Editorial
Old age and prosperity are closely related
„Restless spirits“, is what Karl Wulftange, 72, calls his clients, retirees who still work or have restarted. Their numbers are steadily increasing—one in ten retired Germans now has a job, usually part-time. Some work because their pensions are too small, while others do so because they are bored. Since 2008, Wulftange has been running Die
Silberfüchse, a job portal in Duisburg which puts companies in touch with highly qualified people who want to contribute their expertise. His one-man business is not alone, as there are now several job exchanges for senior citizens in Germany, such as Erfahrung Deutschland and RentaRenter. However, these portals don’t specialize in managers. Meanwhile, large companies now have their own programs in order to retain high-potential retirees and their expertise. Wulftange isn’t concerned about the competition, because his focus is on small and medium-size enterprises and he knows that he will benefit from the changing demographics. “Many of these companies will be looking for new personnel in the years ahead, because they will be losing their top performers,” he says.
3 questions for
The Generationen-Pakt serves as a bridge between generations. The older employees retire as scheduled, following a lengthy preparation period during which
their successors are trained specifically for the positions that then become vacant.
In this way, good human resources planning ensures the effective transfer of knowledge.
We provide employees with comprehensive information so that they can decide how they would like to enter retirement. The employer-promoted long-term account is a tool that enables employees to influence how soon they can leave work before their actual retirement. The GenerationenPakt is an innovative application of this long-term account, which enables the employer and the employee to jointly fund the latter’s departure from the company.
The response is very good, and that’s why it will be continued. At present, it
covers non-exempt employees born in 1962. More than half of these employees
have already received advice and must now decide whether to leave the company
in accordance with the aforementioned model. Another reason why the GenerationenPakt is accepted is that it was drawn up in close cooperation with the works council.
is a direct consultant at Evonik’s HR Services Germany.
Introduction of statutory retirement insurance in Germany. This made the German Empire a pioneer with regard to social security. Denmark followed two years later and the UK in 1908. The USA did not introduce social security until 1935