The number of older employees in the workforce is growing. But they often face being viewed as not as capable of contributing to their teams. They may be viewed as “more expensive.” These views show an ageism bias. Ageism is defined as discrimination against older people because of negative and inaccurate stereotypes. However, “older adult” may mean anyone over 45 to someone that is 30, and anyone over 60 to someone that is 45.
Some of the common misconceptions is that older adults can’t learn new technology. When it comes to being tech savvy, many older workers have been working with new technologies and software most of their careers. As an example, they have adapted to different versions of Microsoft 365 numerous times. Older accounting professionals have typically used a variety of accounting software over their careers. As long as adequate training is provided for new technology, older workers can be just as successful as their younger counterparts in using these new technologies. In addition, older employees are often the ones that AI technologies can’t replicate or replace, making them potentially even more valuable.
In general, older employees may have higher claims costs. However, overall claims costs for older employees have actually decreased over the past 25+ years. That is thanks to overall improvement in public health over the past 50 years. To keep older employees healthier, it’s important to have a specific focus on healthier aging, appropriate health and well-being messaging for this demographic, and being more aware of jobs that are better suited to more mature employees. These jobs should be less physically demanding. By using their skills and talents in positions that have less risk of injury, claims costs can be reduced. While it is true that the risk of some chronic diseases and dementia increases with age, most older adults maintain quite good health and cognitive function.
During the initial interview process for older adults, it’s important to know if younger HR professionals, or anyone part of the interview process, may be unconsciously favoring younger candidates. It is human nature to feel more comfortable with people of your own generation or those that have had similar experiences. Training around ageism and preconceptions of older adults may be beneficial for any employees that are involved in the interview process. Discussing potential bias and exploring perceived issues around hiring older workers can help the interview process be fairer to older adults.
It may be assumed an older candidate will want a higher salary. That is often not the case. They could be looking for a lateral move or returning to the workforce after caregiving for a loved one and looking to get back into the marketplace. They may and be fine with a salary in the range your organization has in place for a particular position.
While evaluating the hiring process, review if there are consistent additional questions asked about or to older candidates versus younger candidates. Try to create the same criteria for hiring for people of all ages.
“The narrative that age is decline, age is burden, hurts everyone: individuals, families, communities, and society,” said Nancy Morrow-Howell, PhD, a professor of social policy and expert in gerontology at Washington University in St. Louis. “Some older adults do need support, but mostly they’re giving it,” she added. “They make important contributions to the workforce, including paid work as well as volunteering and caregiving. Those contributions to society are a resource, not a luxury.” APA 2024
Many older adults have a lot to contribute to our companies and our economic growth. Hiring older adults means more financial stability for the communities they work in. It can mean adding employees that are more experienced in handling crisis and stress, making your teams more resilient. They can also bring decades of experience that can prevent costly mistakes. Addressing ageism can mean a better future for your company.