How an Intergenerational Laboratory Can Help Manage Longer Working Life

Abstract

In a context of longevity, it is very likely that work cycles will increase in terms of the number of years worked and the number of experienced changes. Labor transitions have come to gain space in longer life cycles within much more unstable work environments. However, currently, it does not seem easy to change jobs, let alone switch sectors, especially at an older age. Also for companies it is becoming increasingly difficult to reach the talent that they consider essential, and even if they find it, many of them experience difficulties in retaining it or ensuring effective understanding among all generations in their teams. Do companies have channels to find the talent they need? Do we have spaces to manage the transition between one work experience and the other? This chapter shares the results of an intergenerational laboratory of innovation (iLABi), as a possible model for managing job transition and talent rotation. The possibility of having hybrid spaces, blending personal and professional life, that challenge people to solve real problems collectively, could not only benefit people as workers but also benefit companies, in its talent chain and in their ongoing pursuit of efficiency and sustainability.