Why we need to talk about the “age thing”

Capita's Emerging Talent Lead, Alison Jenkinson, shares her thoughts on why recruiting older people makes business sense:

Watching the news recently I heard the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, talk about the challenges that businesses face with almost 300,000 fewer people in employment than before the pandemic. He warned firms would find it difficult to grow if they could not find enough staff and called on those who had taken early retirement or left the workforce at that time to come back.

All this got me thinking about what it means to be in the older category in the workplace and whether business is missing a trick in not taking more interest in an exceptionally well-trained and experienced section of society.

So, what’s my qualification to take part in answering these questions you might ask??Well as someone who entered the job market in 1980 at the tender age of 16, I’m probably qualified to have an opinion.

Self-limitation

Whilst there may be some discrimination amongst older workers, I’ve never experienced that in my 21 years working at Capita. Indeed, the main thing that held me back (and I would argue holds many back) is the concept of self-limitation, the idea that we’ve somehow hit the top and have nowhere else left to go.

When I reached my 50s, I thought that was probably it and I didn't think there was anywhere else to go. I made it clear to my manager that I didn’t want to be promoted to her role because it involved people management. ?But she was really good about it and made me realise that just because I didn’t want to go directly up, it didn’t mean that there was nowhere for me to progress to. I said, ‘I’ve reached the top of this tree,’ and she replied, ‘Well, we need to find you a different tree, don’t we?’

Having that support helped me to realise that I had much more to offer in my career and spurred me on to spend the next 18 months managing the government’s Kickstart Scheme at Capita, which aimed to provide jobs for 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit, before moving onto my current role where I ?handle emerging talent apprenticeships, mainly looking after young people at the beginning of their professional lives, and helping them to decide what they want to do with their careers.

I love working with all kinds of people and definitely people of all different ages. I like to think that younger people can learn a lot from older professionals. I’ve got so much experience, there’s probably not much I haven’t seen in this industry, so I’m quite unflappable, which can be reassuring for young people. But I also get a lot back from it too – everybody has something to contribute, so it all adds up to a rich workforce.

Support

As well as my manager’s help, I have benefitted massively from the inclusive and diverse range of support here at Capita. We have eight employee network groups here that work towards “breaking down barriers in the workplace and doing things differently so that we can be inclusive to everyone.”

As an advocate for older workers and an age-diverse workplace, I’m part of ‘The Generation Network’, which aims to bring younger and older workers together, and challenge stereotypes around age. Other employee network groups at Capita include ‘The Rainbow Alliance’, which champions LGBTQ+ inclusivity, and ‘The Ability Network’, which concentrates on disabilities within the workplace.

Companies that encourage diversity to this extent, really do make employees feel that they have ownership of the issues and a strong voice to actually change the direction; many things we have recommended have been implemented.

The other area of support that I’ve noticed Capita provide is in the level of flexibility they offer colleagues. From sabbatical leave to positive menopause policies and flexible working patterns and work from home or hybrid, Capita offers further incentives to older employees who may want to work in a different way rather than retire. Again, these are crucial elements that should be part of any business recruitment strategy should they wish to take advantage of the older workforce.

“Economically inactive”?

So why aren’t more people in the “older category” being considered for roles? There are currently well over one million, between the age of 50 and 64, who have retired early and categorised as “economically inactive”. This to me doesn’t make sense.

Of course, it’s up to the individual and many may have their own reasons for leaving the workforce, but for those who have been put off by the way that companies recruit, this is a massive, missed opportunity. Indeed, a recent survey of more than 1,000 managers working in UK businesses and public services found that just four out of 10 (42%) were open "to a large extent" to hiring people aged between 50 and 64.

And yet my generation were pioneers and can offer those skills to today’s society.

• We continued the fight for equal pay and ensured that loopholes from the 1970’s legislation were closed
• We fought for maternity leave and pay
• We fought for family friendly policies
• We campaigned against sexual harassment in the workplace
• We fought against discrimination whenever and wherever we encountered it
• We joined trade unions and made our voices heard

We did all of this while maintaining our day jobs and looking after our families. We still have all the skills that helped bring about all these changes.

Conclusion

There are two things that stand out to me clearly. First is that business really is missing an opportunity. Support and training are key to this. My experiences at Capita have shown that a company that is truly inclusive sees the potential in people regardless of any trait including age. The positives that can be gained from recruiting and retaining colleagues with extensive experience should never be underestimated. ?

Secondly, as older people, we need to believe in our own abilities a bit more and stop being so self-limiting. The future is full of opportunity. Opportunity both for those who have the experience, and those that need it.

In times where there are so few candidates for jobs, companies that embrace a multi-generational workforce will be the real winners.