THE CHALLENGE OF PLANNING
A major challenge for organizations with a large boomer population
is attempting to map out a company’s trajectory, including
succession planning, without knowing what the organization’s
attrition is going to be from year to year.
“If you don’t know when somebody is planning on leaving, it’s
a big risk for an organization,” said Jaworski. To counter this, she
recommends starting some conversations with employees about
career trajectories and transitions, and to have those talks fairly
cover feature
early on, if possible. It’s a sticky subject, though, since a conversation
can easily veer into age discrimination territory.
Thomlinson agrees and recommends succession or career path
conversations either happen regularly or are initiated by some
kind of marker.
“Maybe the reality is that managers are having those discussions
with employees all the time or maybe they happen
after a certain number of years of service,” she said. The trigger
could theoretically be age-related, she notes, provided what’s
“IF YOU’RE GOING TO BE
THINKING ABOUT WHETHER
THE PEOPLE YOU CURRENTLY
EMPLOY CAN REALLY CARRY
YOUR COMPANY FORWARD, YOU
CAN DO THAT, BUT YOU CAN’T
DO IT BASED ON THEIR AGE.”
– CHRISTINE THOMLINSON, EMPLOYMENT
LAWYER, RUBIN THOMLINSON LLP
Photo by Brankica Tekic / Photos.com
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HRPATODAY.CA ❚ FEBRUARY 2014 ❚ 33