Misson

It is Workplace Institute's mission to be a central source of research, best practices, programs and services dedicated to unleashing the full potential of high experience workers (KAA-Boomers™) and the workplaces that need them.

To help employers prepare for the consequences of labour shortages and talent loss as the population ages and to position them as employers of choice for a segment of the population that can and will continue to make a significant contribution;

To help individual KAA-Boomers understand and develop their skills and full potential as employees and citizens in a rapidly changing economic and employment landscape;

As Canada's pre-eminent thought leader on the needs and capabilities of Canada's aging workforce, to help governments and funding agencies shape policy and implement practices that support a strong and resilient labour force as Canada's demographic shift occurs.

Our Story

Workplace Institute is a Centre of Excellence and research-based social enterprise that offers education, resources and consultation to private and public organizations to maximize the productivity and engagement of the four generations of workers in their workplaces.

Over 20 years developing work-life programs and training for more than 3,000 organizations worldwide, Barbara Jaworski, founder and CEO of the Workplace Institute, saw a pattern emerge. In the beginning, management and HR practices focused on easing out older employees (over 45) and bringing in younger workers for less money. This practice worked well for many years when the majority of the population – the Baby Boomers -- were in their 20s and 30s. During this time, employers had a huge pool of prospective talent from which to choose. But then that strategy backfired. The Boomers got older and there were fewer younger people entering the workforce. Employers trying to grow their businesses are now finding it more difficult to attract and retain workers with the necessary knowledge and skills and their long-term employees are retiring – or planning to retire. Progressive companies are now realizing that employees in their 50's are just hitting their stride and their combination of skills, education, and experience are irreplaceable and invaluable. The shift is happening and the retention of mature workers is now becoming part of the HR matrix.

Best Employers Award for 50 Plus Canadians

The Best Employers Award for 50 Plus Canadians was created in 2004 to shine a light on organizations who were competing with new winning strategies that included harnessing the talent, skills, and experience of mature employees and hires to meet their business goals and utilizing the total labour pool.

The Best Employers Award winners that first year were Home Depot, Avis Rent a Car, RBC Global Banking Business Unit, and Merck Frosst. The companies that won – and their employees -- were thrilled to be recognized. The Workplace Institute was given the responsibility of publicizing the unique and innovative initiatives the winners used to capitalize on the skills and talent of all their employees and thus addressed the challenges presented by an aging population. Evaluating and highlighting practices that assist in addressing the workforce crisis have been an integral part of the research arm of the Workplace Institute.

Partnerships with the Federal, Ontario and Alberta Governments

Human Resources and Social Development Canada has supported mature worker issues through seed funding of our first annual conference "The Summit on the Mature Workforce." The summit showcases the best research and practices across North America.

The mission involved teaching employers and industries across Canada what they could be doing differently to establish best practices through case studies. These new practices included strategic workforce planning, intergenerational mentoring, and the transferring of practical skills that were becoming hard to find. Over the years the Summit on the Mature Workforce has earned the trust and partnership support of HRSDC, the Ontario Government, the Alberta Government and many private sector organizations.

Addressing the European Union on Modernizing the Labour Force

In 2008, the Canadian government invited Barbara Jaworski, CEO of the Workplace Institute, to address the European Union on the issue of modernizing and expanding the labour force utilizing the total labour pool. This is one more example of the growing realization of the seriousness of international labour shortages, a rapidly aging workface and other workforce changes.

In 2010 Barbara Jaworski addressed the Ministers Responsible for Seniors at their annual meeting.

KAA-Boom and KAA-Boomers Defined

Barbara Jaworski is author of KAA-Boom! How to Engage the 50 Plus Worker and Beat the Workforce Crisis. KAA-Boom refers to what will happen to organizations in most sectors if they don’t start considering the skills and talents of experienced workers --- especially in these difficult economic times.

It is from this work, as well as her keynote speeches, that Barbara developed the term "KAA-Boomers" -- a play on words that refers to the continuing explosive impact Baby Boomers are having on western society. From her years of research, Barbara has found that KAA-Boomers, even though mostly in their 50s and 60s, still want to make a contribution to the world. And just as they've changed almost every aspect of society over the past half century, KAA-Boomers are now changing the meaning of retirement. They don’t want to retire in the same way as their parents. They want to keep working and they want to pursue other interests. In other words, KAA-Boomers continue to want it all.

And in these days of chronic talent shortages, that's fine with many organizations. But to retain the knowledge and experience of mature workers, companies will have to rethink and reshape their workforce practices to allow for more flexibility and more choices in how work is done. Organizations must also create programs to help KAA-Boomers stay healthy, keep learning and growing, and mentor the next generation of leaders.

Biographies

Barbara Jaworski, B. Sc MBA, CEO

R. Owen Parker, CD, MBA, PhD, CHRP, Director of Research

Dominic Dubé, Director of Information Technology