Employers will have to overhaul their HR policies in response to the UK’s
ageing workforce, or risk a leadership crisis.
Heather Neely, master trainer at consultancy Rainmaker Thinking, believes
the ageing workforce will lead to a lack of leadership in firms unless
companies re-evaluate how they recruit, retain, reward, and develop staff for
leadership positions.
Speaking at the CIPD’s HRD conference, she said: "Workers will retire
in large numbers over the next 10 years, leaving a sizeable gap in the
leadership ranks. Most organisations are perplexed about how to effectively
address the situation."
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She claimed that the practice of fast-tracking graduates into managerial
positions is leaving the next generation of line managers without enough
leadership training or experience.
"This approach [fast-tracking] no longer works, since the future
success of your organisation depends on strong capable leaders. Firms must find
new ways to prepare their people for these key roles," Neely concluded.
