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?
Should firms stop investing in their people, ahead of retirement? At international law firm, Addleshaw Goddard, they believe there should be investment at the end of a career as much as at the start. This way partners leaving the firm will have skills and ideas for the next stage of their life, whatever that looks … Case Study – Addleshaw Goddard
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
Two years ago, I retired. It was one of the hardest decisions of my life. I was scared, worried if I had enough money, if anyone would want me now and if I had just made the worst decision ever. (Spoiler alert – it was the best decision ever!) I am now working with Next-Up … The greatest fear of retirement? (It’s not as scary as you think!)
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’?
You might, of course, think I am joking but that is the age of the oldest Chair of a listed company (in fact, he is Chair of two companies so is clear pretty busy). And Frances Hesselbein, an associate of the late business guru Peter Drucker, is still serving as a Non-Executive Director at 106!
While Theresa May and Luke Johnson are at the extreme end of having a spectacular and very public fall after successful careers, there are lessons that can be drawn for anyone looking at what next after a long career.
