Older workers seen as ‘less flexible and cultural misfits’

The economic downturn has led to more older workers being retrenched. How can they get back into the job market?

Sharryn Pottenger is the founder of the Older Workers League. Picture: Supplied

Invisible – this is the No.1 word older workers use when describing their experience of the workforce, Sharryn Pottenger says.

Pottenger, 63, is the founder of the Older Workers League, a newly formed lobby group to advocate for older workers.

She talks from her own experience and labels it the grey ceiling.

“It is where, regardless of performance, you are seen as old and therefore not dynamic and promotable,” she says.

“I have had situations where in meetings my views are not seen as adding value and others have then taken my idea, shaped it as their own, and run with it.”

Pottenger, based in Melbourne, has worked in a variety of business and retail roles. She says some experiences as an older worker have been positive.

“One manager told me I was ‘very good’ at my job and I almost cried,” she says.

But Pottenger says constant business restructures – older workers are always the first to go as new graduates are hired – leave older workers feeling vulnerable.

She is adamant there needs to be a “mindset shift”, particularly given the raising of the age when workers can access the pension.

“Most of us want to work and are prepared to earn less to stay in the workforce,” she says.

It’s true. Australians are living longer and retiring later.

According to Australian Bureau of Statistics data, the median age of the population has increased from 35 years in 2000 to 38 years last year.

In July this year almost 15 per cent of people aged 65 and older were employed, up from 6 per cent in 2001.

Richard Bayly. Picture: Supplied

Richard Bayly, from the recruitment platform JobAdder, says rather than seeing these demographic changes as a negative, businesses and start-ups should embrace multi-generational workforces.

“Older workers bring experience, knowledge and broader life skills,” he says. “They can be used for informal leadership such as mentoring, and also tend to be more reliable and offer a diversity of thought. They also bring critical industry knowledge and expertise to an organisation.”

Bayly says there is a perception older workers are less flexible and cultural misfits. These perceptions are often the result of bias and limit a company’s ability to access talent. But he says countering this bias takes time and effort.

What can older workers do to improve their chances of continued employment? For starters, be proactive.

“There is sometimes a mindset by those who’ve worked in companies for an extensive period that the company should ‘give them’ training, rather than seeking it out so they remain relevant to the market,” Sydney careers coach Heidi Winney says.

“Companies usually develop younger people because they think there is a much greater career span ahead of them.

“The key is maintaining skills and being a lifelong learner.”

Winney says older workers should regularly audit their skills and fill in the gaps – with help from their employer or through other means such as TAFE.

The economic downturn because of the pandemic has led to more older workers being retrenched. Many come to Winney demoralised.

“You have to make them see they have a lot of skills, a lot of experience, and that it is transferable to other businesses and other settings,” she says.

“A lot of people get their identity from their job. Managers say to me, ‘I don’t know how to introduce myself any more’, and I say: ‘But you are still a manager, you haven’t lost any of your skills or experience’.”

For Winney marketing is the key.

“You have to focus on experience and not number of years, you focus on what you bring to the role and your achievements,” she says.

“Older workers need to show they have energy, their grooming is up to date, they are fit and can perform at a high level.

“You have to go in there with an attitude showing you are flexible, you want to learn new things, you have interest and enthusiasm.”

And Winney says many of the older workers she works with have had success.

“Particularly in this climate many companies are looking for contract work, and older workers can capitalise on that and get back into the job market,” she says.