What’s Wrong with Older Workers? Nothing!
Posted February 4th, 2013
When people think about older workers these days, it is generally not in a good way. For companies, they represent a big investment, an investment in terms of salary and benefits. They might see them as past their prime, simply putting in their time until retirement.
Others, however, see value in older workers, in terms of the skills, knowledge and experience they have acquired over the course of their career, all of which they can bring to the job.
But, like many opinions we have, the views of older workers often are based on anecdotal evidence, or stereotypes. What is the truth about older workers in the workplace?
University of Pennsylvania researchers who have studied the subject say that negative attitudes toward older workers generally are based on myths, and that older workers are among the most productive and motivated.
One myth, they said, is that older workers cost more and are not as productive as younger ones. But research has shown that older workers actually take fewer sick days than younger ones. And their healthcare costs are actually less because they no longer have children on their healthcare plans. Moreover, workers older than 65 also have Medicare, which also reduces company healthcare costs.
Also, older workers do better than younger ones when it comes to job performance. They are absent fewer days. They also have more developed interpersonal skills.
Another myth is that older workers lose interest in their jobs. But the researchers found that older workers become more interested and engaged in the jobs past retirement age, and that they list learning new things and having new challenges as things they like.
There is also a misguided belief that if older workers stay on the job longer, it will prevent younger workers from getting jobs. What the researchers found is just the opposite in many countries. Because when older workers retire, governments are forced to raise taxes to support the pension systems. This in turn causes companies to cut back on hiring because of the tax hikes.
Many of these false beliefs began in the 20th century with the rise of Social Security and pensions. But the idea that someone works until 65 and just stops working for good is really unusual in the history of civilization. Older workers don’t want to just stop working. They just want to do different kinds of work.
No matter if you need newly-minted college grads or seasoned professionals, contact the recruiting experts at Bayside Solutions when you need temporary or direct hire help for your San Jose-area company. We look forward to hearing from you.
