Outlines the challenges and opportunities for employers with an age diverse workforce. Explores a strategic approach and shares tools and tips that support employers to build engaged and sustainable workforces.

1. The Generation Challenge
a new economic reality

2. today
• The demographic time bomb
• The business case
• The generations
• Action Planning
• Practical tools

3. demographics

4. demographics

5. business case
• By 2022 there will be 700,000 fewer people aged 16-49
• The number of ‘old’ people will rise
• By 2020 over 50s will comprise almost 1/3 of the working
age population
• By 2022 there will be 3.7 million more people aged 50
• The need to retain older workers, before they involuntarily
leave the workforce, is consistent across the spectrum
• Releasing the potential of older workers benefits business
and individuals
• For each extra year in work, an average earner could have
around £25000 extra income and increase their pension
pot by around £4500 (4%)

6. conflicting messages

7. who are they?

8. characteristics

9. segment to simplify
Mid career Older PeopleYoung people

10. what does it mean for HR?
Attraction strategies
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Brand positioning
• Career development
• Pay and Benefits
Retention strategies
• Job alignment
• Communication styles
• Wellbeing and life balance
• Leadership style
• Reward and recognition
Young people

11. what does it mean for HR?
Attraction strategies
• Age neutral language and images
• Adverts where older workers will see them
• Promote yourself as an age positive employer
• Values, behaviours and competency based
recruitment
• Offer flexible working and part time positions
Retention strategies
• Hiring retirees as consultants or temporary workers
• Flexible work arrangements
• Encouraging employees to work past traditional
retirement age
• Providing training to upgrade skills
• Phased retirement
• Opportunities to transfer to jobs with reduced pay and
responsibilities
• Establishing alternative career tracks
Older People

12. what does it mean for HR?
‘Returnships’
Provide work experience for people returning
to the workforce, usually from maternity
leave – but it could also apply to those who
have been unemployed for a long time or not
working due to an illness or disability
Mid life career reviews
An opportunity for people who are in their
late 40s/ early 50s to take stock, review their
options and plan for the future. It aims to
help people to manage their careers, find
further relevant information, develop an
action plan and address the life issues they
face.
Mid career

13. NIACE mid career review

14. top ten tips for 5
generations
1. Profile your workforce
2. Seek views on different motivations
3. Check out your communications and styles
4. Does your employer brand attract all generations?
5. Is career development open to all?
6. Consider radical changes to flexibility
7. Re-engage baby boomers
8. Maximise coaching and mentoring
9. Look again at Corporate Responsibility
10. Who is most engaged? Find out why

15. age profiling
an age profile is an assessment of the
demographic distribution according to age in a
working environment. It is often expressed
through age brackets and contrasted against
multiple aspects of work, ie flexible working
patterns adopted, or protected characteristics,
eg gender.

16. why?
• Understand more about your employees’ attitudes to age
in the workplace
• Understand the needs of staff and better position your
responses
• Discover previously concealed patterns, and insights that
employees may not otherwise share
• Demographic information can help you to identify if you
are successfully recruiting and retaining older workers
• Age profiling teams, departments or whole organisations
can assist employers to plan ahead, where there are groups
of staff who may retire at similar times

17. Develop an age
profile
Discover patterns and
relationships
Consider future
requirements and
demographic changes
Plan and Act
action planning

18. case study
• Invested in 2017 workforce in
2010
• 70 small changes
• €20k investment
• 7% increase in productivity in
line with younger workers

19. case study
• Profits were 18% higher.
• Staff turnover was six times
lower.
• There was 39% less
absenteeism and 58% less
shrinkage.
• There was an improved
perception of customer
service and an overall
increase in the skill base.

20. think about your
organisational
structure

21. traditional structure

22. future structure – connected
workplace communities?

23. useful website

24. useful website

25. Useful publications

26. useful tool – on line self
assessment
https://www.investorsinpeople.com/iiyp

27. employer support

28. meeting the needs of a diverse public

29. “Every generation
imagines itself to be
more intelligent than
the one that went
before it, and wiser
than the one that
comes after it”
George Orwell