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This is here to help explain the business case for employing older people and the benefits of diversity, especially age diversity to business and can be used by our clients to sell themselves and our generation plus to help researchers, the media and campaigning bodies understand the benefits older people bring.
Please see below links to articles and presentations we have created ourselves and ones written by others that we have found helpful.
1) Our generation (45/ 50 - 65) have higher incomes, disposable incomes and wealth than any other comparable age group. It has been shown that customers prefer the opportunity to be served by and talk with people from a similar age group. So if you want to reach the richest customer group in the country then make sure you are employing 'wise owls' as a key part of your workforce.
2) Our generation and our pensioner age colleagues have a strong work ethic and commitment to the job, so we work hard, are committed to our work and employer(if treated properly), tend to take less time off and are interested and take care in what we do.
3) We are experienced in our profession / trade and can bring skills, knowledge and experience relevant to today which draws upon our years of knowledge in the sector and an historical awareness. For example it is often said that a stock market bubble often coincides with the departure of the last trader who remembers the last crash. Remember the young Turks who told us that this ongoing rise in house prices and stock market valuations was not a bubble it was 'a new paradigm'. Also when local authorities in the 90s started a massive 'cull' of older managers - with early retirement packages - they discovered that at the end there was no one around who knew what was going on inside out and who understood the background to problems and where to find solutions / contacts that had already worked. The councils then had to rehire some of the same people at consultancy rates.
4) We are better value for money - and sometimes even cheaper - as we are often prepared to take on jobs of a similar nature / responsibility at a lower wage than before once we realize how ageist our employment practices actually are. Often high flying directors / executives / managers on high salaries decide that they want to offer their skills and knowledge to the charitable or voluntary sector and help ' make a difference' and are prepared to offer those same skills and commitment at a much reduced salary. Research shows that employees in many sectors who are aged 50+ earn up to 30% less than their counterparts who are in the 25 - 40 year age brackets
5) We often have greater social skills both in relation to other members of staff and the public / customers and can deal with difficult situations in an easier, more professional way
6) we often have a multi skilled / experienced background which means that we can bring a wider range of knowledge and experience to a job, particularly where a job needs several overlapping areas of knowledge, such as managerial positions
7) diversity in general and also age is of direct benefit to any company as it means that not only can your staff profile fit your diverse client profiles but also bring their different experience, interests, awareness, benefits to an employer. For example the Metropolitan Police carried out a survey of the different interests and knowledge of different staff and discovered that for example the range of languages and other skills which staff had between them was enormous and could be used to help the force without needing to always pay for external expertise.
MYTHS ABOUT OLDER WORKERS
1) We take more time off sick. National statistics say this is untrue
2) We don't know how to use computers. Our age group has a higher rate of ownership of computers than any other and we use the internet more than any other age group.
3) We can't learn new things. This is both untrue in general and there are more and more older people taking degrees and other further education opportunities, including job related training. What was true was that employers and the further and higher education sector were very ageist in allocating training and academic courses / support to older people, not that we did not want to be trained nor that we were any less able to get our qualifications / certificates as older people tend to take their studies and training very seriously and there is a greater percentage of mature students who reach the top grades at graduate and post graduate levels than the average(if you have any examples of this ageism in denying people training or education still taking place please email us at webmaster@wiseowls.co.uk)
4)We are not as physically fit as younger employees. In certain front line cases like bobbies on the beat and firemen this is true but in terms of 'fit for purpose' we are just as good as any other age group - certainly for administrative, managerial, research, reception, customer service jobs. Also there are very physically fit older people and many unfit, obese, younger people - so to prejudge is prejudicial.
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