Total Engagement Consulting by Kimer | Total Engagement Driving Enterprise Efficiencies and Profitability

This blog contains many links to previous blogs and resources on this topic. Please explore them!

Many of you may remember the popular country western song “Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places” from Johnny Lee in 1980. Nowadays, it seems like so many companies looking for qualified people and complaining they can’t find any are looking in the wrong places. At the same time companies are moaning about labor shortages, I know of many great talented qualified older adults looking for work, getting passed over or not even being considered.

Here are some misconceptions about mature talent:

1) Older experienced workers are overpriced since they want to continue making or increasing their current salaries. Actually many senior workers are now financially secure and not working because they need to. They are working because they want to keep busy and their bodies and minds active. Many are willing to take part time, seasonal and lower paying work.

2) Older workers are slow and cannot learn new skills. Many older adults love to continue to learn and grow and view themselves as life long learners. They are excited about learning new things and understand the importance of keeping current in their fields. For example I myself continue as a diversity consultant and trainer at 66 years old, and each year like to add one new expertise to my portfolio. For example, in 2021, I added work around supporting nonbinary people in the workplace, and use of pronouns. (see my recent blog about this subject.)

3) Older people will probably miss more work because of illness. Not true. Most seniors are very loyal to their employers and will place a high priority on living healthy so they can provide their best services to their employers.

attractive woman 50 years old with a folder for documents

4) Older workers will be inflexible and not deal with schedule changes. Actually many senior workers would prefer to work part time or take on seasonal work and be available during peak times when additional staff are needed.

5) Older workers will clash with the younger talent. Yes, there are some older people who stereotype the younger generations as lazy or entitled, and frankly I would not want to work with bigots who stereotype entire groups of people myself. When hiring mature talent, look for those people who value diversity and enjoy teaming with and understanding the value that young people add to the workplace. Combining the creativity and understanding of the latest technology that young people have with the experience and market knowledge of the older generations can create powerful success for your organization.

Here are a few more points and links to blogs:
• Job-sharing (two people working part time) may be an ideal situation for mature talent that wants to work part time. Read my case study (part 1) on job sharing followed by the summary blog of 5 tips for successful job sharing.
• My 2013 blog about considerations of older talent and issues in the workplace.
• This 2020 blog linked to two podcasts interviews I participated in around older employees and veterans
• AARP has a robust set of resources for the working older adult.

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Please be in touch with me to discuss my consulting and training services around inclusive recruiting, or sign up for my 4 hour DiversityFIRST Virtual Suite “Inclusive Recruiting – the Why and the How on Aug 17, 2022. Link and scroll down to August.

I am a competitive adult male figure skater (do check out my figure skating page on my business website) and in discussions around skating and gender, I posted what I thought was a humorous comment: “There was one rink I went to where for the restrooms they had a drawing of a hockey guy for the men’s room and a drawing of a girl figure skater for the ladies’ room so I asked, “As a male figure skater which of these restrooms am I supposed to use?”

Someone obviously with no sense of humor actually replied, “There are only two genders. Male and female. What type of skates or uniform they have on doesn’t change it. Read your anatomy book if you are still confused.”

Well, this person is not exactly correct.

A very useful diagram showing the wide range of genders (click on it to expand to full screen to get a better view)

First, there are a good number of children born with both sets of body parts, they are intersexed. Second, there are an increasing number of people who do not identify as solely male or female, but perhaps as a combination of genders or no gender, called “nonbinary.” I recently published a blog about supporting nonbinary people in the workplace and use of pronouns.

Now on to the larger discussion. Why are so many people intolerant?
• Just because I am not straight like you, does that make me bad or wrong? Does my being gay somehow threaten your being a heterosexual?
• Just because someone identifies as nonbinary instead of male or female like you, does that make them bad or wrong? Is someone else’s being nonbinary somehow threaten you as a man or a woman?
• Just because someone was not born in the US and speaks with an accent, does that mean they are “less American” than you are?
• And what is up with all this hate and violence against Black people, Asian-Americans, Jews, Muslims, etc?

Bottom line – the only thing that I feel it is OK to be intolerant of is intolerance itself.