N.B. Since publishing this blog the letter to the FT has been published https://bit.ly/3h6Zcew The government, policy leaders and the chair of John Lewis are all worried about the missing millions of the 50+ generation who have left work and don’t intend to return. All sorts of theories are being put forward – some feel … Why are the 50+ generation retiring – is this the reason?
I recently did a trawl of academics who are looking at ageing workforces and was delighted to find – and then meet – Prof Matt Flynn from Hull University. And I made it a priority to join his seminar last month with Singapore University of Social Sciences looking at this global issue. Here I sum … Ageing Workforces – how do they differ around the world?
In February 2022, our chief executive Victoria Tomlinson, gave a TEDx talk on A Generation of Wasted Talent. She referenced research from PPMA looking at a number of employee issues by comparing the 18-24 year old generations with the 50+. We are frequently asked to share this research, which is not available elsewhere online. The stat … 75% of 50+ generation skills not recognised or used
Last week I shared the BBC’s interview with Dame Sharon White on my LinkedIn and added my own comment. It made LinkedIn’s newsfeed and I was interested and slightly shocked at the evidence of how the 50+ generation feels about work. No wonder they are leaving in droves.
A few years ago I started picking up that employees are written off from the age of 50. To be honest, at first I didn’t really believe it. I thought maybe it was employees who hadn’t been able to adapt to technology; or that people were misreading signals at work. But I am now seeing … Written off at 50? Why? What a waste!
We are at an interesting point in time. Diverse workforces make for better performance. But Best Companies to Work For awards don’t look at diversity as success criteria. If you want evidence on diversity and performance, look at McKinsey’s various reports that have been tracking this over the last decade. The latest is Diversity Wins … Best Companies to Work for agenda – where is ‘age’?
Succession planning is one of those things that too often goes to the back burner, according to Ronnie Fox, partner in Fox and Partners.
In April, Next-Up will hold its first Professional Services Retirement Forum to share the latest thinking around helping partners to retire.
If you recently left full time work (I am avoiding the word retired) and are finding it tough to create the new life you want, this blog may help. For many it is so much harder than they ever imagined. And there is a danger of feeling a personal failure.
