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New year, new recruitment resolution

Digital media companies should resolve to recruit more mature workers in 2007, writes Dianne Bown-Wilson

Digital media companies should resolve to recruit more mature workers in 2007, writes Dianne Bown-Wilson

Thinking about mature workers? It's time to stop dismissing them as 'old' and start thinking of them as 'in their prime'. From 2007, enlightened new media employers must start to design and implement radical new age management policies if they want to generate real business benefits from the 'demographic time bomb' and this means taking a strategic approach to employee shelf-life and considering how employees contribute over their whole career.

The recent Age Discrimination legislation per se is relatively unimportant to shaping the workplace of the future. Ultimately the real issues are being driven by demographic and social pressures that are likely only to intensify. With fewer younger workers coming through, existing skills shortages are going to increase. At the same time, older workers are individually reviewing their need to work longer as they examine their financial security in the light of an increasing state pension age and increasing life expectancy.

Savvy employers therefore will give consideration to taking positive steps to retaining and developing the skilled workers they already have, plus instituting re-training schemes for other mature, but capable candidates. By taking action now, businesses will ensure that they will be able to retain the skills and knowledge of their best workers over a longer period of time in a highly competitive market, whilst adding to their image as enlightened employers. Ultimately they will see the benefits in terms of improved bottom-line results.

Growing older affects absolutely everyone and there is no magic cut-off or 'sell by' dates when it comes to employee contribution. Research shows that contrary to popular belief, up to age 70 neither learning nor performance deteriorate in comparison with younger workers so there is no intrinsic barrier to mature employment in the new media industries. What is important are the aptitude, attitude, knowledge, skills and motivation of each individual and it is these factors which employers must seek to address.

In the workplace of the future there must be a greater focus for all ages on the knowledge and skills required to see people through their lives into a ripe and fulfilled old age. This includes greater awareness of health and lifestyle issues, including more health screening; a greater understanding of personal financial planning; and – particularly important in the rapidly evolving new media industries - continuing training and development.

In order to facilitate this there needs to be a greater emphasis on flexibility and planning over a longer period of time, focusing on regular career review and appraisal processes and the identification of each individual's needs and aspirations in terms of current and future health, wealth and time issues. Employers should recognise that whereas increased numbers of older workers will continue to want to work, they may not be motivated by the same factors as younger employees. The traditional carrots of salary rises and promotion are unlikely to be top of the list - the myth that 'mature' automatically equals 'expensive' needs to be shattered.

The ability to establish a good work-life balance, learn new skills or find new ways of contributing in the workplace are all likely to be more important, as will be the ability to interact on an equal footing with colleagues of all ages. This is particularly important in the new media industries which are often seen solely as a young person's arena, guarded jealously against the inroads of older workers whom, it is felt, have no place and cannot effectively compete.

Individual life planning and counselling from an early age, and the introduction of flexible and contract working arrangements including support and information about alternative working options such as self-employment should also be provided. Alongside this, issues concerning each individual's work-life balance wants and needs should be addressed openly and positively.

It may be that there is less interest in these topics at the younger end of the scale, but from an early age employees should be challenged and encouraged to take responsibility for planning and managing their futures alongside their existing responsibility for managing their own attitudes and behaviour. To this extent employers can only be seen as facilitators and supporters, the onus has to lie with each individual to design a fulfilling and rewarding outlook.

In future, 'retirement' ideally should be a relatively seamless process, individual in its nature and reflecting the specific needs of both the business and the employee. Just as people do not leave work one day 'young' and come back the next as 'old', so in the workplace of the future people should generally not be 'employees' one day and 'pensioners' the next. Maturity and retirement are just one stage in a the whole transitional process of work and those employers in the new media industries who are astute enough to recognise this may well be those who flourish, while the less enlightened struggle and go to the wall.

About in my prime
Dianne Bown-Wilson works for in my prime, an organisation that provides information, advice, and support to employers on issues relating to retaining and developing a mature workforce.