From a recruitment perspective, many employees feel they face "ageism".
Many employers have examples of a valuable 65-year-old employee as an integral member of their team. But few employers take a proactive approach to recruitment and retention of older workers as an essential component of their labour force.
In New Zealand,
the working age population is expected to reduce by about 80,000 people between 2021 and 2031. One solution to this deficit is to encourage workers to stay in the workforce longer.
This is an issue of government policy and, in recent years, there has been an intensive drive to discourage early retirement. Proactive organisations are already facing this challenge, though most businesses have not addressed the issue.
As the baby-boomers retire, employers who have so far overlooked the potential of older workers will need to become knowledgeable and understand this sector of the labour market.
Essentially, variations between older workers mean they are unlikely to respond to the mainstream incentives employers use to attract and retain employees.
Organisations with a proactive plan are now appreciating that these employees hold the skills businesses need to succeed in today's economy. These invaluable skills and abilities include experience, work ethic, loyalty, pride, and confidence.
Experience cannot be taught in a classroom. The more mature employee understands how business works and what is required to make it a success. He or she has experienced and lived it.
Experience goes hand-in-hand with work ethic. Older workers are often more dependable and able to stay on task compared to their younger colleagues. They are less distracted by social networks and cellphones and are often the most self-motivated group in the workplace. Older employees grew up in a time when people worked for one or two employers throughout their career.
This created enduring loyalty.
Generally senior employees take personal pride in doing a job well and are more likely to stay past the end of the business day to ensure the task is completed and the end result reflects quality of work.
With all their experience and training, older workers have a sense of confidence in their abilities that allows them to make decisions and share ideas - a valuable asset to help companies become more efficient.
Key principles for effective recruitment and retention of older employees include: considering the needs of older employees and ensuring policies and procedures work for all employees, regardless of age.
But there is no "one size fits all" approach. Treat employees as individuals and develop a workplace culture that values age and experience.
While human resources specialists may encounter unique challenges when employing older workers, such as communication between generations, work style, team fit between co-workers and training managers to work with employees of another generation, the benefits of hiring and retaining older workers greatly outweigh the challenges.
- Kellie Hamlett-Coombs is the director of Talent ID recruitment agency.
