Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Prevention potential
BMW identified four areas where they could slow down the effects of aging, and has introduced programs catering to all four: Individual healthcare Qualification and leadership Ergonomics & individual working time Social contacts
Why bother?
There are more older people in the workforce today, as a result of aging and shrinking populations, higher life expectancy, individual aspirations and financial hardship. In addition to these external trends, companies like BMW, simply need experienced and high skilled workers.
An ergonomic makeover
In 2011, BMW simulated the predicted average age at a production line at the Dingolfing plant and piloted ergonomic changes to combat productivity loss. 70 changes were introduced, including: barbershop chairs to allow alternative sitting & standing orthopaedic shoes for comfort magnifying lenses to reduce eye strain and minimize sorting errors
Return on investment
The total investment on the production line was around $50,000. The return - the group increased productivity by seven per cent in one year, making it as productive as lines made up of younger workers.
Source: bbc.co.uk
Achieving scale
BMW launched similar programs at all Germanspeaking plants over a few hundred sites. Since 2011, 10,000 employees have benefitted from the program. An international roll out was launched in 2012, beginning with a production facility in Austria and a plant in the UK. In 2012, BMW opened a car plant specifically for older workers.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
Source: aarp.org