Abstract:

The demographic change increasingly challenges western economies (e.g. Germany). Thus, companies need to address the manifold consequences in the world of work (Buck, Kistler & Mendius, 2002). In order to find potential solutions to imminent issues like unbalanced age structures, life cycle- and ageing-appropriate work policies, the demographic management of companies has to focus on obvious short-term measures as well as on more revolutionary long-term actions (Jeschke et al., 2013). One of those actions is the establishment of a holistic demography management. An employee-oriented business mode attracts workers who value these practices and who are willing to contribute to the success of the approach (Heywood, Siebert & Wei, 2005).

This work-in-progress-paper describes the development of a screening tool for the evaluation of demographic activities of companies. First, a literature study has been conducted to identify relevant dimensions for the evaluation of demographic measures. The main dimensions “human resources management”, “health and competence management” and “corporate culture” have been derived from the fields of business management, human resources and demographic research. In a second step, the dimensions have been converted into a standardized questionnaire, which is part of the certificate’s evaluation concept that measures the actual demographic activities in companies. The evaluation concept also incorporates an audit with HR departments, and the combined tool results in an analysis of the company’s demographical alignment. On a pass/fail basis, a certificate will be awarded to companies that establish an organizational structure which enables the implementation of specific measures related to demographic issues.

This paper will outline additional steps needed to apply the first evaluation and certification prototype and actions necessary for promoting the certificate.

Keywords:

Demographic Change, Demography Management, Certificate.