By Jonathan H. Westover, PhD
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Abstract: This article makes the case for why organizations should thoughtfully consider hiring and retaining older workers. As the baby boomer generation reaches retirement age, skilled older workers are leaving roles, exacerbating future talent shortages. However, extensive research demonstrates that common stereotypes about aging and its impact on skills and abilities are unfounded. Rather, experience accumulated over decades provides clear cognitive and practical benefits to employers. Industries like healthcare, education, customer service and sales especially benefit from the experience, judgment, mentorship and interpersonal skills of seasoned practitioners. The article maintains that viewing older employees as knowledge assets versus liabilities through inclusive strategies like succession planning and flexible scheduling allows organizations to gain competitive advantage and prepare for upcoming generational changes in the workforce.
As an organizational researcher and consultant, one topic I frequently encounter is the hiring and retention of older workers. While age discrimination remains a barrier for many job seekers, my research and experience point to clear advantages organizations gain from tapping into the experience, skills, and wisdom that come with age.
Today we will explore why organizations should thoughtfully consider older applicants by examining key research findings and sharing practical industry examples.
The Impact of an Aging Workforce
We are in the midst of a major demographic shift as the Baby Boomer generation reaches retirement age. It is projected that by 2030, over 20% of the US population will be 65 years or older (Colby & Ortman, 2014). This aging of the population will significantly impact the workforce as skilled older workers leave their roles. At the same time, labor force participation rates among older adults have been increasing in recent decades (Toossi, 2015). These combined trends point to both a shortage of experienced talent as well as an expanded pool of potential older workers - if organizations are open to hiring them.
Debunking Common Myths
When considering older applicants, hiring managers may cling to preconceived notions about aging and its impact on skills, abilities, and workplace contribution. However, an extensive body of research counters many of these myths. Contrary to assumptions that abilities decline with age, much research has found age-related changes to be minimal for many important job skills through an individual's late 50s and beyond (Ng & Feldman, 2008). Studies also debunk the myth that older workers are less productive, more prone to injuries, or take more sick leave. When comparing similar jobs and workloads, older employees are often rated as high or higher performers than their younger peers (Adecco, 2019). While physical demands or safety risks specific to certain roles may be a reasonable consideration, broad assumptions based on age alone lack empirical support.
The Value of Experience
Rather than viewing age as a liability, organizations that appreciate experience gain a competitive edge. Extensive research has documented the many cognitive and practical benefits that come with accumulating decades of knowledge and expertise in a given field. Experienced professionals have highly developed tacit skills, can solve complex problems intuitively, and often excel at decision-making and managing uncertainty (Sterns & Miklos, 1995). Their years of accumulated knowledge represent an invaluable organizational asset, particularly as generational shifts causes the loss of invaluable institutional memory. By tapping into the experience of their older workers, companies benefit from more seasoned judgment, mentorship opportunities for younger employees, and the avoidance of costly mistakes that come with lack of experience.
Customer Service & Sales
Industries where customer interaction and relationship building are essential especially gain from an experienced workforce. In customer service and sales roles in particular, maturity and life experience can be a huge advantage. As an HR consultant for a large telecommunications provider, I saw first-hand how customers consistently rated interactions with the company's more experienced representatives higher in quality of service, ability to resolve issues, and building of trust over time. The interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, and pragmatism that come with age made these employees highly successful in roles requiring complex customer problem-solving and maintaining long-term business relationships. Rather than being rigid or slow to adapt to change, experienced employees had finely-honed ability to understand diverse customer perspectives.
Healthcare
In healthcare professions where experience is literally a matter of life and death, the value of seasoned practitioners cannot be overstated. As populations age and medical issues become more complex, the hands-on clinical expertise that develops over decades is increasingly vital. In a national study, researchers found significantly lower mortality rates among patients treated by physicians who had been practicing for 10 years or more compared to their less experienced counterparts (Choudhry et al., 2005). Similar benefits of experience have been observed among experienced nurses whose judgment helps avoid care errors and provides crucial non-technical skills like effective communication and compassion. When retaining valuable talent is a high priority, healthcare organizations can’t afford to lose the experience of aging clinical professionals based on assumptions about age rather than individual performance and ability to serve patients.
Teaching & Mentorship
The fields of K-12 education and post-secondary instruction provide excellent examples of how an older, experienced workforce benefits future generations. As educators accumulate years in the classroom, their instructional skills are constantly refined as they adapt practices to changing student needs and draw on a deep well of institutional wisdom. They also serve as invaluable mentors, advisors and role models for newer teachers. Losing experienced educators to attrition has clear negative impacts on school environments, student outcomes, and the development of upcoming teachers (Ingersoll & Strong, 2011). By fostering intergenerational teams and succession planning, educational institutions ensure continuity, maintain high standards, and allow experienced teachers to pass on invaluable knowledge before retiring.
Knowledge Transfer & Succession Planning
With an aging population comes not only the impending loss of skilled talent but also untold decades of accumulated business knowledge. Creating opportunities for knowledge transfer between experienced employees and up-and-coming generations represents a strategic imperative for organizations hoping to maintain competitive advantage. Strategies like mentoring programs, leadership development initiatives, and succession planning allow the passing of tacit expertise in a structured way before it walks out the door with retiring staff. These approaches yield benefits like smoother leadership transitions, reduced costs of training new hires, higher productivity from new employees, and continuity of high-quality service, products, and decision-making that comes with experience. By viewing older employees as knowledge assets rather than liabilities, companies gain extensive training capabilities_ at low cost compared to external options.
Retaining Top Talent
Beyond new hiring, retaining top older performers also delivers clear returns. Older employees tend to be more loyal, miss fewer workdays, and have higher job satisfaction when they feel respected and valued (Adecco, 2019). Implementing progressive HR policies regarding flexible scheduling, phased retirement options, continued skills training and leadership opportunities motivate experienced staff to stay engaged longer. This prevents costly turnover while allowing companies to continue benefiting from invaluable skills and relationships. A strategic, multi-generational workforce is key to stability, productivity and uninterrupted service excellence - especially as demand for experience rises alongside an aging population and skills shortage.
Conclusion
Modern organizations face a stark choice - either embrace experience as an invaluable asset or lose competitive advantage in attracting top talent and maintaining high performance standards. While ageism dies hard, research overwhelmingly demonstrates the cognitive, interpersonal and wisdom-based strengths that come with experience. Industries like healthcare, education, and customer service especially reap clear benefits from seasoned practitioners able to solve complex problems, navigate uncertainty, and connect with diverse stakeholders. Rather than viewing older workers through outdated stereotypes, forward-thinking companies see the immense and unique value that comes with an experienced, multi-generational workforce. Through inclusive hiring, talent development, and succession strategies that value all generations equally, employers position themselves to thrive both today and far into the future.
References
Adecco. (2019, January). The experience advantage: Why age is just a number. https://www.adeccousa.com/employers/resources/the-experience-advantage-why-age-is-just-a-number/
Choudhry, N. K., Fletcher, R. H., & Soumerai, S. B. (2005). Systematic review: The relationship between clinical experience and quality of health care. Annals of Internal Medicine, 142(4), 260–273. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-142-4-200502200-00008
Colby, S. L., & Ortman, J. M. (2014, May). The baby boom cohort in the United States: 2012 to 2060. (Current Population Reports P25-1141). U.S. Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2014/demo/p25-1141.html
Ingersoll, R., & Strong, M. (2011). The impact of induction and mentoring programs for beginning teachers: A critical review of the research. Review of Educational Research, 81(2), 201–233. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654311403323
Ng, T. W., & Feldman, D. C. (2008). The relationship of age to ten dimensions of job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(2), 392–423. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.93.2.392
Sterns, H. L., & Miklos, S. M. (1995). The aging worker in a changing environment: Organizational and individual issues. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 47(3), 248–268. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1995.0039
Toossi, M. (2015, April). Labor force projections to 2024: The labor force is growing, but slowly. (Monthly Labor Review). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2015/article/labor-force-projections-to-2024.htm
Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.
Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). Beyond Age: How Experience and Wisdom Benefit Organizations. Human Capital Leadership Review, 11(4). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.11.4.16
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