The problem: Employers, including public agencies, face the loss of many workers as the baby boom generation reaches retirement age. The solution: Encourage those baby boomers to stay on the job longer.
That’s the premise behind a new book, Working Longer: New Strategies for Managing, Training, and Retaining Older Employees, published by the American Management Association.
Bureau of Labor Statistics figures show that by 2012, workers 55 and older will make up about 19 percent of the labor force, versus 14 percent in 2002. Many employers’ first reaction is to gear up recruiting and succession planning to replace those who retire. An equally sound response may be to motivate, nurture and train those older workers so that they want to stay on board.
Missing the moon
Authors William J. Rothwell, Harvey L. Sterns, Diane Spokus and Joel M. Reaser mention the knowledge that goes out the door when older workers leave.
“[W]hen the President proposed sending a man to the moon again, few people mentioned the simple and startling fact that the U.S. space agency has forgotten how to get there,” they write. “That’s because in the 1990s NASA underwent a period of cost-cutting and downsizing that encouraged the engineers who designed the space program to take early retirement.”
They cite a study by the Society for Human Resource Management showing that:
• 59 percent of companies do not recruit older workers.
• 65 percent of companies have no retention practices.
• 71 percent of companies have no specific provisions or benefits for older workers.
And yet, according to U.S. Comptroller General David Walker, U.S. workers are healthier and living longer, studies show that many want to extend their careers, and older workers have experience and key skills that can be difficult to replace.
Tackling stereotypes
The book also shoots arrows at various stereotypes that make many employers resist hiring or retaining older people instead of bringing younger people on. It includes a series of myths and facts cited by AARP. For example:
Myth: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
Reality: Studies show only negligible cognitive loss in people under 70.
Myth: Training older people is a lost investment because they will not stay on the job for long.
Reality: The future work life of an employee over 50 usually exceeds the life of the technology for which the workers are trained.
Myth: Older workers are not as productive as younger workers.
Reality: Overall productivity does not decline as a function of age. Productivity can actually rise due to greater worker accuracy, dependability and capacity to make better on-the-spot judgments.
The authors don’t dodge the differences between older and younger people, but they insist that workplaces can be made more friendly to older workers without great expense or difficulty. For example, it might be necessary to consider workplace designs that account for older workers’ vision, hearing and mobility issues, and to create more comfortable ergonomic workstations.
The need for training
Beyond physical accommodation, older workers may need to be trained for new tasks or responsibilities that will help keep them interested and energized so more are willing to stay on the job.
The authors identify seven areas to consider in designing training:
Motivation. Older people are less likely than others to volunteer for training because they fear failure or comparing poorly with younger workers. “Trainers can help alleviate feelings of fear or inadequacy by providing continuous positive feedback and reminders of training goals,” the authors write.
Structure. Training should be relevant to the job, and exercises should be arranged in order from simpler to more complex.
Familiarity. Training programs should build on participants’ past knowledge and current abilities when possible. Use of examples increases participants’ attention.
Organization. “[T]rainers should organize the material being presented to help retention and comprehension by placing material into meaningful groupings. Teaching older trainees to organize what they learn is another effective option in training.”
Time. Slower presentation and longer study and test periods help older workers. “Given sufficient time, older learners perform as well or better than younger learners. Self-paced learning for older workers is optimal.”
Active participation. Older learners may struggle with lecture or rote memorization formats. “Active participation builds self-confidence and reduces cautiousness and hesitancy.”
Learning strategies. Some older people may need to be taught strategies on how to learn — tactics such as outlining or creating categories.
Answers close to home?
Working Longer provides food for thought for municipal departments expecting to lose valued workers to retirement. Readers may find solutions to the problem of departing baby boomers closer to home than they thought possible.
