Valuing older workers? A case study of Australian universities response to their ageing academic workforce

An unprecedented ageing workforce is reshaping the future of work and triggering human resource management (HRM) challenges and opportunities. As people live longer, they continue to be productive and contribute to society, but to maintain economic growth, employers and governments must recognize and value older workers. The 50+ segment of the workforce is the most engaged cohort across all generations and therefore, recruiting, rewarding and retaining workers aged 50+ is critical for organisational sustainability. Yet, an ageing workforce is largely ignored or misperceived, and often overlooked as a source of competitive advantage. This chapter offers a case study of Australian universities' response to their ageing workforce, specifically academics aged in their 50s, to highlight the issues for HRM policies and practices, and recommend for universities to recognise the competitive advantage by capitalising on the accumulated knowledge, experience and wisdom of their older academic workforce.