Turning retirees into experts

Retirement marks the beginning of a completely new phase in life. While some welcome this with open arms and are happy to have more time available for themselves and their life's dreams, others could continue working for years to come. But who actually says that you have to choose one of the two options?

Working after retirement: how does it work?

Implenia's Senior Expert Pool demonstrates that working can be easily reconciled with retirement: an uncomplicated solution that enables retired specialists to continue working for the company for a limited period after they leave - and to continue using their knowledge and experience flexibly and individually.

The key difference between this and conventional post-retirement assignments is that acceptance into the Senior Expert Pool is non-binding and indicates only a basic willingness to continue working for Implenia if required. When, how, where and for how long is agreed with the internal contacts for specific assignments. In this way, Senior Experts at Implenia remain independent and can schedule work assignments completely freely.

An initiative from within the company

The idea for the Senior Expert Pool came from within the company. In collaboration with Implenia Germany's HR department and the Innovation Hub, which is dedicated to implementing employee ideas, Michael Buchenroth's idea gradually evolved into a practical database of experts.

As with almost every innovation, there was a problem to solve at the beginning. "The construction sector has a recruitment problem," says Michael, who has been with Implenia for more than 25 years. Young professionals, university graduates, large equipment operators and skilled workers who move up and lend a hand on major construction projects are in short supply, he says.

As with almost every innovation, there was a problem to solve at the beginning. "The construction sector has a recruitment problem," says Michael, who has been with Implenia for more than 25 years. Young professionals, university graduates, large equipment operators and skilled workers who move up and lend a hand on major construction projects are in short supply, he says.

Short training period, individual working conditions

The central advantage of retired specialists: In addition to their many years of specialist experience, the familiarization period - compared to external consultants and specialists, for example - is very short or even eliminated altogether. Senior experts know the handles and processes in the company and have a connection to other specialists within the company. "In the ideal case, you hand the Senior Expert a telephone list and he can get started right away," Michael describes it aptly.

The Senior Expert Pool gives specialists and managers the opportunity to continue working for Implenia on a temporary basis after retirement and to support the company with their experience and knowledge - an initiative that benefits both employees of retirement age and Implenia.