Employers throughout the logistics industry have been struggling to fill job openings—a challenge they say has been exacerbated by pandemic retirements and an aging workforce. Statistics back them up; the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that a quarter of the U.S. workforce will be above the age of 55 by 2024.
Those older workers can be quite valuable, bringing advantages like experience, a strong work ethic, industry knowledge, and established networks and connections to the table, according to Evotix, a British developer of environment, health, and safety (EHS) software. That makes it all the more critical that employers learn how to engage and retain those older workers, the company says.
Evotix recently produced a white paper that offers actionable tips for retaining and engaging older employees, and managing the aging workforce.
Among its advice: Organizations need to make a point of understanding the needs of older workers and responding to those needs—for example, by providing more healthcare and wellbeing support. It’s also important that they harness technology in their retention efforts—for instance, by using automation to handle repetitive manual labor so older workers can concentrate on tasks that require their unique skills and knowledge.
The white paper also encourages companies to establish mentorship and apprenticeship programs to encourage the transfer of knowledge and skills between generations. But these programs don’t have to be a one-way street, with the elders handing down their institutional knowledge, Evotix notes. Rather, they should be bidirectional and allow the younger generation the opportunity to teach the older generation new skills as well.
