Track: Talent Management

The fact that the workforce is aging in the US and especially abroad is well-known. The reason is growing life expectancy and improved health, a permanent change in the demographics of society. As a result, “older” workers want to work longer because of the engagement and social contact work provides, and they need to work longer to support longer lives. It surprises many to learn that older workers perform better on virtually every dimension of job performance than their younger colleagues. They also offer a solution to many of the contemporary challenges faced by business, such as how to get a “just in time” workforce from the retirees. Yet despite this, older workers face widespread discrimination in getting and keeping jobs. Much of the discrimination and the more general concern about age-related conflicts turns on interactions with younger supervisors. This session will the make the case for hiring and retaining older workers and describe how younger supervisors should best manage them. This session will draw on the military’s partnership models between older sergeants and younger 1st lieutenants and other approaches to develop an approach that acknowledges the expertise of experienced workers and engages their unique interests.