<
https://longevity.stanford.edu/why-more-companies-are-recognizing-the-benefits-of-keeping-older-employees/>
"Although age bias is still the norm, the value-add of longtime, experienced
workers is beginning to take shape.
On the outskirts of Macclesfield, in northwest England, a branch of the UK
home-improvement retailer B&Q quietly overturned one of corporate life’s most
persistent assumptions. Faced with high staff turnover and uneven customer
satisfaction, the company tried a simple experiment: In 1989, it staffed the
store largely with older workers.
The results were striking, according to one study. Profits rose 18 percent.
Staff turnover fell to a fraction of the company average. Absenteeism dropped
sharply. An experiment that started more than 30 years ago reshaped how the
retailer approached age inclusiveness and led B&Q to open training to all ages
and feature older workers in advertising, treating experience as an advantage
rather than a cost.
In 2007, BMW began implementing 70 ergonomic, low-cost improvements in a
specialized assembly line in Dingolfing, Germany, to provide better conditions
for its many older and middle-aged workers. Key changes included
adjustable-height workstations, improved lighting and specialized stools,
resulting in a 7 percent productivity increase.
Evidence suggests that similar age-performance dynamics are not limited to the
quirks of retail or to the factory floor and are increasingly relevant as
declining birth rates and artificial intelligence investments reduce the inflow
of entry-level workers. A white paper from Bank of America’s Workplace Benefits
group argues that recruiting and retaining older workers is becoming
increasingly important as populations age, framing age-inclusive benefits not
as accommodation, but as a driver of organizational performance, especially for
roles where judgment, experience and decision quality matter most."
Via Esther Schindler.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
