TEAMS THAT WORK Rhonda Latreille
Photo credit: Gordon Roberts
IN PRAISE OF WINE, CHEESE, AND OLDER WORKERS
How to Woo, Engage, and Retain Your Maturing Employees
W
hile the majority of your maturing employees are there because they want to be, increasing numbers of maturing employees are there because they need to be, for financial reasons.
They are reliable, loyal, mature, professional, and experienced. They are known to have an exceptional work ethic and appreciate the opportunity to share and pass on their knowledge. Most have probably been with you for quite a while now and you have likely invested much in their training and development. They understand your values, your corporate culture, your customers, and the job that needs to be done. They are ideal members of the workforce. According to McKinsey Quarterly Survey, “...the baby boomer generation is the best-educated, most highly skilled aging workforce in US history. Although they’re only about 40 percent of the workforce, they comprise more than half of all managers and almost half of all professionals, such as doctors and lawyers.”
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Staying in an existing job after the traditional retirement age and re‑entering the market after age 65+ can present unique challenges for older workers because of the attitudes of some younger workers. • Discrimination in the form of negative stereotypes of older workers, as well as corporate structural discrimination relative to continued health and pension benefits for choosing continued employment
According to McKinsey Quarterly Survey, “...the baby boomer generation is the best-educated, most highly skilled aging workforce in US history.” • Assumptions that older workers cannot learn new skills • Assumptions that older workers will present increasing health challenges requiring special accommodations and more time off • Assumptions that older workers will be leaving soon and it is a waste of resources to re-train them and set up flexible systems The Society of Notaries Public of British Columbia
• Resentment that older workers are holding onto senior positions, costing more, and creating a glass ceiling for younger workers • Younger managers feeling uncomfortable supervising older workers Those perceived obstacles and myths, when confronted by facts, are fully eliminated or easily managed. That provides a powerful opportunity for businesses to continue to prosper (when they get it right) from the value presented by those devoted loyal colleagues and friends.
Tips for Greater Engagement and Retention of Mature Employees 1. Acknowledge and appreciate their experience, knowledge, and contribution. 2. Let them know you want them to stay. 3. Provide opportunities for social inclusion, networking, knowledge transfer, and mentoring. 4. Match the skills to the tasks, independent of age. 5. Ensure younger supervisors know how to recognize, accept, and celebrate older workers’ skills and experience, while learning how to continue to define, set, and monitor expectations. Volume 26 Number 1 Spring 2017
