The crisis

If you’re running a business or team, you are facing a critical challenge with the aging Alberta workforce. One in four individuals in Alberta are now aged over 55. Within a decade, a quarter of all Canadians will be over the age of 65.

Age demographics are shifting. Skilled workers are retiring. As a result, we’re facing potential labor shortages and skills gaps which could impact the sustainability and growth of your business.

The good news? Balanced teams, made up of workers from across generations, are better teams. They reduce turnover, lower hiring costs, and make it easier to transfer the knowledge that keeps your organization ticking. They bring together diverse perspectives. They find new solutions.

To stay competitive and ensure a balanced and diverse workforce, it is crucial for your business to adapt by implementing strategies to attract, retain, and value older workers. Your team can leverage their skills, experience, and work ethic, while also facilitating knowledge transfer to younger employees. 

But it’s not just about the bottom line. It’s about creating workplaces that respect and value individuals of all ages. Ageism and biases can unknowingly creep into our hiring practices and workplace cultures. The lack of policies that consider older workers can make the difference between retaining those valuable and skilled employees and driving them into retirement and creating difficult-to-fill gaps in the workforce.

The time to start is now 

By asking yourself a few questions, arming yourself with some information and taking some positive steps, you can create a balanced team where mature workers and your business can both thrive.

Understanding ageism

Ageism, a form of discrimination based on age, is often an overlooked challenge that can subtly infiltrate our perceptions and actions. This bias may not always be intentional, yet it can have real effects on both employees and the workplace culture. For business owners and HR professionals, understanding and addressing ageism is not only the right thing to do, but it can also contribute to a more vibrant, diverse, and productive workforce.

Here are a few common examples of ageism in the workplace:

Using age-biased language in job postings

Words like “energetic” or “recent graduate” can subtly discourage older applicants.

Overlooking older workers for training or advancement opportunities

This might happen if there’s an assumption that older workers are close to retirement and therefore wouldn’t benefit from career development opportunities.

Assuming that older employees resist technology

This stereotype can lead to excluding older workers from projects involving new technologies, despite their ability and willingness to learn.

Preferring ‘cultural fit’ over skills and experience

If a company culture leans towards younger interests and lifestyles, older workers may be overlooked, despite their capabilities and qualifications.

Discounting the ideas of older workers

Sometimes, older workers’ suggestions or strategies may be disregarded in favour of ‘fresh’ or ‘innovative’ ideas, underestimating the value of their experience.

Remember, addressing ageism doesn’t mean placing blame—it’s about learning, growing, and creating a workplace where everyone is valued and has the opportunity to contribute. 

Why do I need to care about this?

Part of a healthy business’s planning and success is assessing and understanding the struggles it might be facing and strategies to overcome it. 

Below are a few common challenges businesses face which could be addressed through the contributions of older workers. 

Talent Shortage

Retaining

As the population ages and younger generations enter the workforce at a slower rate, businesses may struggle to fill open positions with skilled employees. Retaining older workers can help alleviate this talent shortage, ensuring that organizations have access to the necessary skills and expertise.

Hiring

As the workforce demographics shift and younger generations may not be able to fill all the available positions, hiring older workers can help address this talent shortage and ensure businesses have the necessary staff to operate effectively.

Skills and Experience Gap

Retaining

Older workers often possess specialized skills or expertise that may be in short supply among younger workers. By retaining these experienced employees, businesses can maintain access to these valuable skills and avoid potential skills gaps in their workforce.

Hiring

Older workers often have a wealth of knowledge and experience that can be invaluable to an organization. Hiring them can help fill skills gaps and provide a valuable source of expertise and mentorship for younger employees.

Employee Turnover or Training Costs

Retaining

High employee turnover can be costly for businesses, as it involves expenses related to recruitment, training, and lost productivity. Older workers tend to be more loyal and have lower turnover rates, which can help businesses save on these costs.

Hiring

Older workers often come with a wealth of knowledge and experience, which can reduce the need for extensive training and onboarding. This can help businesses save on training costs and ensure a quicker integration of new employees.

Customer service

Retaining

In many industries, older workers can better relate to and connect with older customers. There are generational differences in how we communicate. Your team should reflect these different communication styles, which can be beneficial for building and maintaining customer relationships.

Hiring

Older workers may have strong interpersonal and communication skills, which can be an asset in customer-facing roles. They can also relate better to an aging customer base, providing improved customer service and satisfaction.

Workforce diversity

Retaining

Retaining older workers contributes to a diverse, multigenerational workforce. This diversity can lead to a broader range of perspectives, experiences, and ideas, fostering creativity, innovation, and better decision-making.

Hiring

Hiring older workers contributes to a diverse, multigenerational workforce. This diversity can lead to a broader range of perspectives, experiences, and ideas, fostering creativity, innovation, and better decision-making.

Seasonal or Part-time Labour

Retaining

Older workers often seek more flexible schedules, providing businesses with an excellent opportunity to harness their wealth of experience and expertise in part-time or seasonal roles in training or mentorship.

Hiring

Older workers may be more open to flexible, part-time, or seasonal work arrangements. This flexibility can help businesses meet fluctuating labor demands and manage workforce costs effectively.

Next steps

So now that you understand this is something to be thinking about, let’s dig into one of the two ways your organization can benefit from Older Workers:

Retaining older workers in your existing workforce

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Ensuring your hiring practices consider older workers

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Retaining older workers in your existing workforce

Evaluating your current situation

  1. Conduct an age demographics analysis: Analyze the age distribution of the workforce to identify the proportion of older workers and any potential gaps or imbalances in age diversity. Identify where skills might be limited to certain age demographics.
  2. Analyze retention and turnover data: Review employee retention and turnover rates, specifically for older workers. Look for trends or patterns that might indicate underlying issues related to age diversity and inclusivity.
  3. Identify age-related barriers: Investigate potential barriers that may hinder the retention of older workers, such as age discrimination, outdated stereotypes, or a lack of age-friendly accommodations.
  4. Examine employee engagement and satisfaction: Conduct employee engagement surveys or organize focus groups to gather feedback from older workers about their experiences, needs, and concerns within the organization. Use this information to identify areas for improvement.
  5. Review internal policies: Examine company policies, procedures, and benefits to ensure they are age-inclusive and accommodate the specific needs of older workers, such as flexible work arrangements, phased retirement programs, or additional support for caregiving responsibilities.

Strategies to retain older workers

  1. Offer flexible work arrangements: Provide options such as part-time work, job sharing, remote work, or flexible hours to accommodate the diverse needs of older workers, including caregiving responsibilities or health considerations.
  2. Provide opportunities for career growth and development: Ensure older workers have access to career advancement opportunities, challenging projects, and meaningful work assignments that leverage their skills and expertise. Offer training, professional development, and upskilling opportunities to help older workers stay current with industry trends, enhance their skills, and further their careers.
  3. Develop age-friendly benefits and policies: Offer benefits and policies that cater to the specific needs of older workers, such as phased retirement programs, wellness initiatives, or additional support for caregiving responsibilities.
  4. Establish mentorship and reverse mentorship programs: Encourage knowledge sharing and relationship building across generations by implementing mentorship programs where older workers can share their experience and wisdom, while also learning from younger employees.
  5. Implement succession planning: Develop a succession planning strategy that includes the transfer of knowledge and expertise from older workers to younger employees. This can help ensure continuity and maintain the organization’s institutional knowledge.

Ensuring your hiring practices consider older workers

Evaluating hiring processes

  1. Review job postings: Examine job postings to ensure they are age-neutral and inclusive. Avoid using age-restrictive language, such as “recent graduates” or “digital natives,” which could inadvertently discourage older applicants. Review the job requirements and qualifications listed in job postings to ensure they are truly necessary for the role. Over-specifying requirements can inadvertently exclude older candidates with relevant experience and transferable skills.
  2. Examine recruitment channels: Analyze the recruitment channels used to attract candidates. Ensure that the organization is using a diverse range of sources to reach potential applicants, including channels that are more likely to be accessed by older job seekers.
  3. Train hiring personnel: Provide training for hiring managers and HR personnel on age discrimination, unconscious bias, and the benefits of age diversity in the workforce. Encourage interviewers to focus on skills, experience, and fit rather than age.
  4. Review interview processes: Assess the interview process to ensure that it is fair and unbiased for candidates of all ages. Avoid asking age-related questions and ensure that the evaluation criteria are based on relevant skills, experience, and potential.
  5. Seek feedback: Solicit feedback from candidates and new hires about their experiences during the recruitment process. This can provide valuable insights into potential areas for improvement and help identify any barriers to age diversity in hiring practices.

Strategies to attract older workers

  1. Prioritize age diversity: Promote age diversity as part of the organization’s overall diversity and inclusion strategy. Encourage an inclusive workplace culture where employees of all ages feel valued and respected.
  2. Create age-inclusive job postings: Ensure job postings use age-neutral language and focus on skills, experience, and qualifications rather than age-specific terms.
  3. Offer flexible work arrangements: Provide options such as part-time work, job sharing, remote work, or flexible hours to accommodate the diverse needs of older workers who might have caregiving responsibilities or health considerations.
  4. Develop age-friendly benefits and policies: Offer benefits and policies that cater to the specific needs of older workers, such as phased retirement programs, wellness initiatives, or additional support for caregiving responsibilities.
  5. Offer continuous learning opportunities: Provide training, professional development, and upskilling opportunities to help older workers stay current with industry trends, enhance their skills, and further their careers.
  6. Network with organizations supporting older workers: Partner with local community organizations, professional associations, or job placement agencies that focus on the needs of older job seekers to tap into a pool of experienced candidates.

Resources

Balanced teams are better teams 

When you create a balanced, intergenerational team, you’re not just tapping into a wealth of experience and skills, you’re also fostering an environment where everyone can thrive. It’s about embracing diversity, creating opportunities for growth, and treating team members of all ages with respect and consideration.