The generational shift in the workforce has been a topic of frequent conversation for leaders across virtually every economic sector and level of business operation. Organizations in manufacturing, transportation, mining, warehousing, technology, health care, and beyond have been reckoning with what it means to employ a multi-generational workforce, and perhaps no segment has been more invested in the subject than safety professionals. It’s easy to see why: age has a substantial effect on worker injury risk, cost, and organizational efficiency. Workers of every generation bring unique skills and benefits to their employers. Likewise, every age group brings their specific risk factors related to the environment in which they grew up, the type of work they’ve done throughout their careers, and the cultural trends that shape individuals.
Despite the wide array of factors and influences affecting today’s multigenerational workforce, there remains a powerful tool that provides significant wellness and injury prevention benefits for workers of all ages: ergonomics. By tailoring your ergonomic programming to your workforce’s particular generational mix and broadening your focus to a more holistic approach to safety and wellness, it’s possible to address risk from multiple angles regardless of a worker’s age or level of experience.
Evaluating the Situation: Today’s Multigenerational Workforce by the Numbers
Today’s American workforce has developed a broad age mix consisting of workers from five different generations. Here’s how the numbers play out by generation according to Purdue Global’s research.
- Silent Generation (born 1925–1945): 2%
- Baby Boomers (born 1946–1964): 18-20%
- Generation X (born 1965–1980): 35%
- Millennial/Gen Y (born 1981–1996): 38%
- Generation Z (born 1997–2012): 6%
With a spread this diverse, it’s possible for a single employer—even a single department—to have workers as old as their mid-80s and as young as their early 20s. The median age of today’s employees is 42 years, and most workers will spend between a quarter and a third of their lives at work. That means that employers need to account not only for the age composition of their current workforce but also how those people will change as they grow older.
Differing Values, Motivating Factors, and Social Influences
Every generation brings its own set of experiences and values to the workplace, and it’s the job of safety leaders to understand how each age group’s traits play into how they function best at work. A one-size-fits-all approach to safety is unlikely to get you the outcomes you want, but tailoring your interventions to workers’ specific characteristics pays off in improved results and better performance organization-wide.
Silent Generation
- Values:
- Respect, consistency, authority, and a strong work ethic
- Communication and teamwork
- Career longevity
- Face-to-face interaction
- Safety risks:
- MSDs and soft tissue injuries
- Fall injuries
- Anxiety and depression resulting from isolation
- Safety strategies:
- Adjust equipment and tools to reduce the physical demands of tasks
- Focus on functional strength and flexibility
- Provide opportunities for flexible work scheduling, partial retirement, and adapted job responsibilities
Baby Boomers
- Values:
- Discipline, independence, work ethic
- Strong leadership
- Family values
- Safety risks:
- Joint issues, arthritis, poor flexibility, back problems
- Chronic health issues
- Decreased vision and hearing
- MSDs and soft tissue injuries
- Safety strategies:
- Ergonomics programming provides joint, shoulder, neck, and back support
- Task-specific ergonomic analysis and accommodations
Generation X
- Values:
- Self-reliance, individualism, diversity
- New challenges, responsibility, creative input
- Functions best in a mix of in-person and digital interaction
- Safety risks:
- Chronic pain
- Neck and shoulder injuries
- Diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis
- Higher rates of slip, trip, and fall injuries
- Safety strategies:
- Implement adjustable workstations and tools
- Ergonomic task design
- Assistive technologies and digital training
Millennials
- Values:
- Adaptability, learning new skills
- Creatively fulfilling work that makes a positive community impact
- Teamwork and social interaction
- Comfort with new technologies
- Safety risks:
- Pre-existing MSD risks, poor posture, neck issues, carpal tunnel syndrome
- Eye strain
- Back issues, repetitive motion injuries
- Safety strategies:
- Blue-light filters for computer work
- Mobile, digital-friendly ergonomic training
- Ergonomic assessments and training
Gen Z
- Values:
- Diverse and accepting work environments
- Social impact, creative opportunities, upward mobility
- Digital communication and remote work
- Safety risks:
- Potentially shorter attention spans
- Poor posture, neck problems, eye strain
- Higher risk of upper and lower extremity injuries, illnesses
- Cut, laceration, puncture injuries
- Safety strategies:
- Digital tools, videos, gamified training programs
- Direct performance feedback
- Mentorship
Ergonomics for All: Holistic Strategies Lead to Improved Wellness and Performance
Reviewing the varying needs and characteristics of every generation present in today’s workforce reveals the key for safety leaders hoping to develop a supportive culture for all workers: a holistic, multifaceted approach to workplace ergonomics that integrates the following:
- Early symptom intervention
- Injury prevention
- Wellness
- Return to work
- Technology
This strategy, based on the NIOSH Total Worker Health™ approach to workplace safety, strives to empower workers by improving engagement at the individual level with customized education, training, and mentorship. This integrated strategy directs safety leaders to implement these or similar tactics in their workplaces, allowing for differences between workers of different age groups while respecting their various strengths and contributions.
1. Assessment: Analyze safety and ergonomic needs for each generation present in your workforce.
2. Regular breaks and mobility programs: Sedentary behavior and long periods of sitting are known to increase injury and health risks.
3. Technological adaptation: Blue light filters, ergonomic computer equipment, exoskeletons, wearable sensors and tools adjusted for specific workers’ needs will help reduce injury risks.
4. Purchasing: Keep your organization informed of the latest developments in ergonomic tech and ensure all buying decisions are made with safety in mind.
5. Desktop ergonomics: Train computer-based workers on ergonomic workstation design and get ahead of potential injuries or complaints of chronic pain.
6. Flexibility: Offer workers, especially those of the Silent Generation, Millennial, and Gen Z groups, options for flexible work arrangements that match their strengths and values.
7. Wellness: Provide access to mental health support, counseling, fatigue management solutions, nutritional advice, mobile wellness apps, natural lighting, and other tools that support overall well-being.
8. Online training: Younger generations respond best to digital training that they can pursue at their own speed, empowering these workers to self-identify potential injury risks before they become serious problems.
9. Training materials: Tailor all educational materials to the strengths of each age group, using a variety of tactics to ensure all workers are supported and engaged.
10. Evaluate and improve: Continuous feedback and a culture that encourages reporting and transparency will help your workers feel supported.
Ready to get started?
DORN Companies is a leading provider of integrated safety and ergonomics solutions for multigenerational workforces. Working with over 15,000 people a year we have worked with all generations to reduce injury risk and increase overall wellness and employee engagement. Contact us today to discuss your safety goals and craft a strategy that fits your organization’s needs.
