Managing the Older Worker

Managing the Older Worker

 How to approach the question of older employees at work?

Author(s): Peter Cappelli, Bill Novelli

Publisher: Harvard Business Press

Date of publication: 2010

Manageris opinion

The subtitle, How to prepare for the new organizational order, heralds the fundamental philosophy of this book, i.e., integrating older workers will not only become a necessity, but also a major organizational trend in the coming years. Supported by edifying figures and relevant examples, the book dispels many erroneous preconceptions and brilliantly identifies the major issues involved in integrating older employees successfully.

The book focuses both on human resources issues – transmission of knowledge and experience, different types of collaboration possible with older workers – and on how to manage these workers most effectively, with practical tips and ideas that are often counter-intuitive. The final chapter covers a more market-focused issue, underlining the growing importance of the aging consumer segment.

This lively and well-documented book should be mandatory reading for today’s manager, and the effort would be rewarded with many ideas and new perspectives on the question of older employees at work.