Two Sides of the Same Coin: Aging and Disability Webinar Series Part I

Date/Time: Tuesday, January 19, 2016 from 10:00 am - 11:30 am PST

Location: Webinar

Description: As the Baby Boomer generation ages, these individuals develop more and more impairments that affect their needs as employees and customers. These are age-related disabilities, and often the individuals do not consider themselves as persons with disabilities. However, they often are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act as employees and as customers in the business setting. This two-part webinar series will address address aging individuals with disabilities as both employees and customers.

Part One begins with a careful look at trends in employment for older workers. How are they different than their parents?  Are they actually staying in employment longer? Do most still cut back to part time employment, as we saw in the past?  The changes in when and how Boomers retire may surprise you. Another surprise may be the likelihood that these employers will develop an age-related impairment, but won’t acknowledge it, much less ask for an accommodation.

As Boomers develop impairments, their work performance can be affected. What should the employer look for, and is there an obligation to make accommodations if the employee is not asking for one?  What is the downside of just going on as usual with these aging Boomers?

We will explore the more common age-related impairments and how they manifest themselves in performance problems.  We’ll also look at a reality of providing support and illustrate reasonable accommodation strategies.
As important as the accommodations process is, the Boomer employee needs to be willing to admit they are having a problem and need support. We will focus on ways to create a company culture that encourages employees to seek needed assistance. Companies can also consider non-traditional approaches to retaining older employees that involve flexibility around the employment relationship, and these will be detailed.

Part Two of this series starts with a profile of Baby Boomers as customers.  Compared with earlier generations, they are numerous, affluent, active in their lives, hold high  expectations for service, are unafraid to change their allegiance to companies, and are quite different than younger customers. As they age, the chance of developing an age-related impairment increases substantially, and the implications of its impact on the business/customer relationship should not be underestimated. 

We will review the more frequent types of disabilities developed as people age, with the effect each may have on the customer/business relationship. Keep in mind that the customer often is not yet acknowledging the impairment, and is thus unlikely to pursue accommodations legally due on the basis of disability.  For example, Grandpa Andy is a bit embarrassed to admit he can’t hear the clerk, so he doesn’t pursue asking for the details on an electronics item. He’ll end up buying it online. Or Aunt Lil, who loved shopping in the mall stores but no longer has the endurance to stand and walk through her favorite shop. She’ll just make do with her old sweater.

Would the ADA provide protections for these shoppers?  Many will meet the ADA definition of being disabled, but even if they don’t file a complaint, their continuing patronage is at risk. Accommodating Boomer shoppers with disabilities has the potential for maintaining a relationship with valued customers.

What makes a store or business “Boomer friendly” and welcoming? How can a store create an environment that gets Grandpa Andy back, or helps Aunt Lil extend her endurance long enough to shop?  What marketing strategies address these shoppers?  In this webinar, we will offer suggestions for good customer service to Boomers, as well as marketing ideas for attracting their business.