‘Unretired’: developing learning strategies for older employees | Develop - TrainingZone

Susy Roberts, qualified Executive Coach and Organisational Development and Change Management Consultant notes, "There is an increasing trend for older employees to return to work after retiring – or simply not to retire at all. This offers new opportunities for employers to make use of the skills of ‘unretired’ workers – and write them into their learning and development strategies."

Photo: iStock/ferrantraite

Traditionally, learning and development is viewed as something used to help new generations of talent to progress, to the benefit of the individual and organisation alike. However, there is untapped potential to be explored within employees who have reached traditional retirement age but who still have a huge amount to contribute.

A recent retirement survey by the Transamerica Center for Research Studies found that two thirds of those currently approaching traditional retirement age plan to or already are working past age 65, or do not plan to retire at all.

In another study by the University of Manchester and University College London, one in four retirees said they plan to work or plan to return to work within five years of retiring...

Harnessing experience 
Rather than tailing off learning and development for the older element of the workforce, or simply sending people on courses focused on preparing for retirement, financial planning, the skills and experience they can continue to offer should be carefully considered when developing training plans.

We often see people retiring at the ‘traditional’ age then, three or four years later, realising that they are not ready for retirement. This phenomenon is increasingly being replaced by those who are approaching retirement age and know they are not ready to do so, but have no plans or support in place to accommodate the shift.
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Source: TrainingZone