Reimaging workplace structures for longevity and competitive advantage

Educate, work, retire: the traditional working model is no longer working. With five generations in today’s workforce, diversifying the age range of employees and their skills is the most effective path to innovation and resilience. It's not just about compliance — it's about driving sustainable growth and creating opportunities for everyone.

Laura Todd, Senior Vice President — Responsible Business & Impact at Cielo, emphasizes these points in her foreword to the new Age Irrelevance report, "Rewriting the script of our age”. She challenges leaders to create workplaces where employees of all ages can thrive together, learn continuously, and contribute their unique perspectives to create long-term competitive advantage.

From the report foreword:

“I’ve seen firsthand how organizations that embrace age diversity and longevity planning achieve a clear competitive advantage. This is not about extending working lives for the sake of it; it’s about creating multigenerational workplaces that harness the depth of experience, creativity, and innovation that come from truly inclusive workforces.

The evidence is clear, we must move beyond awareness to structural transformation, redesigning systems that support lifelong employability, continuous learning, and intergenerational collaboration. As artificial intelligence and automation reshape the nature of work, the need to align technological and demographic change has never been more urgent.”