AUSTRALIA AGING POPULATION - IMPLICATIONS FOR HUMAN-RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Considers the implications of Australia's ageing population for future human resource management practice, Acknowledges that downsizing prac tices which initially targeted older workers may have contributed to r aising the profile of their vulnerability and suggests reforms will be needed in all key human resource functions to reduce bias, improve eq uity, and focus on the potential benefit older staff can contribute. D ifferences in health and safety records indicate that age alone does n ot differentiate between staff, and hence dismisses perceptions of old er staff as more accident prone. Stereotypes which militate against hi ring older staff need to be addressed and training practices will need restructuring to accommodate alternative training methods which encou rage older staff to reskill. Discusses potential new mentoring roles. Proposes that performance criteria which measure contribution need to be developed for all employees so that rewards can be disentangled fro m length of service and ensure that jobs, not individuals, become the basis of evaluation.