More companies are investing in their employees' health as the workforce ages. Germany's main rail service, Deutsche Bahn, is one such company that is embracing - or at least accepting - demographic change and an aging workforce. It wants to keep its experienced workers until they are over 65, so is taking active steps to do so.
One such step is a programme which includes regular mental and physical exercise for employees who opt into it. The mental exercise is aimed at increasing memory and maintaining brain function for longer, while the physical exercise is based around strength exercises. It also involves instruction on nutrition and living well. Part of the aim is to make employees realise that there are things you can do to age 'gracefully' and better.
So far, the programme, which involves the equivalent of five days of work over several months, has been a success. An added bonus for the company is that it has encouraged workers to continue exercising on their own, once they realise the personal benefits and have been motivated by the programme. You can watch the interesting video here for the full story.
As our population ages, we may well see more innovative initiatives from companies that want to maintain an experienced workforce. It makes sense to try to maintain and protect your number one asset.