Under the aegis of the AvantAge programme, part of Pro Senectute and headed by Costantino Serafini, a white paper on older workers in the workplace has been published by Éditions Favre. This joint publication aligns perfectly with the Activis brand’s mission to end the prejudice faced by the over-55s in the workplace.
In Edouard Comment’s chapter in Seniors in the workplace: more essential than ever! he shines a spotlight on this issue, providing ample advice for those who, like him, are thinking about continuing to work beyond the legal retirement age. So what is his first recommendation? “Start preparing for your retirement as early as possible, around the age of 50. Ask yourself what meaning you want your life to have after 65”, he says. Professional networks and friendships are also important, he adds. Friends and colleagues will no doubt see, in this light-hearted self-portrait, the person that they have worked with over the years, in a host of positions and companies. Describing himself as “enthusiastic, positive” and a “people person”, Comment never tried to “find another job”. Instead, he chose to “not stop working” when he got to retirement age.
Edouard Comment is a senior HR consultant at Interiman Group. His contribution to the Éditions Favre white paper – at the behest of the AvantAge programme, which is part of Pro Senectute and headed by Costantino Serafini – recalls founder of the Interiman Group Raymond Knigge’s conviction that “age doesn’t have to be the end of the line for people who want to continue working”. Long before the 2023 founding of older employee brand Activis, Raymond Knigge was convinced of the importance of senior citizens in the Swiss economy and the need to give them the place they deserve. His philosophy? “Age shouldn’t be a barrier for those who want to remain professionally active”, as he puts it.
The most high-profile senior worker
This view is shared by a growing number of decision-makers, even if it is true that attitudes still need to change. The book, published at the end of 2025 and widely distributed, opens with a foreword by Switzerland’s most famous senior worker. When he was 56, Guy Parmelin was appointed President of the Confederation, one of the most demanding, high-profile jobs around. He believes that age and experience are his best allies, while also insisting on the need to change how the over-55s are perceived in the world of work. In one of his many contributions, Costantino Serafini puts into perspective the criticism levelled at older workers. Sometimes considered to be “frozen” in a bygone age, Serafini reminds us that seniors come from a world where loyalty to an employer and/or a profession was the rule. What about their assets? Skills and expertise, as well as the ability of many of them to reinvent themselves, particularly through continued training, which has become essential at every stage of life. In essence, Serafini urges businesses to attract this skilled workforce soon, because the ageing population and the impending mass retirement of the baby boomers point to a growing shortage of talent by 2040.
Activis and its experience in the field
The white paper also discusses the results of a 2024 survey carried out by MIS Trend in 433 companies in French-speaking Switzerland, confirming the difficulty older people have in finding jobs. No fewer than two out of ten companies employ no-one over the age of 55, while only three out of ten employ at least one person over 60. Even more worryingly, 22% of companies surveyed would rule out the idea of hiring someone aged between 60 and 65, a proportion that rises to 52% for the over-65s.
What about experience in the field? In Activis’ view, the topic of seniors in the workplace offers a glimpse of what HR professionals observe on a daily basis. One of the most obvious facts is that it is rare to professionally reinvent yourself when you reach retirement age. Companies tend to favour extending existing contracts rather than recruiting new senior talent, especially if they have no real expertise. While digital recruitment can sometimes prove problematic, there are practical ways to support those who wish to continue working past the legal retirement age.
Activis’ experience in the field shows that it pays to anticipate this transition. In the majority of cases, seniors who manage to remain active are those whose career path has been thought through well in advance of the official retirement date. End-of-career planning, the gradual adaptation of job specifications or even a reduction in working hours, are all ways that companies and their most experienced employees can maintain lasting links. Conversely, once an employee steps away from work completely, returning to the job market is often complex, with recruitment having changed so much over the decades.