Older Workers in the Workplace

Veteran Affairs (VA) hospitals are federal medical facilities that provide healthcare to wounded and disabled veterans. Although VA is based in Washington, the employees of this department work in various hospitals and clinics around the country providing superior medical care to the enrolled veterans in different states. The most hired employees in this Department include pharmacists, nurses, mental health professionals, and nurses. The Dallas VA hospital, for example, has a total of 5,700 employees who serve over 110,000 veterans in various counties within Texas. This facility provides health services through short-term and long-term care of the veterans by offering rehabilitation, surgery, medical, as well as mental health services (Fulton, Fulton, Lyon & Goudreau, 2009).  

Demographic Breakdown 

Although the exact demographical data for this organization is not available, these are the best estimates of such data, according to the available data and information. 

The percentages in this figure represent Registered Nurses. 

The workplace in the VA hospitals, as is in many other organizations, is experiencing a trend whereby the majority of the employees are above the age of 40. This statistic shows that the majority of nurses here are heading towards retirement, and hence the organization is experiencing the effects of an aging workforce. Therefore, there is a need for the organization to develop a framework through which the older workers can continue offering their services as they share expertise and skills with the employees in the younger age brackets (Bell, 2013). 

Nature of the Work Environment for Older Workers: Conduciveness and Difficulties 

There are several ways in which the work environment in a VA hospital is good for older workers. First, a worker in a VA hospital can benefit from the flexible work arrangements offered by the organization. A career in this organization offers a flexible work schedule with a work/life balance. These arrangements mean that the older workers in the organization according to their desirable schedule as they seek to balance their home life with their work life. Furthermore, the employees of this organization are provided with paid time-offs which work to keep them refreshed and rejuvenated when they report to work (Collins-McNeil, Sharpe & Benbow, 2012). 

In addition to that, these flexible schedules in VA hospitals eliminate the challenge of stress caused by work. The older workers in this organization are also provided with a program that enables them to work for fewer hours than the younger employees. Reduced working hours for these employees mean that they do not have to stay the full hours on their working days. Second, the work environment in this organization excludes the older workers from certain responsibilities such as the lifting of heavy loads. Here, the older workers are given light duties and fewer responsibilities than the younger employees in consideration of their susceptibility to injuries. 

Despite the conduciveness of the working environment, the work environment in this organization has some difficulties that the older workers face. Registered nurses who grow old while working in VA hospitals face various challenges ranging from physical, emotional, to cognitive. First, the work environment is always changing due to the introduction of technology. It is hard for the older workers who are resistant to change and slow learners to catch up with the introduction of technology. For example, the introduction of computer systems for various functions is a challenge to the older workers, most of whom do not have the technical capacity to perform some or all the functions. Furthermore, most of those computer systems keep on changing their layout and outlook hence adding to the difficulties that the workers face. 

Another difficulty that the older workers in this organization face is the continued inability to handle the volume of work that they were used to when they were younger. Due to the effects of aging, these workers are unable to work long hours while others cannot keep steady hands to administer medication (Hill, 2011). There are some older workers in this organization who have developed eye problems and hence need assistance when reading prescriptions among other daily functions. 

Strategies to Engage and Retain Older Workers 

Employee retention is an important factor in the operation of any organization (Bell, 2013). A multigenerational workforce, such as the one observed in the VA hospital, is crucial in the continuity of operations because every age group contributes unique values. For example, the motivations of an older worker are different from those of a younger worker. There are various ways that employee retention can be achieved in an organization. For nurses, especially those working in VA hospitals, the feeling of being valuable in the daily operations of an organization is important. Therefore, making the older workers feel valuable is one of the ways that retention can be achieved (Bell, 2013). 

Another strategy that can be implemented by this organization to prevent the exit of older workers would be the development of an organizational structure that recognizes and appreciates all the older workers. This culture can be facilitated by the development of programs and policies that make introduce positivity in the workplace. A positive work environment that recognizes and values the older worker would be crucial in achieving high retention rates for those employees. In the same regard, the organization would do away with any perception of the older workers as liabilities (Hill, 2011). For example, instead of the younger workers ignoring and disrespecting their older colleagues, they would offer assistance, especially on matters to do with the use of computers in the workplace. In addition to that, appreciation and recognition of older workers can be achieved through educational programs that focus on employee inclusion and diversity in the workplace. This strategy would be useful in the retention of skills and knowledge that older workers have accrued through experience. 

Another strategy that can be successful in improving the retention rates of older workers is the introduction of customized work schedules for that group of employees. This strategy would be applied to the already-existing work schedule that affords the older employees reduced working hours and a flexible working environment. Here, the employees belonging to the older-worker category would be offered a personalized working schedule according to the convenience and availability of each of them. Therefore, an older worker can choose a weekend-only schedule while another one chooses a part-time working program. Older workers in the nursing profession are vulnerable to physical strain when they work full twelve-hour shifts. Offering personalized schedules would, therefore, ensure that older employees can continue working without such risks ((Fulton, Fulton, Lyon & Goudreau, 2009). 

Another strategy that can be implemented would be the development of a well-structured division of labor schedule that assigns the older workers to roles which are not physically demanding. Through this strategy, the older workers would be given responsibilities in the administrative department or be enrolled as mentors in education programs within the organization. Instead of assigning the physically demanding roles to the older workers, they would be placed as teachers to build the capacity of the younger workers with skills and experience (Outten, 2012). Here, the organization would benefit not only from older-worker retention but also from the education passed on to the inexperienced staff. 

References 

Bell, L. M. (2013). Nursing and health policy perspectives: The aging of the nursing workforce. 

International Nursing Review, 277-278. 

Collins-McNeil, J., Sharpe, D., & Benbow, D. (2012). Performance potential. Aging workforce: 

Retaining valuable nurses. Nursing Management, 43(3), 50-51. 

Fulton, J. S., Fulton, J. S., Lyon, B. L., & Goudreau, K. A. (2009).  Foundations of clinical nurse 

specialist practice . New York: Springer Publishing Company. 

Hill, K. (2011).  Magnet Environments: Supporting the Retention and Satisfaction of Nurses, An 

Issue of Nursing Clinics - E-Book . Saunders. 

Outten, M. K. (2012). From veterans to nexters: Managing a multigenerational nursing 

workforce. Nursing Management , 43(4), 42-47