Working Seniors

“I have an employee, Sam, who is 68. His work is really good but he’s much slower than he used to be and he’s missed a lot of work due to health problems. I’ve had to hire a second person to do the same work so it all gets done. I’m ready for Sam to retire but he’s made comments about working until he’s at least 70. What can I do to get him to retire?”

My HR Survival Tip

Thanks to the economy the past several years, many Boomers are having to continue working much longer than they originally planned. Even if Sam didn’t need the money, many seniors are still very active, like staying busy and, yes, even love their jobs.

Tread carefully! You don’t want to be the one who initiates a retirement conversation. Asking when someone plans to retire is viewed as you trying to push them out the door and may even result in a potential ageism discrimination claim. The only time you should engage in a retirement conversation is if the employee brings it up and, even then, be careful.

Overall, you need to manage the situation the same as you would for someone 25 years old. You can certainly bring attendance up but listen to determine if health is the whole problem or only part of the reason for the poor attendance. You may find Sam’s problems are protected disabilities and you’d need an employment law attorney to help you wade through that.

Focus the conversation on performance because that’s more straightforward. Be sure to say how great the quality has been so it’s not all negative news. Many working seniors can still produce as much as they ever did and can compete with your younger employees. It’s possible that Sam just became complacent rather than incapable of producing at his prior level. Provide examples of how productivity has declined over time and be clear about the level of productivity you need from Sam.

Any employee, regardless of age, needs feedback when the work has been slipping. Don’t put it off just because you think (or hope) the employee will leave on their own by quitting or retiring. Old or young, you’re paying employees for a certain level of quality and quantity and it’s up to you to make sure their work is properly managed.