What can your company do to get ready for longer tenures and a larger population of older workers? Fourteen members of Forbes Coaches Council identified ways to prepare for this shift in the business world.
Members discuss ways to prepare for employees to remain in the workforce longer.ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF FORBES COUNCILS MEMBERS.
1. Cultivate Adaptive Thinking
As employees stay in the workforce and with companies for longer spans, it is important to put practices in place to keep them from being stuck in outmoded mindsets. Encourage and cultivate “beginner’s mind” among teams so that, as employees work more years, they stay fresh, vibrant and bringing their very best to the workplace. – Billy Williams, Archegos
2. Hire More Seasoned Professionals
As people are retiring later, employers should take the opportunity to hire these seasoned professionals. They’ve been around and have lots of wisdom to share. While they might feel not as up-to-date with technology as their younger counterparts, they offer a strong mix of experience, skill and lessons learned to help balance out the team. They are a great asset to any company. – Erin Kennedy, Professional Resume Services, Inc.
3. Offer Sabbaticals
People will stop waiting for the retirement to rest and enjoy life outside of work. More and more people take mini-retirements throughout their careers. By including this option in your perks, you will immediately differentiate yourself from your competitors and attract great talent. Also, you will benefit from a workforce that stays fresh, current and not burnt-out. – Caterina Kostoula, The Leaderpath
4. Create Expectations For All Age Groups
Prepare for an older workforce by creating expectations based on your values but not specifically as an age issue. In my conversations with older workers in career transition, their frustration often lies in what to expect and what not to expect from an employer. For example, if an employer states that every employee needs to be”learning agile,” then set this as a precedent for all workers. – John M. O’Connor, Career Pro Inc.
5. Make Sure Your Company Culture Values Experience
Given the trajectory of wages versus cost, the current workforce will work for much longer than their predecessors. There was once something to be said for experience; however, ideas and the pace at which they are conceived seem to be a driver for decisions despite experience. To prepare for aging workers, businesses must ensure that their cultures value experience. – India Gary-Martin, Leadership For Life
6. Offer Emotional Intelligence Training
It’s a blessing that experienced, knowledgable and skilled workers will remain available. To help diverse employees function better together, there’s value in offering emotional intelligence workshops and coaching. Organizations are often great at hard skills training, but the future will require deeper levels of understanding and social connectedness to manage unparalleled societal change. – Michael S. Seaver, Seaver Consulting, LLC
7. Get To Know Each Team Member’s Personal Goals
As leaders, it’s integral to understand the personal goals of each of our employees to better lead and coach them. There are definite differences between millennials, Gen Xers and baby boomers, so we can’tassume they are all the same. By implementing certain tools, setting goals and having monthly development conversations, managers can better understand and coach each employee. – Aaron Levy, Raise The Bar
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