The plight of older workers

The Plight of Older Workers

A SEMINAR FOR THE BRITISH COLUMBIA
CAREER DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE
MARCH 9, 2013


 Who are Older Workers?
 Why are they out of work?
 What barriers do they face?
 How can we help them transition back into the work
force?
 Why would employers want older workers?


WHO ARE THEY?

………and this is also who they are……

OK, so who are they again?

 Ordinary folks
 Very experienced (25+ years with the same company
and laid off or down sized)
 Not very experienced (Empty Nest Spouse returning
to or entering the workforce)
 Well Educated (of 15 on one intake there were 5 BAs,
4 MBAs & 3 PHDs)
 Not so well educated (didn’t complete high school)
 Skilled or unskilled

Why are they out of work?

 Recession
 Relocation
 Health
 Technology rendered their skill obsolete
 Lack of current job search skills
 Lack of interview skills
 Financial (need a 2nd income)
 Insufficient pensions
 Lack of certifications

The Plight of the Older Worker

BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT
WHY DO OLDER WORKERS HAVE MORE
DIFFICULTY FINDING EMPLOYMENT?

Barriers to Employment of Older Workers

 They have NOT looked for a job in several decades


and really don’t know how to go about it.
 They have no experience in writing a resume.


 They are blissfully unaware of on line job search
options and are reluctant to use them.


 Skype? Skype interviews? What is that?


 They have lost track of their self worth.


 Some of them are technologically challenged.


 Some of them are technologically challenged.
 Uncomfortable doing face to face networking.


 Over Qualified for many jobs.


 Under Qualified for other jobs.


 Lack of Certifications.


 Have had no practice being interviewed.


 More people fear public speaking than fear death.


 Job skills have been rendered obsolete.


 Inadequate programs available to assist them.


 Feelings of isolation.


 Feelings of isolation.
 Ageism Myths

Inadequate Programs for Older Workers

Qualifications Training Options Offered

 Silveculturalist  Flag Person
 30+ Years in the Forestry  Fork Lift Operator
Industry  Security Guard
 Reforestation Expert  Care Aide
 Executive Management  Hospitality Worker
 $50K plus/year  CPR
 No longer physically able  WHMIS
to work in the slash.  Food Safe


WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP THE OLDER
WORKER TRANSITION BACK INTO THE WORK
FORCE?

Programs to Assist Older Workers

Targeted Initiative for
Federal
Older Workers (TIOW)

 9 weeks  Internet Training
 Resume Writing
 Word & Excel Training
 Interview Skills
 Finding the Hidden
 Combating Ageism
Job Market
 Training/Certifications
 Supports
 Networking for Jobs
 Age 50 to 67 from rural  Alternatives such as
locations with high Self Employment or
unemployment Consulting

Programs to Assist Older Workers

Job Options BC Urban
Provincial
Older Workers

 11 weeks  Assessment of skills
 5 weeks in group  Employability Skills
 6 weeks of one on one  Short Term Skills
 Up to 6 months of Training
follow up  Life Skills Training
 NOT EI Eligible  Return to Work Action
 Available in most Plan
urban regions

Aside from those programs, how can we help?

 Direct them to free resume templates, provide in house
resume writing classes and/or refer them to professional
resume writers or recruiters.
 Provide them with job search web site addresses like
Workoplolis in addition to the Government Sites.
 Give them Internet Job Search Training.
 Teach them Social Networking Job Search Techniques.
 Connect to them on LinkedIn
 Refer them to training that coincides with their assessed
skills and is relevant to their career goals

More Ways to Help

 Encourage them to join Toastmasters
 Encourage them to attend local Chamber of
Commerce Networking Events
 Encourage them to attend trade shows
 Encourage them to reconnect with their previous
employer and their competitors for part time
consulting work
 Encourage them to develop former hobbies into
revenue generating businesses
 Ask them to explore Temp Agencies

Still More Ways to help

 Suggest that they volunteer within their community
 Conduct mock interviews
 Post useful job search hints where your clients can
access them
 Provide them with lists of current standard interview
questions
 Help them formulate appropriate responses
 Provide older workers with FACTS to dispel ageism
MYTHS

Ageism: By Definition…

 Ageism: an alteration in feeling,
belief, or behaviour in response to an
individual or group’s perceived
chronological age.

 It may happen to the young and old
but for the purposes of our
workshop, we’re dealing with just
the older worker.

Industry built on “Over the Hill”

 Age prejudice is one of the most
socially condoned,
institutionalized forms of
prejudices in the world –
especially in North America

 Such cards are often portrayed
as humorous, but the essential
message is that it is undesirable
to get older …

Ageism’s Double Standard?

 There is strong evidence that other forms of
stereotypes or prejudices favour their own “in-group”
– yet age attitude does not fit this pattern…
 For example, Black culture supporting black heritage

 Often most of the stereotyping about aging or being
an older worker is related to some negative form of
debilitation, either physical or mental, which is a
precursor to the ultimate outcome of old age, death.

Mixed Messages Towards Older Workers

 Studies 1.present evidence from research concluding that
people often have contradictory views of older persons
and because of that today’s older workers are sometimes
seen as incompetent - yet warm; thus a basis for the
creation of prejudice against older workers is planted.
Common Statements from Employers:
 “You seem really great – but we need…”
 “You’ve got lots of experience but you seem a bit overqualified…”
 “We hired someone with more experience”
 “We need someone that we can train…”
 “We need someone that will be around for awhile”
 “We probably wouldn’t hire someone like you anymore…”

1. Brewer, Dull, and Lui, 1981; Kite & Johnson, 1988; Hummert 1990)

Negative thoughts get planted…

 We perceive positive characteristics of the “in-group”
and negative characteristics of the “out-group” to
whichever group we belong.
 I.E:: Young people feel older people are slow and opinionated and older people see young
as lacking discipline and thoughtfulness.

 Also the “in-group” states things that are positive about
themselves propelling some of the positive
characteristics while diminishing the “out-group”
 That type of information starts to become common
knowledge, despite being either “myth” or “fact”:
Example: What’s said communally about: Forgetting:
Youth: “not really interested, or “lack of effort or attention”
Older workers: incompetence or memory failure; “its not what it used to be”

AGEISM MYTHS VERSUS FACT

MYTH FACT

 Reality Check: The costs of more
 MYTH: Older vacation time and pensions are often
outweighed by low turnover among
workers are too older workers, while higher turnover
among other groups translates into
expensive. recruiting, hiring, and training
expenses.
 And while individual health,
disability and life insurance costs do
rise slowly with age, they are offset
by lower costs due to fewer
dependents.
 Overall, fringe benefits stay the same
as a percentage of salary for all age
groups.


MYTH FACT

 MYTH: Older  Reality: While workers
with tenure are entitled to
workers are more more vacation time and
expensive than pension costs related to
number of years worked,
younger workers. replacing workers is not
cost free.
 Aetna Insurance Company
did a study of this issue and
discovered these factors
added 93% to the first
year's salary of new
employees.


MYTH FACT

 Older workers are less likely to
 MYTH: Older job hop, and reduced turnover
workers are more can reduce employer expenses.
Many older workers have
expensive than insurance from prior employers
or from a Chamber of Commerce
younger workers. or are covered by a working
spouse. Some may have retired
from another career and receive a
pension or other retirement
income. Older employees may be
willing to work for less pay and
benefits to have a rewarding job
with flexible hours, use of their
skills, and opportunities to
interact with others.


MYTH FACT

 Productivity is not a function of
 Myth : Older age. Mature workers produce
workers are less higher quality work, which can
result in a significant cost savings
productive than for employers.
younger workers.  Stories abound of highly
committed older workers finding
others’ potentially costly
mistakes regarding everything
from misspelling of client names
to pricing errors and accounting
mistakes.


MYTH FACT

 Older workers have a high level of
 Myth : Older productivity for several reasons.
 They often have highly developed
workers are less writing and math skills and a lifetime
of experiences to draw upon.
productive than  Their maturity gives them stability
younger workers. and an improved ability to relate to
others, and they waste less time.
 Why is that?  In addition, they are more flexible
about working hours and often
willing to work part time.


MYTH FACT

 Myth: Training older  The future work life of an
employee over 50 usually
workers is a lost exceeds the life of new
investment because technology for which the
workers are trained.
they will not stay on  The American Association
the job for long. of Retired Persons (AARP)
survey of workers over 40
found that 76 percent
intend to keep working and
earning after the
traditional retirement age
of 65.


MYTH FACT

 MYTH: Older  Older workers have
superior study habits and
workers can’t learn their accumulated
as well as younger experience actually
workers. lowers training costs.
 Older workers are
generally eager to learn
new skills – especially
technological skills.
They want to keep pace
with change.


MYTH FACT

 MYTH: Older  Those over 50 are
workers can’t learn proving their ability to
learn new skills by
as well as younger becoming the fastest
workers. growing group of
Internet users.
 Career-changers in their
50s and 60s are taking
courses to enhance their
skills.


MYTH FACT

 The fastest growing group of
 MYTH: Older Internet users is over age 50.
workers can’t learn  According to a Harvard
as well as younger University study, the ability to
use an accumulated body of
workers. knowledge keeps rising
throughout the lifetimes of
healthy people. It is true that
the most effective ways to
learn may be different for
older workers than others.
Experiential learning has
proven to be of greatest value
with this group.


MYTH FACT

 MYTH: Older  Studies show only
workers can’t learn negligible loss of
cognitive function of
as well as younger people under 70. While
workers. older workers take longer
 Myth: You can't teach to absorb completely new
an old dog new tricks. material, their better
study attitudes and
accumulated experience
lower training costs.


MYTH FACT

 After realizing that half of their customers
 MYTH: Customers were over 50, Borders decided that the
best way to increase its market share was
don’t respond well to stress personal service and to hire
employees who could relate better to its
to older sales and customer base.
 There was an added bonus! Turns out that
service workers. turnover among their workers over 50 is
10 times less than for those under 30.
Reduced turnover costs and consistent
service staff naturally led to increased
profits.
 Here’s another plus. Extensive research
indicates that verbal communication, a
critical customer service skill, actually
increases with age.


MYTH FACT

 FACT… OUCH. This myth is far too
 MYTH: Older close to the truth for many. However,
once you meet their requirements,
workers will NOT temporary staffing firms offer health care
benefit participation at greatly reduced
be able to find rates over the cost of insurance you can
buy on your own.
healthcare coverage  Temping is a growing source of
opportunity for people seeking regular,
long-term employment. It is a door that is
anywhere but in open when all other doors of opportunity
seem closed.
traditional, full-  Joining your local Chamber of Commerce
not only allows you to network for jobs or
time jobs. clients, it also offers optional Health Care
Coverage at reasonable rates comparable
to the group rates you got at work.


MYTH FACT

 MYTH: Older  Because they've seen
workers aren’t as many approaches fail
creative or as in the workplace, they
innovative as are more likely to
question change but
younger workers. they can accept new
approaches as well as
younger workers can as
long as the rationale is
explained.


MYTH FACT

 MYTH: Older  … The National Study
workers can only do of the Changing
what they have Workforce found that
always done. workers 50 or older are
much more likely than
younger cohorts to run
a small business.


MYTH FACT

 Myth: Older  Attendance records
workers take more are actually better for
sick days than older workers than for
younger workers. younger ones. In fact,
according to Health
Canada, 80 percent of
all older workers have
no chronic health
problems.


MYTH FACT

 While individual older
 Myth: Benefit and worker's health, disability and
accident costs are life insurance costs do rise
slowly with age, they are
higher for older offset by lower costs due to
workers. fewer dependents.
 Overall, fringe benefits costs
stay the same as a percentage
of salary for all age groups.
 Older workers take fewer
risks in accident prone
situations and statistically
have lower accident rates than
other age groups.


MYTH FACT

 Older workers account for
 Myth: Older only eight percent of
workers have more workplace injuries, according
to the Canadian Centre for
accidents. Occupation Health and
Safety.

 Statistically, older workers
have lower accident rates than
other groups – probably
because experience has taught
them not to take risks where
workplace safety is concerned.


MYTH FACT

 Older workers value
 Myth: Older dependability and show lower
workers are absent rates of absenteeism
compared to younger
frequently due to workers.
health issues, or  They have a strong work
ethic, value punctuality, and
they face are less likely to need to stay
impairment in their home to care for sick children.
 Most are healthy themselves;
jobs 80% of those 55-64 and 66%
of those 65+ rated their
health as good or excellent.


MYTH FACT

 MYTH: Older  Many have reached an
workers do not age where quality of
want to accept less life becomes more
pay and less important than money.
responsibility.  Others have been out
of work long enough to
be grateful for any job
they manage to get.


MYTH FACT

 Myth: Older  Who do you think
workers don’t invented these things
anyway?
possess the same
 Baby boomers have been
level of tech skills as working with technology
younger workers. since the 80s.
 Most employees only
need to master the
technology needed to do
their job.

SOURCES

 1Government of Alberta (2010). Engaging the Mature Worker: An Action Plan for Alberta. Retrieved on July
21, 2011
 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
 Justlists.com
 (ref: Overcoming Myths About Older Workers Flash Cards at http://www.AgelessInAmerica.com )
 The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
 Business Week,
 Health Canada
 Statistics Canada
 Canadian Centre for Occupation Health and Safety.
 Bureau of Labor Statistics.
 The Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility at Boston College
 LESLIE AYRES, THE JOB SEARCH GURU
 Duke University
 Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania
 http://www.aging.unc.edu/groups/work/forum2008/
 Source: American Business and Older Employees. AARP.
 Washington DC: 2000; Bureau of Labor Statistics
 1Government of Alberta (2010). Engaging the Mature Worker: An Action Plan for Alberta. Retrieved on July
21, 2011
 Fraser Valley Training Group
 Targeted Initiative for Older Workers
 Job Options BC Urban Older Workers

Thank You For Attending
 Fraser Valley Training Group
 (Wyvern Segreant Training &
Consulting)
 Richard@idothat.ca
 604-649-1181
 http://ca.linkedin.com/pu
b/richard-
lindfield/1a/757/38a/
 LinkedIn Training
 Social Media Strategies
 Program Management

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