Retention of Knowledge From “Baby Boomers” Prior to Leaving the Workforce

Abstract

This chapter will explore the strategies used by human resource managers to retain the tacit knowledge of “Baby Boomers” before they leave the workforce. With five generations working together in the workplace, organizational leaders need to support employee knowledge retention and knowledge sharing. Knowledge transfer from Baby Boomers to younger generations continues to be a challenge for organizational leaders, especially with the increase in Baby Boomers leaving the workforce. Knowledge retention is critical to an organization's success due to knowledge being a valuable asset. The chapter will share findings from a qualitative inquiry that explored effective knowledge retention strategies used by some U.S. human resource managers to retain tacit knowledge from “Baby Boomers” before they left the workforce.