Baby Boomers and Your New Jersey Workers Comp
We’ve all heard the expression or phrase ‘baby boomers’, but have you ever thought about how baby boomers affect your New Jersey workers compensation insurance? Are they a liability, a negative in your workplace, or are they a positive influence?
Baby Boomers are now aged around 46 to 64 years old and make up almost 20% of the American workforce. Some are delaying retirement because they choose to continue working, and others are still working because of financial concerns. That all adds up to a lot of baby boomers being in the workplace for many years to come.
The positives that can come with employing baby boomers:
• Some reports suggest they have fewer work related injuries than younger employees and call in sick less often.
• They may make better work related judgment calls, which may reduce their risk of injury.
• They may be more cautious in the workplace, and evaluate risks better than younger employees.
The negatives that can come with employing baby boomers:
• They may have lower physical abilities compared to younger employees.
• They may take longer to recover from an injury than younger employees.
• They are more susceptible to degenerative type injuries than younger employees.
• Some may be reluctant to learn to use new technology.
So, who are the more productive, reliable and less problematic workers – baby boomers or younger employees? Toss a coin and make a random choice. In the race to be the best worker they arrive at the finish line together, making them the perfect working partnership. The experience and judgment of older employees may help you to maintain a safe workplace, and train a new generation of workers, which in turn might help reduce the risk of claims on your New Jersery workers compensation insurance.