DIVERSITY around specific niche characteristics such as gender , race or disability . Often these are in competition with one another as the priority agenda . Age is the only leveller across all the niche characteristics , as we are all getting older , and as a workforce , at an alarming rate . Many workplaces have failed to understand or address this at all in their diversity strategies .
RL : Yes , age is often forgotten as a criteria for diversity . Ageism is also still a socially acceptable prejudice . These issues won ' t fundamentally improve until we change the way society feels about ageing and we start to recognise what is positive and powerful about it .
“THE HIGHER UP MOST ORGANISATIONS WE GO , THE MORE WHITE AND MALE THE TEAM IS . ORGANISATIONS NEED TO ENABLE OLDER WOMEN TO BOTH STAY IN THE WORKPLACE AND PROGRESS IN IT ”
RACHEL LANKESTER FOUNDER , MAGNIFICENT MIDLIFE
What do older workers bring to an organisation apart from experience ? CH : Ageing can make us more socially adroit . We often get better at reading people , cooperating and negotiating , at putting ourselves in others ’ shoes , finding compromises and resolving conflicts . No wonder productivity rises with age in jobs that rely on social smarts , as more and more do .
As we age , we get better at seeing the big picture , weighing multiple points of view and spotting the patterns that unlock solutions to thorny problems .
We also get better at turning risk into reward . Despite the fawning media coverage lavished on the Zuckerbergs of this world , studies show you ' re more likely to create a successful start up in middle age or beyond .
Embracing older workers is also the only way to build multigenerational teams , which tend to be more productive , more creative and better at solving problems .
LS : A worker in their 50s is 200 % less likely to take a day off work sick than a worker in their 20s . Their drivers for work change – salary / financial rewards drop out of the top three reasons to work , thus stabilising wage inflation across a business . Overall happiness increases in your 50s and 60s thus enabling this age group to cope better with stress and have a more positive approach overall . There is also often a keenness in this age group to help others develop , thus the focus on upwards career progression , turns into focusing on purposeful activities that add value such as mentoring and coaching less experienced colleagues .
RL : Older workers bring so much to an organisation as well as all that experience - wisdom , knowledge about interpersonal relationships , clarity , understanding , and often a calmness of approach that can be
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