6 million (19 percent) are 65 or over. The number of seniors in the Canadian
population is expected to double over the next 10 years. Seniors accounted for
14.8 percent of the population in 2011, up from 13.7 percent five years earlier. In
2011, the Atlantic Provinces, Quebec, and British Columbia accounted for the highest
proportions of seniors, whereas Alberta had the lowest proportion. Ask students to
compare how their parents approach a task to how they approach a task.
Link It to HRM: Some companies such as Home Depot and McDonald’s are
recruiting over 50 employees because, although their healthcare costs might be
higher, their retention, absenteeism, and transition costs are lower. Older workers now
are choosing to work longer. Good health and longer life expectancies play the
biggest role in extended work lives. But some retirees have returned to the workforce
because of economic needs.
Use Case Study 2: Intergenerational Issues to generate discussion among students on
how HR and line management may need to tailor their approach to suit the needs of
an intergenerationally diverse workforce. See recommended responses to the
discussion questions in Notes for End-of-Chapter Case Studies.
Gender Distribution of the Workforce
Share the Facts: The percentage of women in the labour force is nearly 50 percent,
although more than 60 percent of university graduates are women.
Link It to HRM: Employers are taking measures to ensure that women are treated
equally in the workplace in terms of advancement opportunities and compensation.
They also need to accommodate working parents through parental leave, part-time
employment, flexible work schedules, job sharing, telecommuting, and child and elder
care assistance.
Collaborative Team Project: Use Discussion Question 6 as a basis for a
collaborative team project: What are the pros and cons of having a more diverse
workforce? Is Canada in a better position to compete globally because of its diverse
population? Find examples from a school or work project where having a diverse
team made a difference. See the recommended solutions in Answers to End-of-
Chapter Discussion Questions.
Think-Pair-Share: The textbook emphasizes that harnessing a company’s talent
Copyright © 2020 by Nelson Education Ltd.| 1-9
means being aware of characteristics common to employees while also managing
these employees as individuals. Ask students to take either gender or generation
Y as an example. Ask them what might be common to the group (either females
versus males, or generation Y versus others), and what factors may be more
individual in managing either female or generation Y employees. For instance,
women may have childbearing in common (most women have the ability to bear
children), but they differ with regards to factors that motivate them at work.
ISSUE 6: Adapting to Educational and Cultural Shifts Affecting the Workforce
Education of the Workforce
Think-Pair-Share: Use Discussion Question 7 as a basis for a think-pair-share: Why
do HR managers need to stay abreast of the educational levels and work expectations
of people in the workforce? See the recommended solutions in Answers to End-of-
Chapter Discussion Questions. Ask students to describe how long current graduates
seek a job and how long they expect to be unemployed after graduation.
Cultural Changes
Employee Rights
Concern for Privacy
The Changing Nature of the Job
See Ethics in HRM: Skywalkers and Groundworkers.
Debate: Ask students to get into pairs to debate the merits of part-time work. Once
you’ve given them about 5 minutes, ask students to read The Business Case:
Advantages and Disadvantages of Part-Time Workers to determine whether they
missed any important points and learned something new. Ask students whether the
information changed their mind regarding the merits of part-time work.
Changing Attitudes toward Work
Clickers: Using either clickers or just a simple piece of scrap paper, ask students to
rank order the list of job characteristics that are most important to them personally.
Then show the actual rank order from Figure 1.3: Work Is More Than Just a
Paycheque to demonstrate the reported findings. A discussion that refers back to
generational differences or gender may occur, as many students often suggest that
they are motivated by different things depending on the stage of their career or
gender.
Balancing Work and Family
Making Explicit Real World Links: Use Highlights in HRM 1.3: Work–Life
Harmony to see how Nora Spinks, an expert in work–life harmony, consults her