3 minute read
IN PRAISE OF WINE, CHEESE, AND OLDER WORKERS How to Woo, Engage, and Retain Your Maturing Employees
Rhonda Latreille
While 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.”
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
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 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.
4.
5. Provide opportunities for social inclusion, networking, knowledge transfer, and mentoring. Match the skills to the tasks, independent of age. 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.
6. Establish options for flexible work hours, schedules, and job-sharing. 7. Offer training opportunities to learn new skills. 8. Create alternatives for phased retirement. 9. Set up an “on-call” roster for retired employees to fill temporary positions. They already know the company, culture, and job requirements.
For the past many decades, employers have benefitted tremendously from the dedication and commitment of the baby boomers who have worked and still do work for them. Often described as “driven” and “workaholics,” they served as a valuable resource and asset for many businesses.
That established intellectual and human capital needs an environment that is welcoming and personally satisfying. It doesn’t take a lot of re-construction and cost—just enough flexibility, appreciation, and creativity to allow the mature baby boomer to “serve well and age well.”
Like a fine Stilton cheese and a Bordeaux wine, under the right conditions we aging baby boomers do offer a magical experience. s Rhonda Latreille, MBA, CPCA, is the founder of Age-Friendly Business® . Telephone: 1-877-272-7575 info@agefriendlybusiness.com www.AgeFriendlyBusinessAcademy.com
When your clients remember Coast Mental Health Foundation in their Will, they help make recovery from mental illness possible for thousands of British Columbians.
Coast Mental Health Foundation
Registration Number: 86150 8018 RR0001
For more information, please visit coastmentalhealth.com or contact us directly at 604-349-2217.
TheWESA changed. And it's a sweeping change.
Trevor Todd is an old hat (and trusted expert) at estate litigation who believes the new law is a game-changer -for his business and for your inheritance. Call Trevor to get a jumpstart on the changes. He knows them inside and out. Plus he loves to listen and to talk-a lot.
