Pillars of age management

AE Trainer

University

The purpose of age management visions is to show the direction and objectives for the development of age management. Visions create discussion about the need for age management in one’s own organization and help the organization recognize tools, methods, and good practices for achieving these objectives.


Each organization defines their objectives according to their own starting points, visions, and strategies. The methods and good practices of age management should also be selected to fit the current enterprise culture.

A group of experts (Finnish Institute of Occupational Health 2003) defined the following eight general visions of age management that logically affect each other (Figure 50):

  • good knowledge about age structures
  • fair attitudes towards age
  • good management that understands individuality and diversity
  • good and operational age strategy
  • good work ability, motivation, and the will to continue to work
  • high level of competence
  • good work organization and environment
  • good life.

In the following sections, each of the eight visions is described in more detail; questions are asked in order to help the enterprise get to the core of the visions and to help it identify the current situation in an organization. Possible tools and practices that can be used to achieve the objectives are also mentioned. The contents and emphasis of the visions have been developed during the last few years as a result of the large-scale age management training that has been offered in different enterprises and organizations both in Finland and abroad.

Vision 1. Good knowledge about age structures

The people making decisions in our organization are well aware of the age challenges connected with the future workforce and our own organization as a result of the ageing workforce, early retirement, and the shortage of a young workforce.

Questions to support the assessment of the situation:

  • What is the current age structure in our organization and its different units?
  • What are the personnel attrition and the need for recruiting new personnel going to be during the next 5–10 years?
  • How is the pension reform going to affect attrition in our case?
  • What kind of personnel are we going to need during the next 5–10 years?
  • What is the age structure in our organization and its different units going to be during the next 5–10 years?
  • What would be the optimal age structure for our organization?
  • How does the age structure affect our competence resources and productivity?
  • Are we able to recruit young people?

Suggestions for tools and good practices:

  • assessment of the situation in our organization with respect to the effects of changing age structures
  • familiarization with workforce predictions
  • introduction of age challenges to the executive team agenda
  • review of the personnel strategy from the viewpoint of ageing
  • creation of a plan to raise the age awareness of supervisors
  • creation of a plan to raise the age awareness of the entire personnel of the organization
  • addition of age questions to the personnel statements or personnel report
  • age management training for management and supervisor

Vision 2. Fair attitudes towards age

The management and supervisors of our organization have positive attitudes towards ageing employees and their strengths, and these strengths are utilized.

Questions to support the assessment of the situation:

  • How do management and supervisors approach our ageing employees?
  • Do the attitudes towards age differ in the different units of our organization?
  • How are the positive and negative attitudes of supervisors reflected in practice?
  • How do the personnel approach our young and ageing employees?
  • Should our attitudes towards age be changed and to what direction?
  • How can our attitudes towards age be changed?
  • How familiar are management and supervisors with the strengths of our ageing employees?
  • Are we able to utilize these strengths?
  • Is there any age discrimination in our organization?
  • How can we prevent illegal age discrimination?

Suggestions for tools and good practices:

  • survey of the attitudes towards age among management and supervisors
  • survey of the attitudes towards age and age discrimination among personnel
  • training of management and supervisors in the strengths and weaknesses of ageing employees
  • common dismantling of the “historical burden” (i.e., old negative experiences about ageing)
  • introduction of good examples and stories
  • management’s setting of a good example through its own positive attitudes towards age
  • positive communication about age issues.

Vision 3. Good management that understands individuality and diversity

The management of our organization sees the individual treatment of people of all ages in all phases of their worklife as an important challenge for which they are responsible.

Questions to support the assessment of the situation:

  • How does our management take people into account as individuals?
  • How does our management take into account different generations?
  • Are we able to manage diversity and people of different ages?
  • How does our management support people in different phases of their worklife?
  • Are we able to get young and older people to work well together?
  • Does personnel accept individual treatment and flexibility?
  • Can we build individual career paths for employees?

Suggestions for tools and good practices:

  • survey of the individual needs of personnel
  • survey of the individual needs connected with the employee’s life situation, work ability, the will to continue to work, motivation, and career plans during development discussions
  • training of management and supervisors in managing diversity and people of different ages
  • strong support of the diverse strengths of people of different ages and their cooperation
  • development of personal relationships, interaction, and group work skills
  • clear will on the part of management to raise diversity as an asset and to communicate it
  • management’s setting of a good example for other supervisors
  • support of career paths and work circulation.

Vision 4. Good and operational age strategy

In our organization, the appreciation of people of different ages and equality, cooperation between people of different ages, life-long learning, and the will of seniors to continue working have become more important. We have an age strategy as part of our planned personnel policy and a group of good practices based on it.

Questions to support the age strategy:

  • Are our supervisors aware of the meaning of age strategy?
  • What are the objectives and measures of the age strategy?
  • Do we have an age strategy that is part of personnel policy?
  • How do we ensure the realization of the age strategy throughout the organization?
  • Does our salary and incentive system support the age strategy?
  • Are people of different ages treated equally in our organization?
  • Does the age strategy support our business strategy?

Suggestions for tools and good practices:

  • personnel and age strategy as part of the overall strategy of our organization
  • supervisor training in age strategy and its measures
  • drawing up of an age strategy as a part of personnel strategy
  • distribution of the age strategy throughout the organization and the monitoring of its success
  • application of the age strategy and naming people responsible for its application
  • determined support of age strategy from top management
  • organization’s own vision of age management and its communication to personnel
  • creation of fair salary and incentive systems for people of different ages.

Vision 5. Good work ability, motivation, and the will to continue to work

The work ability, motivation, and the will to continue to work have improved among ageing employees in our organization so that they want to carry on working in our organization until they retire on an old-age pension.

Questions to support the assessment of the situation:

  • Do we know what work ability consists of?
  • What is the work ability of our personnel in different age groups?
  • Do we have versatile activities that maintain work ability?
  • Do we have an action plan for occupational safety and occupational health care?
  • What is the attitude and motivation towards working among our senior employees?
  • Do seniors continue working for us until old-age retirement?
  • What would make them continue longer in worklife?
  • Have they told about their desires to continue working after the age of 63 years?
  • What are the work ability and the will to continue to work of our managers and supervisors?
  • Are management and supervisors a good example for the entire organization?
  • Do we need, or are we able, to organize lighter or part-time work for senior employees?

Suggestions for tools and good practices:

  • training of supervisors and personnel to detect the structure of work ability and its changes with ageing
  • training of occupational health personnel to define and interpret work ability
  • regular reviews of the work ability of the entire personnel
  • creation of a plan for continuous activities maintaining work ability
  • top management monitoring of the realization and results of the plan on a yearly basis
  • inclusion of workplace health promotion in the action plans for occupational safety and health
  • issues related to work ability and continuing to work also included in development discussions
  • assessment of the conditions needed for senior employees to continue to work longer
  • change and development of work according to the prerequisites and needs of senior employees
  • care of the work ability and the will to continue to work for management and supervisors.

Vision 6. High level of competence

The management of our organization has fully realized the concept of shared competence and learning by doing as central management targets and has also ensured the transfer of the wisdom of experience (i.e., silent information) from ageing employees to younger ones.

Questions to support the assessment of competence:

  • Do we know the meaning of life-long learning?
  • Do we apply the model of life-long learning?
  • How do employees of different ages participate in personnel training?
  • Have the needs of ageing employees been taken into account in personnel training?
  • Has training been beneficial for the organization and individuals?
  • How do we promote and support the learning-by-doing principle among senior employees?
  • Does our work offer learning possibilities and experiences?
  • What is silent information in our organization?
  • Is there a clear plan and program for transferring silent information from senior employees to younger ones?
  • Is the transfer of silent information monitored?

Suggestions for tools and good practices:

  • training in the needs and applications of life-long learning
  • training in the changes in learning with age
  • survey of future competence requirements
  • survey of the competence of personnel and the planning of further actions
  • tailored training for senior employees
  • developing learning by doing
  • transfer plans for silent information
  • seniors’ training of younger employees and vice versa
  • introduction of a master-apprentice system
  • mentoring plan
  • work guidance
  • utilization of diverse competence
  • regular evaluation of our common competence resources
  • strong support from management and supervisors for the learning of senior employees.

Vision 7. Good work organization and environment

The work organization, workhours, and the physical and mental work environment of our organization correspond to the prerequisites and needs of employees of different ages.

Questions to support better organization of work:

  • Have the prerequisites and needs of employees of different ages been taken into account in the work organization?
  • How can we improve the possibilities for senior employees to affect and regulate their own work?
  • How do we take into account the changes in health and functional capacity when the work of ageing employees is organized?
  • Is our work planned correctly from the viewpoint of individual differences between employees?
  • Does the personnel accept individual solutions in work organization?
  • How do we prevent overloading at work?
  • Are we aware that supervisors are responsible for the incorrect work- load of an employee?
  • Do our tasks or job descriptions change with age?
  • How can we be flexible with workhours?

Suggestions for tools and good practices:

  • survey of the suitability of the work organization and the creation of a plan for people of different ages
  • survey of workloads
  • training of supervisors in their responsibility for workloads
  • inclusion of work arrangements in development discussions
  • assessment of the needs and possibilities for flexibility
  • assessment of job descriptions, including work experience
  • review of good practices applied in other organizations.

Vision 8. Good life

The appreciation, work well-being, and quality of life among ageing employees have improved significantly in our organization. Employees retire with dignity.

Questions to support the improvements in the quality of life of senior employees:

  • Do we have a program supporting seniors during the last years of their careers?
  • Do we have occupations in which an employee can continue until the age of 68 years?
  • Do senior employees receive retirement training that prepares them for a safe transition from work to retirement?
  • Do our lay-off practices withstand critical assessment?
  • How are we using early retirement pensions and the unemployment pension path?
  • Are senior employees receiving good and versatile occupational health care?
  • How can we ensure dignified retirement for senior employees?
  • How do we keep in touch with our retired employees?
  • How can we utilize our retired employees, if the need develops?

Suggestions for tools and good practices:

  • creation and implementation of senior plans
  • introduction of senior clubs
  • unrestricted management support of senior programs
  • testing of the job descriptions of a mentor, an ambassador, and a storyteller
  • training of supervisors and personnel with respect to the course of life and the importance of its transitions
  • reinforcement of the role of occupational health care in educating and supporting senior employees
  • creation and implementation of plans for retirement training
  • monitoring and “alarms” for age discrimination
  • celebration of retirement
  • creation of plans for the utilization of retired employees as a potential and valuable reserve.