It Doesn’t Haveto Be Like This
Large numbers of seasoned workers would choose to stay in work if the conditions and future paths were more attractive – getting these issues right could benefit both employees and businesses
If businesses are going to address the UK’s talent shortage by retaining their seasoned workers or coaxing those who have left employment back into the workforce, they need to understand why seasoned workers are choosing an exit strategy, and why many do so with reluctance. (As attested to by the 760,000 seasoned workers currently seeking work). Although being sick, injured or disabled continues to be the main reason why people aged between 50 and 64 years are leaving work behind, large numbers are leaving or taking early retirement for a different set of issues, many of which could be addressed by businesses, with higher productivity and a better bottom line as the reward for success.
Source: UK Gov June 2022.
No longer want to work nine to five, five days a week
Flexible working, part-time, or consultancy working may address this issue.
No longer wants the daily commute
Remote and hybrid working can be a viable option for many roles.
Better work/life balance
Workers want to thrive at work, not just survive – businesses that offer better conditions and options for continuing career development have a stronger chance of recruiting or retaining seasoned workers.
No longer need the money, but still want to contribute
Where income is no longer a primary goal, but making a worthwhile contribution is, businesses could retrain veteran employees to perform mentoring, training, and oversight roles. This has the double benefit of giving the seasoned worker the purpose they want and providing organisations with a highly experienced tutoring team.
Wants less stress
Good working conditions also means a working environment free of generational tensions and where managers can accommodate seasoned workers needs.
Wants more meaningful and interesting work/projects to work on
The career path does not have to end at 50 – training and reskilling seasoned workers can keep them at the forefront of the workforce and still lead important projects.
Ageism in the workplace
Businesses should reject any form of discrimination in their workplace, and make this a clear plank of their DEIB policy.
Role is becoming obsolete, but managers and leaders are offering no alternative
Consider the vast experience and transferable skills seasoned workers offer. An outcomes-based workforce plan should include pathways for seasoned workers to retrain for new roles, or upskill to stay relevant in their current job.
No longer feel respected or valued and are unable to properly share their expertise
Age is not an obstacle to relevance. This should be a clear mandate across business leadership, with managers and supervisors trained to recognise good input regardless of where it comes from.
Caught between massive jumps in energy and raw materials costs, supply chain problems, recruitment problems, the effects of Brexit, and persistently high inflation, it’s no wonder that UK organisations have their heads down and are often so busy trying to keep their business operating efficiently that they miss the issues that impact seasoned workers most.
Often, these issues are a simple case of failing to communicate. Many businesses would be keen to improve their seasoned worker situation, but they can’t fix what they can’t see.
Changing the way organisations manage their seasoned workers, how they prepare them for further work, eliminating unconscious generational bias, and preparing managers to work better with seasoned workers, would solve many of the issues that cause seasoned workers to leave.
Lack of flexibility to meet needs of different worker groups – no incentives to make seasoned workers want to stay
A workforce plan that takes account of worker generational differences would automatically provide incentives and career continuation paths for seasoned workers.
Unconscious bias – seasoned workers excluded from important projects and more opportunities aimed at younger and more ambitious employees
Building younger workers into senior roles is important, but businesses could often achieve better results by including seasoned workers in the development stream – experience is still the most important strength in business.
Managers unequipped to have ‘career conversations’ with seasoned workers
Managers should be trained to recognise problems and guide seasoned workers on their career paths – a plain conversation that discusses the issues and explores the options may convince a seasoned worker to stay on or transition/retrain into a new role.
Inability or lack of interest in identifying transferable skills in seasoned workers
An inventory of the skill sets of seasoned workers could provide the answers to many of the current skills shortages – transferable skills can often be reshaped to meet new roles, sometimes in completely different industries.
Businesses afraid to talk about retirement, flexi-working, becoming a coach or mentor
Organisations are often so worried about offending seasoned workers they ignore the future opportunities until it’s too late. Early and frequent dialogue with seasoned workers about their career is necessary and beneficial to both businesses and employees.
Businesses do not know how to manage seasoned workers with skills no longer needed. This includes skills over time that need to shift, jobs that no longer exist, and new tech skills that are now required
Outcome-based retraining, reskilling and upskilling programmes, (meaning they are operated to achieve a hard goal, not just a loose idea of ‘improvement’), to keep seasoned workers skill sets sharp, or reshaped into a new role are essential to achieve successful seasoned worker retention and recruitment plans.
