Norway’s Oslo Airport was struggling to replace organizational knowledge lost when employees retired. Determined to combat the brain drain, the organization launched a series of programs, including one that allows older workers to transition to less physically demanding jobs and another that focused on specific health needs of older workers. They added training components for managers on how to work with a multigenerational workforce. The goal was to increase retirement age by six months. The result was far better than expected, delaying retirement by three years.
This example of building an age-inclusive workforce, drawn from a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), shows just what organizations can gain by increasing efforts to recruit, hire, and retain workers of all ages–including older ones. How can you make that a reality? Try these tips:
Train Your Management to Work With All Ages
A 2020 report by the Deloitte consulting firm found that only 6% of organizations believe their managers are prepared to manage a multigenerational workforce, but 70% said that having one is important. Only 10% felt ready to address that trend.
One way that management of older workers can differ is in communication methods and styles, said Heather Tinsley-Fix, senior advisor for financial resilience at AARP. While it’s not a hard-and-fast rule, older workers may be more comfortable with email and phone calls, while younger workers may prefer texting or instant-messaging platforms. It turns out the norms of your early working life are those that stick with you, Tinsley-Fix said. “Your first couple of years in a profession set your expectations for how work gets done. That’s one reason you often see older workers leaning more toward phone and in-person interaction, while younger people leann more toward interacting via apps and texting.”
Managers need to be trained to handle issues related to age discrimination. AARP research found that while only 3% of those over 45 have complained about ageism in the workplace, 15% say they have heard negative comments, 16% say they have been refused a job, and 12% have been passed up for promotion. A lot of employees are afraid to talk about these issues with managers, for whom AARP has created a toolkit for dealing with mixed-age teams.
Create Development Opportunities for Older Workers, Too
Younger people are demanding the opportunity to learn and stretch in their careers, but older people want the same thing, said Tinsley-Fix. “You need an inclusive culture that considers older workers for stretch assignments and new opportunities.”
Be Flexible With Scheduling and Retirement Options
Don’t assume someone nearing retirement age wants to retire. If there is no mandatory retirement age in your organization, consider a longer off-ramp that allows for part-time schedules, consulting opportunities, or mentorship and training of newer employees, Tinsley-Fix said. “Older people may want to continue the structure of work, even if it’s not full time. They may be less concerned with making full-time wages, but rather feel they still have skills and talents to offer an organization. Provide some flexibility for this if they want to stay but don’t want to go full-tilt anymore.”
Have a Mix of Benefits
Tinsley-Fix said AARP research shows younger workers tend to be less interested in high-quality health insurance and retirement plans, and more interested in higher salaries than their older counterparts. However, it’s important to get to know your employees’ benefit preferences (as well as encourage them to avail themselves of valuable health and retirement programs). The oldest workers at the Columbus, Ohio, branch of childcare company Jovie don’t need health insurance because they have Medicare, said franchise owner Susan Cornish, but they do want eye-care and dental benefits. Some also avoid driving at night or in bad weather, so she will reimburse for car services like Uber or taxis. “If you want to attract a multigenerational workforce, have a mix of benefits,” said Tinsley-Fix.
Understand the Varied Roles of Older Workers
Older workers are often referred to as the sandwich generation: Many of them in their 40s and 50s are taking care of children while simultaneously having to care for aging parents, said Tinsley-Fix. Older workers want flexible time off for their caregiving responsibilities.
Eric Levitan, founder and CEO of virtual fitness company Vivo, said that his workforce–all of whom are older than 40–have caretaking needs that revolve around children, parents, and themselves. His operation is all-virtual and real time, meaning that employees can work from anywhere they have a good internet connection.
“Broaden your definition of caregiving,” said Tinsley-Fix. “Be inclusive in your caregiving benefits so that single people aren’t left out.” Self-care can count as caregiving, too, and is important in a time when the mental health of many workers has been affected by Covid lockdowns, inflation worries, and other concerns. AARP offers a guide for employers supporting the caregivers in their workforce, which can help managers be more supportive of everyone’s caregiving needs.
Provide Part-Time Options
Older people are more likely to want to work part time. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that 40% of women and 30% of men over 65 in the workforce work part time by choice. Among those 55-64, the figures are around 18% of women, and about 8% of men. The reasons can include family caregiving obligations, limits related to Social Security income, health issues, or a desire to volunteer or travel.
“Most of our trainers don’t want to work full time but are still interested in being engaged and having a sense of purpose,” said Levitan. Others don’t want to retire completely and are looking for a new opportunity. Cornish has also experienced this: People who are training for something new opt into Jovie as a temporary role, or they tried retirement and it didn’t stick.
Not just part-time scheduling, but overall flexibility is important to older workers, according to new research reported recently in Harvard Business Review that focuses primarily on retaining frontline workers. The seven key strategies the authors recommend: “Designing purposeful roles, enabling flexible schedules, adapting pay policies, accommodating physical challenges, communicating clearly, building community, and tackling ageism.” Tinsley-Fix adds some context: Older people still want challenge and meaning in their lives, and flexibility with schedules can support that.
Create a Safe Physical Environment
Older people may be more likely to suffer form the aches and pains of aging and require accommodations, like a place to sit rather than standing for an entire shift, or a more ergonomic design in a workstation. But that shouldn’t be considered favoritism. Tinsley-Fix said anything you do for your older workers also benefits your younger ones–a factor that holds true for any workplace improvement.
Looking ahead, a trend that will benefit older workers is the increase in jobs that involve less physical exertion and greater use of social and communication skills, according to a new working paper titled, “The Rise of Age-Friendly Jobs,” by three researchers at MIT, McKinsey & Company, and the London Business School. Older workers aren’t the only ones who are taking advantage of these jobs, since they also appeal to younger women and college graduates, but the trend “should lead to greater involvement in the labor market for older workers, a key policy objective in an aging society,” the researchers said.
Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner AARP, who sponsored this story, the third in a three-part series on retaining older workers. The previous installments: You Need Them as Much as They Need You: Why Older Workers Are a Good Bet and Four Myths That Obscure the Benefits of Hiring Older Workers.
Lisa Jaffe is a freelance writer who lives in Seattle with her son and a very needy rescue dog named Ellie Bee. She enjoys reading, long walks on the beach, and trying to get better at ceramics.
