How to help older employees stay valuable
Older employees represent a valuable resource: they possess experience, know-how, and seasoned judgement. But many become less enthusiastic as their careers draw to a close. Indeed, they often feel threatened in an age of youth, technology, and redundancy. Age-discrimination protection measures, however, have forced most employers to be more aware of the issue. A few pointers will help you to consider your situation...
1. Review your attitude towards the older employee.
It’s so easy to regard our older employees negatively - we stereotype them as less productive, less likely to keep up with new developments and technologies, less flexible, more difficult to supervise and train, more resistant to change, more likely to miss work for health reasons, less enthusiastic… Often we reinforce these attitudes by being indifferent towards them. But if you adopt this stance, you are in fact creating a liability your organisation cannot afford.
Indeed, research by Multi-Health Systems Inc. has found that older people are generally better able to cope with demands and pressures than younger people. Moreover, older people are:
- more independent in their thinking and actions
- more aware of others’ feelings
- more socially responsible
- more adaptable
- better at sizing up the immediate situation and solving problems
- able to manage stress better than younger people.
The researchers concluded:
"Our findings underscore that it is not only wrong to discriminate against older people in the workplace, but it doesn’t make any sense as far as emotional intelligence is concerned."
Seniors are a valuable resource - if you treat them as such.
2. Explore a range of policies and practices.
According to Bob Rosner of Working Wounded, two-thirds of US companies say they are not actively recruiting older workers for regular jobs and almost half aren’t trying to retain older workers. As well, 81 per cent aren’t offering any provisions or benefits designed specifically with older workers in mind.
Rosner concludes: ‘If older workers aren’t being ignored, they’re being discarded. And they’re filing age discrimination suits in record numbers.’*
For this reason alone, ensure your company policy includes statements to the effect that older employees are valued members of your organisation. Adopt flexible working arrangements, such as job rotation, job sharing, part-time work, flexitime, or using older workers as independent consultants. These options to the working day of older employees can save you money by reducing turnover, and replacement and retraining costs - and help to re-enthuse older workers and maximise the use of their abilities.
3. Consider adding to the older worker’s responsibilities.
Revitalise the motivation of older employees by dangling new challenges in front of them. Expand their work role. Provide them with new responsibilities and tasks. Often it will be in the area of leadership that they can shine. In general, older employees can be expected to assume control, delegate, and make the bulk of decisions themselves. In fact, it is not uncommon to find that Generation Xers and Napsters appreciate such a take-charge attitude. Delegate, not abrogate, leadership responsibilities to this group.
