Older Adults in the Canadian Workforce: EAPs and Training from a Liberal Perspective

The aging baby boomer generation creates shifts in the labour market. These shifts call attention to the need for increased support of this population in the workforce to ensure well-being and success at work. Between 2001 an 2009, the proportion of older adults in the Canadian workforce (aged 55 and up) has grown from 10 percent to 17 percent. Stats Canada projects that this figure will rise to 24 percent by 2021 (Statistics Canada, 2011).

Older adults in the Canadian workforce experience higher levels of personal and workplace stress which are increasing over time. They also experience more conflict and relationship problems in the workplace. Finally, they are less likely to access Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) than their younger counterparts (Fairlie, 2004). EAPs developed in the 1940s out of industrial alcoholism programs. Today they are used as support programs in the workplace that cover a broad range of areas including work-related stress, addiction, personal stress, conflict, relationship challenges, and any other factors that may hinder an individual’s success in the workplace (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, 2009).

Through liberal ideology, high employment in Canada is ideal. Supporting the labour force keeps productivity high which perpetuates the success of the markets. One with a liberal perspective would concede that we can live successfully under a capitalist system; however, the government should step in to give those who fall through the cracks a hand up (Mullally, 2007). Although for the most part, a residual approach to welfare is taken when working through a liberal ideology, it appears that a fair amount of attention would be drawn to issues of employment. It could be argued then, through this lens, that EAPs are of benefit to various sectors. By accounting for the challenges of aging, and by working to remedy some of the disparities present between age groups, the production and success of the workforce is upheld.   

Older workers contribute immensely to a workplace. With age, creative problem-solving, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and leadership become honed skills. With age, absenteeism falls and job satisfaction rises (Fairlie, 2004). Older workers thrive when the workplace supports them by accounting for the challenges that they may be facing (Fairlie, 2004). Some of these challenges are based on the changing environment in the workplace brought on by the rise in technology (Fairlie, 2004). These changes are visible across Canada in nearly every sector. Other challenges are linked to personal stress due to the loss of loved ones and increasing health problems (Fairlie, 2004). Another significant challenge is associated with ageism. In one year, between 2001 and 2002, the reported complaints of work place harassment due to ageism rose by 71 percent. Older adults in the workplace are often perceived to be lower in productivity, slower in decision making, resistant to change, and slow to learn. Evidence suggests that this is not the case. Even with radical changes in technology and the expectations of faster and more intensified work, older workers are as productive as their younger counterparts with the appropriate training (Fairlie, 2004).  

To ensure the well-being and success of older Canadians in the workforce, more attention should be given to encouraging older workers to access EAPs. Currently, younger workers access EAPs for fairly minor complaints, whereas older workers only access them when significant challenges are present (Fairlie, 2004). More attention should also be given to appropriate training and programs that help older workers adapt to new technologies. The value of older workers is tremendous. They bring wisdom, knowledge, and experience to the table. These qualities should not be undermined. The workers who possess these qualities should not be left stranded. Finally, as young workers, we should be aware of what we have to gain from our older colleagues in the work place and we should be cognizant of our own biases about older adults at work.

Thank you,

-          Kayla T.

References

Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, (2009). Employee assistance programs (EAP). Retrieved from website: http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/hsprograms/eap.html

Fairlie, P. (2004). The aging workforce: An EAP’s perspective. WarrenShepell Research Group, 3 (6), 1-7. Retrieved from http://www.morneaushepell.com/_brochures/reports/ir_agingpop_enREPORT.pdf

Mullally, B. (2007). The new structural social work. (3^rd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Statistics Canada, (2011). Study: Projected trends to 2031 for the Canadian labour force. Retrieved from website: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/110817/dq110817b-eng.htm