Mature myths

Cynthia Lee

Divisional Director – HR & Administration, Sentosa Leisure Group

Older workers and employers alike must overcome bias at the workplace.

Common myths include:

• Older workers have excessive health problems, leading to higher medical expenses for the company
• Older workers are more prone to work injury and incapable of doing physically-demanding jobs
• Older workers resist change and are thus harder to teach new technology, etc…

Research has shown that baby boomers are extremely hardworking, relish long work weeks and identify themselves by their professional accomplishments. They also have a lower incidence of switching jobs.

Instead of viewing mature workers as a liability, we should invest in their continued productivity. Some approaches include:

• Recognising older workers’ contributions and the value and importance of developing them
• Implementing alternative work options and designing policies to attract and retain older workers
• Training to maintain and upgrade skills
• Pledging a commitment to having an age-neutral workforce

Karunesh Prasad

Regional HR Manager – APAC, GE Oil & Gas

I look at this from a “Knowledge Retention” point of view. In my opinion, older employees bring in a lot of value to a company through their experience.

HR professionals have a key role to play in finding creative ways to use the skills and knowledge present in mature employees and disseminate them to other staff. Offering alternative roles in the areas of training or process improvement, or even a reduced workload with a small focus on training other employees in their own department can be very effective in helping to balance physical stress. These workers will then be able to easily transfer their knowledge to younger staff, creating a high-performing team.

At GE Oil & Gas, we too have an ageing workforce. However, the experience of older employees in the company and the passion and physical ability of the younger ones make the organisation more dynamic. We have allowed employees to continue working past their retirement age in Singapore based on specific criteria unless employees want to retire by personal choice.

Jacqueline Choo

AVP, HR, PSB Academy

Myth: Older workers are only good for the less important positions in the organisation, because they are perceived as fixed in their thinking, unable to respond speedily or develop new competencies.

Our Business Faith: Unlike companies where machinery or automation could replace intensified labour, we have found that mature workers often have good listening skills and are patient with students and colleagues alike. They are also wonderful storytellers, drawing from their wealth of experiences and wisdom to bring subject matters to life. These are attributes that we value highly as a service-oriented organisation.

We use the following initiatives to get the most out of older staff members:

• Job Rotation – Ensures staff are given different exposure amid learning experiences
• Job Enrichment – Ensures staff are exposed to a wider spectrum of work with opportunities for more in-depth learning and hence assume higher-value jobs in the longer term
• Mentoring – A more experienced person to guide in developing and sharpening new or existing competencies