The September 3, 2025 CAFE Employer Virtual Workshop brought together over 80 participants from nearly 50 employers around the world to explore how organizations can embrace phased retirement, knowledge transfer, and mentoring programs to support an aging workforce while building stronger, more resilient businesses.
Setting the Stage
Tim Driver, Age-Friendly Institute President, opened with program updates:
- The network now spans 200+ employers in 20 countries across 5 continents, covering more than 1 million employees.
- Four states—Massachusetts, Maine, California, and New Mexico—are now certified as age-friendly employers.
- A six-figure grant from New Jersey will further expand employer participation.
Driver highlighted the growing recognition that age-inclusive employment drives both economic and personal well-being, helping older workers stay engaged and supporting local economies.
Keynote Insights: Rethinking Retirement
Guest speaker Lindsey Simpson, founder of 55 Redefined, delivered a powerful session on global workforce aging trends and the business imperative of phased retirement.
Some striking takeaways:
- 40% growth in the over-60s population in the next 20 years.
- A 25% decline in the working-age population due to lower birth rates.
- Today’s 70-year-olds have the same cognitive function as 53-year-olds did in 2000.
- 92% of workers over 50 would stay longer if given opportunities to reskill or shift career paths.
Simpson emphasized that organizations without an age strategy lack a growth strategy. Over-50 employees bring loyalty, reliability, and customer alignment—critical assets in industries from retail to finance. She introduced Me Redefined, an interactive program that helps midlife employees plan fulfilling later careers while giving employers anonymized insights to shape policy.
Panel Perspectives
A dynamic panel showcased how employers are putting phased retirement into practice:
- Schneider Electric tied its later-career programs directly to its sustainability strategy, ensuring senior talent has access to meaningful career development and flexible work arrangements.
- Olmsted County, Minnesota highlighted how phased retirement aligns with public employee retirement structures, allowing employees to transition smoothly while supporting workforce continuity.
- The Boston Red Sox shared how older employees thrive in both game-day and office roles, with strong emphasis on inclusion, mentorship, and multigenerational collaboration.
Why It Matters
The workshop underscored that phased retirement isn’t just about helping employees ease into retirement—it’s about:
- Retaining critical skills and institutional knowledge.
- Reducing business risks tied to workforce demographics.
- Increasing engagement and productivity in later careers.
- Aligning workforce demographics with customer bases, particularly in markets where older adults hold the majority of disposable income.
Looking Ahead
The discussion closed with a call to action: organizations must recognize age as a unifying element of diversity and embrace phased retirement as a mission-critical business strategy. With structured programs, clear communication, and leadership buy-in, employers can turn the challenge of an aging workforce into a competitive advantage.
Resources shared by Keynote speaker and Panelists:
- Keynote Presentation
Guest speaker Lindsey Simpson, founder of 55 Redefined, delivered a powerful session on global workforce aging trends and the business imperative of phased retirement. - Schneider Electric Senior Talent Program White Paper
This comprehensive white paper details Schneider Electric’s innovative approach to retaining and leveraging senior talent through structured programs. - Minnesota PERA Phased Retirement Options
Learn about the practical implementation of phased retirement benefits and how public sector organizations are successfully managing these transitions. - NBC Boston Feature: Age-Friendly Employers
This inspiring interview showcases the Boston Red Sox as an example of age-friendly employment practices, demonstrating how organizations across industries can embrace experienced workers.