Employers often say they can’t find experienced talent. At the same time, experienced workers are leaving—or being left out—far earlier than they want.
That’s not a labor shortage. It’s a design problem.
The good news is that solving this problem doesn’t require a new program, a task force, or a major investment. In many cases, it comes down to small, intentional changes in how work is structured and managed.
Two recent examples—very different organizations but very similar outcomes—point the way.
Start with the individual: one change can keep one worker
At AIS Inc., a small environmental services firm, a highly experienced employee in his 70s was approaching a familiar crossroads: continue working under a full-time schedule that no longer fit—or step away.
The company chose a third option. They worked with him to create a four-day schedule, adjusting expectations to reflect what he could sustainably contribute. Just as important, they kept him embedded in team-based work, rather than sidelining him into an advisory role.
That single change produced immediate, practical benefits:
- The company retained deep expertise it would have struggled to replace.
- Teams maintained continuity on projects.
- Knowledge transfer continued naturally, through day-to-day collaboration.
No program. No announcement. Just a manager willing to ask: What would it take to keep this person contributing?
Then scale the idea: design for longer careers
At Hyde Group, a mid-sized housing organization, the challenge was broader: how do you support a workforce that is getting older—and wants to keep working? Instead of focusing only on hiring or retirement, Hyde focused on the middle of the career span—the often-overlooked 40s and 50s.
They introduced a set of practical changes:
- Midlife career reviews to help employees plan next steps, not exits.
- Flexible work options aligned with changing needs, including adjusted schedules, hybrid work, phased transitions, and role changes later in career.
- Training and development that explicitly includes older workers.
The result wasn’t a headline-grabbing transformation. It was something more useful:
- Higher retention of experienced employees.
- Greater engagement and internal mobility.
- A workforce that sees a future inside the organization, not just a present or a past.
In other words, Hyde didn’t just keep people longer. They made it easier, and more attractive, to stay.
What these employers understand
These examples aren’t identical. One is a single negotiated change. The other is a broader organizational approach. But they share a common insight:
Experience doesn’t leave because people stop contributing. It leaves because work stops fitting.
And when work doesn’t fit, employers too often default to replacement—often at higher cost and lower effectiveness.
What other employers can do—starting now
You don’t need a comprehensive age-inclusion strategy to begin. You need a few deliberate actions.
1. Make flexibility a retention tool, not just a perk.
Reduced schedules, adjusted roles, or phased transitions can keep high-value employees engaged for years longer.
2. Keep experienced workers in the work.
Don’t move them to the sidelines. Mixed-age teams, where experience and emerging talent work side by side, are where the real value happens.
3. Treat midlife as a moment to invest, not the beginning of the end.
Career conversations shouldn’t start at retirement age. They should start when employees still have decades of contribution ahead.
4. Ask a better question.
Instead of “When will this person retire?” ask “What would it take for them to keep contributing?”
A better way to keep experience
There’s a tendency to think of “older workers” as a category requiring programs and policies. But in many cases, progress doesn’t come from programs. It comes from practical adjustments made by managers and organizations that recognize the value of experience—and are willing to adapt work to keep it.
AIS did it with one employee. Hyde is doing it across an organization. Neither approach is complicated. But both are effective.
And both point to a better way forward: Don’t replace experience. Redesign work so you can keep it.