To attract this pool of talent or keep them in jobs, NSW Minister for Ageing Peter Primrose said employers, such as law firms, will need to provide more flexible hours, training, and roles that were not physically taxing. It is expected that by 2016 there will be more people in NSW over the age of 65 than under 15.

Some law firms have already started to address the trend, by introducing more flexible work arrangements such as grandparent leave. Head of flexibility and diversity at Allens Arthur Robinson, Jacqui Abbott, said Allens had introduced a flexibility program across the entire firm, “as everyone has different needs at different stages”. She said the flexibility program was based on a two-way relationship between a business’ needs and individual needs, whether it be time off for family or hobbies. “We find people in that age group (45-54) want more opportunities to volunteer and to take on that form of commitment on a weekly basis, rather than once each six months,” said Abbott.

The firm also undertakes job re-designs for staff when needed and has a transition to retirement plan policy, so that staff can move from four day work week, to a three day work week gradually, rather than going straight from five to zero. “In general there is a far greater acceptance/tolerance of flexibility and change in lifestyle,” she added.

Freehills people and development director Gareth Bennett said many Baby Boomers are living in what is known as the "sandwich generation" - meaning they are taking care of their children and their elderly parents. This dual responsibility means they are often required to take time off for family reasons, which could likely impact on their professional life. He said the best thing an employer could do was to have a clear approach to dealing with staff in this category which would more than likely be in senior positions with large amounts of responsibility, as opposed to an ad hoc, ‘cut them some slack’ approach.

The paper, Employment and retention strategies of older workers, was prepared by the Office for Ageing on behalf of the NSW Ministerial Advisory Committee on Ageing.

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