Business development• Dismissals• Reduction of pensions• Run out of early retirement• Fluctuation of employees• Recruitment



Scenario Age structure 2016

Scenario:An increasing proportion of older workers may lead to ...

More lost working days

Restricted deploymentflexibility

More people with restricted performance

Know-How gaps

, if no measures are taken.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 65

2006 2016


Effective medium-term action

• Enhancing and highlighting the attractiveness of working for the firm. Companies will only be able to entice and retain the best talent if they are perceived as an attractive option on the labour market by potential job applicants.

• Counteracting prejudices about the job performance of older employees and exploiting the experience of older workers in innovative projects in order to avoid impasses. • Providing ageing employees with development perspectives in order to thwart entrenched expectations of early retirement, e.g. by developing ageing-appropriate, career management geared to each phase of working life and providing flexible routes into final retirement. • Establishing age-mixed teams which guarantee that knowledge and experience is transferred and the complementary strengths of younger and older workers are utilized.


Younger than 25

25 - 35

35 - 45

45 - 55

55 and older

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Balanced age structure

Youth-centred: 2000

Compressed: 2006

Age-centred: 2010

Age of workers

Number of workersin %

Age distribution


20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 years

Age

Occupationaldevelopment:hierarchy,wage/salary,competences

Start of career

Changing tasks

Changing tasks

Newtasks Retirement/

End of career

Family phase

Sabbatical

Occupationalre-orientation,New tasks

Alternative: Vertical career

Alternative: Work-Life-Balance

Alternative: Horizontal careerFurther training

Differentiated paths of occupational development


Levels of participation in continuing vocational training

Source: BMBF, Berichtssystem Weiterbildung IX, 2005, S. 26

1979 1982 1985 1988 1991 1994 1997 2000 2003

19 - 34 Jahre 35 - 49 Jahre 50 - 64 Jahre

16

2325

27

3331 29

9

15

14

20

24

29

36 36

31

4 46

8

11

14

2018

17

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

4019 - 34 age group 35 - 49 age group 50 - 64 age group

Sh

are

in

%

Years


Long-term action

• Boosting the status of skill careers alongside hierarchical careers; fostering people's ability to adapt and learn by switching personnel between tasks and positions.

• Fostering lifelong competence development; activating 'middle-aged' and older employees by providing continuing training and opportunities for taking on new activities.

• Re-designing or avoiding activities which can only be performed for a limited period of time; avoiding longer-term repetitive stresses and strains on employees and introducing measures which reduce or provide a break from arduous tasks.

• Establishing balanced personnel and age structures in specific areas of work and throughout the company with the aim of avoiding waves of recruitments and retirements.


• Repetetive work routines • Permanent concentration• Forced awkward postures• Night shifts• Physically-demanding work • Machine-paced work• Heat, noise, dust• Tight deadlines

If workers are required to perform work under theseconditions on a permanent basis, they will almostinevitably be confronted with health and performanceproblems as they grow older.

• Ergonomic workplace design• Fostering healthy work processes

Job enrichment by changing type, content, methods

of work, or mixing tasks• Reducing time pressure• Introducing flexible working-time models• Limiting deployment times

Areas of action

Objective:Maintaining and promoting good health, motivation and qualification throughoutpeople's working lives

Objectives of ageing-appropriate job design

Source: ISO


Factors influencing performance:

- Previous activities (stresses, training)- Performance demands at work- Stimulus to learn provided by work

- Self-perception, perceptions of others- Socialisation, education/training

Age

Cog

nit

ive a

nd

ph

ysic

al p

erf

orm

an

ce

Individual

differences

- Private lifestyles

Individual differences in the development of work performance with increasing age


Phase III Re-positioningE.g. Monitor exit; enable

change of tasks; phased

retirement

Phase I Finding

E.g. recruit and integrate

Phase II Retaining and developing

E.g. Interesting, varied work tasks; call for and

foster individual competence development; agree

individual development plans

A future demand for companies –a long-term personnel policy for all age groups

Aim: Accompanying and developing careers from the beginning to the endof working life.


Demand: to re-think personal and organisational developmentconcepts for older workers

e.g. avoid lop-sided work tasks

e.g. new development opportunities for older workers

e.g. new recruiting strategies (e.g. for women)

Aims of the company

Productivity

Flexibility

Health, performance

Motivation

Demands to personnel polices

Qualification, skillse.g. support lifelong development of competences

Knowledge

Attractiveness of companies

Transfer of knowledge and experiencee.g. age-mixed teams, avoid know-how gaps

Innovation


Events

Information

Results

Contacts

Further information available

The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)Number of Funding: 01HH9901/0

Contact Persons:Bernd Dworschak, Fraunhofer IAOHartmut Buck, Alexander SchletzPhone: ++49 711 970 2042E-mail: [email protected]

www.demotrans.de

Booklet free of charge:

Buck, H.; Kistler, E.; Mendius, H. G.: Demographic change in the world of work. Opportunities for an innovative approach to work – a German point of view. Stuttgart, 2002.

Documents

© Fraunhofer IAO, IAT Universität Stuttgart 1 Building workplaces in line with the ageing process AGORA „Promoting lifelong learning for older workers“