Are You Properly Dealing with an Aging Workforce?
As a large and hardworking generation, Baby Boomers have faithfully staffed many industrial workplaces for many years. Over the life of their careers, they’ve honed their skill set and currently possess knowledge that only comes with years of dedicated work. As they retire, many companies will be faced with a talent gap that only adds to the workforce shortage already being faced. The key is to begin recruiting a new workforce, before your incumbent workforce retires.
How to Proceed—Best Practices for Replenishing Your Industrial Workforce
Whether you’re ready to face it or not, there’s no time like the present to begin making plans for how to staff up in the all-too-near future. You’ll need to be strategic, assess your workforce needs and consider the career goals of the current workforce to attract them to your business. Consider the following:
- Determine What Skills Will Need to Be Replaced
Your Baby Boomer employees have likely been with your business for a long time, because career longevity was the goal of that generation. Carefully assess the roles and responsibilities of your boomers. Which roles will you need to staff and which roles are likely to become obsolete in the near future?
- Involve Current Workers in Your Transition Plans
Talk to your employees to determine when they plan to retire. Prepare to staff up with plenty of time for them to properly train and mentor new employees.
- Focus on Interesting Work Experiences
Unlike the older generation, many of the incoming workers do not plan to stay in a job for more than a few years before moving on. The incoming generation of workers have less of an interest in a specific career path, but are more engaged in work experiences that allow them to learn. A stronger focus on comprehensive roles, rather than depth of experience, shapes job descriptions that speak to this generations incoming workforce.
- Take Up a Cause
A little rebranding may be necessary to attract the next generation to your company. What is your mission statement and how does your business impact the world around you? If you can find a way to tie your purpose into something much larger, it will speak to the younger generation.
- Diversify Your Work Environment
Allowing for individuality, inclusion and work-life balance is another means to attract today’s young workers. Employees no longer live to work, but instead try to fit in many more family obligations, health and wellness initiatives, and personal endeavors. They seek a culture and schedule that will accommodate these influences in their lives.
Reassess, Revise and Refresh
The future workforce has indicated that they are already interested in alternative job options beyond a college education and entry-level work. Apprenticeships and skilled trade work are becoming attractive ways to avoid high tuition loans and an uncertain job market. Monopolize on this by re-evaluating your company message to excite and engage a younger generation.
Need Support?
Hamilton-Ryker specializes in the placement of light industrial and office/administrative staff and apprenticeships. We’ll work with you to understand your staffing and Workforce Development needs and find qualified workers for today’s and tomorrow’s jobs. To learn more, contact us today!