I’m sorry but you are over qualified
The global population is rapidly ageing; by 2020, about 719.4m people - 9.4% of the world’s inhabitants - will be 65 or more, compared with 477.4m (7.3%) in 2005. We constantly hear about the strain this is putting on healthcare systems, pensions and the economy generally as we struggle to support a growing number of retired people but what about those people that don’t want to retire at 65 or, in today’s credit crunch, have found they can’t afford to?
Last night’s Dispatches addressed the issue of ageism amongst employers and recruiters. It seems older workers are more likely to lose their jobs and fail to secure another position frequently being told that they are ‘overqualified’ for the roles they are applying for.  The programme  followed the stories of people forced to retire at 65 by their employers, thanks to the Default Retirement Age introduced in 2006, and those who when made redundant later in life - some as young as 50 - struggled to even get recruiters to register them never mind get in front of prospective employers. It made compelling but depressing viewing. It seems we no longer value experience rather we see people of a certain age as a liability believing that they will be less driven or enthusiastic and take more time off work than their younger counterparts. This of course is often not the case. B&Q and Asda are among the few companies that have recognised the potential of older workers but how many of us would like to be told that our only work option is to take a lower paid job on a checkout purely because of our age?
What constitutes being an older worker can also be determined by the industry you are in. Apparently, the average age of staff at The Times top 100 companies is 34. This made me think about my own industry. I would hazard a guess that the average age of agency communications consultants is around 35 with the majority of staff being in their 20s. A common topic of conversation is ‘what happens to people over 40 in our industry?’. I’m not sure I know the answer but, until we find the fountain of youth, perhaps it is time we reconsider our attitudes towards older workers and see the value in balancing the enthusiasm and adaptability of a young workforce with keeping and attracting a few more experienced grey hairs.
Personally, I hope to be retired and travelling the world at 65 but I’d like to have the choice…
Tags: age concern, Ageing, dispatches, employment, hr, human resources, recruitment, retirement, retirement age, workforce
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Comments (4)
February 10th, 2009 at 3:13 pm Posted by Chris Nee
Hi Claire - very enjoyable post.
I caught a little bit of this last night and was horrified to see my ex-consultant on screen smugly blowing the whistle on the recruitment industry’s approach to candidates who were not “appropriate” for the positions they’re trying to fill.
It’s always amazing to see people blindly ignoring the benefits of worldy wisdom. We need a bit of wisdom in our industry. With all the young guns bowling into jobs which require energy and determination, a little experience does wonders to channel those assets.
February 10th, 2009 at 4:29 pm Posted by Pauliea
I’d guess that ageism has always been around in the workplace, to greater or lesser degrees.
But it definitely seems worse right now and there is almost a collective obsession with youth, as if a fresh face is some guarantee of success. In PR the ideal combination is a dash of youthful energy mixed with the right amount of experience and I’m sure that’s true for a majority of industries.
February 11th, 2009 at 6:05 am Posted by Becky McMichael
Good post Claire and definitely one I think about a lot. Our industry is skewed in many ways towards people near major cities, younger workers and often to people without children too, just because of the nature of the long hours and travel that the job requires. If you look at the spread of ages within our agency and women in senior positions and people who work remotely, part time or in a folexible way, I think we are pretty much the exception in a lot of cases.
Experience is everything, especially in the communications industry and there are very few junior staff who have been through a recession or crisis to the extent we are seeing now. Clients need experienced staff to guide them through the next year (whether dealing with good or bad news) and by ignoring the benefits that age and experience bring, agencies do themselves and their clients a disservice.
February 11th, 2009 at 2:42 pm Posted by Fifi
I also saw the Dispatches programme, and what I took from it was this: plan for my retirement now! Save where I can (do I need that new top? new pair of shoes? that expensive meal at that exclusive posh restaurant? - probably not), teach my children (if I ever have any, probably not - can’t afford it) the value of money and the value of their elders.
The modern workplace is a meritocracy, and perhaps we should question what we see as worthy of merit. From what I see, youth is associated with energy, fresh thinking, enthusiasm, tweets, blogs, social networking, blah. How do we really see the older generation? A bit past it cuz they can’t work a printer? Facebook - is that like a photo album with faces? Put away your pc (not the electronic kind) and examine your own values critically.
Attitudes towards older workers will not change until we as a society change how we value our elders. Meanwhile, I’ll keep my head down and work productively, and hope management does not shortlist me for a “work improvement plan” session.
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