LI DAN YUE: Besides offering incentives, there are other ways for employers to attract and retain older workers. First, they must attract them through the right channel. For example, older workers may not be tech-savvy so they tend to look for jobs through the newspapers rather than on recruitment websites.
Second, firms should have a supportive environment. Older workers tend to look for flexible work hours, such as a four-day compressed work week or flexible working hours.
Third, companies should provide training and upskilling opportunities. They can leverage on the Government’s Workfare Training Support Scheme to train their older workers, or send them to other relevant training institutes.
At the same time, companies should also encourage learning between younger and older workers.
They could introduce a mentoring system where younger workers are paired with older workers.
Younger workers can learn from the experiences and insights of older workers. In return, older workers can learn from the younger ones on how to better use IT software, for instance.
With a fast-greying population and a smaller local workforce, businesses will increasingly need to cater for and manage older workers.
Thus, it is important for employers to change their perceptions and adjust their hiring policies to attract and retain them.
After all, the lifetime’s worth of skills and experience they can bring will certainly benefit the business for years to come.
This letter was written by Li Dan Yue.
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BESIDES offering incentives, there are other ways for employers to attract and retain older workers (“Incentives for firms to re-employ workers past age 65”; Sept 30).
First, they must attract them through the right channel. For example, older workers may not be tech-savvy so they tend to look for jobs through the newspapers rather than on recruitment websites.
Second, firms should have a supportive environment. Older workers tend to look for flexible work hours, such as a four-day compressed work week or flexible working hours.
Third, companies should provide training and upskilling opportunities. They can leverage on the Government’s Workfare Training Support Scheme to train their older workers, or send them to other relevant training institutes.
At the same time, companies should also encourage learning between younger and older workers.
They could introduce a mentoring system where younger workers are paired with older workers.
Younger workers can learn from the experiences and insights of older workers. In return, older workers can learn from the younger ones on how to better use IT software, for instance.
With a fast-greying population and a smaller local workforce, businesses will increasingly need to cater for and manage older workers.
Thus, it is important for employers to change their perceptions and adjust their hiring policies to attract and retain them.
After all, the lifetime’s worth of skills and experience they can bring will certainly benefit the business for years to come.
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