Is the workplace no country for older men and women?

THE default retirement age of 65 will be scrapped this autumn, but if some of this country’s younger people had their way, older workers would disappear from the workplace a darn sight earlier.

According to new research among 18-24-year-olds in Britain, two-fifths believe there aren’t enough jobs about for older people to continue in the workplace. Of the 2,011 young people surveyed, 14 per cent also felt that older people should retire to make way for younger blood. What do younger people classify as “old”? They slap the label on when you get to 62, it seems.

More than one fifth of respondents say they believe the over-60s are slower and less productive than more junior counterparts, with one in 20 claiming they should also be paid less because they work at a slower pace. This view of older people in the workplace has been revealed by a survey carried out by the home and care provider Anchor

The company is launching Grey Pride, a nationwide petition to Downing Street, calling for Britain to follow the lead of Ireland and Canada by having a minister for older people to champion the over-60s at the highest level of policy-making.

Should such a minister be appointed, he or she will have an attitude problem to combat outside the workplace as well as in it. The Anchor survey also shows that some young adults have extremely stereotypical views of older people, with many calling the over-60s grumpy and out of touch with modern society.

It seems that even family ties aren’t enough to convince young folk of the value of relatives of a certain age. Seventy per cent did not consider older relatives an important part of the family and said they found seeing them a chore. One in five said they could never think of anything to say to older relatives.

The findings are depressing, providing a snapshot of younger people in this country as apparently misinformed and ageist in their attitudes to work colleagues and relatives alike. The young deserve their chance to get on the ladder of skill and experience, but surely not at the expense of older workers who have proven their worth in terms of expertise and reliability. And as for economic arguments, the young have ill-conceived ideas if they think chopping everyone over 62 out of the workforce will necessarily create more jobs for them.

“Casual ageism has no place in society and these results bear no reality to the lives of over-60s in England today, who are active, energetic and contribute hugely to many of the most successful businesses and organisations in the country,” says Jane Ashcroft, chief executive of Anchor.

Chris Brooks, policy adviser on employment and skills at the charity Age UK, says that in tough economic times it’s very easy for one age group to point a finger at another as causing problems for them – in this case the young blaming older people for “blocking” jobs.

“In reality the labour market doesn’t work like that. There is no fixed amount of work.

“More people being in work creates more work for others, but younger and older people are not usually competing for the same jobs, and taking jobs away from older and experienced people will not create jobs for the younger end.”

With respect to the accusation that older people are slower and less productive at work, Mr Brooks points to recent research in Germany which showed that older people were actually more productive.

McDonalds also carried out research among its franchises and found that customer satisfaction levels were 20 per cent higher where the workforce included members aged over 60.

“It’s important that we help young people to get jobs, but it’s also important that the young don’t point the finger at those who are older in the workplace.

“If some people do slow down with age, there is plenty of evidence that they make up for it in the quality of the work they do. There is no evidence of declining mental ability until well into the 70s, and mixed-age workplaces are the most productive.”

A TUC spokesperson took a more optimistic view of the survey, and said: “Considering how hard young people have been hit by the recession, it’s encouraging that most have still rejected the ‘lump of labour’ myth that older workers are somehow keeping young people out of work.

“The best way to get more young and older people into work is to get our economy growing again so that more jobs are created.”