Supporting Workforce Wisdom in a Global Economy

Abstract

An aging workforce brings unique challenges and opportunities, requiring an understanding of how different age groups approach the workplace and employ thoughtful strategies to bridge generation gaps. It is crucial to identify wisdom held by experienced workers and develop strategies for passing knowledge on to less experienced employees. Training mature workers for the 21st century workplace is important; however, helping all employees to unlearn outdated processes or beliefs is equally vital to ensure growth and innovation. Organizations need to foster a climate of acceptance and appreciation for all workers and their contributions regardless of age. Workplace policies and procedures should be reviewed and updated to ensure no bias against mature workers is present. Community and public resources can be accessed to train and support mature workers as well. Recognizing the element of wisdom in the workforce and learning how to leverage that wisdom is key to success in the knowledge economy.

The determinants of mental well-being of healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Regarding aging and work, while initial research emphasized the challenges faced by older workers such as discrimination and limited development opportunities (Burn et al, 2020;Gonzales et al, 2021), recent evidence suggests that older workers contribute significantly to workplaces, demonstrating resilience and adaptability (Allen et al, 2020;Ang et al, 2018). Studies show that older workers do not exhibit higher sick leave rates, emotional exhaustion, or associated illnesses compared to their younger counterparts (Santavirta et al, 2005).…”

Investigating wisdom: Call for research

“…“Wisdom is a uniquely human quality demonstrated through an ability to apply self‐insight, experience, and sound judgment in conjunction with applicable data, information, and knowledge to create a course of action leading to beneficial and productive decisions for both individuals and society.” (Allen, Bracey, Gavrilova Aguilar, & Zimmerman, ). A definition of wisdom does not provide us a roadmap for creating wisdom, yet, it provides a definitional destination as we work with information professionals in a growing knowledge economy.…”