Age Is Just a Number. The Mature Age Workforce Has So Much To Offer!

How you ever had that little voice in your head saying, "Am I too old to be hired?"

As a 62 year old Career Coach who LOVES her work and has no intention of ever retiring, I want to encourage you to stop questioning yourself and get on with creating the career you'll love. What the little voice in my head says is, "Why would I retire from something I love so much?" And health permitting I plan to continue coaching until well into my 70's and 80's as I know there is so much work to be done.

However, I know that there are HUGE challenges for many.

AHRI partnered with the Australian Human Rights Commission on a 2021 report providing insight into the employment climate for older workers, and the perceptions around Australia’s ageing workforce.

In 2014, 12.5% of respondents considered an older worker to be between 51-55. In 2021 it’s up to 17%! [51-55 is so young in my opinion!]

In 2014 31.9% of respondents planned to retire between 66-70. In 2021 the percentage has jumped to 39.6%.

The number expecting to retire between 71-75 years of age has grown to 17.4% - up from 10.6% in 2014.

This means that the number of older workers in our organisations is increasing, with one third of respondents saying at least half of their workforce is made up of workers above 55 years old.

So how are organisations taking advantage of all that older workers have to offer?

Sarah McCann-Bartlett, CEO, and Managing Director of the Australian HR Institute says, “The answer is that not all organisations are. Only one in three respondents said their organisation ‘somewhat sought’ to retain older workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and nearly 16% didn’t think their employers were prepared to deal with the challenges of an ageing workforce.

Despite our increasingly-aging workforce, over two thirds of respondents’ organisations seldom or never offer unconscious bias training to their line managers.

Of those who do offer such training, half say it does not address the age-related biases that are pervasive in many of our workplaces.

This could have significant ramifications on the representation and participation of older workers in our workforce; it puts up a barrier to their progression, development and retention rates – and that’s if they can even get a foot in the door.

It also means that organisations aren’t taking advantage of all that older workers have to offer.

It’s time we examined and potentially reassessed our bias training, mentorship programs and succession planning strategies to ensure we’re not excluding a talented portion of the workforce – one that has a plethora of wisdom, experience, professional networks and institutional knowledge, all of which bolster an organisation’s bottom line.

It’s simple: if you’re not nurturing older talent, you are missing out.”

I call on all HR professionals to reassess their recruitment practices to ensure they’re not discriminatory against older workers.

It’s also critical that we facilitate programs that encourage knowledge transfer and craft policies that minimise age bias. It’s my hope that this will make a start in addressing some of the worrying trends identified in this report.

For many older workers, they’ve hit a point in their career where they’re adding more value than ever before and doing some of their best work – let’s support them on that journey."

 Back in 2016 I wrote the following article about one of my 'mature-age' clients. The lessons learned still apply today. If you are a mature-age worker and have reinvented your career, I'd love to hear your story in the comments below. Here's the article I wrote 5 years ago - let's keep the discussion moving forward and work on improving the lot of older workers (and remember, 50 is NOT old!).

"Ageing is inevitable, but Growing Old is your choice."

Is Age Really Just a Number?

I truly believe that age is just a number. Don’t believe me? Here’s a true story.

I greeted a new client in my reception area one afternoon. There he was, dressed in a Fedora hat, white tee shirt and a pair of tight, black jeans. I extended my hand to greet him; he stood up and towered over me while telling me his name was Graeme.

‘Tall,’ I thought. ‘Firm handshake,’ I noticed when we shook hands.

I guided him to my office for our consultation. He followed closely, with long, confident strides, making interesting small talk.

‘Energetic,’ I thought.

I didn’t think about his age until we sat opposite each other in my consulting room and he removed his trendy hat. I noticed his well tanned; weather beaten face etched with interesting lines that suggested an outdoors life well lived. I guessed his age to be about 58.

I needed some details from Graeme for my New Client Form and he said, “I should let you know I’m 72.” I nearly fell out of my chair! How could this fit, vibrant and confident man be 72? He didn’t fit my preconceived ideas about 70 year olds.

Herein lies the problem. Too many of us have preconceived ideas about age. The Australian Human Rights Commission recently released their Willing To Work Inquiry into Age Discrimination in the Workplace.

According to Australia’s Age and Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Susan Ryan, “The right to work is a fundamental human right, but one that far too many older people and people with disability in Australia do not enjoy.”

This inquiry found that at the beginning of 2016 there were 80,000 unemployed Australians over the age of 55. That’s 12% more than 2015. This number is believed to be partially due to age discrimination in the workplace.

The Australian Government is taking steps to encourage older workers AND employers to embrace age and maturity as a positive and provide the opportunity for those who are in their 60’s and even 70’s should they choose to work, to have an equal chance of securing a role for which they are well qualified. However it’ll be a long process.

So, what are we to do if we are part of the ageing workforce?

With over 20 years as a career coach and having coached numerous clients through what for some, regardless of age, has been a very challenging process to secure another job, I believe that rather than waiting for an employer to ‘pick you’, you should ‘pick yourself’!

Yes, pick yourself to contribute to the community – set up a new business, buy an existing business, buy a franchise or leverage your years of experience, knowledge, technical expertise and well cultivated network to create your own venture! Here’s how you can do it

It won’t be easy and it won’t be for everyone but it is an option. It’s not the easy way; it’s an exciting, challenging way and a darn sight better than sitting at home blaming ageism in the workplace for your sorrows.

You’re probably wondering what happened to Graeme. After I recovered my composure when he told me he was 72, I mistakenly mentioned the words ‘retirement options‘. He put his hand on the table, looked me straight in the eyes and said, ‘Jane, my dear, do I look like the retiring kind?’

With his energy and attitude he most certainly didn’t. Our coaching sessions subsequently focused on leveraging his extensive expertise in engineering and major projects into a successful consultancy and he hasn’t looked back!

If you are a mature-age worker and have reinvented your career, I'd love to hear your story in the comments below.

If you need help to reinvent your career, visit www.janejacksoncoach.com

*** Australian Human Rights Commission report: https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/age-discrimination/publications/employing-and-retaining-older-workers-2021

* * * * * *

Jane Jackson is a Career Coach, Author of Navigating Career Crossroads, LinkedIn Top Voice, Career Development of Australia [CDAA] Division Award Winner for Excellence in Practice 2020 and Host of YOUR CAREER Podcast.

Jane is also the Founder of The Careers Academy and is on a mission to make careers guidance and support accessible to all who need it. Visit www.janejacksoncoach.com for free career resources and to book a complimentary career clarity and find out how you can take control of YOUR CAREER.

#careermanagement #careertransition #matureageworkers #ageism #careerchange #careercoaching #janecareercoach #careerhelp #coaching #careers