Integrated Benefits Institute report examines how age impacts absence from work

SAN FRANCISCO - Jan. 22, 2014 - PRLog -- San Francisco, CA – January 22, 2014 – Although it may be generally believed that older workers have a higher incidence and longer durations of work leaves for all types of health conditions, this is not the case, according to a report by the Integrated Benefits Institute. The Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) is the leading workforce health and productivity research and measurement organization.

IBI used data on lost-time benefits from its Health and Productivity Benchmarking program reflecting the experiences of 52,000 employers. Researchers analyzed short-term disability (STD), long-term disability (LTD), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and workers’ compensation (WC) claims and examined how age impacts the reasons for work absence and the durations of lost time associated with them.

“As the workforce ages, employers looking to maximize the value of their workforce and to make proper investments in employee health need to more fully understand how age fits into the health and productivity equation,” said Brian Gifford, PhD, IBI senior research associate who conducted the study.

According to the report:

o Not majority of claims: Excluding pregnancy and child bonding claims, older workers (aged 55 and up) do not account for a majority of claims. Older workers comprise between 23% and 42% of FMLA, STD and LTD claims, and only 17% of WC claims.

o More STD and LTD days: Cancer claims generate the greatest proportion of STD lost workdays among older workers, but relatively few lost workdays among young workers (aged 18-34). Osteoarthrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and coronary heart disease also generate a relatively large number of STD days among older workers, compared with workers under age 55. Similar patterns apply to LTD claims.

o Younger workers’ STD incidence: Younger workers lose more STD time from work for depression and anxiety. They also, not surprisingly, lose more time from work for sprains and fractures.

o Back pain-related STD: Lost work time does not follow age for all conditions. Low back pain takes a more similar productivity toll across STD claimants of all ages.

o Sprains and fractures: Sprains account for about half of all WC temporary total disability lost workdays, regardless of the claimant’s age. The types of sprains differ by age, with older employees more likely to lose work time from job-related shoulder sprains and workers under age 55 more likely to lose work time from back/neck sprains. Fractures account for more WC lost workdays among older workers than among workers under age 55.

o Longer absence from work: When older workers have an STD, WC or FMLA claim, they tend to be absent from work longer than young or prime age (35-54 year old) workers.

o LTD claims: Older STD claimants are more likely to transition into LTD, and perhaps out of their employer’s workforce entirely. On the other hand, prime age workers—rather than older workers—have the highest LTD claim costs.

“Employers can make better decisions about how to structure their health promotion, absence management, and return-to-work and disability benefits if they understand the productivity impacts of disability absences in their workforce. Understanding how age factors into disability-related lost productivity is a key component. The findings point to the advantage of targeted disease management strategies according to the age profile of the workforce,” added IBI president Thomas Parry, PhD.

About the Integrated Benefits Institute
The Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI), an independent nonprofit membership organization, is the leading provider of health and productivity research, measurement and benchmarking. Founded in 1995, IBI provides members with data, research and tools to make sound decisions in how they invest in the health of their workforces. Its 880+ members include companies implementing health-related programs to benefit their employees and business, and providers of health and productivity services. Additional information about IBI may be found at www.ibiweb.org.