As baby boomers reach retirement age, many are choosing to work longer, thus changing the demographic makeup of your workforce. There are proven benefits – they are some of your most loyal and experienced employees, which makes it important for risk and safety professionals to look for targeted strategies to safeguard the safety of their aging workforce.

Studies show that one in four workers will be older than age 55 by 2030. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the numbers of workers age 55 and over will increase from 19 million in 2020 to 32 million by 2015. Workers have several motivators for working longer including improved medical treatment, financial needs (short-term and for retirement), the opportunity to use their talents and skills, to keep mentally and physically healthy, and the enjoyment of work. Regardless of the motivating factor, it is clear that the aging workforce trend is going to be bringing changes to the workforce in the years to come.

“A leader without a vision can't lead. And their followers will be lost. Therefore, effective leaders must have a clear vision, they need to be able to articulate that vision, and they need to engage and empower others to define and implement tactics and action plans to achieve the vision,” says my friend and business coach Bruce Gobdel. Bruce had a long career at a national public accounting firm and now spends a lot of his time mentoring and coaching emerging leaders.

I couldn’t agree more with Bruce. In 2011 our executive leadership team began the process of developing and clarifying our vision for the future at Gibson. We ultimately involved a number of key people – internally and externally – in this process to:

1. More fully vet and improve our ideas.
2. Include new strategies we had not considered.
3. Ensure that with a collaborative process we would have the greatest buy-in.

Maintaining a safe workplace is key to business success. Having a safe work environment will not only keep the probability and severity of occupational injuries at bay, but also give your workers the peace of mind to focus on their tasks without fear of physical threats. As WorkMT, a non-profit organization, explains, "A serious workplace injury or death changes lives forever – for families, friends, communities, and coworkers too." Occupational injuries, illnesses, and deaths in your business evoke fears and uncertainty; the mentality of "it could have been me" or "would I be next" will play against your workers' psychology, making them feel insecure and anxious.

Having workers who are constantly worried about getting injured will detrimentally affect your business productivity and reputation. Creating a safe workplace then becomes a goal for all business owners. When it comes to operating a forklift that can handle tons of loads in any given transaction, your chance of having a major injury automatically increases. Because of that, it is important for you to observe the following five safety steps and learn to create a worker-friendly environment:

As a business owner, I find my thoughts often gravitating to an area I feel very deeply about – taking care of others. At Gibson, we take care of our clients every day – it’s our core business to help them Protect What Matters Most. As CEO of Gibson, Ialso feel paternalistic in my responsibility to provide a great opportunity for our 100 employees. The other executives and I spend a great deal of time considering how our decisions might impact the long-term connection we strive for with our team.

I was chatting with my partner and Gibson’s CFO, Keith Stone. He’s also the lead trustee for our ESOP - GESOP as we say in “Gibson speak”. I asked him what he thought about the subject. Without hesitation, he said “You know what, I feel really good about the way we consider our employees in all we do. Creating the GESOP in 2010 was probably the best thing we could have done for our people over the long haul.”

Even though tornado season in Indiana is typically considered April to July, these severe storms can happen at any time and often come with little warning. It is important to be prepared!

What steps can you take to prepare your home and family for a tornado?

Recently Jerry Scott and I were revisiting some of the concepts from our blog last August on Level 5 Leadership: Do I Have Fierce Resolve? In that blog we talked about some of the research from the Collins book Good to Great. I always enjoy getting Jerry’s perspective froma twenty-plus year career managing people.

A Level 5 Leader recognizes that “Who” comes first. It’s about getting the right people on the bus and in the right seats and getting the wrong people off the bus. It’s about creating a culture of discipline – disciplined people, thoughts, and actions. Finally, it’s about a fanatical devotion to excellence and execution with the courage to confront reality and make the big “all or nothing” judgment calls. And with a total disregard for the CEO’s personal wants and needs, Jerry reminds me!

It seems like every week the news is reporting another active shooter incident; these incidents have truly become an epidemic. In the past few years we’ve seen schools, universities; movie theaters, military bases, and businesses face threats, scares and shootings. There are two ways to approach these active shooting situations: 1) Prevention and 2) Damage Control.

As a law enforcement officer, I spent a lot of time focused on damage control. However, as a Risk Advisor I would say that although we absolutely have to be able to respond if an active shooting were to occur, we would be much better served if we were able to recognize and prevent the shooting before it happens.

At Gibson, our mission is “To Protect What Matters Most.” Naturally, as the Director of Health Risk Management at Gibson, I would like to make the argument that health, and perhaps to a greater degree, vitality, matter most. Take a moment and think about that—your personal health. If you are like most people, you might equate health to the absence of disease or illness. Now think about your vitality. The dictionary defines vitality this way: exuberant physical strength or mental vigor; the capacity for survival or for the continuation of a meaningful or purposeful existence. In a way, vitality could also be described as wellbeing—a state characterized by health, happiness, and prosperity.

This brings me back to the mission at Gibson—“To Protect What Matters Most”. For the clients we serve, the “what matters most”, varies by organization and is dynamic in nature. In my role, I have the distinct privilege of serving clients who truly care about the health of their employees and their families. Without healthy employees, they know the work won’t get done—on the job or at home—and the vitality of the organization will suffer.

There are so many leadership theories about what makes a good leader – is it traits, competencies, skills, natural abilities or a combination of all of these? Can leadership be learned or are leaders just born to lead?

I was talking on this topic with one of our partners (and a great leader herself) Liz Misenar. She’s very passionate about it. The optimist in both of us believes that it can be learned or at least nurtured and improved.

Summer is right around the corner, and it’s time to put away the coats and bring out shorts and swim suits. Children all the way from pre-school to high school will soon be released from yet another school year, with a few months of freedom until the fall semester. The summer months are a great time to play sports, go the beach, or ride a bike around the neighborhood. Parents love to see their kids outside having a good time, but when it comes to playing outside…

“Just one more level!” or “My favorite show is on!”