THE S-AGE SAYS

This month's winning question is:

Q. Dear S-AGE: What are the top strategies organizations should consider in terms of retaining the mature workforce?

A. Our sampling of Wizards, such as those S-AGES at Watson Wyatt and Hewitt Associates, confirm the first 2 of 4 important strategies for retaining the mature workforce. We've added the 3rd and 4th strategies because we know they are of equal value to people and to business.

1. Scale back hours
   Phased retirement is the process of easing retirement-ready workers out of full-time work schedules into reduced work schedules while, at the very same time, saving your organization payroll costs. Confused about implementing a phased retirement plan? Contact us. We will point you in the right direction.
2. Flexible arrangements
   By offering changes in work-hour schedules, project opportunities, job sharing, retiree job banks and telecommuting options, employers can go a long way in creating an environment that increases overall productivity and, at the same time, supports the work/life balance of the workforce.
3. Career re-design, refinement or re-direction
   By the time a contributor reaches mid-career, their best talent and skills should be obvious to all. Setting a focused plan for the next stage of their career is one obvious solution that will prepare them for the highest level of contribution in the work they do best. In the Wizard world, this is viewed as the art of specialization. Specialists are the GURUS in your world. As people continue to learn, to refine their talent, to capitalize on their inherent gifts and share their subject-matter expertise with the emerging workforce, they actually become better, more knowledgeable contributors with age.

   A good time to think about complete re-direction (changing career course) is in mid-life. Mid-life is the time most people stop, take stock and look at their lives and accomplishments. Often, they find that they have very different goals than those of their earlier, youthful years. Sometimes they realize that their original investment in their careers will not pay off as the marketplace itself has changed. From the organization's perspective as well as from the individual's point-of-view, mid-career is a good time to stop and take stock before both continue on a path that may no longer lead to the future.

4. Eliminate dissatisfiers
   If ever there was a good time to re-examine policies, procedures and rules − this is it! For example, many performance management processes are obsolete; they are driven by subjective ratings and, most importantly, they do not foster "people" development based on meeting business and learning goals. While you're busy examining the old one-size never has fit all policies from the past, take a look at your family leave policy. You should know that 25% of Boomers have parents that require attention much as younger children once demanded. Whether you modify your leave policies to accommodate this fact of life about our aging America or not, we trust you'll consider the opportunities for retention such an accommodation provides.

Carleen MacKay & Brad Taft
info@AgelessInAmerica.com