Effective management of employee rehabilitation and return to work after sickness absence will be a key requirement for manufacturers in their dealings with an increasingly ageing workforce.
This is one of the findings of a survey: “An Ageing Workforce—How are manufacturers preparing?” just published by EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation.
Companies responding to EEF’s survey felt that older workers were more likely to be absent long-term when they were sick, a view consistent with findings reported in EEF’s sickness absence and rehabilitation survey, published in 2007.
A significant proportion of the manufacturers surveyed (30%) were concerned that the number of days lost owing to absenteeism/sickness was likely to rise as the workforce became older.
However, the loss of specialist skills owing to retirement was a far greater concern, expressed by 76% of respondents. Within just five short years it is estimated that because of the demographics alone, the West Midlands will be short of 30,000 skilled people.
The manufacturing sector has a higher proportion of workers aged between 35 and 55 compared with the workforce as a whole, and fewer workers aged between 16 and 24. Industries such as aerospace and defence will see as much as 40% of their workforce become eligible to retire within the next five years.
Companies are beginning to adapt to the challenges of an ageing workforce, particularly with regard to rehabilitation and return to work policies. The survey found12 % were either implementing these policies as an explicit response to the ageing of their workforce or were considering doing so.
“The shortage of skilled workers in manufacturing means it is all the more important to ensure that no one falls through the net for want of practical support from their employer in helping them back to work after sickness,” said Sayeed Khan, EEF’s chief medical adviser.
EEF’s award-winning Managing Sickness Absence Toolkit offers advice and guidance on many of the issues linked to an ageing workforce. The toolkit combines expertise on HR, occupational health and the law to provide checklists, sample letters, forms and guides for line managers. It is available for £65 to members and £95 to non-members from EEF’s online bookstore at www.eef.org.uk