Work force issues for the next decade
Will the offshore outsourcing trend continue? How will the work force of the future differ from the work force of today? In 25 Trends That Will Change the Way You Do Business, Workforce forecasts the way that work force management might differ 10 years from now. It's an interesting read, and some of the issues will have an impact on workers compensation:
24/7 operations - to service global constituencies, companies are increasingly moving to 24 hour-a-day, 7 day-a-week operations. The article suggests that "Employers also will have a trickier time dealing with disability claims, since some mental health conditions may be exacerbated by a shift to nighttime work." We would also see safety and training issues as factors - these often get less attention on weekends and at night.
Work force loyalty - downsizing, outsourcing, and reduced benefits have taken a toll on employee loyalty. "Only 25 percent of workers feel a strong attachment to their employers, and 4 in 10 feel trapped in their jobs, according to Walker Information, an Indianapolis-based research firm. Walker vice president Marc Drizin says employee loyalty was on the decline even before the economy stalled, and that pattern is likely to continue." This is a dangerous and disturbing trend. An attenuation of the good-faith bond between employer and employee has enormous productivity and quality implications. Our experience leads us to believe that employers with disaffected workers and workers who feel abused have more workers compensation problems than employers who foster loyalty and trust.
Telecommuting - more and more workers are spending part or all of their time working from home. "By the year 2010, more than half of American wage earners will spend more than two days a week working outside the office, reports the Sulzer Infrastructure Services firm in London. Today, 28 million people "telework" under formal company policies--a leap from 4 million in 1990--and millions more work informally out of the office one or more days a week." Increasing numbers of workers who spend time outside the "four walls" will pose new challenges to compensability as "course and scope of employment issues" emerge.
Wellness incentives - companies have been increasingly moving to workplace wellness programs to enhance employee health and productivity. Will there now be a trend towards cash incentives for participation in wellness programs? According to Tom Lerche, senior vice president of Aon Consulting, we are likely to see a move in this direction through a reduction in insurance costs for particpating in health risk reduction programs.
Changing work force demographics - "The convergence of several trends--declining births, retiring baby boomers, and expected business growth--will create more jobs than there will be workers to fill them by 2010, experts predict. The math is relatively simple. The civilian labor force will increase by 17 million, reaching 158 million in 2010, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But by then, the BLS says, the number of jobs will reach 168 million." The article suggests we will see a trend to an older work force as baby boomers are actively recruited. Although it is not specifically mentioned, we also think that immigrant workers will be an increasing work force demographic. These changing demographics will have safety and training implications that must be addressed.
