Older workers may not have the same tech-savvy of their younger colleagues, but they have years of experience you can’t teach or replace. Some companies are looking to hire people with strong management experience, which means older workers are in demand.
To stay competitive in today’s workforce, companies need to make an effort attracting and retaining older workers. Here are a few key advantages to older workers:
1. Good leadership skills.
Older workers make good leaders because they often have stronger communication skills than their younger colleagues.
Older workers remember a time when communication wasn’t dominated by e-mail, instant messaging, texting or social media, and as a result they have advanced communication and people skills … person-to-person communication is an essential skill in the business world.
2. Focused.
Older people have been working their entire lives and are often not searching for the next opportunity like younger workers. They know exactly what they want to do and are focused on getting the work done.
Older workers tend to be more interested in stability and are satisfied with their jobs, compared to younger workers.
3. Loyal.
Since older workers are typically more satisfied with their jobs, they also tend to stay longer.
Companies may invest countless man hours and financial resources into the screening, hiring and training of new employees, only to find that many employees leave for other opportunities after a few months as they soar through their career path.
4. Good work ethic.
Being ethical is extremely important to workplace culture and older workers tend to have more knowledge and experience when faced with ethics in the workplace. They can offer great insight on past experiences and the skills they used to deal with certain situations.
5. Strong networks.
Older workers have been in the workforce longer and they’ve had more time to meet people and network along the way building client relationships which can be beneficial to a company.
What are some of the advantages you would like to share?
by Carole Marinier, Monthly Blogger for Agilec
