older workers can step in to solve the talent crisis — but you have to meet them halfway.

We’ve come a long way since #QuitTok , that briefly viral phenomenon in which young-ish people went on social media to express powerful sentiments — grief, hope, outrage, despair — before and after quitting their jobs. And thank goodness.?

But the “Great Resignation” is by no means over. One in five workers plans to quit their jobs by the end of the year. And on top of that, there are now concepts like “quiet quitting ” for employers to contend with.??

Against that backdrop, there has been another, less-well-publicized swing in the opposite direction: older workers “unretiring” to return to the workforce. Research shows they’re coming back faster than their younger counterparts across the U.S. labor force.?

How to account for this? We’ll get to that in a minute. But at a moment when nearly half of all businesses have open roles that they can’t fill, perhaps the more pertinent question is, “What can I do to successfully attract, hire and retain these newly available, precious older workers?”?

We’re glad you asked. Here’s what you need to know.?

motivations vary, but “unretirement” keeps picking up pace

The precise role of age in fueling the initial outbreak of quits we now think of as the “Great Resignation” has been hotly debated. Early research found that professionals between 30 and 45 led the way and had the most significant uptick in resignation rates. But subsequent studies have indicated that slightly older and more experienced employees — those aged 40 to 60, with tenures north of 10 years — were the real vanguard.?

No one denied that early retirement among older employees contributed to the contraction of the labor force. Whether this was voluntary or involuntarily debatable. An analysis concluded that “many older workers did not leave their jobs voluntarily but got pushed out of the labor force. The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis dubbed it “The COVID Retirement Boom .”?

And this phenomenon appears to have been worldwide in scope. According to Randstad Sourceright’s 2022 Talent Trends report , employees unexpectedly retiring or voluntarily leaving the workforce counted as a significant pain point for nearly one in four organizations globally.?

Today, by contrast, what we’re seeing is a remarkably different story. Call it “The Great Unretirement”: A not insignificant 3.2 percent of U.S. workers classified as “retired” last year have since returned to the workforce, netting out to 1.5 million would-be retirees back in action today.

As for the “Why?” of this turnaround, it’s hard to say precisely. Probably many factors, including the macroeconomic motivators you would expect: inflation at near-record levels, fear of a recession, losses to retirement funds in a downturned market and more.

But the rationale could also be less tangible than all that. One AARP study , for example, suggested that loneliness among older adults — an issue that was undoubtedly exacerbated during the pandemic — is now motivating retirees to seek out the kinds of social interactions that come with daily work routines.?

But causation aside, make no mistake: It’s happening. Older workers are returning to the workforce in droves. So the real question is: What will you do about it??

returning to work ≠ returning to the office?

Are you returning to work? Fantastic. Are you returning to work in an office setting? Not so much as you’ll confuse the two.?

For starters, chuck whatever stereotypes you have about older people using technology out the window. They’re scheduling Zoom calls and loving it. One study of hybrid work environments, for example, found that employees aged 55 to 64 opted to work remotely more often than their colleagues aged 18 to 24 (3.1 days per week versus 2.5, respectively).?

Similar findings have been substantiated elsewhere, too. This survey , for instance, essentially asked, “Who doesn’t want to return to the office, period?” The results sync directly to age:

• 41 percent of baby boomers
• 33 percent of Gen Xers
• 28 percent of millennials
• 27 percent of Gen Zers

The takeaway: Older workers are disinclined to return to traditional office settings full-time, which is also broadly true of workers in general. According to research, even at employers where returning to the office full time is mandatory, only about half of their workers are complying.?

So if you’re eager to coax older workers back to work — and by “work” you mean a collocated workplace — think about whether that’s necessary before you decide to act.

flexibility, upskilling and reskilling will be focal points

Research shows that two things, above all, dictate retention outcomes for employers today: work-related flexibility and opportunities for career advancement. This is doubly true of return-to-work adults.?

You might even think of flexibility, upskilling and reskilling as a kind of holy trinity in connection with older workers re-entering the workforce because all three will be needed in equal measure, and together they’ll play a crucial role in determining your success.?

Let’s start with flexibility. What does the concept mean — not in theory but practice — from the perspective of an older worker who’s new to your team??

For one, it might mean offering your new hire the option of working on a part-time basis, at least at first, until they’re fully up to speed. This, notably, was cited as the third most crucial flexible-working benefit among older workers in a recent survey . Flexible work options, including the freedom to work remotely, should be on the table as well, needless to say, for reasons we’ve already discussed.?

Reskilling and upskilling will help ease the transition of older employees to your organization. You won’t have to spearhead the efforts alone. Strategic skilling partnerships can help. They’re a proven way to tap into new talent pipelines, counteract skills shortages and drive meaningful change.?

The high-level takeaway? Flexibility, upskilling and reskilling are part of how you can help set new team members up for success. These things also ladder up to a broader point: You’ll need to let people return to work on terms that work for them. Otherwise, they probably aren’t going to stick around over the long run.?

connecting the dots: older workers, DEI and compensation?

Whatever workforce strategy you decide to pursue, keep this top of mind: Hiring and retaining employees who are returning to the workforce is inseparable from your broader diversity, equity and inclusion goals. These two things go hand in hand.?

Yet, according to research, at the moment, close to half of organizations don’t think their hiring practices are effectively delivering on their stated diversity goals. That needs to change, and fast — as does the surprising frequency with which instances of age discrimination seem to be occurring in the workplace.?

According to research , more than three out of four older employees (78%) have personally seen or experienced age-related discrimination at work, the highest figure since 2003. These incidents need to be rooted out immediately, not only because they’re estimated to cost the U.S. economy around $850 billion annually.?

Finally, compensation ties in here as well. Research shows that, while wages for older workers have been climbing steadily in recent years, those increases don’t necessarily match what their younger colleagues are seeing. What’s more, the real value of those gains is offset by inflation; in some cases, those increases aren’t being implemented fast enough.?

Left unaddressed, that could easily be interpreted as proof-positive of age discrimination at work.?

One suggested fix: Consider auditing compensation levels across your organization before bringing on your next would-be retiree. It’s the only way you’re going to be able to retain them effectively. And given the dynamics of the talent marketplace right now, you can’t afford not to tap into the knowledge base, skills and capabilities of these highly experienced return-to-work seniors.?

integrating generations: 4 workforce management best practices?

As we have seen, the potential upside of older workers unretiring and returning to the workforce is huge for organizations across the board. But to fully take advantage, however, you’ll first need to think carefully about how to integrate older and younger team members most effectively.?

Below, we’ve broken out four key areas to focus on.?

1. technology

Zoom is one thing, but other new tech or tools (Slack, for example) may not be immediately familiar to new hires just returning to the workforce. The solution? Offer them comprehensive training on when and how to use various communication channels. Also, give them plenty of time to adjust. Finally, note that they may also prefer facetime (or screen time) over digital communication channels when it comes to important work-related conversations.??

2. communication

This dovetails with technology, albeit with farther-reaching implications in terms of organizational culture. Namely, when working with older colleagues, younger workers might feel intimidated — or worse, that their input isn’t being respected or valued — due to their age. Once more, though, in addition to fostering open dialogue, offering some level of sensitivity training will be your best bet. It’s the only way to minimize friction, diffuse any tension and maintain your team's cohesiveness.?

3. feedback

Given their significant work history, older employees may be accustomed to operating with greater autonomy than those just starting out in their careers — and they may not expect the same amount of feedback. Ultimately, everyone’s preferences will be different in this regard, of course. Finding the sweet spot is the kind of thing that managers should discuss directly with new hires once they come on board.?

4. scheduling

As we have discussed, flexibility matters as much to older workers as it does to their younger colleagues. So, you should give as much of it as possible to your return-to-work seniors where scheduling is concerned. Bear in mind, too, that older employers tend to be more stoic, or at least less vocal, if and when their needs aren’t met in areas like this, according to research . So you’ll need to consider that, be proactive, and ask about their scheduling preferences from the outset. Whatever you decide to do, it’s imperative to get the ball rolling before it’s too late.?

key takeaways

Older workers returning to the talent market represent a potential boon for employers everywhere, especially those in industries with ongoing talent shortages. But to effectively welcome these returners back to the workforce — and to prevent what promises to be a flood from dwindling to a trickle — organizations must heed the advice outlined in this article. To the extent that may require new strategies, it all starts with workforce management.?

And for those returning, a simple message from the team at Randstad: Welcome back!