One of the most telling results from our latest survey is the way employees feel about their boss’ ability to prepare employees for the future. In every region and across all generations, employees feel that this is a task their leaders are not living up to.
Older workers are far more likely to believe that their manager has failed to prepare them for future success, and employees in the EMEA region are far less satisfied with the preparation they’ve been given by their leaders than those in other regions.
Generation Y’s in the Americas feel the most positive about their ability to achieve future success. Half of employees in this group (49%) say their manager has prepared them well. The least positive group is Baby Boomers in EMEA—just 29% feel they are adequately prepared for the future and put this down to the efforts of their employer.
For younger workers, change is often easier because it is expected, and managers are focused on their development and training needs because they are seen as having the most to learn. In practice, this may be ignoring the specific needs of older workers.
Ensuring adequate training and support is in place for older workers to keep pace with all kinds of change, not just technological change, is critical to keeping them engaged in the workplace. As critical talent shortages begin to grip harder, you’re going to need to hold on to older workers longer, so this will be a key challenge for leaders in the short to medium term.