5th June 2006 
 
Canberra businesses must adopt flexible workplace practices in order to remain competitive in recruiting and retaining talented staff said Robert Critchley, Director at Worklife International and author of 'Doing Nothing is Not an Option' and 'Rewired, Rehired and Retired'.  
 
Mr Critchley told more than 140 Canberra business people, at the Institute of Chartered Accountants 2006 Business Forum, that they could no longer hold-on to outdated business practices.  
 
"The next five years will be totally unrelated, as compared to the past 30 years, there are going to be changes to customer buying patterns, succession and a changing workforce," Mr Critchley said.  
 
"A changing workforce means that different age groups think differently. It is the proactive employers that will be successful in understanding those differences, without typecasting anyone, and effectively run a more productive work environment," he said.  
 
"Employers need to take the time to understand the demographics of their workforce. They need to identify the needs of those who are retiring in the short term, the women who want to return to the workforce after having children and the needs of a multigenerational workforce."  
 
"For example Generation Y has a strong need for a healthy work/life balance, a desire to experience greater career progression while maintaining travel and educational aspirations and the traditional distinction between leisure and work is becoming increasingly blurred," he said.  
 
Mr Critchley said the needs of younger workers (Generation X &Y), who are in short supply, should be heard and considered but he also warned that attracting and retaining older workers was essential to an organisation's survival.  
 
Retention strategies outlined during the presentation included offering:  
 

• Part time work;<l/i>  
  
• Job share;
 

• Telecommuting;
 

• Flexible workdays;
 

• Option to buy additional holidays (above four weeks annual leave);
 

• Seasonal employment;
 

• Coaching/mentoring;
 

• Continued career progression and
 

• Providing the opportunity to work as a consultant/contractor