The document summarizes an EU-funded project that implemented age management interventions in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and public organizations in the Baltic Sea region. The project partnered with 12 organizations across the region to demonstrate practical age management approaches and analyze their costs and benefits. Two example interventions are described: implementing various measures like knowledge transfer and healthcare at a company in Germany, and adjusting HR policies and career talks at a university in Lithuania. The evaluation found changed attitudes towards older workers but short timeframes limited effectiveness and cost-benefit analyses. Success factors included combining holistic and quick measures, and support from external advisors, internal mentors, and top management.

1. Part-financed by the European Union
(European Regional Development Fund)
Part-financed by the European Union
(European Regional Development Fund)
Age Management interventions in SME (and
Public Organisations) in the Baltic Sea
Region
OECD Leed Expert Roundtable, Paris, 31 March 2015
Hauke Siemen, REM • Consult, Hamburg

2. Part-financed by the European Union
(European Regional Development Fund)
2
Contents
• Quick facts about the project
• Points of departure
• The age management intervention approach
• Two intervention examples
• What we did find out - intervention results
• What we did not find out - methodological
limitations
• Success factors

3. Part-financed by the European Union
(European Regional Development Fund)
3
Quick Facts about the Project
• Cooperation of 12 Partners in the
Baltic Sea Region, 2013-2014
• Further education institutions,
chambers of commerce, business
development, public authorities (as
Facilitating Partners), universities (as
Scientific Partners)
• Funded by Interreg IVB Baltic Sea
Region
• Extension project of “Best Agers” (2010-2012, www.best-agers-
project.eu)

4. Part-financed by the European Union
(European Regional Development Fund)
4Powerpoint Presentation 15th June 2010
Points of Departure
• Demographic data shows that working age population
will be shrinking throughout (even in growing regions)
• Considerable differences in the Baltic Sea Region
(e.g. employment rates of 55-64-old)
• Study of employers (esp. SME) in County of Pinneberg,
DE + SE + LT + LV, 2012:
• Lack of useful examples from SME
• Awareness of demographic
change exists
• no long-term personnel
planning: 73% of employers
plan only next 1-2 years
• Positive attitudes towards
older employees’ skills
• very few companies use
age management practices

5. Part-financed by the European Union
(European Regional Development Fund)
Objectives:
1. demonstrate practical approaches for companies and public
employers to deal with an ageing staff
2. allow for analysis of costs and benefits of implementing age
management at the company level
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6. Part-financed by the European Union
(European Regional Development Fund)
The Age
Management
Intervention
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Facilitating
Partner
External
Advisor
Internal
Mentor
Company/
Public
organisation
Best Agers
Lighthouses
project
• Analyse company‘s age situation
• Analyse what needs to be done to keep key
employees and their knowledge in the company
• Propose how to reorganise / adapt HR policy of the
company
Top-level
manage-
ment
Human
resources
managers
• Career talks with employees
• Adjustment of tasks
• Flexible working
arrangements
• (benefits)
• Qualification
• Intergenerational teams
Employees
questionnaires
Management
interviews
contracts

7. Part-financed by the European Union
(European Regional Development Fund)
7
Intervention example 1 – L3 Elac Nautik, Kiel, Germany
• Medium-sized company with 150 employees in marine electronics and communication
• Joined the project late – only 9 months for intervention
• Age management measures were embedded into a longer-
term change programme entitled “Explore the change”
• Implemented measures in the fields of
• Leadership culture and corporate values (e.g.
leadership workshop to critically reflect and react upon employee demands)
• Know-how transfer from old to young (yearly programmes with inhouse training)
• Healthcare measures (e.g. short timeouts in stressful situations)
• Age-adjusted job design, yearly assessment talks from at age 55+

8. Part-financed by the European Union
(European Regional Development Fund)
8
Intervention example 2 – Kaunas University of Technology,
LT

9. Part-financed by the European Union
(European Regional Development Fund)
9
What we did find out - key findings of the evaluation
• Managers are generally aware of the competences of employees aged
55+, but admit that in their organisations these are not yet used in
conscious manner
• Changed attitudes of managers towards age
in recruitment and termination of contracts
• Managers see more value in skills of older
employees and competence transfer
• Still a large variety of views among managers
• Increased sensitivity of employees for age
issues in the company: raised appreciation and raised expectations

10. Part-financed by the European Union
(European Regional Development Fund)
10
What we did not find out – methodological limitations
• Short time frame limited effectiveness of interventions and relevance of
evaluation results
• Limited comparability of cases
• Lighthouses were all medium-sized – how to reach small enterprises?
• Insufficient results of cost-benefit analysis
due to short time-frame.
• Productivity gain needed to offset intervention
costs (less than 1% of average annual salary)
• “Bus-driver example”: personnel turnover
costs higher than employing older drivers

11. Part-financed by the European Union
(European Regional Development Fund)
11
Success factors
• Combining a holistic approach with “quick wins”
• Crucial role of the external advisor:
• Managers often lack awareness, tools or resources
• no one-size-fits-all solution, but individual approaches that take
into account the company’s socio-economic environment
• Crucial role of the internal mentor: building trust and long-term
support for an adjusted HR policy among employees, works
councils/unions and middle management
• Crucial role of top-level management and HR managers:
Commitment and willingness to make changes, communication to
peers -> showcase examples!

12. Part-financed by the European Union
(European Regional Development Fund)
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www.best-agers-lighthouses.eu
Further reading:

13. Part-financed by the European Union
(European Regional Development Fund)
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A new project?
Regional strategies for maintaining competitiveness of SME by
securing skilled work force in times of demographic change
-Policy-learning and exchange of experience on measures and
strategies for securing skilled work force
-Spreading good company practices throughout participating regions
Project idea from Schleswig-Holstein, Germany for INTERREG
EUROPE, 1st
Call, Summer 2015
Interested? Please contact Hauke Siemen (siemen@rem-consult.eu)

14. Part-financed by the European Union
(European Regional Development Fund)
14
Partner Location LAMP organisation Participating unit Employees Branch
01 WAK Kiel, Germany City of Kiel (public) 2 Departments
(1. technical department, 2. tbd)
n.a. Public
administration
01 WAK Kiel, Germany L3-ELAC Nautik (private) Whole Company 150 Electronics &
Communication
03 BWH Hamburg,
Germany
Claudius Peters (private) Whole Company 400 Metal and
Electronics
06 Prizztech Pori, Finnland Pori Energia (private) Whole Company 300 Energy
08 SSE Riga Riga, Latvia Latvenergo (private/public) Department 200 Energy
09 SCCIC Siauliai,
Lithuania
Siauliai State College (public) Whole college 230 Higher
Education
10 NRDA Siauliai,
Lithuania
University of Siauliai,
Social Sciences Faculty (public)
Social Sciences Faculty 99 Higher
Education
11 KTC Kaunas,
Lithuania
KTU University (public), faculty
of economics and management
Department 100 Higher
Education
12 NLL Norrbotten,
Sweden
NLL dentistry service (public) Department 94 Health Care
Appendix: List of lighthouse organisations

15. Part-financed by the European Union
(European Regional Development Fund)
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1) Ex-ante analysis
• Standardised questionnaire for all employees
• In-depth interviews with older employees and employers
2) Process evaluation: diary method
3) Ex-post analysis
• Questionnaires and interviews
• Cost-benefit analysis
4) Publishing of results as case study and overall analysis
Appendix 2: Evaluation methodology