Burnt out or burning bright

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Burnt out or burning bright

• Penny Tamkin

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Some interesting highlights

• By 2025, people over 60 will outnumber under 25
  in Britain
• In US, retirement only a breather but want to
  or had to (Putman, 2005)
• 4/5ths European employees believe age play a
  significant role in job prospects (Stepstone,
  March 2006)
• 59 say disadvantaged at work because of their
  age (CIPD, 2006)

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An ageing population
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Increasing life expectancy
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Life post 60
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Evidence of discrimination

• older workers more likely to be unemployed
• unemployed gt45 take longer to find work
• age used as a recruitment criteria
• managers rate promotability of older workers lower

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Older workers and work

• gt50s sharp decline in labour market participation
• 1990s trend of early exit
• two thirds of those who leave early do so
  involuntarily (PIU 2000)

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Labour force participation
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Long-term decline in activity rates among older
men
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Just slipping out
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Inactive 50 as of labour force

Assuming participation rates by age and gender
remain unchanged at their current levels
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Engagement diagnostic tool
Customer commitment
Engagement
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Engagement by age
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Engagement by development
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Different working experiences

• Older employees feel less valued and involved
• Training and development experiences differ
• Engagement rather than age is the key

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Experiences of training dev
Received no training in the past 12 mths
Have a PDP
Good / excellent access to informal dev
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Engagement career intentions
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Employer attitudes and practices

• evidence of positive views on reliability and
  loyalty
• negative on flexibility, willingness to train and
  adaptability to change
• affect views on suitability for jobs
• Scottish study
• preference more experience, better temperament,
  greater commitment
• cheaper
• lots of job typing

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Employer attitudes and practices

• doubt that law will make a difference
• age equality not as much of an issue
• concerns over health
• exit through voluntary retirement

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Stereotypes

• more absences short term absence decreases,
  long term increases, lower injury rates
• memory problems and declining intelligence no
  decline until gt90, accounts for low of variance
• ability and performance decline mixed evidence,
  objective measures steady or increase, subjective
  decrease. Manual workers maximum drop was 10

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Stereotypes (2)

• less creative science and art notable creations
  decline after 40s, musicians not till 85
• cannot adapt to new technology longer training
  needed
• cost more experience greater salary drop when
  forced to change jobs, less training
• do not fit can help reduce absence and higher
  work ethic
• not committed evidence that more committed but
  may be due to factors other than age

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Are older adults able to learn?

• vocabulary, general information and judgement
  stable or increase up to 60
• older do better than younger on tests needing
  preplanning or decisions amongst alternatives
• learning and memory no difference between 40 and
  65
• but more anxious, see learning as regressive,
  need longer sessions

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What helps?

• comfy furniture
• convenient parking
• bathrooms conveniently located
• ample breaks
• self paced
• memory aides
• visual aides, large fonts, reduced clutter
• quick application

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Learning need

• older workers greater need
• longer time since last trained
• skills are obsolete
• employed in declining industries

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Learning participation
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Trends in training

• shift from off the job to on the job
• duration declines
• frequency falls
• less likely to be offered and less likely to
  accept
• women more likely at all ages
• qualified more likely at all ages
• more likely within high skilled work

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Trends in training (2)

• related to sector, establishment size
• regression analysis shows that age remains an
  important factor regardless of all others

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Lessons for the design of work

• Good management is critical
• Honest conversations about plans reviews,
  appraisals
• Flexibility and part-time options help retention
• Ensuring respect and status prevents early exit
• Social motivation matters

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Key messages

• Mission and purpose
• Money
• Health intervene early
• Improve training access and relevance
• Remember that people are different

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thank you
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