Managing An Ageing Workforce

This book brings together Eastern and Western perspectives to explore human resource interventions into extending working life, including phased retirement, healthy work environments and lifelong learning. It assesses issues of implementation in differing cultural, intergenerational, institutional and family contexts.

Managing the Aging Workforce is one of the crucial topics for many of the world ́s enterprises. The increasing average age of populations does not only affect social systems, countries and communities, but also has a strong impact on the work of businesses and companies. The decline in demographic fitness will not only hit countries like the U.S., the Western European countries, or Japan, but also the upcoming societies in China or in the Eastern European countries. In many of these countries, during three or four decades the average age will grow from about 40 years now to about 50 years. Where experts are needed, this may result in an increase of the workforce's age of between 5 and 10 years in only one decade. For companies thus, a number of challenges arise that have to be overcome fast and continuously. The main topics in this field will be new strategies in leadership, new concepts in health management, new ways in knowledge management and learning, as well as new models how to drive ideas for diversity and innovation. On the one hand, enterprises therefore will have to invest in their aging employees for supporting their talents, helping them to learn and keeping them in the company. On the other, they will have to increase productivity, keep on searching for new products, and integrate experts from abroad. This has to be combined with new ways of strategies and HR management. This book presents an analysis of the present and upcoming situation, and an introduction into the strategic concepts enterprises will need to survive in aging societies.

This book brings together Eastern and Western perspectives to explore human resource interventions into extending working life, including phased retirement, healthy work environments and lifelong learning. It assesses issues of implementation in differing cultural, intergenerational, institutional and family contexts.

Older employees are often seen as an obstacle and not as an opportunity for companies, especially regarding the transfer of knowledge and experience. Effective development and utilization of older professional and managerial employees is an important issue as most organizations are not prepared to tailor their training methods to the needs and preferences of these employees due to negative stereotypes. Managing a rapidly aging workforce and sustaining economic dynamism calls for systematic research to prevent age discrimination due to an incomplete knowledge of older workers and politically challenging policy choices that require strong political commitments, robust management leadership, and social consensus. International Perspectives and Strategies for Managing an Aging Workforce examines the differences in stereotypes of older employees compared to younger employees in companies; analyzes the impact of the aging workforce on retention, productivity, and well-being; and investigates organizational systems, processes, and practices for managing older workers. Covering a range of topics such as retention and retirement, this reference work is ideal for researchers, academicians, practitioners, business owners, managers, human resource workers, instructors, and students.

Your organization needs older workers more than ever: They transfer knowledge between generations, transmit your company's values to new hires, make excellent mentors for younger employees, and provide a "just in time" workforce for special projects. Yet more of these workers are reporting to people younger than they are. This presents unfamiliar challenges that--if ignored--can prevent you from attracting, retaining, and engaging older employees. In Managing the Older Worker, Peter Cappelli and William Novelli explain how companies and younger managers can maximize the value provided by older workers. The key? Recognize that boomers' needs differ from younger generations - and adapt your management practices accordingly. For instance: · Lead with mission: As employees age, they become more altruistic. Emphasize the positive impact of older workers' efforts on the world around them. · Forge social connections: Many older employees keep working to maintain social relationships. Offer tasks that require interaction with others. · Provide different benefits: Tailor benefits--such as elder-care insurance programs or discount medication--to older workers' interests. Drawing on research in management, psychology, and other disciplines, Managing the Older Worker reveals who your older workers are, what they want, and how to manage them for maximum value.

Alberta Human Resources and Employment prepares this book for employers, managers and supervisors who are interested in learning more about health and safety issues in the workplace as they apply to older workers. It includes an introduction, a working population profile, age-old misperceptions, methods to deal effectively with the aged workers, workplace health and safety, a safe and healthy working environment, and resources and contacts.