Older workers bring a lot of skills and experience and can be great mentors or collaborators. Older people already contribute a lot to economy, society and family so why not employ them and have a mutually rewarding workplace relationship. Employers just need to think outside the box and be a bit flexible.

1. Working late
Dr Rekha Elaswarapu
Independent Consultant and Dignity Advisor
Trustee, Age UK Ealing
Lecturer, University of Sunderland in London

2. Who?
 Old age in modern post-industrial societies is generally judged on our
chronological age
 From about 60-120 years
 (although Age UK work with age 50 and above)
 Therefore, not an homogenous group
 There is great diversity among the elderly population of contemporary Britain
 E.g. ethnicity and cultural diversity, differences in health state, social class/wealth
possession, education, employed and un-employed, etc.

3. UK Demographic trends - our greying population
 By the early 2030s, people aged over 50 will comprise around
half the adult population in the UK
 by 2037 the average age of the UK population will rise from
39.7 years to 42.8 years
 the number of over-80s to double to 6 million, yielding a
much older age profile across the overall population (which
by 2037 is expected to number 73 million) (ONS 2013a).
 the number of people eligible for a state pension will
increase by 31 per cent between mid-2012 and mid-2037
(ibid), and that income and wealth disparities within the
older population will grow over this period

4. People aged 65 and over in the UK contributed £61bn to the
economy in 2013 through employment, informal caring and
volunteering, Age UK reveals.
In spite of future costs around providing pensions, welfare and
health services to a larger and longer living population of older
people in the UK, over 65s’ net economic contribution will actually
grow to £77 billion by 2030” (WRVS, 2010: 4-5).
Older people contribute!

5. Half of all workers aged 40-64 - nearly eight
million people - do not expect to have enough
money to stop work and retire when they reach
their State Pension Age, according to new YouGov
research for the Charity Age UK
'Creating a career MOT at 50’, Age UK(2017)
In return for….

6. 12% by 2022
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) statistics,
which put a more positive spin on the opportunity that
this largely untapped pool of workers presents. These
figures reveal that if 1.2 million older workers who are
currently unemployed or inactive and would like to
work were to move into full-time employment, it
could add up to £25 billion a year to GDP, and up to £9
billion if they worked part-time.

7. Myths and truths about older workers
Older people are
inflexible and set
in their ways
Older workers have
trouble getting along
with younger
generations
They will be out-of-
place at a startup
Older people
aren’t worth hiring
because they’ll
quit soon
experience does not equal
inflexibility
Successful collaborators
and wonderful mentors
a wealth of skills and faced
more than one storm
May not retire for another 20
yrs.,
won’t job hop after a year
Any employee’s future actions
unpredictable
Ed Muzio, CEO of Group Harmonics and author of Make Work Great

8. Myths and truths about older workers (2)
Older workers take
jobs from younger
workers
Older workers are not
very reliable and
often ill
Older people are
past their sell by
date
You can’t teach old
dogs new tricks
No evidence this is true
Different skills different jobs
older people are amongst the
most loyal, punctual and
reliable workers
clearly not true, misguided
undignified attitudes
Different people different methods
Need tailored training
ILC UK (2010) Older Workers, The Myths and Realities Notes of Dinner debate hosted by BT. 17th
November 2009

9. Are older workers expensive?
Traditional accounting does not consider productivity, and costs avoided or
reduced. Herein is the key to the economic justification for the retention and
attraction of age 50+ workers - older workers are more productive, have lower
turnover, stay with an employer considerably longer than younger individuals and
possess the accumulated knowledge and skills of a lifetime.
Analysis of the economic value and profit contribution of age 50+ workers
produces a strong argument for the retention and recruitment of older workers.
Focusing only on the costs results in a flawed outcome.
Towers Perrin for AARP, the authors conclude that "The benefits of a stable
workforce and avoiding turnover costs can exceed the incremental compensation
and benefit costs for a 50+ worker."

10. •Offering flexible or reduced working hours, workplace adjustments,
or part-time working
•Being part of an organisation with values that they identify with
•Responsibility and autonomy in their work, and the ability to pass
knowledge onto others.
Marvell R, Cox A (2017) Fulfilling work: What do older workers value about work and
why?, Centre for Ageing Better
Dignity at work

12. Thank you for listening
Dr Rekha Elaswarapu
Independent Consultant and Dignity Advisor
Trustee, Age UK Ealing
Lecturer, University of Sunderland in London
Email: Rekha_elaswarapu@yahoo.co.uk
Twitter: @relaswar