e3unlimited ‘new world of work’ model - 2008 and the prediction for five years time.

‘We see Generation Y as an attitude rather than an absolute age group. We all approach work differently to the way we did 10 years ago; people are far more loyal to their profession now than the organisation and it’s not uncommon for people of all ages to change employers every few years. Forward thinking organisations understand the changing values of their workforce and are embracing this change,’ says Morton.

Getting the right people

‘The challenge for bringing in retired people is working out their unique take on their personal experiences,’ says Redmond. ‘Otherwise, you just have one generation sermonising to another. The danger with this is that it’s often quite easy for older generations to construct false realities of what things were like in their day.’

But once the right people are on board, employers have little to lose and much to gain. ‘Employers are incredibly concerned about the loss of critical corporate memory and experience – from how to deal with people to technical tricks of the trade,’ says Glesinger.

‘Losing such skills can adversely affect their business, often with colossal results. So they’re highly receptive to the idea of harnessing the skills and wisdom of people who have retired, but still want to make a contribution. I believe – and employers tell me – that they categorically cannot manage without that experience. And not just to plug temporary skills gaps either, but to transfer hardcore knowledge for the long term.’