With an ageing population and workforces now spanning numerous generations, balancing the physical and mental health of employees can pose a big challenge for employers.

A third of all workers are now over 50, yet some UK companies don’t acknowledge the multi-generational split within their workforce. However, in order to ensure that you can understand the needs of everyone in your team, you must first acknowledge that an individual’s needs and expectations may differ depending on their age and the stage of life that they are currently at.

In this article, I outline four of the biggest health concerns in the workplace, and reflect on how organisations can put in place the necessary support for each of these, factoring in generational differences.

Chronic pain
With recent research from Ipsos finding that a quarter of the UK population are currently living with chronic pain, it is highly likely that individuals within your workforce are suffering too.

Chronic pain is pain that is persistent for longer than 12 weeks, despite medication or treatment, and includes conditions like arthritis, headaches or fibromyalgia (muscle pain). Chronic pain is especially common in the Baby Boomer generation and can be a cause of early retirement or reduced working, with a third of people at this age experiencing chronic pain most days.

However, chronic pain for younger employees is also becoming more of an issue, with half of Generation X and Millennial workers reporting pain lasting more than 12 weeks.

To support the needs of your entire workforce, identifying the right form of physical activity for the different individuals in your team can make a big difference. Provide information on how to stay active, encourage work practices that build physical activity into the working day and support a hybrid working balance to help get employees moving.

One of the biggest frustrations around chronic pain is not knowing the root cause, so facilitating access to healthcare that leads to diagnosis, treatment and physiotherapy can be transformative, whilst being open to changing working practises or patterns can really help if an employee is unable to continue working in their setup.

Women’s health
There’s one group of health conditions that are common to almost half the working population, as women make up this much of the workforce.

Across a woman’s life cycle, there are varying health conditions to consider and support. From painful periods, fibroids and endometriosis, to pregnancy, childbirth and the menopause. The health experience of women requires an inclusive health and wellbeing policy that covers all the complexities of women’s health.

To ensure that women in the workplace are getting appropriate support throughout their career, consider offering access to GP and mental health helplines and private healthcare for speedy diagnosis of potential conditions.

Pregnant workers should have a workplace risk assessment and adjustments made if necessary, those experiencing the menopause could be supported by flexible working and more regular breaks, whilst line managers should be empowered and trained to support those experiencing women’s health issues.

Mental health
As a nation we are starting to feel comfortable being open and transparent about mental health, but we still have a journey to go. Last year, according to Mind, more than half of employees (57%) experienced poor mental health in their current job.

Mental health challenges affect the entire workforce, with different stresses and life events having a different impact on mental wellbeing at different stages of an individual’s life, so it’s important to understand and train managers on the risk factors and distressing circumstances that each generation faces.

For example, YouGov research found that almost one in five Baby Boomers (18%) are reported to have depression or an anxiety disorder, Millennials may be impacted by perinatal mental health challenges, Generation X are most likely to be going through a divorce and as employees get older, bereavement becomes a more likely cause of poor mental wellbeing.

While mental health conditions are more common and we’re getting more open about them, having a secure, confidential mental health support service can give employees a safe outlet to talk about their mental health.

Good managers with the right skills to support their teams and respond compassionately to individual needs can make a huge difference for colleagues struggling with stress, anxiety or depression. Leaders also have an important role in reinforcing positive attitudes, shifting mindsets and influencing organisational culture through modelling positive behaviours.

You can also develop mental health awareness among employees by making information, tools and support accessible, as well as offering appropriate workplace adjustments to employees who require them.

Chronic illnesses
Chronic illnesses are symptoms or conditions that persist for many weeks, months, years or indefinitely. They don’t have a cure and have to be managed every day with medication and/or treatment. Examples include diabetes, heart disease, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), arthritis, HIV/AIDS, and multiple sclerosis.

In the UK, chronic illnesses are common in older generations; half of those diagnosed with diabetes are aged 65 and over, for example. However, younger workers are increasingly being affected too, with a fifth of individuals aged 20 and older (19%) projected to be living with a major condition by 2040, according to the Health Foundation.

That means a huge number of employees across age groups will be dealing with the stress of ill health, the uncertainty of diagnosis and the reality of learning to live with their conditions.

As such, some great ways to support employees with long-term conditions include encouraging flexible working hours and putting in place necessary changes to an individuals’ job responsibilities if required.

Consider hosting health-based workshops or information sessions where managers and employees can learn more about different health conditions and the adjustments that can make a difference. Ultimately, employees should feel confident that if they disclose a chronic illness, they will be able to get the support, sympathy, confidentiality and adjustments they need to enable them to continue working effectively, regardless of their age or the issue they are facing.

Overall, the most successful wellbeing programmes will be the ones that recognise that a diverse and multigenerational workforce may be complex to manage, but is ultimately a challenge worth investing time and effort in. A failure to address these multigenerational needs and expectations can marginalise certain demographics and impact on engagement, productivity and employee retention.