The key stakeholders identified for this project include:
Employers will learn about both the issues and benefits of retaining healthy older workers. Safety, positive workplace culture and appropriate recognition are all factors in retention. Resources will be developed to enable employers to provide programming and support systems to reduce the risk of injury and illness while retaining an experienced workforce.
Workers are at the heart of this issue as they face some of the risks of growing older in a workplace coupled with possible age discrimination and lack of awareness on the part of other key players. They are also at the heart of the issue because of changing demographics; employers will need them to maintain or grow their business.
Human resource professionals are critical players in recruitment and retention as well as in advising about healthy workplace culture. Resources will be developed for this group to consider the attitudes in their workplace about older workers and provide guidance to employers on this aspect of their business.
Safety and health practitioners and industry-based safety associations are key players in many industries, implementing and evaluating programs to prevent injury and illness. This project will create awareness of the issues regarding an aging workforce, develop and deliver educational resources to enhance knowledge and understanding of the issues, and provide resources to encourage the evaluation of current programs and development of new resources as required.
Industry based safety associations play an important role in Manitoba’s strategy toward the creation of safe and healthy workplace cultures. Their awareness about an aging workforce can further assist in addressing the issues. The development of programs in this project can serve as a useful resource for these associations.
Unions play a critical role in many workers’ lives. A union’s role would include and go beyond safety and health and would assist in many of the issues around an aging workforce such as ageism or age discrimination. These resources would create awareness and provide resources to guide programs in their respective areas.
Worker safety and health representatives and committees will be consulted and engaged. It is not only a legal requirement under Manitoba’s workplace safety and health laws but doing so is an important part of the risk management process in any safe and healthy workplace.