Benefits and Challenges of Recruiting Older Workers in HRM

Human Resource
Management
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Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................2
Develop a robust business case why companies should adopt strategies to recruiting older
workers, ensuring that you critically discuss both the benefits and challenges associated with
having an older workforce...........................................................................................................2
Make recommendations as to the kinds of action organizations must consider in ensuring they
have a ready supply of labour in the future.................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8
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INTRODUCTION
HRM is the chain of activities related with the recruiting, hiring and managing the
organisational employees. The organisational HR department responsible for the building and
putting into the effect the overseeing policies for governing workers. This report is based on the
employing older workers for an effective multi generational personnel force. To elaborate
respective subject matter two cases on Marks & Spencer and MacDonald should be studied to
examine policies of other organisations. This report it based on the strategies and tactics to
selecting older employees by critically examine their advantages and disadvantage. At last it
includes the recommendation on the whole subject matter to reach at valid conclusion.
Develop a robust business case why companies should adopt strategies to recruiting older
workers, ensuring that you critically discuss both the benefits and challenges associated
with having an older workforce.
HRM department found that population of employees are ageing and employers are not
doing much efforts to retain and recruit the older workforce (Cascio, 2015). The another major
issue that organisations not paid much attention towards to build or prepare for potential skills
gaps at the time when older employees retire. But the older employees are very much important
for an organisation and various organisations provide training and development to them to cope
up with the changes. As they are crucial part and gradually no. of older employees increases
due to the following attributes :
Diversity –
Workplace diversity which focused on gender, race and sexual orientation, the big driver
of ageism is the biased towards digital natives (Collings, Wood and Szamosi, 2018). As
younger people always focus on the using the technology on other hand previous generation did
not access to it. As organisations recruit people of different race, gender and diversified in skills
that create workforce diversity at workplace.
Utilize expertise/knowledge:
Older employees give their services from very long time so they have strong
understanding of the subject matter that proved beneficial for organisation in crucial decision
making in order to remain competitive in the marketplace. Due the expertise and knowledge an
organisation gain from their older employees enhance the rate of respective employees within
the organisation.
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Ageing population:
Ageing population is one of most important assets for an organisation as they possess
some rare qualities such as they are dedicated, punctual and honest with focused, good listeners
with lots of skills and abilities that create distinctive effect from young employees.
Legality/stop discrimination:
Age discrimination which involves treating or behaving an employee in less favourable
manner because of his or her age (McClean and Collins, 2019). The age discrimination act
forbids against age people who are forty and older. Respective law not protect the employees
under the age of 40 although some countries protect the younger workers from age. Respective
laws helps to employees in giving one of their best efforts in organisational development as it
creates sense of belongingness towards them.
So it has been very much important for an organisation to work in the interest of older
employees as they are very much important for them (Jabbour and et. al., 2013). As mentioned
above there are various causes that enhances the no. of older employees within the organization.
For an example to elaborate respective subject matter, two case studies should be discussed over
here to gather through understanding:
The main motive behind to study respective case studies is to reveal out the importance
of the old age employees within the firm and important policies to give every kind of amenities
so that they can give one of their best efforts for their organisation (Albrecht and et. al., 2015).
Respective case study based on the M&S which very much concern for their employees and
builds various policies to take care of their every potential needs and wants within the
organisation.
Case study of M&S:
The first case study related to the Marks and Spencer in which 33% employees are over
the age of 50 and oldest employee was recruited at the age of 80. It is one of the most well
known for its fairness and respect towards employees (Employer case studies, 2019.). They pay
attention on every class of employees who work with them such as they recently released phased
retirement and pensions in which they extended the default age of retirement which was
previously 65 to support and provide opportunities to employees in giving one of their best
efforts. That denotes that individuals who are the part of respective pension scheme start availing
the pension from age of 55 whilst continuing to the work for company. Respective kind of
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