Several recent studies on older workers find consistent high
ratings on key job skills, loyalty, reliability and lack of turnover. In addition
to this, studies are also finding that senior employees are ready to take on
the technological age, overturning the stereotype that they are too set in their
ways to learn new skills. 
But this is not a new concept for county governments, who have traditionally
had an older workforce.
“The best worker I have is 68 years old and a heavy equipment operator,” boasted Jerry Strawn, Carson County commissioner. Strawn also uses two part-time employees who are in their ‘70s and early ‘80s. “These guys retired and came back. They are the kind of employees who always put the job first and that’s hard to find these days. Their work ethic is just exceptional.”
Although the rewards of having employees with decades of work experience are abundant, these prized veterans also have special needs, ranging from the work environment to training routines to consideration of stress and strains on aging bodies. Employers, counties included, need to get ready for the special needs of an aging population, from training to the physical office environment.
Good news is that older workers are safer, generating on average far fewer workers’ compensation claims than their younger counterparts. Not so good news is that when injured they tend to have more severe injuries and longer recovery times.
Also, a Texas study in 1992 found that Texas workers over age 55 had a higher percentage of fatalities. They comprised 10 percent of the workforce but accounted for 17 percent of the fatal injuries, mostly in the areas of agriculture and transportation.
“Auto accidents can hit counties in two ways, workers compensation and liability,” said Mike Strawn, assistant manager of TAC’s Loss Control Services. “Supervisors need to be on top of an age-related problem that would affect driving such as eye sight and hearing.”
But Strawn cautions that supervisors should do so in a way that in non-discriminatory or risk a lawsuit. “A practical solution that avoids negative personnel ramifications is to list the physical requirements of driving skills in the job descriptions for those that do a significant amount of driving for their county.”
With an older workforce, even though the overall workers’ compensation claims go down, the nature of claims are expected to increase in areas such as cumulative trauma disorders, namely back injuries -- which can result in complicated and costly claims.
“Most back injuries are developed over a long period of time,” said Strawn. “The process of life and living – bending and lifting – creates a little damage each time. If you lift improperly most of your life, you won’t feel the pain when you’re young, but the wear and tear shows up later in life.”
Another important factor is that our backs don’t handle sitting long periods of time too well. “There was a lot of common sense to those old-fashioned standing desks,” said Strawn. “Today, ergonomic chairs will help keep you in the proper position but they are not 100 percent of the answer. Taking breaks and stretching are also needed help keep your back in better condition.”
Beyond making physical adaptations to the workplace, other things should be considered to maximize productivity. This especially holds true in one critical area – training.
It has been found that updating the skills of existing employees is a third of the cost as hiring new graduates schooled in the latest technologies. Employers are also finding that older workers tend to stay in one place longer, so in some cases training dollars are more reliably spent on them rather than on younger, more mobile employees.
But there can be a snag. Analysis shows that the older a worker gets, the more stress they feel with major job changes. This stress can hamper their ability to learn.
To reduce stress, employers need to adapt to the training preferences of older employees, which are different than their younger equivalents. A study by the American Association of Retired Persons finds that older adults report they learn better through hands-on approaches and want to have some control over the learning process. Self-paced training and on-the-job coaching are also considered effective.
It’s also important to adjust expectations. Although everyone is different, on the whole, it’s been shown that the elderly may perform tasks slower but they are much more accurate than younger employees. This could apply to training situations as well.
TIME IS MONEY
Bill Allaway, president of the Texas Taxpayers Research Association, was one industry representative who worked with a number of legislators several years ago to help pass Proposition 2. The Texas Taxpayers Research Association represents mostly business taxpayers, many who operate large industrial facilities.
Although most employers say the benefits far outweigh the costs of an older worker, there are expenses associated with an older workforce that should be factored into budget forecasts. As workers age salaries rise, the costs for retirement benefits increase and they tend to utilize more health care.
Total costs for compensations and benefits for a company can rise up to 24 percent in a decade due to aging alone, according to a Watson Wyatt’s model.
“TAC’s group health pool of 150 counties has aged noticeably in the last two years,” noted Bill Norwood, manager of TAC’s Employee Benefits Program. “and other counties whose plans we reviewed are basically in the same boat. I think this is one of the reasons counties are paying more for their health care plans than ever before.”
But age is a relative thing. Baby boomers as a group are in better health and expect to live longer the previous generations.
“Implementing wellness and/or disease management programs may be a good idea for both productivity and lowering health care costs,” said Norwood. “In our twenties, we don’t really pay attention to this stuff. But as you get older, you have a very receptive and motivated audience. Over the long run, these sorts of programs can make a difference, especially for your older workers.”
Two fifths of state and local government workers will be eligible to retire in the next 15 years and with this “the most significant talent and brain drain ever experienced by government,” reports March 2000 Governing article entitled, “The Employee Exodus.”
For counties and other governments whose pay can’t always compete with the private sector, there is an additional challenge: the fierce competition for the ever-decreasing pool of younger workers.
Larger companies try to find a balance between older and younger workers so that knowledge can be passed on. But for organizations whose majorities of employees are in the same age group, they could be in for a rocky transition when boomers hit the retirement years.
Even today, employers are trying to lure back their early retirees with part-time and consulting jobs. And again, having a work environment that is age-friendly helps.
Of course, when older people do heavy physical work, their age may slow them down. But employers find that other skills increase with age, such as the ability to spot a problem before it blows up, steer a project, or handle others diplomatically. They also find doing so provides the greater opportunity for mentorship of more inexperienced employees, which makes a difference on overall productivity.
But again, this isn’t news for many counties already struggling to fill their workforce … just ask Jerry Strawn in Carson County.