MBiz

13 MBiz May 2014 A s more and more boomers retire, many companies are getting perilously close to the edge of the knowledge gap. Some are turning to quick fi xes, but piecemeal remedies are not ideal, says Barbara Jaworski, founder of the Workplace Institute, which specializes in helping companies develop strategies for boomer employees. The knowledge gap is just one aspect of a larger demographic issue. And Jaworski has experience in addressing such challenges. She is one of the pioneers in work/life balance programs in Canada, which were created to address the last demographic seismic shift in the workplace — women entering the workforce in large numbers. Some companies are using technology to record the knowledge of soon-to-retire workers, but that's "only useful for knowledge that is static," Jaworski says. "Often the knowledge needed is for a situational decision. It's diffi cult to record that type of knowledge." Mentoring programs can be successful if they're well supported and linked to strategic objectives. But Jaworski says a better strategy for boomers is "to create a culture where you value their input, give them an interesting opportunity to pass on the knowledge, train them on how to do it, maybe even continue to tap into them after they retire." It's also about bringing back intergenerational continuity. Over the last few decades, many companies have lost this, as well as its advantages, which include the natural fl ow of knowledge from generation to generation. In decades past, businesses invested in apprenticeship and training programs, which often connected newcomers with experienced employees. According to Conference Board of Canada research, however, the amount Canadian companies invest in all employee training has shrunk by close to 40% since the early 1990s. Yet another blow to continuity came in the rush over the last 20 years to replace many full-time jobs with part-time and contract ones. Not only were there fewer Generation Xs to fi ll jobs overall, but there were fewer sticking around for the long haul in many organizations, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. Some industries, such as mining, have been hit particularly hard simply because they didn't have the "new economy" appeal and could barely attract enough new people. There is, however, hope in lessons learned from the past. "When women were just entering the workforce, we initially developed a lot of programs to help women with childcare responsibilities. That evolved into us developing programs that helped everyone," Jaworski says. A similar evolution can take place through programs that address boomer needs. "Your younger workers benefi t if you have an older worker strategy. They see what the path is and there's comfort for both parties to be able to get what they need out of learning and respect and growing in the organization," Jaworski says. As well, workplaces have to develop a culture that encourages older workers to openly discuss their exit plans. "In many organizations you are sort of discarded once you announce you're looking to retire or reduce your workload," she says. "In fact, encouraging older workers to participate in the discussion of how they will transition out and tap into the knowledge they've accumulated to contribute to the younger workers in a new way would make their job more exciting and interesting than if it's framed just in terms of the mentoring piece or knowledge transfer with the view once the knowledge is passed on they're no longer valued." Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco is a freelance journalist and an associate with ThirdQuarter. ThirdQuarter is owned by Skills Connect Inc. which is part of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce. For information about the recruitment and candidate services of ThirdQuarter, please go to www.thirdquarter.ca or www.hire-experience.ca WORRIED ABOUT THE KNOWLEDGE GAP? BUILD A SOLID BRIDGE by Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco for ThirdQuarter MBiz_spring2014.indd 13 MBiz_spring2014.indd 13 5/14/14 8:26:29 AM 5/14/14 8:26:29 AM

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