Technology and the Aging Work Force

Working people with children, people with aging parents to care for, and people with special needs have been pushing for years to get flexible work schedules or telework hours in order to balance work and family; however, what will finally make corporate America widely adopt flexible hours, job sharing, and telework is the graying work force. About twenty percent of workers are currently eligible to retire, and another thirty to forty percent will be of retirement age within the next ten years.

Fortunately, while no one knows for sure, AARP estimates that about sixty-nine percent of baby boomers plan to stay in the work force if possible. But, older workers won't be willing or able to stay on the payroll unless their employers make changes that address the problems inherent with older bodies; as a result, job-enhancing technologies of all types are expected to grow in most industries. Workers with diminishing eyesight will need large-screen computers, and there will be a need for devices to help those who are hard of hearing. And most significantly, the use of video communication equipment will likely rise as the older worker finds it harder to travel for business meetings, training classes, consulting professionals, or simply harder to come to the normal workplace on a daily basis.

Even for the employee that must be at the job site, technology already exists for addressing the health problems of workers such as automated external defibrillator programs and Phonoscope's Health Services where medical professionals are available through their video conferencing system by simply dialing a four-digit number. The benefits of this service to companies include employee benefit solutions, such as onsite medical assistance, immediate access to a physician, prescriptions and refills, health profiles, preventative screening, and chronic disease management.

Telework, also referred to as telecommuting, flexiwork, and flexiplace, solves many of the diminishing health problems of workers as they age and is expected to see a serious boon in the next five to ten years. Face-to-face meetings with superiors are already being replaced with high-realism communications options, and 1-on-1 or small-group 'teams' that have clear objectives can work together wherever convenient. So, teleworking holds the promise of pulling a whole new group of individuals into the job market, such as people with disabilities, who often find public transportation and building accommodations a barrier to work.

There will always be jobs that require human interaction, like teachers, for example. But even in these cases technology is allowing for more and more tasks to be done remotely. The Phonoscope high definition Video Conferencing System, whose equipment is provided and maintained as part of the monthly service, offers T3 Internet services, allowing video conferencing to transfer through fiber optics. However, the true value of Phonoscope's system is found in the video communication applications the company offers, legal services, corporate training, health services, education, and more, that will offer necessary flexibility for the post-retirement age worker.

Vickie Adair is the senior technical writer at Media A-Team (http://www.mediaateam.com) and also publishes as a freelance writer. She writes for http://www.houstonmanufacturers.com, a website for Houston manufacturers, providers, and suppliers, and http://www.natural-products-directory.com, a directory of online business that sell or manufacture organic and/or natural products.