January 22, 2023 | Posted in B2The7 Bits, Career, Human Resources, job search, Recruiting | By

I also write this as an employee who is over 50 and had to navigate looking for a new job when Papa John’s moved their corporate office to a new city impacting a couple hundred employees back in early 2021.

The term ‘older employee’ is often met with apprehension and dread. After all, there’s that age-old concern that hiring older employees may lead to increased absenteeism, reduced reliability and a general lack of motivation.

However, there are a number of benefits that come with hiring older employees.

With the aging population in most developed countries, it has become more common to see people over the age of 50 years old than under it. Even within organizations, as much as 80% of the workforce will be comprised of age>-neutral employees by 2023. This means that no matter what your target age group is for your staff, you’re likely to come across one at some point.

This article explores some of the benefits of hiring older employees so that you can take advantage should you need to do so in the future.

Training for New Hires

Due to the fact that employees over the age of 50 tend to have more experience than their younger counterparts, they are often better suited to train new hires. This means you can expect them to have more knowledge of industry standards and practices.

Additionally, they’re often more experienced and knowledgeable than younger staff, which means they have a greater ability to impart knowledge to new hires and are less likely to be impacted by the high salaries that come with hiring recent graduates. Investing in training new hires is an excellent way to ensure you’re getting the most for your money.

Diverse Workforce

Due to the fact that older workers are often more experienced than younger ones, they can provide a richer source of diversity for an organization. This diversity is particularly important in organizations that are trying to increase the number of women in senior roles.

Due to the fact that older workers are often more experienced, it’s more likely that they will have skills and experience that are not reflected in the organizational hierarchy. This means that your organization will be more diverse than it would otherwise.

Reduced Absenteeism

One of the biggest concerns that people have when it comes to hiring older employees (especially those well into their 50s and 60s) is that they will be prone to absenteeism. After all, if younger employees feel they’re losing their jobs to older ones, they may have a tendency to call in sick when they do have the flu.

However, a recent study by the Australian Government Department of Human Services demonstrated that older employees were less likely to be absent than their younger counterparts. This doesn’t mean that they are guaranteed to be reliable. However, it does mean that you can relax a little more when you hire older employees.

Increased Reliability

Older employees tend to be more reliable than younger ones. This is especially true for those over 55 years of age who are likely to be more experienced and mature than their younger counterparts. This means you can expect them to be more reliable when it comes to meeting deadlines and commitments.

If your organization has a professional or contractual agreement that needs to be met or a deadline that needs to be met, then hiring older employees is a great way to increase reliability. This isn’t to say that younger employees are unreliable. However, you can expect them to be more responsive to immediate deadlines than those who are younger.

Long-term Commitment

Many employees under the age of 30 years tend to view their job as something that’s temporary. After all, there’s a lot of competition in the job market for younger workers and many will view a career in HR as a way to make a quick buck. This means that older workers are often more likely to stay with your organization for a longer period of time. This isn’t to say that younger employees are more likely to leave. However, it is evidence that they may be more likely to be in a position where they don’t have long-term commitments.

Conclusion

The reality is that many offices will have to hire older workers in the future. This is especially true in industries where an aging population is common (such as in health care).

In these industries, hiring older workers helps to maintain the quality of service and reduce the potential for reduced payouts because of ageism.

However, you don’t have to be concerned about older workers. Hiring older employees can bring many benefits to an organization. This article explores some of these benefits and gives you an opportunity to consider them should you need to do so in the future.

More about Bernie…

Senior Director, Consumer Media Group at Confluent Health – Growth marketing focus on brand awareness, interest and new patient acquisition to our 44+ partner brands and 530+ locations across the US. Accountable for driving yearly business results supported by our consumer strategy and direct-to-consumer roadmaps. The Media team is responsible for owned and paid media as it relates to performance marketing, campaign management, partnerships, website development & support, search engine optimization, relationship marketing, Yext (Google My Business) support, recruiting, email marketing and supporting our partners at the local level.

Chief Cheese – Strategy & Engagement at B2The7 – Helping brands Reach, Retain & Regain customers with Omni-Channel data-driven strategies and tactics that focus on increasing sales, transactions, comps and customer engagement.

B2The7 Photography – Sharing experiences with photography: nature, landscapes, sunsets, flowers, animals and more.

Helping job seekers & recruiters daily…Founder of Careerbarn.com – Bringing jobseekers and employers together since 2000.