Despite the fact that the UK's working population is getting older, the report declares that 69% of employers have no HR strategy in place to manage their ageing workforce. 
Businesses need to start preparing for a more age-diverse population now or they risk skills shortages and being at a competitive disadvantage in the future, the report Managing an age-diverse workforcesaid.
The report is based on recent research conducted by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES). The latest CIPD research reveals that issue at hand is that people are delaying retirement into their 70s and 80s, thereby entailing workforces which span four generations, otherwise known as "4G" workforces. This is a growing trend, At present,  1 per cent of employers have employees aged 64 and above, but more than half of the employees questioned by the CIPD said they "plan to retire at 66 or later".
Despite the increasing trend, the report unveils that many employers were unprepared for this shift. 31% of HR divisions chose to react to challenges associated with ageing populations as and when they arose, as opposed to having a solid HR strategy in place. Moreover, only 78% of employers have the relevant resources in place in order to provide sufficient levels of training to all age groups. 
To add to this issue, the survey results reveal that one in five believing that their line-managers were ineffective at handling teams comprised of different generations. Despite this challenge, both employers and employees recognise the benefits that workers from different generations bring.
"Indeed, fears of intergenerational tensions in the workplace couldn’t be further from the truth. Companies report important business benefits such as knowledge sharing and enhanced customer service, while employees clearly enjoy the new perspectives and fresh ideas inspired by working with people of diverse ages" according to CIPD research analyst Claire McCartney.  She goes on to discuss that businesses must adopt a proactive attitude in order to best capitalise on available opportunities and benefits of age diversity in the workforce. For instance,she states that "practical and immediate steps [employers] should take include strategies to bring in and develop talent of all ages and providing line managers with more support.”
In lieu of these results, The CIPD plans to launch practical guide on how employers can manage an increasingly age-diverse workforce in Summer 2014. 
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