Page 21 - Senior Times South Central Michigan May 2021 - 28-05
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Senior Times - May 2021 Page 21
 going above and beyond to attract older employees.
“returnships.” Returnships are internships in which retired adults with a gap in work experience are onboarded and trained during a trial period and then hired if all goes well. They are essentially a career reboot for experienced workers. The idea is getting traction in a wide range of industries, from tech companies and health care to banking and non profits.
 For example, CVS offers a “Snowbird” program that allows older workers – phar- macists, photo supervisors, and cosmetic consultants – to transfer locations on a sea- sonal basis. (IBM has a similar program.) The National Institutes of Health actively recruits smart people over age 50 at job fairs and then lures them with flex schedules, telecommuting opportunities, and exercise classes. Even Home Depot hires retired con- struction workers to advise customers on its sales floor.
Keep in mind that returnships can ben- efit younger employees as much as older employees. That Gen Zer who struggles with the basics of navigating work rela- tionships could sit in on meetings and presentations with that 70-year-old retired executive who just enrolled in the orga- nization’s returnship program. And it’s a two-way street, because they could explain to that executive why and how to tweet, use an Instagram account for marketing, or offer lessons on navigating that state-of-the-art software that human resources just installed on their computer that they may have been resistant to use.
enrich your team than to miss out on good talent.”
Don’t just hire for skills – hire for
About Rick Grimaldi: Rick Grimaldi is a workplace trends expert and the author of FLEX: A Leader’s Guide to Staying Nimble and Mastering Transformative Change in
the American Workplace. Rick’s unique per- spective comes from his diverse career in high-ranking public service positions, as a human resources and labor relations profes- sional for an international hi-tech company, and presently in private practice as a partner with Fisher Phillips, LLP, one of America’s preeminent management side labor and employment law firms. Day to day, Rick works with companies to help them adapt to the ever-changing business environment, achieve their workplace goals, and become better employers. Rick is an internationally recog- nized writer and keynote speaker, and has been selected through a peer review process as one of the Best Lawyers in America© in three of the last four years.
attitude. A person’s openness to learning – not their age – is what makes them a great worker. In our rapidly changing work envi- ronment, those willing to adapt and learn new ways of doing things are the most valu- able, regardless of age. An older employee who is coachable and has a great attitude and a willingness to try new things might contribute more than a talented Generation Zer who resists being trained in new skills.
Intentionally form mixed-age teams
for better collaboration. Give people of all ages chances to work together for common purposes. Research has shown that multi-generational teams outperform less age-diverse teams on complex deci- sion-making tasks.
“Never forget the value of older employ- ees,” concludes Grimaldi. “They bring a perspective earned from years of hard work. Plus, they are loyal and less likely to leave your organization after you’ve spent time and money investing in them. And remem- ber, if you don’t hire them, one of your competitors will. It’s far better to have their wisdom, experience, and strong work ethic
   At the same time, make sure your inter- viewers are well trained on how to assess skills and remain focused on the objectives of the job, says Grimaldi. Interviewers should understand whether a candidate’s experiences and skills – especially the soft skills acquired by many mature employees – will make them a strong candidate.
  When you don’t hire a candidate, explain why. Some candidates may assume they were not hired because of their age. Therefore, be sure to follow up to tell them the reason they were not selected. This pre- vents all candidates from jumping to con- clusions and protects you from damaging claims of age or any other bias.
For more information, please visit www. rickgrimaldi.com.
    Offer training programs – aka
About the Book: FLEX: A Leader’s Guide to Staying Nimble and Mastering Transformative Change in the American Workplace (Wiley, 2021, ISBN: 978-1-119- 79510-0, $28.00) is available from major online booksellers.
    
















































































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