A roadmap for managing an ageing workforce in the manufacturing sector: An Italian case study

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Industrial/Organizational Psychology
• Human Resources Management

Background:

• Aging workforce presents significant challenges in physically demanding industries like manufacturing.
• Key issues include knowledge transfer, worker retention, and productivity maintenance for older employees.
• Northern Italy's manufacturing sector serves as a relevant case study context.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply the Models and Methods for an Active Ageing Workforce (MAIA) framework to an industrial setting.
• To develop a practical roadmap for managing an aging workforce in manufacturing.
• To identify critical gaps and propose targeted solutions for improving work conditions for older employees.

Main Methods:

• Employed a case-based methodology in a multinational manufacturing company in Northern Italy.
• Utilized qualitative (interviews, observations) and quantitative (surveys) data collection.
• Integrated stakeholder discussions to inform roadmap development, referencing ISO 25550:2022.

Main Results:

• Developed a comprehensive roadmap for managing the aging workforce.
• Identified key areas and critical gaps in current management practices.
• Proposed targeted tools and actions to enhance work conditions for older manufacturing employees.

Conclusions:

• A structured framework, like MAIA, is crucial for managing aging workers in physically demanding jobs.
• The developed roadmap provides actionable insights for workforce planning and management.
• Results support optimizing organizational culture, health, knowledge transfer, and retirement planning for sustainable older worker employment.