Research Brief: Absence and Disability Management Practices for an Aging Workforce
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The goal of Disability and Absence Management (A & DM) programming is to limit absence, control costs, and retain workers to maintain a productive workforce.This can include the development of supportive policies (e.g. flexible work options), manager and employee education, supportive benefit programs, return to work programs, among others. A & DM professionals frequently use data on employee demographics, health, and risks in order to inform program design and implementation. Increasingly, older workers have become a group of interest among A & DM professionals, in part because many baby boomers are forgoing retirement and working longer, both out of financial need, and also because they enjoy their work and desire to stay involved.Projections suggest that by 2020 those 55 and over could account for 25% of workers.This shift is especially important for A & DM given that disability prevalence increases with age – as the workforce ages, organizations will increasingly need to ensure their programming supports older workers.