Insights

act3 Insights are a collection of articles written by our principals to raise awareness of act3 planning, share information and encourage debate on the issue.

Articles range from the personal dimension of act3 planning, to how senior talent retention and engagement is a key part of corporate strategy.

Below are some of our most recent articles and insights.

What are mature workers really thinking?
Companies can differentiate themselves by challenging assumptions about the interests and motivations of their mature critical talent.  Engaging them in a genuine and holistic exploration of their work and lifestyle needs and interests generates real insight – enabling organisations to pursue strategies to achieve greater alignment of employee and organisational interests and goals.
Download article

Redesigning roles to lock in “3rd act ” talent
The key to keeping top people is flexibility and customisation of their role. This may not simply be work-life balance, but other options, such as finding what your valuable Boomer executive really enjoys doing, and developing a new role around that.  A win-win situation will emerge for companies that invest in tackling this issue.
Download article

The Baby Boomer Time Bomb
Corporate Australia faces a looming crisis if it doesn’t start working harder at retraining, valuing and engaging its senior workers.
Download Australian Institute of Company Directors article

Retaining and engaging senior talent
One of the most critical issues facing business in the next few years is the potential exodus of senior talent. It is “the elephant in the room” for most organisations. Yet too few organisations have assessed their own vulnerability to this issue – let alone tackled it in any meaningful way with their senior executives.

Helping senior executives plan their “act3″ presents an opportunity for organisations to engage and retain talent they can’t afford to lose – and create competitive advantage in the process.

act3 planning also offers tremendous benefits to senior executives who, increasingly, are rejecting the traditional notion of retirement in favour of a “portfolio lifestyle” of rewarding professional and personal activities in their third act. 
Download article

The Sydney Morning Herald, March 10 2010 – What’s Old is New Again
As the economy continues to bounce back from the global downturn, many employers are taking a fresh look at their older staff.
Download article

Brave New Old World
Employers must think hard and act fast if they want to harness and manage the potential of an ageing workforce.
Download article

Company Director, June 2009 – Plotting Your Moves
This article, incorporating input from act3, discusses how smaller companies can build up their arsenal, draw up their war plans and harness their troops to take on the downturn.  Tony Featherstone reports.
Download article

Your Life Choices, March 2009 – You’ve got it, so flaunt it: strategies for working longer
How mature-age men and women who want – or need – to extend their working lives can succeed in a soft market.
Download article

The Age, 20 February 2009 – Portfolio career replaces jobs for life as baby boomers pay
The financial meltdown will reshape the nature of work forever. When the recovery finally comes, careers and employment practices will look different, with more people taking time out during the upheaval. That will lead to a reappraisal of the way we see work and leisure.  Leon Gettler reports.
Download article

Smartcompany, 10 October 2008 – Employers must cash in on expatriate boom
The ageing of managers and executives in critical roles – such as engineers and project managers – means that many companies are facing a leadership crisis if they can’t find innovative ways to extend their involvement in the business and repatriate successors as part of their succession planning. Patrick Stafford reports
Download article

The Age, 2 October 2008 – Boom to Bust for workforce outlook
Finding ways to work with an army of older people is one of the most challenging managerial issues.  act3 is working with companies to develop options for older workers.  Leon Gettler reports.
Download article

The Capital Director, August 2008 – The New Employment Challenge for Directors
Companies need to get better at recruiting and retaining experienced staff – both sides benefit.
Download article

The Company Director, June 2008 – The Baby Boomer Time Bomb
Corporate Australia faces a looming crisis if it doesn’t start working harder at retraining, valuing and engaging its senior workers. Zilla Efrat reports.
Download article

BRW , 12 June 2008 – The Business End: One Minute with Peter Jordan, CEO act3
Peter talks about act3, act3 planning and why employers need to take the initiative.
Download article

The Age , 18 May 2008 – Boomers can keep sea change at bay
Australia is losing its most-experienced workers as the population ages, and analysts say it’s time companies stopped handing out gold watches and held on to their mature employees, Liz Porter writes.
Download article

Financial Review, 8 May 2008 – Boomer exodus needs advance action

Forty percent of the workforce will reach retirement age within five years but most companies have no plan to deal with a staff shortage – act3 helps launch the national conference for the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Download article

The Australian, 7 December 2007 – Credit to Chaney

Michael Chaney launched NAB’s new policy committing to its older workers. The catch line is “a future as bright as your past” and is based on a plan developed by consultancy act3…
Download article

The Age, 13 June 2007 – We need to be bold to deal with the old

“Managing a multi-generational workforce has been identified as a key challenge for the 21st century manager.” act3 introduced as a pioneer in providing solutions to tackle this challenge.
Download article