Why the Workplace of the Future Must Include Older Workers

Author Kerry Hannon writes that the future workplace must be redesigned to have a place for older employees, reports MarketWatch . She cites a Mercer report which noted that organizations that actively leverage their older, seasoned workforce will be optimally positioned. According to the report, longer life expectancies have led to longer, less predictable careers for workers, yet employers often are unable or unwilling to take advantage of this trend. Mercer analysts hypothesize that employers are stuck in the idea that people want to retire in their early 60s and have the income, and also may wrongly expect plenty of younger workers will be available to fill the void. Mercer offers 10 tips that employers can follow to make their workplaces age-ready. These include "initiate conversations with experienced employees about how they might work differently. Examine and tackle how ageism might manifest in your organization — analyzing pay, bonuses, performance, promotion, and recruitment statistics through a lens focused on aging. Develop a lifelong learning attitude that positions people to embrace jobs of the future. Implement an effective flexible-working strategy."