In the Dutch transport and logistics sector, 31% of employees are 55 years or older, compared to a national average of 23%.[1] The outflow of experienced workers has been higher than the inflow for eight consecutive quarters. Those who leave will take not only hours but also years of experience: the routines, the contextual knowledge, the problem-solving ability that is not documented anywhere.
What is not in the manual
Researchers call it tacit knowledge: the implicit knowledge that people build up by doing the same job for years. It is the warehouse employee who hears from the sound of a machine that maintenance is needed, the planner who knows which supplier you better not call on Friday, and the team leader who senses when the workload shifts.
According to research by Panopto, 42% of institutional knowledge is unique to individual employees.[2] If that colleague leaves, almost half of the knowledge for that position becomes inaccessible. That knowledge is not in any system. And yet the operation relies on it.
The generation gap as an accelerator
At the same time, a generation is coming in with fundamentally different expectations. Gen Z seeks development, flexibility, and meaningful work. They change jobs faster if those growth opportunities are lacking. This is not a problem in itself, but it makes knowledge transfer more urgent. If the experienced worker leaves before the younger colleague is sufficiently trained, a gap arises that no vacancy can fill.
The risk is a parallel reality: seniors who cannot share their knowledge, juniors who do not ask their questions. Not out of unwillingness, but because there is no structure for it.
Knowledge transfer as a strategy
Organizations that want to prevent this must treat knowledge transfer as a strategic process, not as a byproduct of onboarding. This starts with identifying crucial knowledge carriers and creating structures in which their expertise is secured: mentoring programs, shadowing days, joint project teams where young and experienced work together.
But it mainly starts with one question that is asked too little: what knowledge do we lose if this colleague stops tomorrow?
