Changing workforce demographics means many organisations need older workers more than ever, say management lecturer Professor Peter Cappelli and HR expert William Novelli.
The pair say older workers transfer knowledge between generations, transmit your company’s values to new hires, make excellent mentors for younger employees, and provide “just in time” workforce for special projects.
Yet more of these workers are reporting to people younger than they are, say the pair.
“This presents unfamiliar challenges that if ignored can prevent you from attracting, retaining, and engaging older employees,” the pair say in their new book, Managing the Older Worker.
In it Novelli explains how companies and younger managers can maximise the value provided by older workers.
The key is recognising that boomers’ needs differ from younger generations and adapting your management practices accordingly.
The pair draw on research in management, psychology, and other disciplines as they suggest that managing older workers will enrich your workforce.
Beyond survival
Management Commercial
July 21, 2026
After a punishing economic cycle Kiwi businesses are emerging into something of a stabilisation period. Cautiously optimistic, past the worst, but with operating costs still biting and reinvestment held back. Why the next six months will define the recovery, and what business owners need to be doing in that period.
