By Charlie Mullins
It was very encouraging to see
centenarian Jim Clement celebrated in the news last week for still working in
his office job, in the ongoing battle to change the perception of older workers
in the UK.
Seeing Jim in action was a real
inspiration and a perfect example of someone that has defied retirement and
proven that even at the grand old age of 100, he is still a valuable asset to
his employer.
He highlights the benefits that a
more mature workforce brings to a business. As I read today that the number of
self employed over 50s has soared dramatically since 2008, greatly encouraging
news, it's always good to hear about people that have gone out on their own.
Yet, is this upturn because older
workers have been forced into self-employment just because employers won't give
them a chance, favouring younger employees in the financial downturn?
The government's common sense
decision to scrap the compulsory retirement age in 2011 and let people freely
work beyond 65 was one of the most rational legislations ever passed. However
there is still a lot of work to do on changing the perception of older workers
and employers' attitudes towards them.
As we all know, in the future
people will have to keep on working way past the traditional retirement age.
The state pension age is due to increase to 67 by 2028 and future rises would
be linked to life expectancy.
Many employers might think that
older staff are ready to slow down in the workplace or more likely to have time
off sick, but I have found this not to be the case and in fact quite the
opposite. Older workers are still ambitious and take great pride in their work.
What's more, younger workers need
more experienced employees to help them learn. In fact, what they can teach new
employees about attitude and commitment is worth more than anything you'll find
in a training manual.
To simply throw away all the
experience and skills that an older worker brings to the workplace just because
they have reached a certain age has always been a strange notion to me and one
which makes no business sense whatsoever.
I have always been an advocate of
older workers and since I started Pimlico Plumbers in 1979 have always appreciated what they
bring to the company as employees.
There is no substitute for
experience and that's why 20% of my workforce is over 55, with some approaching
80, and are hugely respected by colleagues and customers.
No comments:
Post a Comment