PSU Management Generational Diversity Case Questions

Read the following case scenario and answer the questions:

Leigh is a Human Resource Director for Goldman Funds, an investment firm. Her job is to hire stockbrokers who have the ability to create wealth for Goldman clients and for the company. Leigh has been in this field for twenty years and spent many of those years as a stockbroker herself, so she knows how demanding the job can be. Most of the stockbrokers are young, unmarried, and devote 60 to 70 hours a week to their jobs. Most of them also spend several hours a week maintaining their physical fitness in order to deal with the stress of the job.

Leigh is interviewing applicants for a stockbroker position that just opened up. The most unusual applicant is john, unusual because he is 67 years old while the other applicants are in their 20s or 30s. John has a long career in the insurance industry, with many years as a salesman, a few years as ac claims adjuster, and the remaining years as an executive. John retired when he was 62 years old, and within a year, he was extremely bored with retirement activities. He enrolled in the local university and has just completed a master’s degree in finance. He earned grades that ranked him in the top 10 percent of his class.

John comes across as very personable in the interview. He tells Leigh, “ I’ve always loved to sell, I’ve always loved dealing with calculated risks, and it’s very important to me to get to know the clients I serve and to make a contribution through my work.” Leigh is impressed, but she’s concerned about how many years they can reasonably expect John to work. Leigh is also concerned about the high turnover rate that seems to come with the stockbroker position. One of their goals is to lower the employment turnover rates.

If you were Leigh, the HR Resource Director, what would you do?

One day you will be considered an “older” worker, or you may be considered an “older” worker now. What strategies should be implemented in the workplace to avoid stereotyping or discriminating against older workers and help with recruitment and retention issues?