Should I Stay Or Should I Go: The Role Of Communication In Striving To Retain Older Employees

Abstract

The impact of population ageing that goes hand in hand with ageing of the workforce is already deeply felt on European labor markets – including Slovenian – and will manifest itself more prominently in the next years.

One of the most discussed policy options that would mitigate possible negative consequences of population and workforce ageing – is to promote that older employees work longer, even after the age of 65.

But this scenario is not an easy one. Prolonging working life can only be done by enabling older workers to remain productive, thus able and willing to work. By implementing active ageing policies at workplace, the employers can play an exceptional role in persuading older workers to prolong their working lives for their own well-being and for the good of society.

The aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of communication when older workers are deciding whether to stay or not.