With life expectancies rising, longer and more diverse career paths are becoming the norm. By designing work experiences around the multi-stage life, HR can promote age inclusivity and support employees’ evolving needs.
The reality of population ageing and increased longevity is one of the biggest challenges facing employers today, according to the UN.
Half of today’s children under 10 will live to 100, with life expectancy continuing to grow by two or three years per decade. This means most of us will live 10 or 20 years longer than our parents and grandparents, and, therefore, we must plan for extended working lives.
For HR and employers, this will mean rethinking workforce strategies to accommodate longer careers and shifting expectations, as well as ensuring that workplace cultures promote age inclusivity.
Much of the current rhetoric around age-inclusive workplaces focuses on catering to the five generations currently co-existing in the workplace, but it’s worth taking a step back to assess how relevant this lens really is.
The traditionalist generation, born before 1945, has minimal representation in the workforce, with very few employees currently working into their late seventies and eighties. Meanwhile, Gen Z – those 23 and under – are just starting to make their way through the workforce. This will be a fascinating generation to watch, given that their expectations of work have been so profoundly shaped by the pandemic.
However, focusing too much on generational labels and categories can sometimes do more harm than good. In reality, there’s often more diversity within a generation than between generations.
Assuming two employees of a similar age will have the same expectations of work can lead to overlooking nuanced individual considerations such as family responsibilities, career aspirations and personal values, all of which shape their unique approach to work and professional development.
For HR, a far more effective approach is to move away from generational stereotypes and focus on life stages. What matters is where an individual is at on their personal and professional journey – whether they are starting out in the workforce, returning from a career break or taking on caring responsibilities.
A life-stage approach recognises these shifting needs and enables more personalised work design, rather than trying to fit people into generational boxes. By designing work around the ‘multi-stage life’, HR can build meaningful, tailored work experiences that keep people engaged throughout their careers.
Understanding the multi-stage life
The traditional three-stage model of life – education, then work, then retirement – no longer reflects the reality for most people today.
Previous generations generally followed a predictable path: entering the workforce in their late teens or twenties, working for three or four decades, then retiring with a hard stop.
But this linear approach has shifted, as Prof. Lynda Gratton highlights in her book The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity.
Gratton’s research details the emergence of what she calls the ‘multi-stage life’, where education, work and retirement are no longer confined to linear periods.
For example, continuous learning has become a lifelong endeavour for many people, with employees picking up new skills and credentials at all stages of their career.
Similarly, retirement is no longer a fixed endpoint. Last year, the phenomenon known as the ‘Great Unretirement’ entered the spotlight, with research showing a trend of retirees reentering the workforce for financial or social reasons.
Meanwhile, it’s becoming increasingly commonplace for employees to take extended breaks before they hit retirement age for caregiving, travel or personal growth.
Care responsibilities have also evolved significantly. Increasing life expectancies have led to more people being sandwiched in the middle of care responsibilities that include both school-aged children and elderly parents. With one in nine Australians acting as a primary caregiver, employers need to look at carer support not only for parents, but across multiple life stages.
Read HRM’s article on how to support the ‘sandwich generation’.
Against this backdrop, the nature of work itself is also shifting, with a growing contingent workforce reshaping traditional employment.
Currently, more than a third of the global workforce is made up of freelancers, contractors and gig workers, with HSM projections suggesting this could reach 50 per cent by 2030. Portfolio careers, once seen as the domain of older professionals winding down their careers, are becoming more attractive to younger generations.
Some Gen Z workers, for example, are choosing to combine part-time roles with freelance work, exploring multiple career paths rather than being tied to a single role.
With the multi-stage life challenging traditional ways of working, the challenge for HR and employers will be to design work experiences that reflect this new reality and provide employees with the flexibility to engage meaningfully with work throughout their lives.
Designing work for the multi-stage life
To create meaningful work experiences in the context of the multi-stage life, employers need to shift their focus away from rigid job structures and towards individual needs, acknowledging that jobs will evolve as workers move through different life stages.
By working collaboratively with individuals to co-design their work experience, organisations can create sustainable performance and engagement as careers grow longer and more complex.
To help HR leaders design work experiences that meet employees where they’re at, one framework I often use is the ‘3 Cs’: communication, curiosity and connection.
Communication strategies must be inclusive and resonate with employees across all life stages. With the growth of the contingent workforce, HR should also consider how communication can be tailored to help freelancers and contractors feel like a part of the organisation and align with its strategy.
“Assuming two employees of a similar age will have the same expectations of work can lead to overlooking nuanced individual considerations such as family responsibilities, career aspirations and personal values.”
Meanwhile, encouraging a culture of curiosity is critical. Leaders need to ask more questions and make fewer assumptions about what employees need. Rather than issuing prescriptive instructions, asking simple questions like, “What’s the most important thing to you right now?” or “What are your biggest blockers?” can open the door to improved understanding, alignment and trust.
Finally, there’s the need for connection. This has become a major focus for organisations post-pandemic, but some are mistakenly assuming that physical presence guarantees meaningful connection.
In fact, real connection comes from intentional efforts to foster strong working relationships both in-person and virtually. Successful remote-first organisations demonstrate that virtual teams can build strong cultures with purposeful communication and the right collaboration tools.
When curiosity and inclusive communication are in place, connection naturally follows – regardless of where or when employees are working.
HR’s role in building age-inclusive workplaces
As organisations and employees embrace longer and more diverse working lives, HR plays a key role in fostering a respectful, age-inclusive culture.
Respect is not only about bridging generational divides, but also about recognising the unique contributions of individuals at every life stage.
One practical way to build this respect is through storytelling. Shining a spotlight on employees of different ages and experiences helps bust harmful stereotypes, such as the assumption that older workers must be winding down their careers. For instance, discovering that a long-tenured employee is an ultramarathon runner or pursuing a masters in psychology helps reframe perceptions and reinforce social bonds.
Facilitating two-way mentoring is another great way of fostering respect and knowledge sharing. Employees in the early stages of their careers will bring fresh perspectives, while seasoned workers can share deep expertise and industry insight.
This mutual exchange not only develops skills across the organisation, but also helps frame learning and development as a lifelong process.
If employees are to thrive in a multi-stage career, learning and development initiatives must reflect their evolving needs. Many organisations tend to over-invest in early-career development and neglect mid- and late-career learning. As career transition experts often observe, employees with decades of service might leave a role with little professional development or support because nobody thought to ask what they needed along the way.
Active listening, beyond annual engagement surveys, will help HR understand individuals’ unique motivations and design hyper-personalised work experiences.
Deploying this strategy at scale will be one of HR’s biggest challenges. However, hyper-personalisation doesn’t mean creating endless bespoke solutions; instead, it’s about using data-driven insights to design work environments and opportunities that align with diverse needs and aspirations.
Success will come from a combination of respect, curiosity, personalised development and intentional communication. At the centre of this effort lies the crucial recognition that every employee, regardless of age, is an individual with unique goals, challenges and contributions.
Alison Hernandez is JAPAC Lead for HSM Advisory and Co-Founder/Director at ReCreate100.
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