“Old” and “Young” Workers – A Perspective

Jonathan Brostrom

Principal Consultant, 1218 Global – EMEA

jonathan.brostrom@1218global.com

Your Age. Such a simple enough entry on an application. Date of Birth. Age. A number that comes pre-loaded with conceptions, preconceptions, stereotypes, legal implications, attitudes, and story lines. It is the same with your photograph or in-person appearance. Age. What an interesting and unavoidable truth.

“70! I can’t believe you’re 70!!! … Oh, now that I see you close up, I can tell you’re old.”

Sarah Silverman – Comedian & Actress

What is an ‘older’ worker?  Let’s use this guideline – anyone 10 years older than you are. And, what is a ‘younger’ worker? – anyone 10 years younger than you are.

(Is there an absolute age to mark a worker as ‘older’? Instead of trotting out a phrase like “50 is the new 40.”, let legal and company guidelines define the boundaries of age. Find and follow the regulatory guidelines of the country, state, province, city you live in.)

The baggage of thoughts about age in the workplace includes the depth of experience, the possibility of outdated knowledge, difficulties in team interaction, family-related relationship issues, and legal ramifications. How a company, a team, a group thinks about age, and how older and younger workers think about it is often left undiscussed. HR follows guidelines meant to inhibit discrimination, but the common wisdom is what?  It’s hard to get a job if you’re older. It’s hard to get a job if you’re inexperienced.

When an organization or project team chooses to define their age-related biases and opinions and chooses to openly define a way to react, to behave – the result is less friction, more cooperation, and a higher degree of respect across generations.

A simple exercise based on risk/reward management is useful to analyze and understand your personal attitudes about age in general, and or more usefully, the attitudes of your business’s culture:

The Process:

• List your own attitudes or work as a group to define your business culture.
• Evaluate your level of agreement/experience in your organization.
• Determine your level of Agreement.
• Make a mitigation plan.

RISK		PLAN
Older Workers	Agree 1 – 5	Mitigation
Have outdated skills		Study – get certifications – keep up
Tell too many stories		Monitor the number, duration and relevance of anecdotes. Keep a count.
Are slow		Distinguish between thorough and dull. Keep track of achievements.
Hit on youth		Follow the same guidelines regardless of age.
Don’t like change		Get with the program. Value innovation. Assign change-related tasks
Are older than my parents		Check your responses – they’re not your parents
<list your baggage>		<make a plan>
Younger Workers	Agree 1 – 5	Mitigation
Hurry through everything		Learn to be thorough. Remember to communicate.
Get distracted easily		Be aware of listening, focusing, keep a count of times you checked your phone.
Don’t listen		Be aware of eye contact, ability to repeat and/or rephrase what you’ve heard
Don’t have experience to draw on		Ask for explanation of context / history
<list your baggage>		<make a plan>

• List rewards/benefits of age groups or work as a group to define your business culture
• Evaluate your level of agreement/experience in your organization
• Determine your level of Agreement
• Make a mitigation plan

REWARD
Older Workers	Agree 1 – 5	Mitigation
Have valuable insights from previous experience		Take advantage of what works – what doesn’t work and why. Take time to learn.
Have been young once		Remember youth is not exclusive to you
<list the values you identify>		<make a plan to use that value>
Younger Workers	Agree 1 – 5	Mitigation
Work with the latest technologies		Measure, acquire and deploy their skills
Have a lot of stamina		Use it wisely – stamina has limits
Malleable – likely to accept change		Reward innovation – learn to adjust quickly and still provide structure
<list the values you identify>		<make a plan to use that value>

The Results:

If your average score on Risk is > 3 – you might have significant risk.  If your average score on Reward is < 3 – you are likely undervaluing both older and younger workers.

For every risk and every reward, try putting “I” in front of each statement. How do you fit into this matrix of baggage associated with your age?

• Do I have valuable insights?  Do I know how to share them? Do I babble on and on?
• Do I work the latest technologies? Can I contribute and share?

The dropdown/picklist of birth years is really very long. Taking the time to understand and appreciate the range of skills and experiences that are available on your team or within your organization across all age groups leads to more effective resource utilization and superior business results.

About Jonathan Brostrom

Mr. Brostrom’s extensive consulting and management expertise includes strategic planning, business analysis, project management and hands-on implementation with experience ranging from development of industry-specific applications to managing global systems implementations. He has deep functional knowledge of multiple industries and the platforms on which their business runs through experience consulting to a diverse group of Staffing, Commercial, and Not-for-Profit firms. He is a talented technologist, an excellent communicator, and a charismatic leader.
Specialties: Project Management, Strategic Business Analysis, Salesforce platform apps, PeopleSoft Financials (ESA), Public Speaking, Communication, Content Development, Web Design.

About 1218 Global

A worldwide leader in consulting innovation, 1218 Global and its family of professional consulting companies (Convectus Solutions, and 1218 Global HR Solutions) were each founded with unique delivery capabilities. From systems implementations and upgrades to Managed Services (EMEA, APAC and USA), 1218 Global has developed a track record for measurably improving client productivity, effectiveness, and profitability.

Learn more at: www.1218global.com