Although employers realise that babyย boomers are not without stressย and anxiety, their main concernย for this cohort of employees is physical health and wellbeing not mentalย health, according to researchย fromย GRiD,ย the industry body for the group risk protection sector.
Employers believe that babyย boomers โ the generation born from 1946 to 1964ย (aged 57-75)ย โ have the least amount of stress and anxiety relating to their work life, home life and their finances butย employersย have more concerns regarding their physicalย health andย fitness:
- 42% of employersย say theirย biggest concern for their mature employees isย that they areย living with long-term chronic illness or health concerns such as diabetes
- Theย secondย biggestย concern forย employersย (atย 37%)ย is regarding a general lack of fitness caused by a non-active lifestyle / sedentary working
- 31% of employersย have concerns aroundย ill-health relating to lifestyle such as obesity, smokingย andย alcohol-dependenceย for their baby boomer staff
Driven byย increased longevity, a rise in theย stateย pension age, shrinking wealth,ย and more recently, the home-working revolution, the proportion of over 50s in work has been increasing steadily overย decades.
Katharine Moxham, spokesperson for GRiD said:ย โWith more over-50s in the workplace than ever before, and the potential forย furtherย age rangeย expansionย in the workforce, it is inevitable that employers will need to prepare to support an increasingly diverse range of physical and mentalย healthย issues. Improving mental health support has been front and centre for many organisations over the pastย fewย years but this research is a useful reminder that physicalย healthย support is needed by many throughout their working life andย can beย of particular concern to staff as they get older.โ
Having worked for many years within an industry or specific field, mature employees bring such a wealth of experienceย in toย the workplace as well as a loyalty and reliability, which explains why some employers are actively recruiting over 50s – not simply just as part of a diversity and inclusion strategy. However, if this is not complemented with the provision of support for physical health and wellbeing, many organisations risk losing their babyย boomers through deteriorating physical health.
Many employee benefits, includingย groupย riskย (employer-sponsoredย lifeย assurance,ย income protectionย andย critical illness) haveย extra supportiveย benefits builtย in toย them which mean employers can access specificย helpย for their staff without having to pay any additional costs. Often theseย will includeย doctor-ย or nurse-led support servicesย whichย can help diagnose a problem at an early stage, meaning staff can receive early intervention support which could prevent an illness or health concern becoming more serious.ย Support can also include accessย toย apps to measure, monitor and improve health and fitness; physio, virtual GPs, tailored help for chronic conditions, second medical opinion: all benefits that can be of particular benefit to older staff.
Moxhamย continued:ย โItโs not only important for culture and reputation but a legal requirement that employers treat all employeesย with equityย โ offering them the same financial and health benefits, no matter what their ageย is. Employers are probably correct in their thinking that the physical aspects of ill-health become more pressing as employees age butย employers should ensure that staff of all ages can access high-quality, comprehensive support for both physical and mentalย healthย conditions at all stages of their careers.โ
