Companies considering the future of work are looking to pivot and create a work culture that all ... [+]
Increased longevity and declining birth rates have created an upward shift in the population of older people globally–a trend that is expected to continue, according to the United Nations’ global population report for 2022. And, while population growth has slowed, it is still growing. In November 2022, the global population is projected to reach eight billion.
What does this have to do with employers?
Everything.
At least everything having to do with the acquisition, management and retention of talent.
Older Talent, Newer Strategies
In the workplace, those aged 65 or older continue to make up the fastest-growing talent pool. Currently, the 65+ age group represents 10% of the global population and is expected to reach 16% by 2050. Yet, that same group continues to be overlooked by recruiters and hiring managers, and in the workplace older workers are still expected to retire–even when they want (or need) to continue working.
The report also projects the number of persons aged 65 years or over will outnumber children under age five more than two-fold and represent about the same as children under age 12 by the year 2050. As age demographics continue to shift, so should company strategies around talent acquisition, management and retention.
Neuroscience at Work
When you meet a stranger, what’s the first thing you notice?
If you said race and gender, you understand how your brain classifies information. Neuroscience research shows that “perceivers are attentive to the race and sex of a face within a fraction of a second of its presentation (within 100 milliseconds for race and 150 milliseconds for gender).”
Milliseconds–that’s all it takes for the brain to take note. Age, while sometimes more challenging to determine, is not far behind.
Recognition and categorization are a natural part of the human condition. However, the bias associated with particular social groups is not natural nor intuitive. Prejudice is acquired primarily in early childhood through verbal and nonverbal cues from authority figures and often very subtle. Children aren't born thinking one race or gender is inferior to another or that older people add no value to the world. They come to believe it because that is the language they have been subjected to, and, by default, it becomes a part of their belief system.
There’s more.
According to cognitive neuroscientists, 95% of our mental activity is by default, so most of our decisions, actions, emotions and behavioral responses depend on the 95% of brain activity beyond our conscious awareness.
That means our default biases will often predict behavior.
Without intervention, older employees will continue to be overlooked for training, promotion or retraining to fill a skills gap. By default, older workers will continue to be the first group considered for redundancy and recruiters and hiring managers will continue to dismiss older job candidates without much thought.
What to Do About Ageism
One of the biggest oversights in people strategy is the need for more education and training on how to recognize and combat ageism. Creating a workplace culture of awareness and sensitivity requires an ongoing process of reprogramming how we perceive differences. Like any other protected category, it begins with acknowledging the value of different perspectives, skills and working styles across the age spectrum.
Because society has bought into the myth that younger is better, combined with stereotypes about older people in the workplace, employees need to learn the many ways that age bias shows up in the workplace. Only then can employers create strategies to ensure age inclusion and equity.
Age bias—like biases across other dimensions of diversity, exists because it has been woven into the fabric of our societal construct. Consider how overlooking older employees and job applicants for promotions and vacancies negatively impacts workplace culture.
“Contrary to common assumptions, older workers do not cost more than younger workers and are not technology averse; their longevity actually brings numerous benefits to the workplace,” writes Susan Winner Golden for Harvard Business Review. “By recognizing older workers’ value and changing models of upskilling and learning, companies can create a thriving five-generation workforce.”
Longevity management will soon become an important part of the human resource function as companies come to terms with the era of no retirement. A focus on the future leaves employers with an urgent task–ensure a formalized approach to attract, manage and retain a diverse, age-inclusive workforce.
