How Older Workers Nearing Retirement Can Mentor Their Replacements: Pending Retirement Workers Mentoring Replacement Workers

As older workers near their retirement, replacement workers have to be trained. For an older worker, this period of training a replacement worker may be difficult, particularly when there is forced retirement because of his or her age. He or she may not want to leave and may be trying to stay on.

At times, the younger worker can become stressed because of the embarrassment of replacing an older worker. With mixed emotions abounding, tensions between them can run high.

In an article entitled “To Mentor or Meander?” a mentor is depicted as "an experienced person in an organization or institution who trains and advises new employees or students."

The attitude of an older worker is important in terms of mentoring a replacement worker, prior to the time when he or she may "meander off...towards the sunset of retirement".

Older workers are not always happy about mentoring replacement workers and some may refuse to do so. 

“Why should I train a replacement and then find myself without a job?”

Mentoring replacement workers should be something that an older worker takes pride in doing, as part of his or her job description.

Training and monitoring a replacement worker forces an older worker to re-evaluate his or her own job description seriously, in the light of a new perspective from a replacement worker. This may not be an enjoyable experience for an older worker, as change is difficult in terms of coping.

When an older worker takes a positive, constructive attitude towards change, as well as towards his or her retirement, it makes it easier for everyone including employers, who find that forcing employees into retirement is not easy for them either. Forced retirement may not be the best option for many older workers, as potential retirees may still be competent and want to continue to work, although not allowed to do so.        

New replacement workers should be welcomed heartily. They may be welcome if the older worker is happy about his or her pending retirement.

The responsibility of the older worker becomes that of training his or her replacement properly, so that he or she can function properly, immediately. At times that is not easy, as there may be unique and different aspects of a job that take time to learn. At best, a new replacement may be able to carry out some of the relegated assignments but will need assistance with others, at least for a while.

Many older workers have worked in the same area for many years and have a high level of expertise in their fields. Young replacement workers may or may not have an appreciation for the level of expertise of an older worker and may regard them as obsolete dinosaurs. Fortunately, this is not always the case, as many replacement workers know they need the expertise of a pending retiree.

Respect for younger replacement workers is important, though a retiree may feel that respect is not in order because of the attitude of the new worker.  The older worker needs to maintain a sense of dignity and composure, regardless of the new replacement worker’s attitude.

Manifesting care, concern and compassion towards a new employee or replacement worker, demonstrates to him or her, the importance of professionalism, during a difficult time of transition.

Many replacement workers feel insecure in their new job roles and sincerity demonstrated towards them by older workers who are mentoring them is important.