Title: Analysis of the case study The Treasure Trove of the Aging Workforce.
Roman Rodriguez
South New Hampshire University

Abstract:
Based on the case study “the Treasure Trove of the aging workforce, I am going to discuss and analyze some of the benefits and challenges associated to the aging population within a company. I am also going to discuss the policies that could be put in place, their inherent challenges especially for managers who are willing to manage properly the diversity in their groups and put in place an effective program to address it.

Introduction:
As the population ages, new challenges arise in the employment relationship and the interaction with managers. Diversity within an organization can bring a lot of advantages but also some specific challenges that could be addressed by several actions that could eliminate inherent problems. We will discuss first some of the most difficult challenges and then will review some policies that could be put in place in order to ensure an effective diversity program. In addition to this, we will discuss some actions that have been envisioned. Finally we will review the positive aspect that bring a diverse workforce.

Subheadings
There are two major forms of workforce diversity which are individual differences and ethnicity. It is key to analyze and comprehend all the individual differences in order to pro-actively address some of the challenges that you may find in a diverse workforce. Some of individual differences are the biological ones such as disability, gender, race and age. We will discuss the new challenges that is coming from the fact that thanks to human life extension, many workers delay their retirement over the age of 55. This brings older workers, which must perform and address some specific discrimination issues within companies. As the population ages, it requires the employment relationship to evolve. Job functions and scopes may have to be re-discussed or adjusted. Employees and managers may need some specifically designed training sessions in order to manage to work efficiently together with older colleagues. Some programs may be put in place also to teach and communicate on negative discrimination and emphasize on the benefits of having more stable and experienced people.
I think that managers will face new challenges when it comes to dealing with age diversity. I am not concerned about the fact that people from different generations could work nicely together and help each other, as I believe everybody brings something useful and different, but the processes and tools have evolved so much, that I can think of some specific issues related to communication tools. Communication is key and it could be really misleading when you do not use the most efficient and up to date technology. I can think also of the team spirit as it has been described that baby boomers would be less individualist than generation X or Y. Older people tend to prefer a team approach, whereas a younger employee would work on his side and present his results afterward. Manager would have to adjust his communication and leadership style to the audience.
I think managers would have also to adapt working hours. Older people could suffer from the stereotypes, such as being low performer, but it could be that they need a little more time to deliver, but the outcome could be sometimes superior. It has been proven in researches that there is no difference in term of efficiency. That is actually the older employees that are getting up to speed faster than younger employees, as they are highly skilled, experienced and have a great understanding on the company’s history and the customer base.
Managers may be establishing new policies in order to ensure a good cohesion, and to pro-actively address the issue related to discrimination. There may be a multitude of effective policies, and I think it depends on many parameters such as the company size and field of activity, but to add some more flexibility on the organization and working hours could be very effective. Older workers may need to visit more frequently doctors for example. Personal time off could be discussed and adjusted depending on the age of the employee.
There will be obvious differences in attitude and communication style brought by an older workforce team, so managers should adapt their communication style and techniques in order to stay efficient and motivating. There may be a need for setting new trainings and a better following up in order to continuously train people and update their skills. But there should be also a clear message toward the fact the older people should pro-actively assess their needs and seek for the needed new trainings. Older people should be clearly taught to become self-starters and not wait until they are proposed something. It is sometime difficult to know what older people do not know or to determine when they are reluctant to implement a new technology. They may be, from time to time, annoyed to request a specific training whenever they need help. Older people could be also less prone to promotions and opportunities than younger employees. That should be corrected and they should be motivated in seeking new opportunities and to evolve.
When considering older workers, negative perception is usual, but they bring some key positive attributes. Older workers, in addition to their experience gathered throughout years, bring very positive qualities in their judgment, search for superior quality and work ethic. They are also less prone to job changing and thus brings a greater stability by reducing the turn over. They are generally more loyal and more commitment to the company.

Conclusion
Aging population and workers bring new challenges that companies need to address. But it also bring some benefits as older workers have specific qualities that need to be better emphasize as they could suffer from a negative image that could lead to some discrimination. The age is not directly correlated to the performance, but it requires some adjustments in order to remain efficient, for example in adding more flexibility in the working hours and in the communication and leadership style. This should be a hot topic for the next decades but focusing on this we can overcome this challenge.

References:
Robbins, S. P. (2014). Chapter 2 Diversity in Organizations. In T. A. Judge (Ed.), Organizational Behavior (16e ed., pp. 57-59)