This post originally appeared on Forbes.
It’s so hard to find and keep competent, productive employees these days. And yet most organizations tend to discount a major source of both continuing and new employment: encouraging older workers to stay and contribute more, as well as actively seeking older, experienced workers. A variety of social biases prevent organizations from embracing this approach, according to Dr. Becca Levy, professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health and author of Breaking the Age Code: How Your Beliefs About Aging Determine How Long & Well You Live. From “rampant ageism in movies and television” to “negative age stereotypes that companies present in advertising” and even birthday cards “that denigrate aging,” says Dr. Levy, stereotypes and caricatures that misrepresent the potential and capacities of healthy, older people induce us all to hold excessively negative beliefs about aging that affect workplace life.
But why reject an entire class of potentially skillful and dependable people when you could increase organizational productivity by broadening your search for highly effective employees and leveraging talent that you may already have in-house to increase organizational productivity? It’s possible to switch up the narrative and counter some of the common stereotypical objections—even from older executives—to hiring and cultivating older employees. Here are four recurring stereotyping beliefs that can be debunked with minimal effort so your organization can get the benefit of older workers’ wisdom and commitment.
Older people behave badly or out of self-interest. Many older employees who are dinged for being rude or demanding are probably that way because of their personal histories, levels of emotional intelligence and other factors—not because that’s how older people behave generally. We “can’t underestimate the role of ageism that contributes to that dynamic” of believing that people behave badly just because they’re old, says Dr. Levy. Instead, we need to recognize that certain individuals happen to behave badly and probably did so when they were younger too, and coach and counsel employees promptly to encourage more desirable behavior.
Often older employees or candidates are labeled as selfish for wanting to arrange their work schedules to accommodate their families or hobbies—they may want to take grandchildren to school in the morning or see them on school vacations, for example, or volunteer with service organizations or travel. But Dr. Levy debunks claims of self-centeredness. “The research supports the opposite,” she says, “and in fact, older people tend to increase their motivation to help others to be generative.” Older employees have learned through experience that they prefer to sustain rich, happy lives, while also staying active and being valued at work. Since the pandemic gave us two years of coping with remote work and flexible scheduling, it behooves organizations to accommodate some of these requests for flexibility from all workers, not just older ones, and thereby maintain a more satisfied and responsive workforce.
Older employees are rigid about how things must be done. “There are no age limits on creativity or experimentation,” says Dr. Levy, and “there are leaders and employees of all ages who are accused of rigid or patterned thinking.” If you’re concerned that older employees might find certain plans or activities difficult and express resistance to them, think about how to make those pursuits accessible to any employee, regardless of age.
Let’s say your plan for team bonding at your annual retreat includes a zipline or white-water rafting. Ensure that anyone of any age who is new to these activities or nervous about physical danger can receive coaching and support to make it a good experience, especially if, for instance, they have a physical disability or a fear of heights or water. Age is not inherently a barrier to change or learning: Remember how George H.W. Bush went skydiving for his 90th birthday? When support is provided, employees of all ages can bond through such activities, and more fearless elders may even be able to encourage younger employees to try something new.
Older workers won’t accept new technology or methods. “Most older workers have smart technologies that they’re very comfortable using, and people at any age can learn new technologies,” says Dr. Levy. “There have been a number of studies that show that training opportunities are much more likely to be offered to a younger worker than an older worker. So it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: If there’s this negative stereotype about an older person not being able to pick up on new information or technology, and then a manager doesn’t give them the opportunity to learn that new technology or methodology, then they’re not going to have the skills to go forward.”
Many managers don’t recognize their ageist biases, even if they themselves are older. It’s hard to change people’s minds before they acknowledge that something needs to be changed, so ensure that age is discussed as part of your diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Dr. Levy contends that the number of DEI programs that “address the rights of older workers is disturbingly low” and that roughly 90 percent of DEI programs in place do not include older adults as a group that deserves protection from discrimination. Encourage older workers to speak up if they feel they’re being overlooked and urge allies to speak up on their behalf and amplify their concerns and suggestions. Provide greater inclusivity through minor accommodations like screen formatting that increases font and image size and closed captioning to supplement audio and simply making more comprehensive, contextualized training available to all.
Older people don’t work well with younger people. “The generations, when they come together, can bring out the best in each other,” says Dr. Levy. “As people get older, they’re better at solving interpersonal conflicts and [there’s research showing that] teams that are intergenerational tend to be more innovative and more productive… By drawing on each other’s strengths and appreciating some of those strengths, you can enhance the strengths of both sides.”
When people work together on tasks or initiatives that are inherently meaningful, they’re more likely to notice and value each other’s strengths and contributions. If you are trying to foster more intergenerational respect, focus on the quality of the project and assign people who share commitment and dedication to the outcome. Even if the generations have different approaches, such as older employees expecting younger workers to willingly act as “apprentices” who learn respectfully from their elders, or younger workers expecting older colleagues to help them progress quickly by providing workplace “cheat codes,” having a facilitated discussion of these assumptions can help smooth out typical differences and sources of potential conflict.
Because Dr. Levy’s research shows that age stereotypes can be shifted, she believes that the opportunity exists for workplaces to “create work environments that are age positive, that promote positive age beliefs and that celebrate workers of different ages.” Countering common age stereotypes can not only enhance the productivity and innovation of older employees but also contribute to a growth orientation among all employees.
Onward and upward —
LK